- "Let's see how well you do your job, little heroes!"
- ―Mr. Mxyzptlk
Young Justice is a 2018 superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. It is the 11th film in the DC Extended Universe and the 1st installment of the Silver Age. It was released on March 18, 2018.
A spin-off, Blue Beetle, was released in 2021. The film also led to a Batman Beyond film, set in the Burtonverse.
The film introduces Impulse, Blue Beetle, Jenny Quantum, Power Girl, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, Bat-Mite, and Freddy Freeman into the DCEU.
Ryan Reynolds, Lynda Carter, Brandon Routh, Brent Stait, Michael Rosenbaum, Michael Keaton, and Keanu Reeves reprise their DC roles from prior incarnations to represent the multiverse.
Synopsis[]
A band of hormonal teenagers still in high school, group together to face an unusual being named Mr. Mxyzptlk, an extra-dimensional nigh-omnipotent imp. Mr. Mxyzptlk traps the teenagers in a neverending riddle throughout worlds and realities, encountering different versions of the heroes from their world. In a thrilling field trip of extra-dimensional journey, the young heroes must trick the villain in order to go home and send him back to his realm.
Plot[]
The film starts with Superboy chasing and apprehending criminals in Metropolis, with him taking pictures with fangirls before Lex Luthor collects him. At Gotham City High School, Tim Drake and his friends are studying before a commotion outside is heard of Wonder Girl coming out of nowhere fighting some Greek mythological creature, as they fight, the creature destroyed some part of the school as the students panic, Tim then managed to help Wonder Girl kill it by using a device that he created and kept in his backpack. He then goes to help Wonder Girl as they meet for the first time. At El Paso, Texas, Jaime Reyes is walking around with his friends Paco and Brenda at a wooded area that is said to have small meteors crashed,[1] they then discover a beetle-shaped device, which Jaime takes home.
At dinner, he tries to find out what the device is before it activates and attaches itself to Jaime, creating a blue suit. The suit then activates jet propellers that takes Jaime to space, before coming down, eventually landing in Gotham City, where the suit does more damage to the surroundings, leading to Wonder Girl and Robin coming to apprehend him. Blue Beetle takes off again, bringing Robin and Wonder Girl[2] to the nearby Metropolis, where they were met with Superboy. The three attempt to subdue Blue Beetle, with Robin saving an injured Freddy Freeman until Jaime manages to turn her off. Just before the authorities can capture them, Impulse relocates them. Robin thanks Impulse and tells the rest that Impulse is the grandson of the Flash from the future.
Jaime tells them that he needs to get back to Texas, Wonder Girl gives him her phone to call his family, telling them he's okay. Impulse then offers Jaime to run him back to El Paso, and they do so, though they get lost for a bit, and take a detour to Big Belly Burger, running away without paying as they forgot to bring money. They eventually make it and part ways.
Back with Robin, Wonder Girl, and Superboy. Superboy abandons the two until Robin calls Impulse to inform him that he and Wonder Girl are going to another dimension to fight mythological creatures, in which Superboy wants in. Using Wonder Girl's magical device, midway into the realm of the Old Gods, they accidentally enter Jenny Quantum's pocket dimension, where she is seen fighting a comical battle with Mr. Mxyzptlk, she notices them and apologizes, telling them that the imp has been bothering her, courtesy of their similar powers. Mr. Mxyzptlk assumes that they are a superhero team and devises a new plan, returning to the 5th dimension, he tells the team he will come back.
Jenny asks their help to banish Mxyzptlk once and for all. Superboy asks her why he is now their problem, Jenny explains that she is the host of the Spirit of the Century, a natural enemy of trickster deities like Mxyzptlk. She is essentially immortal and can only be killed by trickster deities, being around him can diminish her powers and can eventually kill the spirit, allowing the unknown to threaten their world.
The team is convinced and they invite Blue Beetle to the mission. In the 5th dimension, Mxyzptlk tells his wife Gsptlsnz that he is coming for the spirit. As the team was chatting with Jaime's family, they started acting weird, and eventually Mxyzptlk shows himself and took them to Earth-21, Mxyzptlk tells them that they have to end the current conflict that is happening in each timeline in one day. If they fail, they will be sent to an alternate timeline, repeated forever. The team tries to help the heroes in defeating the Centre, but fails, and is sent to Earth-76, where they meet Wonder Woman, they fail once again, and sent to Earth-611, where they had to battle Parallax and help the Green Lantern, the fight took all of their time to solve the mystery and they were sent to Lexor, a timeline where Lex Luthor rules the world. There, Lex tells them of the decreed numeric designations of alternate timelines.
Jenny and Robin come up with the idea to get Mxyzptlk to spell his name backwards by getting him to send them to timelines with the numeric equivalent of his name. After their time runs out, they commence their plan and Mxyzptlk sends them to Earth-11, a timeline where all the superheroes are genderbent. The rest of the team are uninformed about the plan to prevent Mxyzptlk from knowing, and they are quick to give up on solving the mystery. They are next sent to Earth-12, where they meet older Bruce Wayne and Superman. Failing, they are next sent to Earth-20, a world set in the 1920s after World War I and they meet Doctor Fate. Next they are sent to Earth-16, where they meet the Young Justice of this timeline. In the main timeline, the JSA detects an anomaly in the multiverse and sends Power Girl. After failing again, the team are sent to Earth-26, a timeline of anthropomorphic superheroes led by Captain Carrot. Next, they are sent to Earth-25 and Power Girl failed to reach them, causing her to follow them to Earth-25, where the meet Superman. Next they are sent to Earth-24 and Power Girl once again fails to reach them and again has to follow them to Earth-24, where female superheroes are fighting World War II (DC Bombshells). In this attempt, Impulse and Beetle almost solved the mystery, until they are stopped by Robin and Jenny, Power Girl finally get to meet the team before their time runs out and they are sent to the planned final timeline, Earth-13, with Power Girl frustratingly following them again. On Earth-13, they meet John Constantine, the team explains their dilemma to Power Girl and John, with their help, the team is able to fight off Mxyzptlk's monsters and amidst the battle, Jenny reveals to Mxyzptlk that he had spelled his name backwards with their numerical equivalents. Mxyzptlk to sent back to the 5th dimension. The team thanks John and Jenny sends them back to Earth.
Overview of the alternate universes[]
As they appear in order, with description of the conflicts that the Young Justice has to settle
- Earth-21: The New Frontier timeline, where heroes are fighting the Centre
- Earth-76: The 1976 Wonder Woman TV series universe, where
- Earth-611: The 2011 Green Lantern film universe, where Parallax has attacked Earth
- Lexor: A world where Lex Luthor rules Earth, seems okay, until it is revealed that the Earth is running out of water
After the YJ devised a plan to get Mxyzptlk to spell his name backwards in their numeric order:
- K - Earth-11: Genderbent superheroes, where Starro had taken over Earth
- L - Earth-12: Burtonverse, where the OMAC project went rogue
- T - Earth-20: 1920s Earth, where a missile crisis is ongoing
- P - Earth-16: 2010 Young Justice animated series universe, where they are fighting Harm
- Z - Earth-26: Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew, where
- Y - Earth-25: 2006 Superman Returns universe, where Cyborg Superman is fighting Superman
- X - Earth-24: DC Bombshells, where World War II occurs
- M - Earth-13: 2005 Constantine film universe, where demonic incursions are happening
Cast[]
Main characters[]
- TBA as Tim Drake/Robin
- TBA as Tiffany Drake/Robin
- Cameron Bowen as Earth-16 version of him
- Olivia DeJonge as Cassie Sandsmark/Wonder Girl
- TBA as Casper Sandsmark/Wonder Boy
- Mae Whitman as Earth-16 version of him
- Wonder Girl (Earth-24)
- TBA as Superboy
- TBA as Connie/Supergirl
- Nolan North as Earth-16 version of him
- TBA as Bart Allen/Impulse
- Jason Marsden as Earth-16 version of him
- Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle
- TBA as Justina Reyes/Blue Beetle
- Eric Lopez as Earth-16 version of him
- Olivia Rodrigo as Jenny Quarx/Jenny Quantum
- TBA as Jensen Quantum (Earth-11)
- TBA as Power Girl
- TBA as Earth-24 version of her
Antagonist(s)[]
Side characters[]
- Henry Cavill as Superman
- TBA as Gsptlsnz
- Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman (Earth-76)
- Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan (Earth-611)
- N/A as Parallax (Earth-611)
- Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor (Lexor)
- Rebecca Ferguson as Superwoman (Earth-11)
- TBA as Batwoman (Earth-11)
- TBA as Wonder Man
- TBA as Flash (Earth-11)
- TBA as Aquawoman
- TBA as Kylie Rayner
- TBA as Martian Manhunter (Earth-11)
- Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne (Earth-12)
- Nicolas Cage as Superman (Earth-12)
- Brent Stait as Doctor Fate (Earth-20)
- Jesse McCartney as Dick Grayson (Earth-16)
- TBA as Harm
- Khary Payton as Kaldur'ahm
- Stephanie Lemelin as Artemis Crock
- TBA as Captain Carrot
- Brandon Routh as Superman (Earth-25)
- Gemma Arterton as Wonder Woman (Earth-24)
- Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn (Earth-24)
- Keanu Reeves as John Constantine (Earth-13)
- TBA as Paco Testas
- Isabela Merced as Brenda Del Vecchio
- Benjamin Bratt as Alberto Reyes
- Rosie Perez as Bianca Reyes
- Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
- Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman
- Dee Bradley Baker as Bat-Mite
Appearances[]
Characters[]
(cameo)
Mentioned[]
Locations[]
- Multiverse
- 5th dimension
- Earth-2
- Earth
- Kingdom of Atlantis
- United States of America
- Gotham City, New Jersey
- Gotham City High School
- Metropolis, Delaware
- Themyscira (mentioned)
- Gotham City, New Jersey
- Earth
- Earth-11
- Earth
- United States of America
- Earth
- Earth-12 (Burtonverse)
- Earth
- United States of America
- Gotham
- United States of America
- Earth
- Earth-13
- Earth
- United States of America
- Earth
- Earth-16
- Earth
- United States of America
- Earth
- Earth-20
- Earth
- United States of America
- Earth
- Earth-611
- Earth
- Dinosaur Island
- Earth
- Earth-24
- Earth
- Germany
- Metropolis
- Germany
- Earth
- Earth-25
- Earth
- United States of America
- Earth
- Earth-26
- Earth
- United States of America
- Coast City
- Earth
- Earth-76
- Earth
- United States of America
- Earth
- Earth-611
- Earth
- United States of America
- Earth
- Lexor
- Lexorworld
- Lexor
- Lexorworld
- Realm of the Old Gods
- Speed Force
Events[]
Items[]
- Batsuit
- Flash suit
- Khaji Da
- Kryptonian Supersuits
- Lantern power ring
- Lasso of Truth
- Robin suit
- Spirit of the Century
Species[]
- Dinosaurs
- Pterodactlys
- Raptors
- T-rexes
- Humans
- Imps
- Kryptonians
Organizations[]
- Big Belly Burger
- Green Lantern Corps
- Justice League (mentioned)
- Justice Society of America (mentioned)
- LexCorp
- OMAC
- Young Justice
Trivia[]
- The events of the film were referenced in the third season of the Young Justice animated series, which aired the next year in 2019.
- Harm was considered to be the main villain as he was the team's first villian in the comics.
- The film is described as an escape room-type film with alternate realities as rooms.
- Mr. Mxyzptlk was originally going to be created for the DCEU, before the script changes to him being the exact same version from the DCAU.
- The simplistic title is supposed to be a joke that the movie is about high schoolers.
References and notes[]
- ↑ alludes to Green Lantern Corps when the Reach's ship expels debris when fighting Abin Sur
- ↑ Robin is hooked to him via his grappling gadgets and Wonder Girl just flies