Home Fires

"Home Fires" is the ninth episode of the third season of Young Justice, and the 55th of the overall series. It debuted on January 18, 2019 on DC Universe, along with the seventh and eighth episodes, "Evolution" and "Triptych".

Logline
The Light has hired an intergalactic assassin, but who is the intended target?!

Synopsis
Queen Bee meets with Vandal Savage and other individuals. She says there are two situations and, while she believes her newest hire can handle the first, she asks Savage if his acquaintance is up to the second task. He says he is certain. Lobo demands that several aliens move out of his way, when Lok-Ron, a contract robot, appears with an offer. Lobo accepts it. Iris West-Allen watches a GBS broadcast in Taos, where Aquaman announces that the Justice League is working with STAR Labs to open the first Meta-Human Youth Center for children and teens who have been victims of metahuman trafficking. He introduces the director, Eduardo Dorado Sr., who talks about the center's purpose. The doorbell rings and Iris' twins speed off, but Bart Allen catches them. Iris answers the door and Mera and her son Artur have arrived. Meanwhile, an unidentified individual peers through the blinds in the house across the street. Connor Kent and Forager are watching G. Gordon Godfrey's show while Brion Markov stares at his cell phone. Godfrey's guest is Gretchen Goode, more popularly known as "Granny Goodness," the founder of Goode World Studios. Godfrey brings up the success of the studio's Goode Goggles but criticizes her for how the goggles affect children's minds. Goode says she's proud of the product and that her studio is about sparking people's imaginations. She changes the subject, saying that her company is working with Bruce Wayne to support victims of metahuman trafficking. Godfrey retorts that metahumans are destroying humanity's way of life and wonders why Wayne declined to appear on the show.

Megan Morse walks into the room and Connor shuts off the TV. She wonders why Connor would watch Godfrey's show and Connor says, among other things, that they need to know what others are saying about heroes. Lucas Carr enters the room and offers to carpool with Megan to Happy Harbor High School. They depart as Brion watches a press conference featuring his brother Gregor, who announces that Quraci refugees may stay in Markovia but declines to answer a question about whether metahumans will be allowed.

Lynn Stewart-Pierce and her daughters, and Will Harper and Lian, are at Iris' house and the two adults converse about family matters. Meanwhile, Raquel Ervin, who has her son Amistad, answers the doorbell and greets Karen Beecher, who is pregnant. The mysterious individual across the street says four more are still to arrive. Superboy, Forager and Geo-Force arrive in the Super-Cycle and find Tigress and Halo waiting for them for training. Helga Jace and Jefferson Pierce have also arrived and pleasantries are exchanged. Helga apologizes to Brion and he recognizes that she's not to blame. When she asks what is being done to locate Tara Markov, Brion grumbles that Nightwing has told him to be patient.

Somebody fires at Geo-Force and Halo unleashes her red aura to protect him. Helga wonders what's happening and Jefferson says the others can solve the problem. Forager recognizes that they are being tested, so he, Halo and Geo-Force respond to the attack. It turns out to be Nightwing, who used rubber bullets in the attack, and tells Halo and Forager they did well in their response but that Geo-Force failed.

At Iris' house, John Smith arrives with Traya Sutton and Smith keeps the kids entertained. The individual across the street says two more are set to arrive.

Back at Owings Mills, Geo-Force complains about the training and wonders why they haven't gone to Santa Prisca to locate his sister. Nightwing says they don't want to repeat what happened on Infinity Island. They are ambushed by Lobo, who says he is here to kill Forager.

The heroes engage in battle but have difficulty taking him down. Nightwing tells Halo to fly Forager away, but Lobo fires a weapon that impales her, though she is able to heal herself. When Nightwing demands to know who sent Lobo, he refuses to tell. Geo-Force and Jefferson Pierce work together to subdue Lobo.

At Iris' house, Lois Lane arrives with her son Jonathan. Across the street, the occupant reveals himself to be Ocean-Master. Lady Shiva is also there, impressed with what Ocean Master learned and says his skills are "worthy of the shadows." Ocean-Master tells her to watch as he kills everyone with one blast from Neptune's Trident and deal a blow to the superheroes.

Shiva observes that is what the Light considered their "nuclear option," but because of the consequences, the Light has vowed not to use that option lightly. Ocean-Master dismisses her, complaining about spending six years in an Atlantean prison and says he will not be denied his revenge. Shiva says the Light assumed that would be the case, then kills Ocean Master.

At Owings Mills, Geo-Force uses his powers to cause Lobo to sink into the ground, but Lobo escapes. The heroes continue to do battle, with Halo using her yellow aura powers to slice Lobo's pinky. He is nailed from behind by who appears to be Forager, but Lobo catches him and crushes him. Believing his work to be done, Lobo departs, but the real Forager comes out of hiding. He reveals that he shed his exo-shell and sent it after Lobo to fool him. He thanks everyone for risking their lives to save him and says they are all part of his hive. Shiva meets with Queen Bee and Vandal Savage, who praise her for a job well done and welcome her as the new enforcer of the Light. They further observe that, while Lobo may not have killed Forager, the real purpose of his appearance was to verify that Nightwing had put together his own team of heroes. The other members of the Light, along with Lex Luthor and Klarion, are revealed to be Ultra-Humanite, Deathstroke and Gretchen Goode.

Cast and characters
! colspan="3" | Non-speaking roles
 * class="VA" | Troy Baker
 * colspan="2" | Brion Markov/Geo-Force
 * class="VA" | Jeff Bennett
 * colspan="2" | John Smith
 * class="VA" rowspan="2" | Denise Boutte
 * colspan="2" | Lynn Stewart-Pierce
 * colspan="2" | Raquel Ervin
 * class="VA" | Nicole Dubuc
 * colspan="2" | Iris West-Allen
 * class="VA" | Zehra Fazal
 * colspan="2" | Violet/Halo
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Crispin Freeman
 * colspan="2" | Will Harper
 * colspan="2" | Gregor Markov
 * colspan="2" | Galet Dasim
 * class="VA" | Bruce Greenwood
 * colspan="2" | Eduardo Dorado Sr.
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Grey Griffin
 * colspan="2" | Helga Jace
 * Lois Lane
 * Don Allen
 * class="VA" | David Kaye
 * colspan="2" | Vandal Savage
 * class="VA" | Stephanie Lemelin
 * colspan="2" | Artemis Crock
 * class="VA" rowspan="2" | Jason Marsden
 * colspan="2" | Bart Allen
 * Lok-Ron
 * class="VA" | Jesse McCartney
 * colspan="2" | Dick Grayson/Nightwing
 * class="VA" | Danica McKellar
 * colspan="2" | Megan Morse
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Masasa Moyo
 * colspan="2" | Cat Grant
 * colspan="2" | Karen Beecher
 * Anissa Pierce
 * class="VA" | Nolan North
 * colspan="2" | Conner Kent/Superboy
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Khary Payton
 * colspan="2" | Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning
 * colspan="2" | Aquaman
 * Amistad Ervin
 * class="VA" | Marina Sirtis
 * colspan="2" | Queen Bee
 * class="VA" rowspan="2" | Roger Craig Smith
 * colspan="2" | Orm/Ocean-Master
 * colspan="2" | Reporter
 * class="VA" | David Sobolov
 * colspan="2" | Lobo
 * class="VA" rowspan="2" | Kath Soucie
 * colspan="2" | Mera
 * Artur
 * class="VA" | Jason Spisak
 * colspan="2" | Forager
 * class="VA" | Deborah Strang
 * Gretchen Goode
 * class="VA" | James Arnold Taylor
 * colspan="2" | G. Gordon Godfrey
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Greg Weisman
 * colspan="2" | Lucas Carr
 * colspan="2" | Ultra-Humanite
 * colspan="2" | Lobo's belt
 * class="VA" | Gwendoline Yeo
 * Lady Shiva
 * colspan="2" | Conner Kent/Superboy
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Khary Payton
 * colspan="2" | Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning
 * colspan="2" | Aquaman
 * Amistad Ervin
 * class="VA" | Marina Sirtis
 * colspan="2" | Queen Bee
 * class="VA" rowspan="2" | Roger Craig Smith
 * colspan="2" | Orm/Ocean-Master
 * colspan="2" | Reporter
 * class="VA" | David Sobolov
 * colspan="2" | Lobo
 * class="VA" rowspan="2" | Kath Soucie
 * colspan="2" | Mera
 * Artur
 * class="VA" | Jason Spisak
 * colspan="2" | Forager
 * class="VA" | Deborah Strang
 * Gretchen Goode
 * class="VA" | James Arnold Taylor
 * colspan="2" | G. Gordon Godfrey
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Greg Weisman
 * colspan="2" | Lucas Carr
 * colspan="2" | Ultra-Humanite
 * colspan="2" | Lobo's belt
 * class="VA" | Gwendoline Yeo
 * Lady Shiva
 * class="VA" | Jason Spisak
 * colspan="2" | Forager
 * class="VA" | Deborah Strang
 * Gretchen Goode
 * class="VA" | James Arnold Taylor
 * colspan="2" | G. Gordon Godfrey
 * class="VA" rowspan="3" | Greg Weisman
 * colspan="2" | Lucas Carr
 * colspan="2" | Ultra-Humanite
 * colspan="2" | Lobo's belt
 * class="VA" | Gwendoline Yeo
 * Lady Shiva
 * colspan="2" | Ultra-Humanite
 * colspan="2" | Lobo's belt
 * class="VA" | Gwendoline Yeo
 * Lady Shiva
 * class="VA" | Gwendoline Yeo
 * Lady Shiva
 * Lady Shiva
 * colspan="3" | Black Canary
 * colspan="3" | Bruce Wayne (photo)
 * colspan="2" | Dawn Allen
 * colspan="3" | Eduardo Dorado Jr.
 * colspan="3" | Deathstroke
 * colspan="3" | Jennifer Pierce
 * colspan="2" | Jonathan
 * colspan="3" | Klarion
 * colspan="3" | Lex Luthor
 * colspan="3" | Lian Nguyen-Harper
 * colspan="3" | Livewire
 * colspan="3" | Mist
 * colspan="3" | Nathaniel Tryon
 * colspan="3" | Shazam
 * colspan="2" | Traya Sutton
 * colspan="3" | Klarion
 * colspan="3" | Lex Luthor
 * colspan="3" | Lian Nguyen-Harper
 * colspan="3" | Livewire
 * colspan="3" | Mist
 * colspan="3" | Nathaniel Tryon
 * colspan="3" | Shazam
 * colspan="2" | Traya Sutton
 * colspan="3" | Livewire
 * colspan="3" | Mist
 * colspan="3" | Nathaniel Tryon
 * colspan="3" | Shazam
 * colspan="2" | Traya Sutton
 * colspan="3" | Shazam
 * colspan="2" | Traya Sutton
 * colspan="2" | Traya Sutton
 * colspan="2" | Traya Sutton

Continuity

 * Nightwing mentions the Infinity Island debacle, which happened in "Rescue Op".
 * Tigress invites Forager into the "faking your own death club". Her death was faked in "Depths".
 * Amistad Ervin was first mentioned, shortly after his birth, in "Players, Chapter One: Wheelbarrow, Shoe, Thimble".

Cultural references

 * Artur is reading a comic book of Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, Dog Wonder.