Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Young Justice season 4's finale.
Now that Young Justice season 4 has come to a close, viewers are anxiously awaiting updates regarding the series renewal and news regarding a fifth season. Originally produced for Cartoon Network, Young Justice developed a cult following among comic readers and teenagers, rather than the young boys the series was meant to attract. This unexpected audience rallied when the show was canceled after two seasons, earning Young Justice a second life on the DC Universe streaming service, where it was picked up for a fourth season on HBO Max.
Young Justice season 4 picked up one year after the finale of season 3, with the preparations for the impending wedding of Miss Martian and Superboy. The season's storyline branched out from that point, with six separate story arcs centering upon the original members of the team of teen sidekicks from Young Justice season 1, highlighting how they had grown over the passing of a decade. These seemingly unconnected character-focused stories came together in the build-up to the season 4 finale, as the young heroes reunited with their oldest friends and teammates to prevent an invasion of Earth.
This slow-boiling storyline culminated in a race against time, as a coalition of heroes from the Green Lantern Corps, the Justice League and the time-displaced Legion of Superheroes joined forces to avert the schemes of General Zod and his son, Lor-Zod. The finale ended happily, with Superboy and Miss Martian finally getting married, though there are still a number of dangers facing the heroes of Earth-16 and their allies. It remains to be seen, however, if there will be a Young Justice season 5 to build off the cliffhanger endings and post-credits sequence from the Young Justice season 4 finale. Here's what's currently known about Young Justice season 5.
Is Young Justice Season 5 Happening?
It is unclear at this time whether or not Young Justice season 5 will be produced. Showrunners Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti have gone on record as having ideas for several more seasons of the popular animated superhero series and the finale of Young Justice season 4 sets up multiple story hooks for the next season. However, Weissman warned his followers (via Twitter) that the series' future was not secure, telling one fan who asked when they might expect to see Young Justice season 5 that "the first question is 'if' not 'when.'" This prompted a community effort to improve the streaming numbers for all four seasons of Young Justice on HBO Max and trend the series' name on social media.
What Young Justice Season 5's Story Would Be About
The final scenes of Young Justice season 4 point to at least one conflict in space being part of the season 5 storyline. Vandal Savage imprisoned all of the Kryptonians trapped in the Phantom Zone within his Warworld base, save for one prisoner who was handed over to Darkseid. This prisoner was revealed to be Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, in a post-credits scene which also revealed the fate of Mary Marvel following Young Justice season 4's mid-season finale. Both teenage girls were recruited into Granny Goodness' elite Furies squad, in anticipation of an invasion of Earth. Beyond that, the new Emerald Empress, Ursa Zod, is still on the loose, having fled to the planet Daxam in order to give birth to her son.
Young Justice Season 5 Release Date Prediction (If It Happens)
The soonest audiences might expect to see Young Justice season 5 is in the Fall of 2024. This estimate is based upon the fact that it took slightly over two years for work on Young Justice season 4 to be completed following the end of Young Justice season 3. This presumes that HBO Max approves production on the new season fairly soon. It's possible, however, that a new season of Young Justice could be put together somewhat faster, since there are no concerns about a new network picking up the show this time around.
All episodes of Young Justice seasons 1-4 are now streaming on HBO Max.