'Young Justice: Outsiders' sets up Black Lightning as the leader Earth's heroes needed but season 4 likely to see his promises fail
The ending of 'Young Justice: Outsiders' introduced quite a few changes to the status quo including Superboy/Conner Kent (Nolan North) becoming a public hero and the Legion of Super-Heroes making their way to the past. The biggest change, however, was when Wonder Woman (Maggie Q), Aquaman and Miss Martian (Danica McKellar) stepped down as team leaders and Black Lightning/Jefferson Pierce (Khary Payton) was unanimously elected as the leader of both the League and most of Earth's heroes.
Jefferson's new position brings things around full circle for 'Young Justice' as the season began with the idealistic superhero quitting the League. Throughout the season, Black Lightning served as the moral center of the team, questioning the more morally ambiguous decisions made by his friends and keeping them on the straight and narrow even when the lines between good and bad began to get blurred.
Lightning's acceptance speech reflected these qualities as he reminded his fellow heroes of all those who initially fought the good fight only to be corrupted over time, like the new king of Markovia Geo-Force/Brion Markov (Troy Baker) and the League's arch-enemy Vandal Savage (Miguel Ferrer). He promised there would be no more secrets between heroes on his watch and it seems like a new era may be dawning for Earth's heroes.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Jefferson is going to be able to build the sort of League he wants. During the San Diego Comic-Con 2019, the show's creators teased that “there will be more secrets and lies” in the show moving forward so it seems the idealistic leader's promises are going to fall flat.
That is a bit sad when you think about it because Black Lightning's highly conscientious approach to heroism really is what the world needs. Both Batman and Nightwing, despite their commitment to doing good, have often taken steps in their war with the villainous Light that have made it hard to remember who the heroes really are.
In any other superhero show, Black Lightning's moral stance would be the default setting of all the heroes. The fact that the heroes of 'Young Justice' are so much more complicated is both the best thing about the show and the thing that's most likely to lead to their collective doom.
All episodes of 'Young Justice: Outsiders' are currently available for streaming on DC Universe. While a fourth season has been announced, the title and release date for season 4 are yet to be revealed.
