Drop-Zone

"Drop-Zone" is the fourth episode of Young Justice. It premiered on January 28, 2011.

Logline
Batman sends the team on its first official mission... and they don't even have a leader yet! The teen heroes are sent to investigate the production of a new drug called Venom in a nearby rogue country, but soon find themselves in the middle of a war between Bane and the cult organization Kobra.

Synopsis
Inside the Santa Prisca prison facillity Kobra has taken over. To win back the prison the prisoners champion Bane must defeat Kobra's Champion Mammoth. The formerly scrawny Mammoth is infused with a dose of Kobra Venom transforming him into a hulking monster. The giant easily defeats a Venom infused Bane.

At Mount Justice Batman Assigns the team a mission to Santa Prisca, Santa Prisca is the world wide producer of the illegal super steroid Venom dispite the fact that the facillity seems to be producing the Steroid at full capacity all shiping has stopped their assignment, infiltrait the prison, figure out what is going on, and report back to the league, if they feel they need to intervene they will. When asked about the lack of a clear leader for the team Batman states thats their Problem to work out.

Nearing the the Prison Aqualad is dropped in first to dispose of the security systems, after Aqualad gives the all clear the team land the ship and move in, Superboy with his super hearing picks up a patrol while Robin disapears all of a sudden. Aqualad is able to point out that there is actually two patrols, one led by Bane another by a Kobra Member a fire fight ensues between the two, Kid Flash attempts to find Robin in the fire fight he is nearly killed and saved only by the intervention of Robin, Superboy, and Miss Martian.

During a Conversation after the fight Kid Flash and Robin get into a fight over whom should be leader, they both try to assert themselves as leader while the others want nothing to do with it. Overhearing the conversation Bane offers his services kicking Kobra out of the Prison. Miss Martian is incapable of Figuring out what Bane's plans are because she doesn't understand Spanish which his thoughts are in.

Once inside the factory the team observes that dispite all the Venom already produced the Cultests are only taking new product off the line Kid Flash and Robin break into the control room for the factory and Robin discovers that Kobra has made a new variant of Venom three times more powerful and permanent by combining it with the Blockbuster formula, Robin states that only a major chemistry expert could combine the two formula's.

Meanwhile Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian observe that a helicopter arriving carrying Sportsmaster, Sportsmaster states that with the Kobra Venom they now have the abillity to take the League on head to head. Fed up with the stealth attempts Bane starts a fight between Kobra and the Team with himself bailing on them when the fighting begins.

Superboy fights and loses against Mammoth, with their radios jammed Aqualad gets Miss Martian to telepathically link the team up, using which Aqualad orders a retreat. Now in private the team unanimous votes Aqualad teamleader with Robin as tactical co-ordinator, until Robin is ready to lead the team himself. As they're discussing who is responsible for devising the Kobra Venom formula Bane ambushes the team.

Bane reveals that he intends to kill the team in order to get the league to come in a kick out Kobra. Bane is easily defeated by the combined telekenetic powers of Miss Martian and the Super Strength of Superboy. Going in with a plan Kid Flash takes out the Cultists, Aqualad takes down Mammoth, Miss Martian and Superboy fights Sportsmaster, and Robin fights the Kobra leader.

Sportsmaster is able to get away however Miss Martian destroys his helecopter, in the process destroying the prison. At Mount Justice Batman Berates the Team for their antics destroying the prison, but congradulates them for stopping Kobra.

During the meeting between Sportsmaster and The Light Sportsmaster saved a single vial of the Kobra Venom from which the formula can be reversed engineered, The Light states that three times now the Team has stopped their plans, a nuisance that will have to be dealt with.

Timestamp errors
Two of the three timestamps were incorrect on the first airings of this episode. The aired and correct timestamps are included in the table below.

The timestamps had been reviewed and confirmed as correct, but were apparently changed during post-production. They have now been corrected for future airings of the episode.

Credited

 * Aqualad (Khary Payton)
 * Kid Flash (Jason Spisak)
 * Miss Martian (Danica McKellar)
 * Robin (Jesse McCartney)
 * Superboy (Nolan North)


 * Bane (Danny Trejo)
 * Kobra (Arnold Vosloo)

Uncredited
The following characters appeared in the episode but had no speaking roles.
 * Mammoth
 * Red Tornado
 * Shimmer

Trivia

 * When the team are discussing the new stealth-tech costumes being worn by Aqualad and Kid Flash, Superboy explains his refusal to wear a costume by saying "No capes, no tights." This is probably a reference to the Smallville TV series, which originally operated under a "no tights, no flights" rule imposed by the producers.
 * Red Tornado appears in a cameo in the briefing room, but does not have any lines.

Quotes
Aqualad: You do have the most experience. Perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared.
 * Kid Flash: Okay Rob, now what? (See's that Robin is gone) Man, I hate it when he does that.
 * Robin: How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?