Young Justice Season 5 Gets Optimistic Update From Superboy Actor

There is still hope yet for Young Justice Season 5. Nolan North, who voices Superboy in the acclaimed DC animated series, recently reminded fans that the show has neither been canceled nor renewed.

Speaking with Screen Rant to promote Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, North explained that Young Justice is currently on hiatus and awaiting a renewal order or cancelation from Max. "Well, we have Warner Brothers people on the Zoom right now, I'm telling you guys, we can do this. We can make another season. I don't know, I'm not privy to that. I know it's a hit. I know fans want it desperately. I don't know, I wish I did," he said. "We were so fortunate to get [to do the first two] seasons and three and four. As you know, if you saw season four, Superboy had a big storyline in that and it was so much fun. I love Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, we just have so much fun. They're so passionate about their stories."

North continued, "So fingers crossed that something gets done. Maybe in the future. I don't think there's plans right now. But we always say we're not canceled, we just haven't been picked up yet. That's how I always feel about this show. So nobody's ever definitively said there will no longer be any [more] Young Justice."

Young Justice Was Revived for the DC Streaming Service

Young Justice originally aired on Cartoon Network for its first two seasons before it was canceled in 2013. In November 2016, Warner Bros. Animation announced Young Justicewould return for a third season, which premiered on the newly created streaming service DC Universe in January 2019. Amid DC Universe's shuttering, the show moved to HBO Max for its fourth season, Phantoms, which consisted of 26 episodes and was released from October 2021 to June 2022. All four seasons of Young Justice have received critical acclaim from critics and fans.

The animated series originally followed the lives and exploits of "the team," a group of young heroes including Dick Grayson/Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy, Red Arrow, Miss Martian, and Artemis. However, later seasons expanded the show's scope, encompassing the wider DC Universe and introducing other fictional teams, like the Outsiders and the Sentinels of Magic School.

James Gunn Is Using Young Justice as Inspiration for DCU

One hurdle standing in the way of Young Justice's return is James Gunn's forthcoming DC Universe, a new shared universe that will encompass live-action and animated movies and television series. Gunn has repeatedly stated that DC Studios will be limiting the number of projects it greenlights that are set outside the DCU, which could mean that Young Justiceremains a long shot at getting renewed for a fifth season. On the upside, Gunn revealed in 2022 that Young Justice, as well as Justice League Unlimited, was "definitely" being used as inspiration for the DCU. While Gunn didn't elaborate on which aspects of the series inspired him, both properties successfully balanced popular and obscure characters in already-established universes, which is something Gunn has confirmed the DCU will focus on moving forward.