Image

"Image" is the 21st episode of the first season of Young Justice, and the 21st of the overall series. It aired on March 17, 2012.

Logline
A covert operation against Queen Bee in Qurac forces Miss Martian to finally face her greatest fears and her biggest secrets. But will she reveal those secrets to her friends—or allow what she's hiding to take down the entire team?

Synopsis
Batman has summoned Dinah Lance and Oliver Queen to the Cave. They are shown footage of a sparring match between Black Canary and Superboy, which ends with Black Canary giving a kiss as a "reward" for almost breaking her defenses. Both Oliver and Dinah react in shock; but Dinah is quick to deny the events. Batman quickly reveals the cause for the kiss: it's not Black Canary, it's a shape-shifting Miss Martian. Oliver can't control himself with laughter, but Dinah is not amused. Martian Manhunter tries to calm her, telling her it's a common game on Mars: since Martians are shape-shifters and mind readers, they would see through the façade; Conner likely knew it was Megan. Black Canary is still unsettled, but decides she has to talk to M'gann to clear out the misunderstanding.

M'gann is in her room watching Hello, Megan! when Canary arrives. She shifts from her Caucasian tone to her green skin before Dinah enters. She is sorry, but Dinah is no longer upset, but wishes that she'd be herself. This causes M'gann to lash back, stating this is who she is. Before the conversation can continue, Batman calls in the Team for a mission briefing.

Batman fills the Team (minus Aqualad, Artemis and Zatanna) in on Qurac and its elected president, Rumaan Harjavti. Despite being a figurehead in the humanitarian field, he has suddenly allied himself with Queen Bee, the dictator of neighboring Bialya. At a press conference, Harjavti announced the two would be reunified, and he would step down so Queen Bee could rule the new land. Harjavti meanwhile has censored the press, silenced protests, and allowed Bialyan troops to enforce martial law in the capital Dhabar. It's clear to Robin Queen Bee has him under her spell, but as Batman remarks, her powers don't work on long distance, and she is still in Bialya's capital Al-Qawiya. The Team will have to find out; Batman makes Robin team leader because Aqualad is on a mission with Aquaman. Robin tries to escape the burden, but Batman is adamant his protégé is the next logical choice for leader.

The Bio-Ship enters Qurac from a high altitude. As they fly over the border, they notice several Bialyan tanks entering their neighbor. Robin finds no towns nearby, only the Logan Animal Sanctuary, hence the lack of opposition. He wants to ignore the army to maintain their covert state, but Kid Flash notices a stampede, and two civilians—a woman and a child—in harm's way. Robin gives in to his teammates' demands to help them.

Robin, Kid Flash and Miss Martian go after the troops while Superboy diverts the stampede. He fights one wildebeest that came near the civilians, and the others split and run past them. The sick oryx the civilians were taking care off runs off in fright, but Miss Martian telekinetically prevents it from being trampled. Robin and Kid Flash check up on the civilians; the boy cannot believe the two famous sidekicks saved them. He's also pleased to meet Superboy and Miss Martian. His mother introduces herself as Marie Logan and her son, Garfield. Miss Martian is ecstatic to meet her, claiming to have admired her stance on animal conservation for years—though Superboy points out privately that she's been on Earth only for six months. Garfield heads to the clinic with the boys and the two wounded animals, while Marie and Miss Martian restore the fences.

At the sanctuary's main complex, the Team is introduced to Monkey, Garfield's pet monkey, who ambushes them from a tree and steals Kid Flash's protein bar. Superboy still doesn't like monkeys, and Kid Flash demands his food back. The monkey throws it at Superboy instead. Garfield takes them inside, and mentions Miss Martian resembles his mother, way back when she starred in a TV show called Hello, Megan!. The Team is unfamiliar with the show; they thought it was just a catchphrase. Garfield explains the show—which ran for one season—and tries to find the video tape.

Meanwhile at the border, Miss Martian telekinetically fixes the fence. She asks Marie about Hello, Megan!, how it was to be Megan. For Marie, it was just a thing that she did. Miss Martian tries to ask more, but Marie doesn't want to answer: she did it when she was young, she moved on. She was not Megan Wheeler; it was an act.

Garfield has found the tape of the pilot, and puts it in the VCR. But while the copy protection warning plays, Superboy hears planes approaching. The drone planes shoot at the compound, and Gar—despite orders from Robin to stay inside—heads to the barn to let the injured animals out. But as he's at the door, one drone swoops in and hits the fuel tank next to the building. It explodes, and Garfield is thrown in the sky. Miss Martian can catch him. He's conscious, but barely, and badly hurt. Superboy jumps to destroy one of the drones; Miss Martian causes the other two to crash into each other.

Marie has taken her son back inside, and checks on his condition. He's in shock, and he needs blood. Neither she, Robin or Kid Flash have the correct blood type, O-negative, and hospitals are too far away. Miss Martian explains that her shape-shifting works at the cellular level and that she can change her blood type to match that of Garfield. Marie sends the others out because Miss Martian needs to concentrate.

In the living room, Robin goes over the events—and comes to the conclusion that their mission is pretty much failed. They can't stop the unification in time. He asks Kid Flash to find a news station on TV, but because Kid Flash doesn't know which remote to use, he starts the video tape instead.

Robin, Kid Flash and Superboy watch in amazement. Megan Wheeler, the main character of Hello, Megan!, looks exactly like Miss Martian and shares her mannerisms. Superboy ponders the possibility of it being coincidence, but when they hear that Megan's boyfriend in the series is called Conner, they all have their doubts. Before they can finish the tape, Miss Martian walks in to tell them the blood transfusion worked. Kid Flash switches to a news station, where Harjavti praises Queen Bee. Superboy notices a familiar face behind him: Psimon. They conclude that's how Queen Bee controlled her neighbor. They have to get to Dhabar. With Garfield's condition stable, they head to the capital.

They find Harjavti, who seems calm and somehow not quite himself. He doesn't bat an eye when Robin confronts him; he only asks for his daughter Noor, and Psimon. Before they can help him out, Bialyan troops arrive, armed with Apokoliptan weapons. Miss Martian sneaks past them and goes off to confront Psimon, the others protect the president from certain assassination.

Psimon surprises Miss Martian in the auditorium. He mocks her, tells her he's been able to feel her presence for a while, and he can use her greatest fears against her. He mentally overpowers her, ordering her to show her true self. She tries to fight it, but can't help transforming into her true form.

The Bialyan soldiers were easily beaten, and Noor looks after her father. The boys head for Miss Martian, but as they enter the auditorium, they are knocked unconscious by a mental blast. Psimon commends Miss Martian for her determination to keep her secrets, but tells her that she's being recorded. He takes her back to the same mental plane where they fought months earlier.

Psimon is surprised that she's taken her false form again and mocks her for lying to herself. It provokes anger in Miss Martian, but her attacks don't impress Psimon. He digs deeper in her mind to find her real fears: rejection from her friends because of who she is, from her mentors, from her uncle, from Superboy. Psimon wants to coerce her into working with him and Queen Bee, but he miscalculated. Now in extreme anger, Miss Martian overpowers Psimon.

Superboy and the others are woken by Miss Martian, who tells them Psimon won't be bothering them; he's in a mental coma.

Outside the presidential palace, Queen Bee shows up with military force and plenty of press, but Rumaan Harjavti crudely orders her out. Bee swears revenge for the eyes of the cameras. What those cameras don't know is that it was Miss Martian, not the Bialyan monarch; it was Robin's plan to publicly shame Queen Bee to make sure she wouldn't try anything.

Back at the sanctuary, the Team and the Logans watch television; Bruce Wayne has arrived to offer the Wayne Foundation's assistance in restoring Qurac. Kid Flash makes a joke about Wayne's quick arrival, but Robin cuts him off, asking him if he's got a souvenir. He has one in mind: the videotape. He shows it to Miss Martian, and asks her if she has something to tell them.

Miss Martian sighs, and decides to tell them. She had a hard time growing up on Mars, and enjoyed the broadcast her uncle sent to his home planet. Especially Hello, Megan!; she thinks it's because of the similarities of her name, and because all Megan Wheeler's problems were solved in 22 minutes. When she came to Earth and adopted a human form, it seemed only natural to pick one that resembled Megan. Robin asks her what she really looks like; she shows them: a facial structure slightly more like her uncle, and bald like him too. Conner tells her that she doesn't need a mask for him, but M'gann feels more comfortable as Megan. Marie is honored, and considers Miss Martian family; Gar even calls himself her blood-brother now. Miss Martian is relieved that she's accepted so warmly.

Megan goes to check up on her "brother", but finds Queen Bee with him. The queen orders her to stand down, as she has Garfield enthralled and can order him to damage himself. She lauds Miss Martian's performance on television, but thinks it was over-the-top; she is not as familiar with Queen Bee as she is with "Megan". Queen Bee reveals she knows about Miss Martian's true form, and blackmails her into cooperating with her.

Title
The title refers mainly to Miss Martian, who is revealed to be a White Martian that adopted the image of a fictional sitcom character. Also, in the beginning of the episode, Batman shows Oliver and Dinah images of Miss Martian posing as Black Canary and kissing Superboy. Later, Robin, Kid Flash and Superboy watch images of Hello, Megan! and realize that Miss Martian is a carbon copy of the title character, Megan Wheeler. Finally, Miss Martian sullies Queen Bee's public image to torpedo her plan.

Cast and characters
Richardson]] ! colspan="3"| Non-speaking roles
 * Jesse McCartney
 * colspan="2"| Robin
 * rowspan="2"| Danica McKellar
 * colspan="2"| Miss Martian
 * Marie Logan/Megan Wheeler
 * Nolan North
 * colspan="2"| Superboy
 * rowspan="2"| Jason Spisak
 * colspan="2"| Kid Flash
 * Monkey
 * rowspan="2"| Bruce Greenwood
 * colspan="2"| Batman
 * Rumaan Harjavti
 * Logan Grove
 * Garfield Logan
 * rowspan="2"| Vanessa Marshall
 * colspan="2"| Dinah Lance
 * Noor Harjavti
 * rowspan="2"| [[Kevin Michael Richardson|Kevin Michael
 * rowspan="2"| Bruce Greenwood
 * colspan="2"| Batman
 * Rumaan Harjavti
 * Logan Grove
 * Garfield Logan
 * rowspan="2"| Vanessa Marshall
 * colspan="2"| Dinah Lance
 * Noor Harjavti
 * rowspan="2"| [[Kevin Michael Richardson|Kevin Michael
 * rowspan="2"| Vanessa Marshall
 * colspan="2"| Dinah Lance
 * Noor Harjavti
 * rowspan="2"| [[Kevin Michael Richardson|Kevin Michael
 * Noor Harjavti
 * rowspan="2"| [[Kevin Michael Richardson|Kevin Michael
 * rowspan="2"| [[Kevin Michael Richardson|Kevin Michael
 * rowspan="2"| [[Kevin Michael Richardson|Kevin Michael
 * colspan="2"| Martian Manhunter
 * Paul Sloane/Lead Singer
 * rowspan="2"| Marina Sirtis
 * colspan="2"| Queen Bee
 * Sandra Stanyon/Mrs. Wheeler
 * rowspan="2"| Alan Tudyk
 * colspan="2"| Psimon
 * colspan="2"| Oliver Queen
 * Sandra Stanyon/Mrs. Wheeler
 * rowspan="2"| Alan Tudyk
 * colspan="2"| Psimon
 * colspan="2"| Oliver Queen
 * colspan="2"| Psimon
 * colspan="2"| Oliver Queen
 * colspan="2"| Oliver Queen
 * colspan="3" | Aqualad (illusion)
 * colspan="3" | Artemis (illusion)
 * colspan="3" | Jonathan Lord
 * colspan="3" | Red Tornado
 * colspan="3" | Rita Farr
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna (illusion)
 * colspan="3" | Red Tornado
 * colspan="3" | Rita Farr
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna (illusion)
 * colspan="3" | Rita Farr
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna (illusion)
 * colspan="3" | Zatanna (illusion)

Continuity

 * Superboy, Miss Martian, Kid Flash and Psimon all refer to the events in "Bereft".
 * Superboy again states his dislike for monkeys, which started in issue #2.
 * Superboy says that Monkey is a "good name" for Garfield's monkey. The monkey being named Monkey and the oryx being named Oryx matches Superboy's own naming of his pets as Sphere and Wolf.
 * Superboy recognizes the Apokoliptan weapons from his fight with Intergang in "Disordered".
 * Robin is reluctant to lead the mission due to the trauma he suffered when he became leader in "Failsafe", as established in "Disordered".
 * Kid Flash congratulates Robin on saving a country; in "Coldhearted", Robin had said the same to Kid Flash.
 * Megan stated in "Targets" that Conner was her favorite name, which is explained in this episode.
 * Kid Flash drops a number of hints that he knows Batman is Bruce Wayne. Robin had told him his own secret identity, as revealed in "Face Your Fears"; Kid Flash extrapolated from that.

Trivia

 * Main title clips:
 * Megan Wheeler smiling (01:49)
 * Oliver and Dinah looking shocked (00:29)
 * Miss Martian airborne with glowing eyes (09:36)
 * The Team aboard the Bio-Ship (04:31)
 * Miss Martian analyzing a blood sample (10:35)
 * The creators of the fictional sitcom Hello, Megan!—Greg Vietti and Brandon Weisman—are swapped names of Young Justice producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti.
 * The Hello, Megan actors are all drawn from the main DC Comics continuity or the limited series Silverblade.
 * In the comics, Marie Logan was a biologist working in Africa with her husband Mark, and their young son Garfield, who became the superhero Beast Boy.
 * In the comics, Rita Farr was an actress, though she had to give up that career when she became Elasti-girl of the Doom Patrol. She is the adoptive mother of Beast Boy.
 * In the comics, Paul Sloane was hired to play Two-Face, and ended up scarred like him.
 * Jonathan Lord and Sandra Stanyon are named after two characters of Silverblade, a comic series created by Greg Weisman's long time writing partner Cary Bates. In that series, Lord is an elderly has-been actor who gets the superpower to turn into every movie character he's ever played. Sandra was a former co-star and lover.
 * This episode aired in Brazil on March 12.

Answered questions

 * Does the Martian Manhunter know about Miss Martian's true form? (Answer)
 * Why did Garfield's eyes turn green after Miss Martian's blood transfusion? (Partial Answer, Full Answer)
 * What happened to Psimon? (Answer)

Partially answered questions

 * What does Queen Bee want Miss Martian to do? (Answer #1)

Unanswered questions

 * Why does Queen Bee want to unite Qurac and Bialya?
 * What was Aqualad doing with Aquaman?
 * Where were Artemis and Zatanna?
 * Given their access to Apokoliptan weapons, is the Light working with Intergang or Desaad?