"Nomed Esir!" ("Demon Rise!") is the tenth episode of the fourth season of Young Justice, and the 83rd of the overall series. It debuted on December 9, 2021 on HBO Max.
Zatanna and her protégées encounter new allies — and an ancient foe.
Synopsis[]
Vandal Savage narrates the story of his life after his first encounter with Klarion. Vandar Adg repopulated the village of Atlantis. After a century, the village grew into a city, and after Vandar saw the birth of his latest grandson, he set off on his travels once more. He returned 200 years later, now known as Varl'jat, to find Atlantis a prosperous city state under the rule of his grandson, Arion, the first of his descendants to be immortal.
Zatanna and her students recover after the battle with Klarion. Khalid uses his powers to heal their bruised throats. They wonder why Klarion left without finishing them; Zatanna is unsure but thinks she heard something while being strangled. The Stranger appears, and explains that she heard a summons of Chaos.
At the summoning circle, Klarion explains that he thinks Child has been sent to provide him with back-up due to the opposition's "new arrangement" and tells her it is unnecessary. Child informs him that she is actually there to replace him, after she ends his existence on the mortal plane. She explains this is not just due to recent events, but to the twelve millennia he has spent as lapdog to Vandal Savage. Klarion denies doing Vandal's bidding, and lists his accomplishments working with him. Child is unmoved and fires a blast of energy at him.
Garfield lies under the covers of his bed, an opened pack of sleeping aids on his bed stand, looking at pictures of himself with Conner and M'gann when they visited him in Qurac. Finally, he drifts off to sleep.
M'gann, J'onn and Em'ree sit in the cockpit in awkward silence. Em'ree tries to engage M'gann by asking "are we there yet?" J'onn takes her seriously and begins to answer, but Em'ree explains it is an Earth joke. M'gann ignores the exchange, and continues staring at Conner's wedding ring in her hands. Em'ree asks J'onn to help her prepare dinner, but really wants to talk privately. She is worried about M'gann who has completely closed herself off to them ever since Conner died. J'onn says she needs her family. Em'ree asks what about themselves, but J'onn means her Earth family; her original Teammates. Em'ree doesn't think M'gann can wait that long, and wonders what her friends would do to help her.
Vandal continues his story. The Lords of Order sent Arion a crown as a gift, the crown's magic infusing Arion and making him an agent of Order on Earth, to counteract man's potential for chaos. The magic was passed on to Arion's progeny, creating a new class of magical meta-humans, the Homo magi. Arion used his potent magic to advance Atlantis's techno-sorcery. With Varl'jat's martial help, the great city became capital of a kingdom spanning the whole Atlantean continent. It was the mightiest human civilization to exist before or since; Arion was satisfied, but Varl'jat wanted more.
Back in Manhattan, Zatanna is incredulous that the Stranger wants them to help Klarion. As she sees it, Chaos fighting Chaos is a good thing, but Stranger thinks she is short-sighted and, with a flick of his cape, sends her to Roanoke to witness the battle between Klarion and Child. Khalid demands to know where the Stranger has sent her. He sent her where she might learn, and asks if the students want to help their teacher. No sooner than they say yes, the Stranger wraps his cape around them.
At Roanoke, the battle continues. Klarion realizes Child is far more powerful than him, and asks how it is possible. Child explains that she has the backing of all the other Chaos Lords. She fires off an immensely powerful blast. Klarion teleports out of the way, and Zatanna, in the line of fire in the forest behind Klarion, summons a shield to protect herself. Klarion reappears behind Child with an energy "sword". Child screams just before Klarion slices her in two down the middle, but Klarion has only a moment to celebrate before Child's two halves reconstitute. Child asks if her scream was convincing, and Klarion pretends not to have been fooled. Child conjures a giant fire cobra which swallows Klarion.
Vandal continues Varl'jat's story. Varl'jat proposes to Arion that they use his magic to sink the capital. Arion refuses as so many would die. Varl'jat counters that some would live and adapt to life under the sea, allowing them to rule the water that covers so much of the Earth. Arion still refuses, but Varl'jat didn't need him. instead, he waited for the thousandth anniversary of his meeting with Klarion, and Klarion returned as agreed.
The students are surprised to find themselves not with Zatanna, but in a strange library. The Stranger tells them they are in London, in the sanctum sanctorum of Jason Blood. Blood emerges to ask what they are doing there. The Stranger asks Blood what he has sensed; the coming of chaos. Stranger asks Blood if he believes the balance must be maintained, Blood responds that that is his lot, his curse. The Stranger suggests that Klarion requires the help of Blood's "friend". Blood notes that his "friend" is not the precise instrument that Stranger seems to suggest, more a loose cannon Blood may only attempt to aim. As they talk, Mary is drawn to three artifacts in the room. Each time, Blood warns her off, noting that they are objects of great power. Traci reminds them that Zatanna is still out there in need of help, and Khalid tells Blood to aim his cannon. Reluctantly, Blood begins to recite an incantation. He screams in pain as he is consumed by flame and his body transforms into the demon Etrigan.
Back aboard Baby, Em'ree feigns impatience, and asks why she ever wanted to go Earth. As M'gann reminds her that no-one asked her to come, Em'ree becomes angry and accuses M'gann of never being willing to forgive her, that nothing she could do would be enough. As the pair descend into a shouting match, M'gann realizes Em'ree is deliberately provoking her to generate a catharsis. When M'gann confronts her about it, Em'ree just asks if it working. M'gann admits it is, and the sisters both begin to laugh, much to J'onn's pleasure. Em'ree is relieved and notes that it is the first time she has heard M'gann laugh since Conner's death, causing M'gann to cry and admit she doesn't know what to do now he is gone. Em'ree comforts her, telling her she doesn't have to know yet, but needs time. Cheering up slightly, M'gann thanks Em'ree and tells her that while she may be a poor counselor, she is a pretty great sister. Outside, a school bus appears and only narrowly avoids hitting Baby before disappearing again. Inside Baby, the occupants wonder what Baby was concerned about, but dismiss it as a false alarm.
Back at Blood's sanctum, Etrigan is drawn to Mary, who he notes has another hidden inside her, like Blood. The Stranger calls Etrigan to action. Etrigan has no desire to follow his commands, but the Stranger offers him no choice and sends him to Roanoke. Etrigan witnesses Klarion break free of Child's flaming serpent. Before Zatanna can ask what he is doing there, the laughing Etrigan runs to join the battle. He leaps for Child but is intercepted by Flaw. Etrigan and the golem struggle, before Etrigan unleashes a gout of hellfire from his mouth. Flaw is unaffected, but it makes Klarion think to target Child's anchor himself and blasts the crystal creature. Meanwhile, Child's eyes glow as she begins to lift up a massive slab of the Earth's crust. As Klarion becomes frustrated that his attack is having no effect on Flaw, Teekl warns him about the "rock tsunami" behind him. Klarion is confused until he turns around and looks at the rising slab of ground in horror.
Vandal continues Varl'jat's story. Upon Klarion's return, he found common cause with the Chaos Lord with his plan to sink the city of Atlantis. Klarion gladly played his part, succeeding despite Arion's resistance. Arion was killed by a falling statue of Varl'jat. But Klarion did not stop with the city. Spurred on by the other Lords of Chaos, he continued to sink more and more land, until the entire continent of Atlantis sank. Though Varl was saddened by the passing of his grandson, and had not intended for the whole continent, and so many people, to be lost. But his plan worked; some of the Homo magi and Homo meta survived and became water breathers, Homo mermanus, and eventually scattered across the oceans, creating a new kingdom of Atlantis that controlled three-fourths of the world. Both Varl and Klarion were satisfied, and Klarion insisted on continuing their alliance.
Back at Roanoke, Etrigan leaps onto the rising earth and climbs until he could leap down on Child. He then breathes hellfire once more, until the flesh is burned away from her bones. The demon takes Child's skull to admire his handiwork, only for Child to re-emerge from an eye socket and hit him with a blast of energy. Child turns her attention back to Klarion, and brings the floating slab of rock down upon him. The impact devastates the area, causing quakes and flooding, shattering the earth and bisecting a nearby town. Zatanna levitates herself to try to get to safety, but Klarion shoots up from under the earth at the same time, sending chunks of rock flying, one of which strikes Zatanna in the head, knocking her down into the water. A struggling Zatanna watches as Klarion complains about the unfairness of having to fight Child while she was empowered by the other Lords. Child promises to only use her own power, but Klarion doesn't believe her and teleports away when she fires at him. Disappointed, Child teleports herself and Flaw away as well. Zatanna can no longer hold on and sinks beneath the water and passes out. She is awoken by the sound of Khalid's healing spell, and comes to on the river bank surrounded by her students, the Stranger and Blood. The Stranger asks if she has acquired perspective; she has, enough to know they need more help.
Vandal Savage explains the moral of Varl'jat's story; that order and chaos can serve each other, so long as balance is maintained. Doctor Fate asks why Savage tells him what he already knows. To remind him, Savage replies, of what must not be forgotten. Savage explains that the modern Atlantis could not have come to exist were it not for the chaotic sinking of the original city, nor, Fate notes, without the survivors restoring order beneath the waves. Savage asks who will restore order to the chaos brought by Child; Fate, with an aging host? Vandal makes the case for helping him and Klarion, noting that, unlike Child, Klarion is a weapon he has learned to control, but that Child is beyond either of their abilities to counter.
In keeping with this arc's backwards titles scheme, this episode's title translates into "Demon Rise!". In a literal sense, it refers to Etrigan the Demon whom Phantom Stranger seeks out to help fight Child. Figuratively speaking, the title contrasts with the subplot, in which we see Atlantis sinking by the demonic hand of Klarion.
While the previous episode had Phantom Stranger recounting a story to Vandal Savage, in this episode it's Savage who does that to Nabu. Likewise, he also tells Nabu the same thing Stranger told him when he asked why he was being told something he already knew.
M'gann looks at Conner's wedding ring which she had been carrying around since "Inhospitable".
Klarion scoffs at Child's use of flaming serpents, alluding to the time he used one in "Summit".
Klarion realizes he should attack Child's anchor to the Earthly place, after seeing that being done to him on so many occasions, notably in "Denial", "Misplaced", "Early Warning" and "Odnu!".
Vandal's parentage of Nabu was established in "Evolution".
Trivia[]
Klarion refers to the events of "Misplaced" as a "World without Grown-ups", which was the name of the storyline which lead to the creation of Young Justice in the comics.
The name Varl'jat is an adaptation of Karl Jat, a former atlantean warlord, whose population shrunk to the point of being able to hide between the atoms of a diamond, to escape Atlantis's sinking. After having created a utopia, Karl Jat became bitter and wanted to attack the people of Earth. His only appearance is in The Atom #5.[1]
Em'ree J'onzz refers to Earth as "third rock from the sun". Given Mars's tradition of watching Earth TV shows, it's likely that she was making a reference to the namesake sitcom.
Shakespeare reference: Vandal Savage refers to the depth of the oceans as "vasty deep". This phrase is largely ascribed to Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, in which it is used to refer to the underworld.
Questions[]
Questions
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Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer.