The team is more than used to danger by now. They are able to handle situations that normal individuals cannot. Even when fear overcomes them, we have seen these individuals stand strong. The Young Justice team is more than just Batman’s covert ops squad; they are the future of the Justice League. If anything ever happened to the JLA, this team (amongst others) would have to step up and fill the gaps. So when everything is coming down and the time comes to turn words into action, how will this team respond?

^{WE STAND READY} Alien invasion – anyway you look at it, it spells out one thing: Stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye. Especially when your first line of defense includes Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Captain Atom and Captain Marvel, and they all die in less than a minute without so much as a fight. This is how our episode opens. Follow that up with the deaths of the entire Justice League and suddenly “Young” is the only Justice left. Our heroes struggle to find a way to stop the seemingly endless waves of alien attack ships. The fight takes the team to the Fortress of Solitude, where finally they obtain a weapon that gives them a chance to fight back. Still, every time they gain ground against this faceless enemy, things get much worse very quickly. Who will be left to rebuild when the battle is over?

With great power comes great responsibility

^{M’GANN’S M’GONE} Sometimes having an ability that makes your team stronger can also weaken you. M’Gann’s psychic link with the team has always been a huge benefit. Unfortunately, her link is stronger than she realizes and she can feel when her friends are in pain. When Artemis is killed, Miss Martian almost loses the ability to function. It takes all she has to keep it together and it gets worse as more of her team falls. Finding out it was all a dream does not make her feel better when she also learns that the whole team almost wound up in permanent comas due to her powers. Martian Manhunter commented on how powerful her abilities are, but he is going to have to help her learn control. After the fiasco of the training exercise, we have to wonder if she will ever be the same.

^{I’M NOT SUPERMAN!} According to your makers, Conner, you are. You were made to replace him if he should fall in battle. Superboy has been known to whine and complain about his strained relationship to Superman, but when it came down to responsibility he lived up to his name. He constantly threw himself at the aliens and did his best to save lives whenever he could. When it came time for the final battle he ran head first into a suicide mission because he knew it was the right thing to do. Going forward we can only hope to see more of the hero and less of the crybaby.

^{ROBIN STEPS UP} When Aqualad was named leader of the team, he always intended to step down from the role once Robin felt he was ready to lead. When Aqualad falls, that time comes for him whether he is ready or not. Batman would have been proud of the way he handled the situation. He sees people he cares about dying one after the other but he remained focused on the mission. Just like Superboy, he knew this was most likely a final mission and he faced death like a true leader. He saved who he could and took the enemy down with him. This is the second time he kept his head in the game when others began to falter. He kept M’Gann focused during their fight with the Injustice League. And was right about Aqualad’s sacrifice being a mistake. If he had not been there, there would not have had a leader. It might be time for Robin to take up his rightful role as head of the team. Aqualad does make hard decisions, but Robin’s time with Batman lets him make the impossible ones.

^{CAN’T OUTRUN LOVE} Kid Flash was the only one other than Miss Martian to lose his focus and it was due to the same thing: Artemis’ death. He vowed revenge on the aliens and he kept hoping that she was alive so he could see her again. The same Wally that says he cannot stand Artemis could not deal with her loss. When the team lost their memories, Wally was shown to have a thing for her. Before fighting the Injustice League, Robin and Aqualad comment on how the two are together but don’t know it yet. As they fought the League, Artemis tends to his injury after Black Adam breaks his arm. These two definitely need to “talk,” if they haven’t already.

Despite being somewhat a filler, this was by far the best episode of Young Justice to date. Thought precedes action, so a mission that takes place in the minds of the team shows what they are truly capable of. Sadly, the mission has exposed a great deal of weakness in Miss Martian, but between training from Martian Manhunter and the support of her friends, I do not see this being a problem for long unless her condition at the end of the episode persists. Finding out that she almost destroyed her team mentally could cause her to withdraw from them on any number of levels. She was consoled by Captain Marvel who held her as she cried her eyes out. She might end her relation ship with Superboy just to avoid seeing him hurt again. She might leave the team (temporarily if it did happen). Hopefully neither happens but we are not likely to find out too much on the next episode. The team will be a bit busy with the Forever People of New Genesis who have come to reclaim their Sphere.