Young Justice (animation)/Characters/Justice League

This page is for listing tropes related to members of the organization known as the Justice League in the animated series Young Justice.

For other characters that appear in the series, see the Young Justice Character Index.

In General

• Adaptational Jerkass: A mild case but they're bit more of a Slave to PR, taking careful steps to promote a good public image and telling a few white lies to boost public confidence. And then there's the whole using the Team as Child Soldiers to bypass legal restraints placed on the League.
• Adults Are Useless: Generally averted. The incident with Red Tornado stands out as an example of where they should be far more competent, but otherwise they are pretty on the ball.
• Badass Crew: Actually subverted. Individually each League member is incredibly powerful, but they aren't a cohesive force like The Team is so their capabilities when working in groups tend to be somewhat whelming.
• Big Good: The League as a whole and Batman in particular.
  • Captain Atom seems to have taken up this role in season 2.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: At the end of Season 1, the entire League is taken over by Vandal Savage and Klarion.
• Clear Our Names: The "sixteen hours" Leaguers leave Earth to do this in "Alienated".
• Elaborate Underground Base: Formerly operated out of Mount Justice.
• Final Boss: The season 1 finale has the Team fight the entire League... and win. justified by the fact that Klarion had to control all of them at once (therefore making it harder to make them each effective in battle), while the Team could take on one to a few at a time. Kid Flash comments on this to Artemis.
• Helping Would Be Killstealing: Sometimes.
• Heroes With Bad Publicity: As of the second season, the entire League are wanted criminals in Rann space. This is because the Light sent a team of brainwashed Leaguers to their area of space and had them go on a rampage while broadcasting their identity.
  • Closer to home, G. Gordon Godfrey is running a smear campaign on the Justice League, particularly the alien members. It seems to be working.
• Living Prop: Some members are ultimately this.
• Loads and Loads of Characters
• Order Versus Chaos: Order to The Light's chaos.
• Put on a Bus: The six Leaguers who were brainwashed into attacking Rann briefly left Earth in Season 2 to stand trial and prove their innocence. Accompanying them were Hawkman (who refuses to leave Hawkwoman) and Icon, acting as advocate.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Most of the League members who regularly interact with the Team are this.
• Space Base: The Watchtower.
• Spiritual Successor: to the Justice Society of America, as usual.
• Story-Breaker Power: Why they don't show up too much.
• Super Registration Act: They have a treaty with the United Nations that allows them to operate in all of its member states. Works against them in Season 3 when Lex Luthor becomes Secretary General of the UN and hamstrings their efforts.

Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)

Voiced by Nolan North

• Ascended Extra: Takes on a larger role in the story in Season 4 due to the heavy focus on surviving Kryptonians.
• Blue Eyes
• Brought to You by The Letter "S"
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: His refusal to leave the Kroloteans behind plants him in the middle of an explosion that can be seen from orbit. He survives, but Superboy knows that failing to save them means he still won't be okay.
• Clark Kenting
• Closest Thing We Got: The Legion of Superheroes attempt this in Season 4, setting him up to take the presumed to be dead Superboy's place in history.
• Eye Beams
• Flying Brick: As ever.
• Last of His Kind: He's apparently on the lookout for people who share his powers.

Supes: I nominate Icon for League membership. GA: Why? Because you suspect Icon might be Kryptonian like you did with Captain Marvel?

• Season 4 reveals Kryptonians are Not So Extinct with hundreds of them having survived in the Phantom Zone. Including Kara Zor-El.

• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Season 4 notes a few times that, despite how powerful he is on Earth, his level of power isn't exactly uncommon in the larger galaxy.
• Parental Neglect: Even though Superman had nothing to do with his creation, everyone expected him to take responsibility for Superboy.
• Super Senses
• Super Speed
• Super Strength
• That Thing Is Not My Child: There's nothing particularly anti-clone about it, but he's not happy when Batman calls him Superboy's "father". His rationalization is that Conner will do better with role models who don't have all their baggage. By season 2, he's comfortably referring to Conner as a little brother.

Batman (Bruce Wayne)

Voiced by Bruce Greenwood

• Adaptational Niceness: He's a bit softer than a Batman normally is in the first two seasons, more emphasis being placed on his Papa Wolf attitudes. Though he gets a Character Check in Season 3 reminding the audience that he's still the same maladjusted psychopath that he always is.
• Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving: Pulls this one on the team in "Drop Zone".
  • And again in "Usual Suspects".
• Badass Normal
• Big Good: For a give value of the term.
• Brown Eyes
• Control Freak: Barbara pegs him as such in Season 3.
• Dating Catwoman: Talia al Ghul declares her love for Batman in issue #11 of the tie-in comic, while Batman is noticeably bothered by the fact that she's going to hate him because her father, Ra's, temporarily died during the fight.
• Deadpan Snarker: Not in front of the team, but when it's just he and Robin on a mission:

Ra's al Ghul: Why are our encounters always so... adversarial? Batman: Something to do with your disdain with human life.

• Determinator: According to Robin, who's figured out it's not all it's cracked up to be.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: Subverted in "Drop Zone" where at first he appears to be furious that they made so many mistakes in their first mission, only to tell them that they did a good job.
  • It's particularly notable coming from Batman, who in several other media is very obsessive about his plans not going the way he originally wanted. Here, he first scolds them for not listening to his orders before praising them for reacting well once the situation changed.
• Dynamic Entry: Done this twice already, once in the pilot episode and then in "Downtime".
• Expressive Mask
• Good Parents: When noticing that Robin was jealous of the attention he was giving to Kaldur, Batman simply invites Robin for some basketball with him to assure him that no one would replace him.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He consistently appears hard and authoritarian but fair and judicial.
• Secret Secret Keeper:
  • Knew Captain Marvel was a ten-year-old kid.
  • Knew Artemis was the daughter of Huntress and Sportsmaster.
• Stealth Hi Bye: Is able to pull this of in the middle of a fight!
• Team Dad
• Took a Level In Kindness
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Averted. Batman, in no way, wants his adoptive son to be like him. He only trained Robin and took him as a partner because he didn't want Robin to spend years obsessing over avenging his parents like him. This is especially ironic since Robin feels that Batman expects Robin to take up the mantle.

Wonder Woman (Princess Diana of Themyscira/Diana Prince)

When all is said and done, the question must be - whom do we trust? Voiced by Maggie Q

• Badass Princess
• Blue Eyes
• Celebrity Voice Actor: Maggie Q.
• Everything's Better with Princesses
• Flying Brick
• Super Strength
• Older Than She Looks: Her official stats say she's ninety-years-old (of course, she is partially immortal; physically she's roughly in her 30s).
• What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Batman's "Anti-Light" conspiracy in Season 3 for all the horrible lengths they've gone to.

The Flash (Barry Allen)

Voiced by George Eads

• Ascended Fanboy: In the tie-in comics, Wally explains that Barry was a big fan of The Flash and spent a lot of time talking to Jay Garrick before duplicating the Freak Lab Accident that gave him his powers.
• Catch Phrase: "Back in a flash!"
  • Lampshaded by the Flash Family

Impulse: "Does he say that often?" Rest of the Family: *sigh* "Too often."

• Expressive Mask
• Green Eyes
• Hair of Gold
• Happily Married: to Wally West's aunt Iris.
• Legacy Character: As seen in "Downtime", the Flash family has had several generations of speedsters.
• Longing Look: To Iris in "Failsafe," but subtle since they're on air at the time and aliens are killing everyone.
• Super Speed
• Old Superhero: One of the oldest members of the League.

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)

• Age Lift: Has grey around his temples.
• Demoted to Extra: He's barely even a Living Prop.
• Expressive Mask
• Hero of Another Story: Season 4 implies that a Broad Strokes version of Green Lantern the Animated Series took place.
• Imagination-Based Superpower
• Put on a Bus: Spends much of Season 2 on Oa
• Space Police

Aquaman (King Orin of Atlantis/Arthur Curry)

Voiced by Phil LaMarr

• Badass Beard: Much like another AQUAMAN, he maintains his classic look whilst having the beard the character was first seen with during the 90's.
• Blue Eyes
• Does Not Like Shoes: Seems to be an Atlantean thing; webbed feet do make swimming easier, though.
• Happily Married
• Heroes Want Redheads: Is married to Mera, and expecting their first child.
• My Greatest Failure: Kaldur's Face Heel Turn in Season 2. Unaware that it's a ruse.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Aside from running his kingdom, he is an active member of the Justice League.

Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz/John Jones)

Trauma tends to linger, my friend. As I know you know.

Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson

• Bald of Awesome
• Intangible Man
• Invisibility
• Killer Game Master: His alien invasion is the new tomb of horrors.
• Last of His Kind: Averted. His family alone includes hundreds of nieces and nephews.
• Older Than He Looks
• Psychic Powers:
  • Mind Over Matter
  • Telepathy
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subversion with him being one of the heroes.
• Really Seven Hundred Years Old: 135 Earth-years old - in Martian terms, mid-forties.
• Shapeshifter Default Form: Type B. According to Word of God, his natural form is just like Miss Martian's monstrous natural form, only bigger and with green skin.
• Shapeshifting

Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)

Voiced by Alan Tudyk

• The Archer
• Badass Beard
• Badass Normal
• Blatant Lies: Claiming Artemis is his niece, which Red Arrow knew immediately was a lie.
• Blue Eyes
• Expressive Mask
• Hair of Gold
• In the Hood

Hawkman (Katar Hol)

• Expressive Mask
• Good Wings, Evil Wings

Hawkwoman (Shayera Thal)

• Expressive Mask
• Good Wings, Evil Wings

Zatara (Giovanni Zatara)

She's grounded for life!

Voiced by Nolan North

• Green Eyes
• Heroic Sacrifice/ Take Me Instead!: Allowed Nabu to take him as a host to save Zatanna from the same fate. He spends about a decade under the helmet.
• Legacy Character: Spends ten years as Doctor Fate.
• Magicians Are Wizards
• Nice Hat
• Overprotective Dad: Considering how weak Zatanna was actual combat before she Took a Level In Badass, this may have been justified.
  • Even as the new Doctor Fate his fatherly instincts make a quick surfacing when Zatanna is considered for League membership. Wonder Woman lampshades it.
• Stage Magician: Looks like one, but has real magic.
• Take Me Instead!: When Doctor Fate has taken over Zatanna, Zatara begs him to spare her and take his body instead. Doctor Fate complies after Zatara geases himself to put on the Helmet of Fate if Nabu lets Zatanna go.

Captain Atom (Nathaniel Adams)

Voiced by Michael T. Weiss

• Clear My Name: In the tie-in comic he sends the Team to do that. He doesn't tell them whose name they're clearing, though.
• Energy Absorption
• The Leader: Takes over command of the Justice League in Season 2.
• Older Than He Looks: He's actually 70 years old but, other than the white hair, doesn't look a day over 40.

Black Canary (Dinah Lance)

Voiced by Vanessa Marshall

• Artistic License Medicine: In real life, she would be disbarred immediately from therapy as she is way too close to her patients.
• Author Appeal: Greg Weisman admits that her prominent role is at least partially because she's his favorite DC character.
• Baby Got Back: The show gets a lot of Male Gaze from her.
• Badass Abnormal: As usual, she is a very capable fighter without using her powers. Just ask Superboy.
• Blue Eyes
• Bound and Gagged: In "Auld Acquaintance".
• Break the Haughty: She sure showed Superboy and Kid Flash.
• Hot Teacher
• Make Me Wanna Shout
• Sexy Mentor
• Warrior Therapist: As shown in "Disordered". Not only does she train them, she helps them deal with trauma.

Green Lantern (John Stewart)

Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson

• Badass Baritone: It's Kevin Michael Richardson.
• Imagination-Based Superpower
• Space Police

Captain Marvel (Billy Batson)

Captain Marvel voiced by Rob Lowe ("Alpha Male" & "Humanity"), Chad Lowe ("Secrets" and after) Billy Batson voiced by Robert Ochoa

• Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: Being a young boy on the inside, Billy can be easily distracted by something cool. Like tigers.
• Ascended Fanboy: Billy idolizes all heroes.
• Adorkable: He tries so hard to fit in...
• Badass: As Captain Marvel, he is an incorruptibly pure Flying Brick and world renowned hero; as 10-year old kid Billy Batson... he's even better. Billy was willing to risk oblivion to save somebody's life, and kept a cool head during a global catastrophe when all the adults of the world disappeared. The episode "Misplaced" is basically about why he deserves the power of Captain Marvel.
• Blue Eyes
• Butt Monkey: He constantly tries to get close to the team in Season 1, as they are essentially his peers. The team tends to assume that he's as authoritarian and hard-nosed as the other members of the League, so they (often unintentionally) undermine, take advantage of, or otherwise reject him in the process of saving the day. It's probably not the case after Billy revealed who he really was to them in "Misplaced".
• Calling Your Attacks
• Flying Brick
• Henshin Hero
• I'm Standing Right Here: After his secret's revealed to the League at large, they have to debate whether he can stay.

Red Tornado: He does possess an adult body and the wisdom of Solomon. Aquaman: Wisdom does not equal maturity. Marvel: Hey, I'm sitting right here!

• Just a Kid: He gets this treatment from the rest of the League in "Agendas" after real age was revealed. Black Canary in particular suggests that he should leave the room and let the adults decide whether he should be allowed to stay in the League. Batman stands up for him, though.
• Man Child: Captain Marvel is known for retaining his innocence, but this incarnation is especially childish.
• Secret Keeper: Billy has to keep the identity of Captain Marvel a secret due to the fact that he's really a ten-year-old kid. As of "Misplaced", the Team knows about his true identity. It's also clear that Batman knows but other Leaguers like Zatara don't, though they find out after this.
• Sixth Ranger: How he views himself in regards to the team. Unfortunately for him, the team didn't know that he's a kid until he revealed himself in "Misplaced", so they did what they can to keep him out of the loop.
• Something Only They Would Say: Billy goes back to the world of kids in Misplaced and asks Miss Martian to read his mind to prove that he's really Captain Marvel. Kid Flash doesn't buy it. Then, Billy goes:

Billy: Gee Wally, do I really have to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get on your good side?

• Super Strength
• Tagalong Kid: Despite never being a kid at the time.
• What the Hell, Hero?: In "Agendas", he's the first Leaguer to call out Nabu for the events of "Misplaced". He doesn't know why they're even keeping him in the League.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Lampshaded by Captain Marvel himself (well, the "wise" part anyway), when Aqualad thanks him for a pep talk.

Marvel: Wisdom of Solomon.

• • Seems to be in an "Only when I feel like it" way, since whenever nothing serious is going down, he's just a big kid.
  • As pointed out by Aquaman when the League finds out about his alter-ego, "wise" doesn't necessarily mean "mature".
• Younger Than They Look: And how.

Red Tornado (John Smith)

Human customs still elude me.

Voiced by Jeff Bennett

• Blow You Away
• Demoted to Extra: His prominent role in the series is gone after Season 1.
• Fake Defector It seems as if he defects in "Homefront", but in reality, he leaves to protect the Team and to find his creator, T.O. Morrow.}}
• Helping Would Be Killstealing: Pretty much every time the team ask for help he tells them they have to do it on their own.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Was attempting to make one with his siblings when he nearly melted to take down his evil brother. Superboy saved him at the last minute.
• Old Superhero/Older Than He Looks: It's revealed that before the Justice League was formed, he was part of the Justice Society of America (see below) decades earlier. Of course, being an android, he hasn't physically aged.
• Robot Buddy
• The Stoic: He is a robot, so stoicism isn't unexpected for him. "Auld Acquaintance", however, shows that, while in his "John Smith" body, he can display emotion far more readily. Specifically, when ordering the team to get out of the cave, the urgency in his voice is especially noticeable.
• Team Mom
• Took a Level In Kindness: He became the Den Mother in order to become more human. It has had an effect, as he's come to care for the Team... and later on, his "father."

Doctor Fate (Nabu)

' Fate has intervened.' Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson

• Anti-Hero: Type V. His actions are motivated purely by a desire to maintain order rather than any moral compulsion and he has no qualms about erasing the identity of (and effectively killing) children he possesses. He appears to be moving up to Type IV thanks to Zatara's influence.
• Badass Cape: Whoever wears the Helmet of Nabu.
• Clingy MacGuffin: Anyone can put on the Helmet. But only Nabu can decide when it gets taken off.
• Combat Stilettos: When possessing Zatanna.
• Converse with the Unconscious: regularly converses with whoever is serving as his host, even though he's fully inhabiting their body.
• Cool Helmet: Essentially IS the helmet.
• Empathic Weapon: He bonds with his wearer. It's why he vouches for Aqualad and Kid Flash's characters (both of whom briefly donned the helmet) in Season 1's Justice League meeting.
• Esoteric Motifs
• Good Is Not Nice: Absolutely. Though he's never claimed to be good.
• The Hat Makes the Man: Possesses the body of whoever puts on the Helmet.
• Light Is Not Good: Calling him good is actually rather generous, all things considered. Yet, his golden light powers and ankh symbol definitely render him light aligned.
• Mask of Power
• Not That Kind of Doctor
• Order Versus Chaos: Represents order, and not necessarily in a good or nice way.
• Powers That Be: is a personification of order given form on the physical plane.
• Related in the Adaptation: Season 3 reveals that he was born as a son of Vandal Savage.
• The Spock
• Token Evil Teammate: While more morally ambiguous than outright evil, compared to the rest of the League he's very dark.
• Upgrade Artifact
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He is absolutely convinced that the world needs him (and not without reason), and if that means whatever mortal happens to be wearing the helmet never gets to take it off, so be it.
  • It's reached the point that Captain Marvel doesn't even know why they're letting him stay in the League. Nabu replies that Zatara wants him there so they can keep an eye on him.

The Atom (Ray Palmer)

• Incredible Shrinking Man
• Tron Lines

Plastic Man

• Rubber Man

Icon

We both seem to have found teams that suit us.

Voiced by Tony Todd

• Big Damn Heroes: Saves a crashing helicopter
• Flying Brick
• Hand Blast
• Really Seven Hundred Years Old: If they're sticking to the comic origin, he arrived on Earth in the 1800s and has been doing the My Grandson, Myself thing to avoid suspicion.

Red Arrow

See The Team

Zatanna

See The Team

Rocket

See The Team

Black Lightning

• Color Character
• Shock and Awe

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