Salvage

"Salvage" is the fourth episode of the second season of Young Justice, and the 30th of the overall series. It aired on May 19, 2012.

Logline
While Superboy and Blue Beetle battle Intergang, Nightwing and company try to salvage the soul of a former comrade fallen from grace.

Cast and characters
! colspan="3"| Non-speaking roles
 * rowspan="2"| Dee Bradley Baker
 * colspan="2"| Wolf
 * Jeremiah
 * Nick Chinlund
 * colspan="2"| Sportsmaster
 * rowspan="2"| Crispin Freeman
 * colspan="2"| Red Arrow
 * colspan="2"| Jim Harper
 * Grey Delisle
 * colspan="2"| Whisper A'Daire
 * Kevin Grevioux
 * colspan="2"| Partner
 * Kelly Hu
 * colspan="2"| Cheshire
 * Stephanie Lemelin
 * colspan="2"| Artemis Crock
 * rowspan="2"| Eric Lopez
 * colspan="2"| Blue Beetle
 * Scarab
 * Yuri Lowenthal
 * colspan="2"| La'gaan
 * Vanessa Marshall
 * colspan="2"| Black Canary
 * Jesse McCartney
 * colspan="2"| Nightwing
 * Nolan North
 * colspan="2"| Superboy
 * rowspan="2"| Kevin Michael Richardson
 * colspan="2"| Bruno Mannheim
 * colspan="2"| Mal Duncan
 * Jason Spisak
 * colspan="2"| Wally West
 * Michael Trucco
 * colspan="2"| Adam Strange
 * Alan Tudyk
 * colspan="2"| Green Arrow
 * Vanessa Marshall
 * colspan="2"| Black Canary
 * Jesse McCartney
 * colspan="2"| Nightwing
 * Nolan North
 * colspan="2"| Superboy
 * rowspan="2"| Kevin Michael Richardson
 * colspan="2"| Bruno Mannheim
 * colspan="2"| Mal Duncan
 * Jason Spisak
 * colspan="2"| Wally West
 * Michael Trucco
 * colspan="2"| Adam Strange
 * Alan Tudyk
 * colspan="2"| Green Arrow
 * colspan="2"| Wally West
 * Michael Trucco
 * colspan="2"| Adam Strange
 * Alan Tudyk
 * colspan="2"| Green Arrow
 * Alan Tudyk
 * colspan="2"| Green Arrow
 * colspan="3" | Beast Boy
 * colspan="3" | Black Lightning
 * colspan="3" | Captain Atom
 * colspan="3" | Doctor Fate
 * colspan="3" | Eduardo Dorado Sr.
 * colspan="2" | Lian Nguyen Harper
 * colspan="3" | Lucas Carr
 * colspan="3" | M'gann M'orzz
 * colspan="3" | Norman (photograph)
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna
 * colspan="2" | Lian Nguyen Harper
 * colspan="3" | Lucas Carr
 * colspan="3" | M'gann M'orzz
 * colspan="3" | Norman (photograph)
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna
 * colspan="3" | M'gann M'orzz
 * colspan="3" | Norman (photograph)
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna
 * colspan="3" | Norman (photograph)
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna

Continuity

 * Adam Strange sets up the Zeta-Shield that Sardath was working on in "Earthlings".
 * Red Arrow is still searching for the real Speedy, which he set out to do in "Auld Acquaintance". He also still hasn't come to terms with the fact that he's a clone, which he also found out about in the same episode.
 * It is revealed that Guardian is actually a clone of the original Jim Harper, and has subsequently abandoned his superhero alter ego in order to come to terms with his status as a clone. This explains how the Light was able to so easily manipulate him on multiple occasions in the previous season.
 * Superboy mentions the bomb that Aqualad used to destroy Malina Island in "Alienated".
 * He also mentions Intergang and their M.O. of smuggling alien technology via Boom tubes, something he discovered in "Disordered".
 * Blue Beetle explains the origins of the Blue Scarab, as well as the fate of his predecessor, Ted Kord, but does not elaborate on how he came to possess the Blue Scarab.
 * Ugly activates the Appellaxians' husks seen in display in "Alienated".
 * Sphere tries to override the Appellaxian like she did to Infinity-Man in "Disordered".
 * Red Arrow makes the same "whelmed" pun that Robin did in "Independence Day".
 * He also alludes to Aqualad's switching sides, as revealed in "Alienated".
 * As a Valentine's Day treat, Artemis serves Wally his favorite meal: "everything," which was established in "Coldhearted".
 * Artemis and Wally are still together after the events in "Auld Acquaintance", and are now living together.
 * Cheshire and Red Arrow have married in the five year time skip, confirming the hints of mutual attraction in the previous season.

Trivia

 * In the comics, Lian Nguyen Harper is the daughter of Red Arrow and Cheshire, and was killed in an explosion caused by The Electrocutioner that destroyed Star City. The survivor's guilt from this event, coupled with the loss of his right arm to a nanite blade wielded by the villain Prometheus, caused Roy to spiral out of control and become violent and drug-addicted. This stands in contrast to this episode, where his daughter is a reason for Red Arrow to clean up his life.
 * In the comics, Guardian was a clone that was being created without Jim Harper's knowledge. When he discovered that Cadmus was cloning him, he was shot and killed. Each appearance of Guardian were new clones, each of which died within a year, though the original still lives, albeit with currently unknown whereabouts.
 * The Blue Scarab was actually a tool to create sleeper agents for a race of cosmic marauders called The Reach in the comics. Its purpose was to empower each world's champion with powers and enable them to become superheroes, but upon activation of its surreptitious programming, it was revealed to be a part of an alien hive mind, allowing the AI present in the scarab to supplant the owner's intelligence with its own. Due to the influence of its current owner, however, it was able to attain independence from the hivemind.

Cultural references

 * Blue Beetle compares the Scarab to Jiminy Cricket, the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" created by Carlo Collodi in his 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Unanswered questions

 * Why did Kid Flash quit the hero life?
 * Is Artemis still part of the Team?
 * Why did the Light kill Ted Kord?
 * How did Blue Beetle come to possess the Blue Scarab?