Young Justice (later re-titled Young Justice: Invasion for its second season) is an American animated television series created by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not a direct adaptation of Peter David, Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young superheroes.
Premise
The series focuses on the lives of a group of teenage sidekicks (e.g., Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Speedy) attempting to establish themselves as proven superheroes as they deal with normal adolescent issues in their personal lives, normally proving to their mentors-Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Arrow-that they deserve greater recognition and respect, namely with being promoted from sidekicks to heroes. The show corresponds to the present time of our world, a time period Vietti has called "a new age of heroes."
Why It Was Cancelled
The show's funding was based on a toy deal with Mattel. The toys were not selling enough so Mattel cancelled the toy line, pulling the funding for the show. With no sources of income large enough to replace the money from Mattel, the snow was not picked up for a third season.
Revival
In February 2016, in response to the show's second season being released on Netflix, Greg Weisman posted a tweet advising fans that the chances for a third season could be helped by watching on Netflix or buying the Blu-Ray releases. Later that month, rumors began circulating that Netflix was considered reviving the show for a third season, based on its viewership numbers. This was followed in March by a petition by Weisman and Christopher Jones to revive the comic book line.
On November 7, 2016, a third season, titled Young Justice: Outsiders, was officially announced. It debuted its first half on January 4, 2019 on a brand-new DC-Branded digital platform, DC Universe, with the remaining half airing from July 2 to August 27, 2019 for a total of 26 episodes.