'Young Justice' Season 4 could see the Team fall apart over Zatanna and M'gann faking Artemis' encounter with Wally's ghost
Secrets and betrayals have been a recurring theme in 'Young Justice' since the very first season. Unlike with most superhero shows, these heroes really don't seem to hesitate when it comes to lying for the greater good, even though their secrets have backfired so many times in the past.
In 'Overwhelmed', the 25th episode of 'Young Justice: Outsiders', Zatanna Zatara (Lacey Chabert) and Miss Martian/M'gann M'orzz (Danica McKellar) decided to trick their dear friend Artemis Crock/Tigress (Stephanie Lemelin) into thinking she had a spiritual experience with the soul of her dead boyfriend. To be fair, it wasn't some sort of ill-advised prank and the young heroes were actually trying to help their friend find some much-needed closure.
That said, at this point, it's pretty obvious that their little secret is going to blow up in a big way down the line. Ever since her boyfriend Wally West/Kid Flash (Jason Spisak) was killed in 'Young Justice: Invasion', Artemis has struggled to move on with her life.
Desperate to see him one last time, she turns to Zatanna for help communicating with Wally's spirit. Though Zatanna warns Artemis she would regret the decision, she agrees to help the grieving woman meet Wally's spirit in a limbo dimension.
After nearly ending up stuck in the fantasy world with Wally, Artemis manages to say her goodbyes and return to the world of the living. Although Artemis was finally able to find the closure she needed, she didn't realize Zatanna and M'gann had simulated the whole thing using the latter's psychic powers.
No one, not even Zatanna, can raise the dead and the "Wally" Artemis spoke to was actually just a creation of her own mind. Not only could this secret potentially drive a wedge between Artemis and her friends, but it also has the potential to bring down the Team as a whole.
It might even have repercussions for the Justice League, especially after Black Lightning/Jefferson Pierce (Khary Payton) promised to end secrets between the heroes. After being elected chairman of the Justice League in Episode 26, Lightning gave an impassioned speech in which 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 to provide full transparency on his watch and despite Zatanna and M'gann's good intentions, this particular secret is definitely something he would refuse to condone. We don't know how or when Zatanna's secret might come into the light but when it does, we can be sure the backlash will be massive.
Unfortunately, the Team does seem to have a hard time learning from their mistakes so expect even more secrets and betrayals in the next season. Though season 4 of the show has been confirmed, the creators are yet to reveal a release date for the same.
All episodes of the third season, 'Young Justice: Outsiders', are currently available for streaming exclusively on DC Universe.