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"Ego and Superego" is the 23rd episode of the fourth season of Young Justice, and the 96th of the overall series. It debuted on May 19, 2022 on HBO Max.
Logline[]
After refurbishing an old bus, Nightwing and the gang hit the road.
Synopsis[]
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On a back road, A young meta-human runs from a pick-up truck driven by Wilhelm Vittings. Once they overtake the boy, Wilhelm and a group of his thugs jump out of the truck. Wilhelm tells him that true Markovians are not as welcoming of metas as he may have heard. As one of the group moves to attack the boy, he squirts blood in his face and poisons him with his long tongue. The rest of Wilhelm's gang charge, but are stopped when a rind of lava forms around the boy and Geo-Force and his Infinitors arrive. The Infinitors quickly take down Wilhelm's gang, but Wilhelm runs into the woods. Geo-Force and Fury pursue him, but only find Everyman. Brion asks if he has seen anyone run, and as Everyman tells him he hasn't, Brion doesn't see that Everyman's back is still shape-shifting from his impersonation of Wilhelm.
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Harper Row is helping Violet carry their case upstairs to their dorm at Ivy University, but stops and sits on it to have Violet levitate her and it the rest of the way up. Once in Violet's room, Harper asks them about their new roommate, and seems jealous. When Violet asks what's wrong, Harper admits she worries that their friendship might suffer as Violet moves on to a new life at university while Harper works at the D.W.P.. Violet tells her they will always be friends, but Harper confesses she wants them to be more than friends. Violet is clearly surprised, and Harper asks them to think about it as she leaves.
Back in Markovburg, the police and press have arrived as Geo-Force, Fury and Everyman emerge from the trees. Geo-Force is angry Wilhelm escaped, but then Zviad Baazovi arrives, and convinces Brion not to worry about Vittings. Brion addresses the press and comforts the boy, reiterating Markovia's welcome to metas, and promising the boy a home there and the Infinitor's protection.
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In the Fort, Phantom Girl speaks to Superboy while Dru-Zod and Ursa are outside. She introduces herself and explains their situation as she has pieced it together. She tells him that she tried to save him from the explosion on Mars by phase shifting, but instead of ending up at her home dimension of Bgtzl as expected, the pain of the lava burning her hand, and his high density seemed to have caused them to get stuck in the Phantom Zone, which she believes may be some sort of trans-dimensional buffer between the two. Once she is finished, she attempts to phase them both back out, but Superboy resists her. When she asks him to let himself go, he refuses, saying he cannot leave as he has pledged himself to Zod.
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Nightwing, Zatanna, Rocket, Tigress and Aquaman drive into a vehicle impound lot and begin to search for the school bus. Tigress finds it, but not intact; it has been crushed into a cube.
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At the Royal Palace, Brion remembers the boy from the Outsiders' mission to Cuba. He recalls his name is Johnny, and is happy when the boy tells him he now goes by Lizard Johnny. Brion reiterates his promise to protect Johnny, and Johnny wonders if that means he will do to his attackers what he did to his uncle, before awkwardly apologizing and telling Brion he doesn't want to fight. Brion tells him he shouldn't have to fight, but is interrupted by Minister Josef Mueller, who arrives with Baazovi. As the Minister discusses his concerns with Brion's latest meta-human policy, Zviad takes Lizard Johnny aside and asks him about his traumatic experience, wondering if it made him angry and want to defend himself as Brion had against his uncle. Initially dubious, Lizard Johnny enthusiastically agrees with Zviad by the end of his speech. Fury watches with distaste. The Minister questions whether allowing any meta-positive person to go to a Markovian embassy or mission and get an automatic visa and transport to Markovia, and then opening a mission in Taos near the Meta-Human Youth Center could be considered trying to take metas from the Justice League. Brion initially agrees that could be a problem, but Zviad approaches and takes both by the shoulder as he suggests that if the League were taking care of the metas, they would not want to come to Markovia. Brion and Mueller quickly agree, and Zviad guides the Minister away from Brion, leaving him to wonder where Johnny went.
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Dinah opens the latest monthly group therapy session at the Meta-Human Youth Center, with Lia, Violet, Tara, Leslie, Andie, Vic and Gar in attendance. Violet is the first to share, and relates their happiness at their new start at Ivy University, but Lia correctly senses a problem. Violet admits someone has expressed romantic interest in them, and Tara immediately makes clear she knows who they are talking about. Violet is unsure what to feel as they are "blocked". Knowing the blockage is her brother, Tara tells them that she would love them to be a part of his life again, but that Brion has made his choices and they cannot be expected to put their life on hold for him. Vic suggests contacting him to gain closure, though Dinah reminds him not to give advice at these sessions, and tells Violet they need to decide what is right for them.
At the Markov Family Meta-Human Youth Center in Markovburg, Lizard Johnny watches a promotional film:
- Helga Jace introduces the center as a safe environment where those who have not had their Meta-Gene activated can volunteer for the T.R. 2.0 injection to activate their gene. The new metas then have the option of joining the Infinity Cadets, and potentially going on to join the Infinitors.
Johnny cheers as Helga closes the film by talking about forming a nation of heroes, and a passing Brion is surprised to see him there. Johnny tells him he wants to become an Infinity Cadet and then an Infinitor. Helga comes by to take Johnny away, and comments on the influence of Brion's rule on metas like Johnny. Brion expresses concern to Fury; if Johnny wanted to be a hero, why not join the Team or the Outsiders while he was at Taos? Zviad arrives and sends Fury to a mission with Trajectory so he can talk with Brion, but Fury checks that that is what Brion wants. He sends her away. Fury notices the way he parrots Zviad's words before she leaves.
In the Phantom Zone, Phantom Girl tries to convince Conner that Zod is evil, telling him about his attempted coups on Krypton and in her time. They are interrupted when the Zods approach. Tinya urges Superboy to say nothing and returns to pretending to be comatose, but Superboy almost immediately tells the Zods she is awake.
In Markovburg, Fury joins Trajectory and Everyman outside a house. They ring the doorbell, which is answered by Minister Mueller. He quickly realizes they are there because of his comments about Brion's meta policy. Trajectory explains they have reason to question whether he can be trusted to protect metas when he and his family are non-metas. Mueller picks up on the veiled threat to his family, which Everyman makes more pointed by transforming into a monster and asking to meet them. Fury pulls him away, while Trajectory suggests the Minister and his family might feel more comfortable in Vlatava. Once the Minister closes the door, Everyman thinks Fury pulling him back was a great idea to sell the threat, and he and Trajectory laugh, oblivious to Fury's discomfort.
At the junkyard, Kaldur moves the crushed bus to an open space, and Zatanna summons a group of Trogowogs. The squad captures them all, and Zatanna offers them any vehicle on the lot if they repair the bus. Seven of the eight want the SUV the squad drove there in. Zatanna agrees, despite Dick's objection that it is his car. The eighth Trog refuses however, until Tigress bribes it with a bag of freeze-dried Chicken Whizees, that Dick was saving for the journey. The Trogs quickly get to work.
Back at the therapy session, Violet checks their phone to see that Brion has not responded to a message they sent him. Gar introduces his new companion, his emotional support dog, Wingman. He talks about how Wingman has helped him put structure back into his life, and how he is beginning to feel better, though says that is down to him doing the work, as well as Wingman. Lia asks about returning to his show, but Gar admits he is not ready for that yet, nor for the Outsiders. Dinah asks about the people in his life, and he says he has been talking to M'gann a lot, and that his friends have forgiven his past poor behavior and are glad he is getting help, but admits he had been too scared to get in touch with Perdita yet. Violet checks their phone once more; still no response.
In the Phantom Zone, Phantom Girl springs to her feet, as Superboy explains to the Zods that she tried to take him away, out of the Zone. He tells them she called Zod a tyrant. Tinya pleas once more for Superboy to go with her, but he refuses and grabs her, insisting she must kneel before Zod. She tells him she won't, and apologizes before phasing away.
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She re-emerges back above the lava flow on Mars, and screams in pain as she feels her burned hand once more.
Back at the Markovian Palace, Brion sits on his throne alone, looking at the text from Violet, when a boom tube opens, bringing Halo. Brion is happy to see them, as they explain that they felt the need to come as he wouldn't answer their messages. Brion admits he missed them. Violet asks why he cut everyone off, and he says he needed to prove he had made the right choice, so he was busy building something important. Violet questions the foundations of what he built; an execution and a coup. Brion admits he has regrets, but sees that as more reason for him to do good now. Violet tells him he need not do that alone. Brion wonders if they came to "fix" him. but Violet tells him they are more than a Motherbox obsessed with fixing things now, and Brion tells them they always were. Violet tells him that is true in part because of him, and it hurts that he is no longer part of their journey, and would like them to walk their paths together. Brion agrees, but knows things are not that simple.
Zviad arrives, summoned by the noise of the boom-tube. He recognizes Violet as the girl Brion asked to be his queen, and asks if she has come to accept his offer. Violet hotly denies this, and a suddenly hostile Brion asks if they are there to get him to leave with them and abandon his country. Violet tells Brion he is still stuck where he was when they left him a year ago, and leaves. Zviad attempts to comfort Brion, but Brion sends him away. Zviad smiles once his back is turned.
Later, Brion stands alone in the Palace garden, when Fury approaches. Fury tells him he looks like he could use a friend and admits she could too. To gain his trust, she tells him she has done things she is not proud of, while working for Lex Luthor under a control chip, then for Trajectory and Baazovi without one. She tells him she has been told things she no longer believes. Brion asks her to tell him more.
At her room at Ivy University, Violet calls Harper and asks to see her.
Back at the scrapyard, the Trogs magically reconstruct the bus as the squad looks on. Zatanna explains that they had once been known as gremlins, and though they were more known for taking things apart, could also put them back together. Once the bus is fully fixed, the Trogs are given the SUV and Chicken Whizees as promised. The Trogs try to drive off then and there, but Rocket stops them and Zatanna sends them back into the Earth. Artemis questions if they are going to do this without M'gann, but Dick refuses to take the risk of telling her and it not working out.
They board the bus, and all but Rocket don space-belts. Kaldur feeds Zatanna his power and she casts a spell on the bus door, creating a portal. The squad go through one by one.
End credits scene: On Justice Island, a red ribbon is tied in front of a model of the Hall of Justice. Catherine Cobert introduces Black Lightning and Troia to speak to an audience. Lightning announces that construction on the Justice League's new Hall of Justice will begin in the spring. Troia notes the building is just across from the United Nations and welcomes the new neighbors. They dedicate the site to partnership between the two organizations and cut the ribbon together with some special scissors as the crowd cheers.
Title[]
Cast and characters[]
Voice actor | Character | |
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Troy Baker | Geo-Force/Brion Markov | |
Josef Mueller | ||
Lacey Chabert | Zatanna | |
Greg Cipes | Beast Boy | |
Zehra Fazal | Violet Harper/Halo | |
Harper Row | ||
Trajectory | ||
Grey Griffin | Helga Jace | |
Lia Briggs | ||
Troia (not seen) | ||
Stephanie Lemelin | Tigress | |
Catherine Cobert (not seen) | ||
Yuri Lowenthal | Zviad Baazovi | |
Lizard Johnny | ||
Trogowogs | ||
Vanessa Marshall | Dinah Lance | |
Ursa Zod | ||
Jesse McCartney | Nightwing | |
Nolan North | Superboy | |
Everyman | ||
Khary Payton | Kaldur'ahm | |
Black Lightning (not seen) | ||
Zeno Robinson | Victor Stone | |
Wilhelm Vittings | ||
Tara Strong | Tara Markov | |
Quei Tann | Fury | |
Kari Wahlgren | Phantom Girl | |
Uncredited | ||
Yuri Lowenthal | La'gaan (not seen) | |
Khary Payton | Leroy Bell (not seen) | |
Silas Stone (not seen) | ||
Non-speaking roles | ||
Andie Murphy | ||
Dru-Zod | ||
Kobold | ||
Leslie Willis | ||
Plastic Man | ||
Rocket | ||
Wingman |
2 | Character debut |
3 | Speaking debut |
0 | Episode debut |
Continuity[]
- Violet Harper moves into Ivy University, after graduating from Happy Harbor High School in "Emergency Dive".
- Harper Row says she dumped her boyfriend Jack, previously mentioned, albeit unnamed, in "Early Warning".
- Phantom Girl explains to Superboy how they got stranded in the Phantom Zone, since the gene-bomb explosion in "Involuntary".
- Superboy won't leave the Phantom Zone, because he pledged allegiance to Dru-Zod in "Forbidden Secrets of Civilizations Past!".
- Brion recalls rescuing Lizard Johnny from Klarion in "Early Warning".
- Lizard Johnny and Zviad Baazovi mention Brion killing Baron Bedlam in "Nevermore".
- Dinah's therapy session group is made up of several people who have experience trauma in the past:
- Beast Boy has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since Superboy's "death" in "Involuntary", on top of many other underlying traumas explored in "Forbidden Secrets of Civilizations Past!".
- Victor Stone was turned into a cyborg, following a lab explosion in "Another Freak", and later was enhanced with Mobius Chair-technology in "Quiet Conversations".
- Andie and Leslie were victims of the Branchwater Security meta-human trafficking ring, before being liberated in "Triptych".
- Tara Markov was kidnapped by the Bedlam Syndicate, meta-activated, brainwashed and gaslit into servitude by the League of Shadows.
- Violet is a revived corpse by the spirit of a Motherbox. They have been on the path of self-discovery, since being "born" in "Royal We".
- Lia Briggs was trafficked and enslaved by the League of Shadows, until the Outsiders rescued her in "Elder Wisdom".
- Violet addresses their unresolved feelings towards Brion, ever since his betrayal in "Nevermore".
- Victor mentions his issues with Silas, before and after Vic's lab accident, and his father's attempts to reach out to him in "Quiet Conversations".
- Markovburg Children's Hospital has been renamed Markov Family Meta-Human Youth Center, following the events of "Nevermore".
- Zatanna compares Nightwing, Tigress, Kaldur and Rocket to the her students, referring to how efficiently the latter captured Trogowogs in "Nomed Esir!".
- Beast Boy isn't sure whether or not he will or can go back to Space Trek 3016, after quitting it in "Og Htrof Dna Reuqnoc!". He also mentions his reprehensible behavior in Megan's intervention in "Emergency Dive", as well as breaking up with Perdita in "Kaerb Ym Traeh!".
- Halo confronts Brion about cutting himself off from everyone. This was brought up in "Inhospitable".
- Violet corrects Zviad Baazovi when he misgenders them. Violet began using they/them pronouns in "Nautical Twilight".
- Brion reminds Halo that he expelled them from Markovia in "Nevermore".
- Fury recalls serving under Lex Luthor in "Antisocial Pathologies", "Into the Breach" and "Nevermore".
- Black Lightning announces the construction of the Justice League's new Hall of Justice. The original was demolished by Despero in "Cornered", and Troia and Catherine Cobert complained about the delays in rebuilding it in "Influence".
Trivia[]
- The score heard when Nightwing and co. arrive at the junkyard is the first musical arrangement heard in the first episode of the show, "Independence Day", titled "Dynamic Duo Ice Freeze" and featured on Young Justice: Music from the DC Comics Animated Television Series.
- Wingman is named for Greg Cipes's dog.[1]
- The promotional video of the Infinity Cadets is animated in the style of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This was meant as a tribute to the show's producer, James Tucker.[2] Both Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti had worked on the show.
Backwards spells[]
Speaker | Spell | Translation |
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Zatanna | Sgowogort egreme! | Trogowogs emerge! |
Etativel! | Levitate! | |
Sgowogort, nruter ot eht Htrae! | Trogowogs, return to the Earth! | |
Mutrap a latrop! | Partum a portal! (Create a portal!)[3] |
Goofs[]
Cultural references[]
- Shakespeare reference: Brion's adage "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" is a famous misquote of the line "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown", from William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2.
Questions[]
Questions |
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Unanswered questions[]
- Why are Everyman and Trajectory acting against Brion?
Quotes[]
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References[]
- ↑ Cipes, Greg (2019-08-12). Tweet. Twitter. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- ↑ Vietti, Brandon (2022-05-20). Tweet. Twitter. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
- ↑ Weisman, Greg (2022-05-13). Question #25912. Ask Greg. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
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Season four "Ego and Superego" |
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