Coldhearted

"Coldhearted" is the 20th episode of the first season of Young Justice, and the 20th of the overall series. It aired on March 10, 2012.

Logline
Wally West comes oh-so-close to fulfilling his birthday wish to finally fight alongside the Justice League. Instead, a massively disappointed Kid Flash is taken off the mission and tasked with a simple delivery job. But a few deadly surprises await the birthday boy along the way...

Synopsis
Wally wakes at the sound of his alarm clock. He is elated because it's his sixteenth birthday, he has finally lost his cast, and it's snowing. His mother feeds him a big breakfast with toast, bacon, sausages and boiled eggs. His father offers to take him to the DMV after school to get his driver's permit, but Wally declines: he wants to go to the Cave after school, because he knows the Team is throwing him a surprise party. Mary turns on the news, where his aunt Iris first congratulates him on air, and then reports on the school closures due to the heavy winter weather. Wally cheers as his school is among those mentioned.

Wally makes it to the Cave, and as soon as he arrives, the computer mentions the Zeta-tubes are offline because of extreme atmospheric conditions. He finds the kitchen empty, and proceeds to the lounge, where the lights are out. He is suddenly surprised by the Team, Flash and Red Tornado, who, just like he expected, throw him a surprise party. He tries to sound as if it's actually a surprise, but Robin sees through it.

Megan has baked two cakes for him, and Wally is quite eager to make a wish. Much to Artemis's chagrin, he desperately tries to score a kiss from Megan. She gives him one—on his forehead. Artemis smiles.

Robin tries to comfort Zatanna, and offers her cake. Artemis joins the conversation, and the three of them decide to tell Wally about Megan's relationship with Superboy. She sits behind him, and whispers it in his ear; hearing it and seeing Megan and Conner eat together dampens his birthday spirit.

Batman calls in, urges them to change into polar stealth suits, and attend a briefing. Flash and Red Tornado leave, while Batman briefs the rest. Five mysterious ice fortresses are the cause of the extreme winter weather. They have to destroy them. Kid Flash suggests blowing them out of the sky from the Watchtower; Batman is not pleased that he mentioned that in front of Zatanna, and tells him that it's not going to work anyway as it doesn't have any weapons systems. Because both Hal Jordan and John Stewart are off-world, the Team has to team-up with the Justice League to take them down.

Robin and Aqualad are to help take down the first fortress; Superboy and Wolf will help Black Canary and Red Tornado with the second fortress; Artemis, Miss Martian and Zatanna will go to the third. Other Leaguers will deal with the other two. Kid Flash asks why he wasn't mentioned, and is disappointed in getting another mission: delivering a donor heart from Boston to Seattle, because air traffic is impossible with the snow. Though he would prefer to fight with the rest of the Team and his mentor, Kid Flash realizes that he has to do this.

As Kid Flash makes his way to the starting point, Batman informs him that law enforcement across the country will help him by clearing his route. He still envies his teammates, who race past him in the Super-Cycle.

Boston's freeways are gridlocked. Though police are trying to create a narrow path for Kid Flash, they're too late. Kid Flash has to jump over the trucks, but can continue his journey.

At the hospital, Mattie Harcourt waits anxiously for Kid Flash to arrive. She immediately gets down to business, urging him to keep the heart safe. It's insulated against basic shocks, but abrupt movement needs to be avoided. He has four hours before the heart is no longer viable for transplant. She dismisses his attempts at small talk, and sends him away.

Two cops wait for Kid Flash to pass their cordon. He moves so fast that they can only feel him going by. Wally checks his time, and calculates that he has enough to deliver the heart and get some Justice League action. He switches his PDA to the Watchtower feed to see how his teammates are doing.

At Ice Fortress-1, Robin and Aqualad fight beside their mentors. With Flash, they take out several of the ship's cannons. Wally comments that a certain someone is missing from that picture.

Just as he looks up, he notices a pile-up in front of him. Unable to find a clear path, he has to take a detour. Unfortunately for his stomach, it leads him straight through a street full of fast food stores like Tacostada and Chicken Whizee. He makes his way back to the highway without filling up, no matter how delightful the snacks look.

Two hours and fourteen minutes are remaining as Kid Flash enters South Dakota.

Further along the route, four state troopers make their final preparations for Kid Flash's arrival. They are suddenly attacked by Vandal Savage, who easily defeats them. Kid Flash spots the fight, and turns to check up. He recognizes the villain, and cannonballs into him. He urges the troopers to leave, but Vandal surprises him and grabs him by the hair. With a kick in the stomach and the head, he frees himself.

Vandal boasts that he had hoped to find Flash himself, as they're due for a reckoning, but has to take solace in killing his sidekick instead. Because the troopers are out of range, Wally decides to go full throttle, egged on by Vandal's remarks.

The Super-Cycle makes its way to Ice Fortress-2, getting in range for Black Canary's cry. It cracks the shields, and Superboy and Wolf jump in to take down a turret. Red Tornado picks it up and throws it at another turret, destroying it.

Wally cannonballs again, but finds his tactic ineffective. He devises a new strategy: running circles around Savage. He can land a few punches before his PDA reminds him he only has two hours left. He abandons the fight, and Vandal savage rest contently, convinced he's slowed down Kid Flash long enough.

He's wasted fifteen minutes on Savage, but Kid Flash surmises he can still reach Seattle in time. He ignores his hunger, the temperature and the windchill

Miss Martian destroys one of Ice Fortress-3's turrets with the Bio-Ship, while Artemis and Green Arrow fire their arrows at others. Martian Manhunter easily dislodges one, and Miss Martian blocks the ice flow out of one of the ship's ports. Zatanna's spell brings it down.

At the Seattle Medical Center, Pieter Cross waits for the heart. Seeing it's behind schedule and it's cold, he returns inside. Kid Flash arrives moments later, where he is helped by a doctor who tells him it's too late; the patient has died. He takes the heart, and Kid Flash blames himself - he was twelve minutes too late, the time he lost in the fight with Savage. He sits down in the lounge, and sees in the news that Superman, Captain Marvel and Doctor Fate have brought down the fourth ice fortress. Doctor Cross approaches him, asking him where the heart for the Queen is. Wally is bewildered, still thinking the girl is dead. He's informed that the recipient is Queen Perdita of Vlatava, and she is alive and well. Realizing he's been conned, Kid Flash spots the fake doctor board an elevator and pursues him.

In the parking lot, he overtakes the henchman and steals back the heart. He avoids bullets from him and several other accomplices, but the staircases are blocked, so he'll have to take the car ramp. He can't reach it, as he's brought to his knees by Count Vertigo. Realizing Vertigo seeks to take the throne from his niece, Wally decides to keep him talking. He inquires about Vertigo's arrest with the Injustice League, and learns he got away scott-free because he has diplomatic immunity. As Vertigo unsheathes his sword to kill both the heart and Kid Flash, the young speedster slides the backpack with the heart under a car, and knocks over Vertigo. He easily takes out the henchmen, and cannonballs Vertigo. He destroys the Count's vertigo inducing headgear, collects the heart and rushes to Doctor Cross. Out of energy, Kid Flash collapses.

At the Wests' house, Mary tries to save the dinner, and Rudy watch the news. Iris reports on the destruction of Ice Fortress-5 by several Leaguers, but the news gets worse as she relates how Queen Perdita died on the operating table. They're shocked to see their son has failed his mission at a terrible cost.

Wally wakes up in a hospital bed looking at a very content Count Vertigo—or King Vertigo, as he now styles himself. With Perdita dead, he's untouchable as King of Vlatava, despite Kid Flash's best efforts to rise up against him. Vertigo tells him both his and the young hero's actions were, in the end, futile, as she died on the operating table. No-one can blame him for regicide. Kid Flash plays his trump card: he pulls away the curtain and reveals Perdita, alive and well, and very angry at her uncle. She replays a recording made of his boast, and accuses him of high treason against the crown. His diplomatic immunity is revoked. With no options left, Vertigo lunges at his niece with his sword, but Kid Flash can knock him out with an IV pole. Guards overpower Count Vertigo, and Kid Flash tells them to send him to Belle Reve. Count Vertigo admits defeat, but tells his captor he won the round.

Kid Flash returns the sword to Perdita, who thanks him. She offers the sword to Wally as a souvenir.

Count Vertigo does not make any friends in the food line. Brick splatters the grub all over him, and mocks the royal's fall from grace.

Batman and Flash convene with warden Hugo Strange. Batman suspects the involvement of the five ice villains they've faced before, but Strange assures them Icicle Sr., Icicle Jr., Killer Frost, Captain Cold and Mister Freeze were all in custody in the days of the attacks.

Wally looks at his souvenir wall, and places the backpack on it. He thought about the sword Perdita offered him, but this seemed more fitting considering the nature of his mission. Robin congratulates him, not only on saving Perdita, but an entire country. Wally is glad, and realizes the best birthday gift was nothing material, but Perdita's smile.

Title
A "cold hearted" person is someone devoid of sympathy or feeling. This applies to Count Vertigo, who plots to let his 10-year-old niece die, and kill Kid Flash if necessary, in a coup d'état. Vandal Savage also plays a part in this scheme. Also, Kid Flash is imbued with the mission of collecting and delivering a heart to save Perdita's life, while the episode takes place during a (staged) snow storm that dampers his efforts.

Cast and characters
! colspan="3"| Non-speaking roles
 * Lacey Chabert
 * colspan="2"| Zatanna
 * Stephanie Lemelin
 * colspan="2"| Artemis
 * Jesse McCartney
 * colspan="2"| Robin
 * Danica McKellar
 * colspan="2"| Miss Martian
 * rowspan="2"| Khary Payton
 * colspan="2"| Aqualad
 * colspan="2" | Brick
 * Jason Spisak
 * colspan="2"| Kid Flash
 * rowspan="3"| Steven J. Blum
 * colspan="2"| Count Vertigo
 * colspan="2"| Rudy West
 * Henchy
 * Nicole Dubuc
 * colspan="2"| Iris West-Allen
 * Miguel Ferrer
 * colspan="2"| Vandal Savage
 * rowspan="2"| Bruce Greenwood
 * colspan="2"| Batman
 * Pieter Cross
 * Adrian Pasdar
 * colspan="2"| Hugo Strange
 * rowspan="2"| Cree Summer
 * colspan="2"| Mary West
 * Mattie Harcourt
 * Ariel Winter
 * Perdita
 * Miguel Ferrer
 * colspan="2"| Vandal Savage
 * rowspan="2"| Bruce Greenwood
 * colspan="2"| Batman
 * Pieter Cross
 * Adrian Pasdar
 * colspan="2"| Hugo Strange
 * rowspan="2"| Cree Summer
 * colspan="2"| Mary West
 * Mattie Harcourt
 * Ariel Winter
 * Perdita
 * rowspan="2"| Cree Summer
 * colspan="2"| Mary West
 * Mattie Harcourt
 * Ariel Winter
 * Perdita
 * Ariel Winter
 * Perdita
 * Ariel Winter
 * Perdita
 * colspan="3" | Aquaman
 * colspan="3" | Black Canary
 * colspan="3" | Captain Cold (TV)
 * colspan="3" | Flash
 * colspan="3" | Green Arrow
 * colspan="3" | Icicle Jr. (TV)
 * colspan="3" | Icicle Sr. (TV)
 * colspan="3" | Killer Frost (TV)
 * colspan="3" | Martian Manhunter
 * colspan="3" | Mister Freeze (TV)
 * colspan="3" | Red Tornado
 * colspan="3" | Richard Dragon (poster)
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | Wolf
 * colspan="3" | Killer Frost (TV)
 * colspan="3" | Martian Manhunter
 * colspan="3" | Mister Freeze (TV)
 * colspan="3" | Red Tornado
 * colspan="3" | Richard Dragon (poster)
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | Wolf
 * colspan="3" | Red Tornado
 * colspan="3" | Richard Dragon (poster)
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | Wolf
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | Wolf
 * colspan="3" | Wolf

Continuity

 * Wally finally loses his cast, which he has had since breaking his arm in "Revelation". He wore it for 41 days.
 * Robin asks Zatanna about adjusting to moving into the Cave, which occurred in the previous episode, "Misplaced", when her father sacrificed himself to the Helmet of Fate.
 * Artemis tells Wally about Megan and Conner's relationship, which began in "Terrors" and was established in "Homefront". As Robin points out, Wally was the only one still in the dark. Robin and Aqualad had figured it out by "Revelation" and Artemis realized it in "Secrets". Near as can be determined, Megan and Conner are still not aware that anyone knows.
 * Much to Batman's chagrin, Kid Flash mentions the Justice League's Watchtower in front of Zatanna. Its existence was supposed to be top secret, but Speedy told the Team about it in "Independence Day", after his mentor confided in him.
 * The fourth ice fortress was brought down by a group of heroes including Doctor Fate. Zatara became the new Doctor Fate in "Misplaced".
 * Kid Flash alludes to his encounter with Count Vertigo and the Injustice League in "Revelation" and reveals that the rest of the Injustice League was taken to Belle Reve Penitentiary.
 * Count Vertigo paraphrases a line he said to Kid Flash in "Revelation". In that episode he said, "Count Vertigo to you, peasant", and now he tells him, "King Vertigo to you, peasant".
 * Batman confronts Hugo Strange about the ice villains from both "Independence Day" and "Terrors".

Trivia

 * Main title clips:
 * Megan serving Wally a piece of cake (03:12)
 * Zatanna in polar stealth turning to Robin (04:35)
 * Kid Flash with the backpack (07:01)
 * Aqualad wielding a water whip (08:09)
 * An Ice-Fortress pouring snow (07:55)
 * Kid Flash running in super speed (11:07)
 * Number 16:
 * Wally's alarm clock goes off at 07:16.
 * Half of the clock is covered by a piece of clothing, showing only 16 minutes.
 * Wally turns 16 years old.
 * Wally teleports to the Cave at 16:05 EST.
 * Kid Flash arrives to Boston at 16:26 EST.
 * Kid Flash arrives to Chicago at 16:49 CST.
 * Kid Flash arrives to South Dakota at 16:13 MST.
 * One of the schools mentioned, Spisak Junior High, is named after Kid Flash's voice actor, Jason Spisak. Dubuc Elementary is named after Nicole Dubuc.
 * Kid Flash's cross country run to deliver a donor heart is based on Flash (Volume 2) #1 (1987). In that story, Wally had to deliver a heart from New York to Seattle on his twentieth birthday, and encountered Vandal Savage along the way. However, in that story, Savage's presence was a coincidence, not a planned delaying tactic.
 * Ariel Winter and Steve Blum reprise the roles of Perdita and Count Vertigo from DC Showcase: Green Arrow, written by Greg Weisman. Vertigo paraphrases his line from the short, "Count Vertigo to you, peasant" (which was also used in his first appearance in "Revelation").
 * Batman mentions that the Watchtower isn't weaponized. This is a huge contrast to Justice League Unlimited in which the Watchtower had a huge cannon under it, leading to conflict between the Justice League and the U.S. government.
 * Despite being credited, Aqualad has no lines in this episode; only grunts.

Cultural references

 * Wally refers to himself as "Speedy Delivery Boy" which is a reference to Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Unanswered questions

 * What is Vandal Savage's history with Flash?
 * What is the Light's stake in Count Vertigo's coup d'état?
 * Were the ice-villains really behind the snow storm?