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Episode guide

"Leviathan Wakes" is the 17th episode of the fourth season of Young Justice, and the 90th of the overall series. It debuted on April 7, 2022 on HBO Max.

Logline[]

Kaldur'ahm searches. Atlantis finds.

Synopsis[]

 
Poseidonis
June 06, 08:01 UTC-2

Orin speaks with the Orm clone in his prison cell. Orm insists he is not a clone. Orin turns to a camouflaged Miss Martian for an opinion. She reveals herself and confirms Orm believes what he is saying. Orin feels pity for the clone, and urges him to consider whether his memories of his incarceration seem real. He tells him that he never came to see Orm in prison as he was still to angry, though Orm remembers those visits. M'gann offers to help clear Orm's mind, but he refuses. As Orin and M'gann leave, Orm begins to angrily call out that he is not a clone, but his voice breaks on the last word

 
Xebel
July 03, 18:58 UTC-2

Outside the Royal Palace of Xebel, a crowd chants Arion's name, calling him the true High King. In the throne room, Ryus Nereus, Lori Lemaris, Mera Nereus, Orin and Nanaue Sha'ark have gathered to discuss the crisis. Ryus considers arresting Arion, but Mera warns him that would only escalate things into a full revolution. Orin fears they may be too late to salvage the situation, and Ryus criticizes Orin, and Mera, for only now leaving their bubble in Poseidonis. Orin confronts Ryus for his own role in stoking dissent against Orin in Xebel, only for it to turn against his own rule as well. Sha'ark is excited for them to fight it out, but Mera reminds them that fighting amongst themselves will solve nothing, and that Arion has not done anything wrong and may even fulfill the prophecy. Lori says without Arion's crown, a definitive answer to the prophecy and question of rule is impossible.

 
The Undersea
July 03, 19:00 UTC-2

As they swim through the Undersea, Kaldur, Wyynde, Delphis and La'gaan hear a loud crash. The move into a tight circle with their backs to each other, looking for the source. Delphis spots it; a thermal vent about to erupt. Wyynde creates a circling current of water around it, rapidly cooling the lava to form a pillar. Kaldur is pleased their response time as improved. La'gaan notes they've had practice over the weeks they've spent there, and begins to worry about missing his child's birth. Kaldur tells him he wasn't forced to join the mission and he needs to commit 100%. La'gaan does and the group moves on. Wyynde swims back to console La'gaan, but La'gaan just wishes he was as strong as Kaldur. Wyynde worries Kaldur is exhausted and has been hit hard by Conner Kent's death. La'gaan admits he had held a petty grudge against Conner for years and regrets not getting the chance to make amends. Wyynde worries about Kaldur bottling up his emotions, fearing they will overwhelm him. They then hear another noise, and form-up once more, but this time it isn't a thermal vent, it is a giant crab monster emerging from the sea floor.

Back at the Xebelian palace, the crowds continue to chant. In the throne room, Orin reluctantly calls the Conference of Delegates together, with Calvin Durham, Ronal and Topo calling in on video screens. Mera notes Coral's absence, and Topo explains that she is in labor, and has given him her proxy. Mera wonders what the proxy is for; a vote for High King, Topo and Calvin explain, as Arion and Chian swim up to the throne room.

Back in the Undersea, the crab monster begins to suck the group into its mouth. Wyynde creates a current to try to counteract it as they all swim away, but it is not strong enough to prevent them being pulled in. La'gaan allows himself to be pulled back as the others cling onto rocks, and breaks off the pillar from the thermal vent along the way. He allows himself and the pillar to be swallowed and jams the pillar into the crab's throat. The crab spits La'gaan out and turns away. Delphis spots a fissure where the crab had emerged, allowing the group to swim to a deeper pocket of the Undersea. They find that over the millennia the sea floor had shifted, sinking the ruins of Atlantis's ancient capital even deeper. They come across the head of a statue of Varl'jat, and a skeleton half crushed beneath it. Wyynde's skin icons light up as he senses a source of powerful magic. Kaldur and La'gaan soon sense it, and the three spread out to allow them to triangulate its location. Once found, Wyynde creates a current to scour the sea bed, soon revealing Arion's crown. No sooner as Kaldur picks up the crown, the group hears a deep roar from a large nearby tunnel, and a huge, scaled creature emerges.

 
Poseidonis
July 03, 19:05 UTC-2

At the prison, Orm calls out for Orin. Miss Martian appears before him and tells him the High King is busy, but it was her whom he wanted anyway. He wants the truth, as does M'gann. She tells him to relax as she begins to access his mind. M'gann immediately recognizes Psimon's touch all over Orm's psyche. She is able to unmask his first true memories.

Orm remembers waking in a pod, with Vandal Savage and Ultra-Humanite standing before him. Savage notices Orm is awake, and ask if the force growth is nearly complete, which Humanite affirms. Savage assumes Orm will fade in and out of consciousness until activated, and wants Psimon to erase this memory.

Back in Xebel, Arion says that, though he never wanted it, it may be time for him to resume leadership of Atlantis. Mera tells him Atlantis already has a leader, but Lori asserts that the people disagree; Orin was a great hero, but the people never took to him as Annax outside of Poseidonis. Topo points out that Arion has rallied the people by saving Atlantis twice, and seems to fulfill the prophecy. Ronal is more practical; the people are on the verge of open rebellion, if the delegates wish to keep their power in their city-states the they must vote for Arion.

Orm remembers waking to hear Savage confirming with Psimon that both subjects had received the transfer of Ocean-Master's memories from the Psy-Back recorded just before the original Orm's imprisonment. Savage is happy Project Thrinos may proceed, and has Psimon release Ocean-Master. Psimon opens the pod opposite Orm, revealing a clone of Arion.

Orin chastises the delegates, asking if they are willing to turn over the crown to someone they barely know to keep their own positions. Mera urges Orin not to allow it, but he says he is not a dictator, and calls for the vote. Durham, Ronal, and Topo vote in favor of Arion, with Topo also casting a positive vote on Coral's behalf. Lemaris votes aye as well, as does Sha'ark, who notes Arion's power. Ryus Nereus votes against, and a shocked Mera begins to thank him, before he asserts that he is not voting for Orin, but for himself. Orin notes that the conclusion is forgone, and declares Arion High King.

Orm remembers Savage talking with the Arion clone. Savage says they were able to clone from the DNA obtained from Arion's flute. He tells the clone that his body will have a strong affinity for magic, stronger than his original body, calling the Arion clone Orm. Orm-in-Arion offers his, literally, undying gratitude, and affirms that he understands why the Light had had to kill him. Savage tells him he now has a chance to redeem himself before the Light, and, Orm/Arion notes, get everything he ever wanted. Savage tells him he will need to learn everything Savage knows about Arion's life, and train in magic with Wotan so as not to rely on trinkets like Neptune's Trident as he had in the past. Savage explains that Psimon will soon edit the other clone's-Orm's-memories to give him a false history post-incarceration, and program him to lose against Arion and draw suspicion to himself, with the puppet Orm ending up dead or imprisoned.

Orm gasps as he pulls out of memory. M'gann is sorry for the unforgivable things the Light did to him, but rushes to report to Orin.

In Xebel, Chian tells the new Annax that the people will wish to hear from him.

In the Undersea, Kaldur's squad dodges the Leviathan's attempts to eat them. Kaldur creates a harpoon and latches onto the creature's back, telling the others to get aboard. As the others secure themselves to the Leviathan's back, Kaldur uses electric shocks to spur and steer the creature, driving it to swim upwards to the top of the Undersea. As they approach the ceiling, the squad jumps off and the Leviathan crashes into it, creating a small hole. The squad quickly swims through, leaving the furious Leviathan trapped beneath them.

They emerge just outside Xebel. As they swim into the city, La'gaan asks about radioing Orin, but Kaldur reminds him the king ordered radio silence. Then they hear Arion's voice as holo-screens pop up all over the city. Arion addresses the people announcing he has "reluctantly" accepted the role of High King.

The address is broadcast throughout Atlantis. Vulko and Beluga watch on a screen in Poseidonis.

 
Shayeris
July 03, 19:36 UTC-2

Calvin and Sha'lain'a watch in their home.

At the Xebelian palace, Orin watches Arion make his speech, as M'gann comms him, apologizing for not getting the intel sooner, but suggesting Orin go public with it now. Orin doesn't think anyone would believe him. Arion interrupts his speech as he spots Kaldur swimming up to the palace. He draws the crown over to him. Orin tells his brother not to put on the crown, but Arion-Orm-simply replies that they were never brothers, and tells the crowd that the prophecy is fulfilled as he dons the crown and it begins to glow. In the heavens, the Lords of Order take notes of events, and Orin and Arion both realize something is wrong. Arion screams as he is disintegrated by the crown, before a great bolt of light leaves the crown and shoots upward to the Lords of Order. The crown sinks down to the balcony floor as everyone watches in stunned silence. Mera picks it up and assesses it; it has been drained of power. Showing it to the crowd and broadcast, she declares that this proves Arion was false and not the true High King. She asserts Orin is the true High King, and gives him Arion's crown. But he tells her it is wrong. He removes the crown and addresses the people. He tells them that it is not him, but Mera who fulfills the prophecy. Though Arion was the stranger who defeated the trident, it was Arion, Mera and Orm who faced the red death, and the prophecy clearly states it is the best of those three who is the One True King. He asks if anyone doubts that Mera is the best of those three, the best of all of them. The crowd begins chanting Mera's name, and Orin calls for a vote from the delegates, who unanimously vote in favor of Mera, her father included. Mera is still uncertain, but Orin admits the crown never sat well on his head, and assures her she was born to this role, unlike him. Mera accepts the crown and addresses the people. She tells them it is time for the Atlantean people to you unite, and promises to rule for all eight city-states. The crowd chants for their new Annax, as do the people watching in Poseidonis and Shayeris.

Later, La'gaan and Wyynde swim toward the palace. La'gaan suggests Wyynde didn't need to worry about Kaldur, but Wyynde fears Kaldur will use this success as another excuse not to rest. In the palace, Kaldur asks Lord Orin what he plans to do next. As well as raise his son and support his wife, Orin intends to rejoin the Justice League. As La'gaan and Wyynde arrive, Kaldur offers to relinquish the title of Aquaman, but Orin is sure that if the League can accommodate four Green Lanterns and two Flashes, it can accept two Aquamen, or even three, as he turns to La'gaan. La'gaan is shocked, but Orin tells him it is time. Kaldur congratulates La'gaan and is glad of the timing. He announces he is to take a leave of absence, before turning to kiss Wyynde.

 
The Warworld
July 03, 21:47 UTC

In the storeroom, Savage picks up Arion's flute, as Doctor Fate appears behind him. Savage asks if he is there to gloat, but Fate tells him he should not have been surprised that the Lords of Order would not allow his puppet to use their power. Savage calls them fools, claiming he would have brought order to three-fourths of the world. Fate tells him the book of chaos he had opened on Atlantis was finally closed, before departing. An enraged Savage snaps the flute in two.

At the prison in Poseidonis, M'gann finishes cleansing clone Orm's mind of programming. Orin releases him and returns Ocean-Master's mask. Orm is surprised, but Orin explains that he cannot be held responsible for the crimes of the original Orm, nor for those committed while under the Light's control. He tells Orm he is glad to offer him a second, or really, first, chance.

As Kaldur talks about his fears when he first set foot on land, Orm swims away from Poseidonis. Mera sits on the Atlantean throne with Artur on her lap and Orin at her side. La'gaan cradles his newborn child, with his wife and husband at his side in their home. Kaldur relaxes with Wyynde on their couch, as Dolphin sits nearby. Kaldur finishes that though he learned he did not need to hold his breath, he had been holding a lot inside for a long time.

Meanwhile, Superboy, in the strange dimension, sits on a rock next to Ghosty. He tells her he knows he had failed her, and that he failed M'gann, remembering the gene-bomb and her wedding ring melting in the lava. He remembered instances of rage and violence from his early life as he called himself a beast. He remembered Superman avoiding him years ago and noted that Superman had always known about him. He remembers the hallucination of Superman's death and believes he really killed his brother. Then he hears a strange sound, and looks up to see a school bus flying by. Conner screams for help as the bus passes and teleports away. Conner sinks down, fearing he is losing his mind, only for Lex Luthor to put his hand on Conner's shoulder as use his old command phrase, "Red Sun".

End credits scene: In the Watchtower's memorial garden, Kaldur talks to Black Canary. He remembers freeing Superboy from Cadmus ten years ago that day. He talks about the pride he has always had for forming the Team, but also the cost. Voice shaking, he remembers the Teammates who have died in those ten years, and admits he will have to come to terms with their deaths if he is ever to resume his old life.

Title[]

Leviathan Wakes literally refers to the rousing of the giant sea creatures Leviathan and the crab monster in the Undersea, as well as metaphorically to Arion's rise to power, and the usually passive Lords of Order taking action. Wyynde also worries about Kaldur'ahm's buried emotions eventually rising up and overtaking him.

Cast and characters[]

Voice actor Character
Robbie Daymond Wyynde
David Kaye Arion
Vandal Savage
Ryus Nereus
Phil LaMarr Orin
Calvin Durham
Yuri Lowenthal La'gaan
Danica McKellar Miss Martian
Nolan North Superboy
Ronal
Khary Payton Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad
Kevin Michael Richardson Nabu
Mark Rolston Lex Luthor (illusion)
Tiya Sircar Delphis
Chian
Roger Craig Smith Orm
Kath Soucie Mera Nereus
Lori Lemaris
James Arnold Taylor Topo
Nanaue Sha'ark
Lauren Tom Thirteen
Uncredited
Xebel Rebel #1
Xebel Rebel #2
Xebel Rebel #3
Xebel Rebel #4
Xebel Rebel #5
Ultra-Humanite (flashback)
Non-speaking roles
Aquagirl (hologram)
Artur
Beluga
Black Canary
Blubber
Coral
Danuuth
Garth
Jason Todd (hologram)
Kid Flash (hologram)
Karkinos  
La'gaan's child  
Leviathan  
Lords of Chaos
Lords of Order
Mammoth (flashback)
Match (flashback)
M'Chiste
Minkis
Ondine
Phantom Girl
Psimon (flashback)
Robin (flashback)
Rodunn
Sha'lain'a
Superman (flashback)
Vulko
3 Character debut
0 Speaking debut
0 Episode debut


Continuity[]

  • Orin confronts Orm with the discovery made in the previous episode about his true identity.
  • Orm balks as he is about to declare he is not a clone, likely because he knows the Light in capable of creating and programming clones so that they are unaware of their identity, such as Will Harper and Jim Harper.
  • Kaldur's ultimatum to La'gaan paraphrases what Batman told him in "Downtime", "Either you're here one hundred percent, or you need to walk away."
  • Wyynde mentions the toll that Conner's death in "Involuntary" has taken on Kaldur, and La'gaan regrets the grudge he held against Conner, likely since M'gann broke up with him in "Intervention".
  • Kaldur's search party comes across Arion's skeleton trapped underneath Varl'jat's statue head, which fell on him during the Sinking of Atlantis seen in "Nomed Esir!".
  • M'gann quickly recognizes Psimon's mindtouch, calling back to their previous encounters in "Bereft", "Image" and "Beneath".
  • Vandal Savage alludes to the killing of Ocean-Master in "Home Fires", in order to stop him from killing the Justice Leaguers' progeny.
  • Savage extracted Arion's DNA from his flute seen in "Nomed Esir!".
  • Orm lost the fight against Arion in "Nautical Twilight" and "Ebb Tide", because he was pre-programmed to do so.
  • The Lords of Order reclaim the magic from the crown which they had bestowed upon Arion 12,000 year before, as seen in "Nomed Esir!".
  • Orin recalls "Arion" defeating "Orm" in "Nautical Twilight" and both of them fencing off the Red Death caused by Child's pillar of fire alongside Mera in "Ebb Tide".
  • Orin states that the Justice League has four Green Lanterns and two Flashes. As of this episode, only three Lanterns (Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner) and one Flash (Barry Allen) are known.
  • Thirteen is donning the Helmet of Fate since the arrangement made in "Kaerb Ym Traeh!".
  • This episodes marks the first time since season one in which Vandal Savage lost his composure when his machinations didn't go as planned.
  • Conner recalls several events from past episodes:
    • The last time he saw M'gann before the gene-bomb exploded in "Involuntary".
    • When he was shield-enraged and pummeled Mammoth in "Usual Suspects".
    • When he was out of control and attack a tank convoy in "Bereft".
    • When he fought Aqualad in "Independence Day".
    • When Superman flew away from him in "Schooled".
    • His hallucination of Match killing Superman in "Emergency Dive".
  • The school bus flies through Conner's dimension, which happened in "Og Htrof Dna Reuqnoc!", and he pleads for help as Zatanna saw in "Kaerb Ym Traeh!". Conner also recognizes the bus from the bridge in "Schooled".
  • Lex Luthor utters the "Red Sun" code phrase that Cadmus had programmer into Superboy, in order to subdue him. He used it in "Agendas" and "Usual Suspects".
  • Kaldur talks with Black Canary about the events that led to the formation of the Team exactly ten years ago, when Robin and Kid Flash broke into Cadmus in "Independence Day" and freed Superboy in "Fireworks".
  • Kaldur blames himself and his hubris for the deaths of his teammates. Tula died in Young Justice: Legacy, Jason Todd died off-screen, Wally died in "Endgame" and Conner in "Involuntary".

Trivia[]

Goofs[]

Cultural references[]

Questions[]

Questions
For complete answers to the questions in this section, click here.

Answered questions[]

Unanswered questions[]

Quotes[]

  • Orin: You poor bastard. You really do not know what you are.
  • Orm: You call me a bastard? That is rich.
  • Nanaue Sha'ark: Good, settle it! I thought I smelled royal blood in the water.
  • Aquaman: Either you are here one hundred percent, or you need to swim away.
  • La'gaan: Right. Sorry. I'm here, Kaldur. One hundred percent.
  • Aquaman: Then we press on by foot or by fin, till the job is done.
  • Kaldur: The first time I took a breath of air on the surface, I thought I would choke. Yet despite my fears, when my moment came, my gills relaxed, my lungs expanded, and I realized I would never need to hold my breath. But truthfully, I find I have been holding a great deal inside for a very long time.
  • Kaldur: It was ten years ago today. Of course. Robin and Kid Flash and I did something rather stupid. Something that nevertheless, I have spent a decade regarding with over-weening pride. We rescued Superboy from Cadmus, created something that became a turning point in my life. The Team. And now, ten years later, so many of my teammates have paid the price of my hybris. Tula is dead. Jason is dead. Wally is dead. Conner is dead. These are sorrows, I must come to terms with... if I am ever to return to the life I have led.

References[]

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