Greg responds...

I don't blame people.

Why are you blaming me for making the show I want to make? (Or more accurately, the show that Brandon and I want to make, and which many, many, many fans seem to enjoy?)

I've already answered over and over again why we have always continued to expand our cast. Why some characters are leads in a given season. Why some are supporting. Why some are cameos. Why our spotlight moves around as it does. Feel free to go through the ASK GREG archives and get the lowdown. I'm definitely not in the mood to repeat myself.

But I will make these points:

Blue Beetle was a lead in Season Two. In Season Three he was supporting. In Season Three he only cameod. But should we have NEVER introduced him, just because we didn't make him a lead EVERY season?

Zatanna was supporting in seasons one, two and three. She became a lead for a chunk of Season Four. Should we never have introduced her either?

And if, for example, we made Wonder Girl a lead in Season Five (assuming we get a season five and assuming that's in our gameplan), should we have waited UNTIL Season Five to introduce her? Or might not her Season Five characterization BENEFIT from her having been introduced earlier and us having watched her grow at least a little from a Wonder Woman fangirl in Season Two, to the leader of the Outsiders in Season Four, leading up to whatever might be depicted in Five? And if we then dropped her back down to Supporting in Season Six, would that mean we should never have made her a lead in Season Five?

Different fans might disagree about their specific favorites, but I'd bet anything that NO FAN wanted us to have six heroes and NEVER introduce any more ever. It's a big DC Universe out there. And nearly every fan is frickin' greedy for their favorites to appear.

Greg responds...

There weren't unused ideas specifically for Invasion. Brandon and I simply have a TON of unused ideas for Young Justice and Earth-16, in general. But I'm not going to tell you what they are. Cuz I don't give out spoilers.

Greg responds...

Wow, I disagree with just about EVERYTHING you've written above.

For starters, you're not TOLD Halo is Muslim. You're shown that they're exploring whether Islam might hold some meaning for them. You're not TOLD Khalid is Muslim, you're shown what his Muslim heritage means to him.

And I think both characters have extremely compelling storylines. You don't have to agree, of course. But I don't have to agree with you, either. And I think you're just WRONG.

And we sometimes do go into religion for other characters. Zatara immediately springs to mind since we showed his faith in the very same episode in which we explored Khalid's religion - and in the one that follows.

I don't think either Khalid or Halo are presented as ultra religious, either. Certainly, Halo's not. They're not even certain they want to be Muslim yet. (They're exploring!) I don't even think Khalid's mother is presented as ultra religious, really, though I'll admit you could make that argument about her. And Gabrielle's mother is talking about religion ONLY because Violet asked her about it. She's not proslytizing.

Zatara's the only guy, actually, whom we see kneeling in church and praying. Why doesn't THAT bother you? Is he suddenly "other" and not "normal".

I mean, sure, he is. That's the point. WE ARE ALL OUTSIDERS. Everyone is different. With different needs and different wants. Faith being one of many, many, many variables worth exploring.

And we have other Muslim characters who NEVER mention their faith at all. Queen Bee and Noor Harjavti, to name a couple. One's a villain, and one's pretty minor. But my point is that we don't have any rules. We're doing what we think is right for each of our characters individually.

And I don't think we have "changed the approach." I think we've evolved it. We're going deeper. (Cuz, you know, we're in our fourth season.) Deeper in TONS of ways. Deeper into Beast Boy's mental health. Deeper into Artemis and Jade's difficult childhood. Deeper into Halo's sexuality. Why should religion be off-limits? Especially, since EVERY single Muslim we consulted with and who worked on the season liked what we were doing and helped us get there. This has a positive meaning to many people. I know cuz they've told me that. And again, that doesn't mean YOU have to like it. It just means you can't possibly claim to be speaking for everyone. Not even for every Muslim.

And while I'm at it, I wouldn't be shy about going into Jaime's Mexican heritage. Hasn't come up yet. But I'm not saying it won't. It could become a big issue, if and when we go deeper into his character. Might hit on his Catholicism. Might not. But I wouldn't shy away from it.

Kaldur's blackness is pretty much a non-issue in Atlantis, but we have dealt with his lack of "purity" to certain racist Atlanteans in our companion comics. It's a metaphor. And not a subtle one. So you are OBJECTIVELY WRONG when you say we didn't deal with race. We did. IN DEPTH.

But my real issue, is that I really, REALLY don't like you trying to rein us in and tell us what is and isn't worthy of our attention. It grates on me that you're speaking in absolutes, as if there's only ONE GOOD WAY TO MAKE A SHOW. And, again, I disagree. Strongly. (Or was that not clear?)

Greg responds...

1. Artemis did as Artemis. She doesn't as Tigress.

Out of Universe, it's a design choice, made in a three-way discussion between our character designer(s), Brandon and myself. In universe, chalk it up to each character's personal choice.

2. I've never liked these kind of comparisons, but of the four, Superboy is the strongest. The other three are all pretty close to equal. Although, everything is situational.

Greg responds...

It'a a non-zero number.

Most people don't know she exists. She had an impressive rep in the clandestine world she operated on, but she was never a Super-villain, per se, like Sportsmaster.

Greg responds...

1. I doubt she could take any bullet - unless someone threw a bullet at her - without ANY damage, unless she was ready for it and used some combination of her morphing and telekinetic abilities to avoid injury. She might survive being hit by a bus, but I'm sure it would do damage.

2. Both are extremely dense, relative to your average Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Beyond that, I'm not interested in making hypothetical comparisons.

Greg responds...

1. He freed everybody and ran.

2. Team Year Nine.

Greg responds...

1. So long ago... I'm guessing it seemed to fit our needs. Though I am very familiar with the Beowulf story, so that may have had an influence.

2. We haven't hit any walls in that regard so far. And I doubt we would on HBO Max. So, the short answer is, yes, I'm comfortable.

Greg responds...

1. A-13 was Jay Garrick. A-14 was Impulse.

2. A-01 was Snapper Carr but was updated to Lucas Carr between Seasons One and Two.

3. Yes.

4. Yes.

5. No spoilers. (You had to push your luck, Caleb.)

Greg responds...

1. This is exactly why I shouldn't ever say anything. Because fans compare responses to different questions and then make assumptions based on those comparisons. Cassie and Tim are very clearly over in the show. Dick is very clearly with Barbara. Beyond that... write your own fanfiction, I guess.

2. Everyone forgets. Back in the day, I got a TON of negative feedback on both the Superboy/Miss Martian relationship and on the Artemis/Kid Flash relationship. Now, they're held up as perfection and used to attack what we've done since. It's a head shaker, mostly.

Greg responds...

Nope.

Greg responds...

I think it's clear he HAS asked her out. Multiple times. Probably an inappropriate number of multiple times, knowing Junior. I don't think he's worried about Tommy. I don't think Tommy's worried about him. And Tup can handle herself.

I also don't think Junior really is "in love" with Tuppence. He just wants to be in love.

Greg responds...

Again, I'd have to do research to confirm any of these in full, particularly middle names, which I have not studied and/or don't remember.

But I lean toward Jay and Barry being their actual first names and not short for anything.

Wally, on the other hand, is indeed short for Wallace.

And I can confirm that Iris currently goes by the surname West-Allen. In fact, I can confirm all the surnames.

Greg responds...

I don't know his middle name. I'd have to research that. His first and last name is William Batson. Billy is a nickname.

Greg responds...

1. Anonymous, based on your previous questions, where you put the nicknames in quotation marks and then treat them as if they are some kind of official part of a character's name (even to the point where you seemed to care whether or not the nickname came before or after the middle name), I'm hesitant to answer your question as you've written it, for fear of misinterpretation. I will say that "Dick" is short for Richard.

2. Dick addressed his cousin as Johnny. He addressed his father as Dad.

3. No spoilers. But I'll admit to being allergic to long-lost close relatives that we've never heard of before suddenly showing up. Still, no spoilers.

4. No spoilers.

Greg responds...

1. Not committing to that.

2. I doubt it. I don't think that fits our history for her. But I'm not committing to this either.

In general, though, I'd avoid looking to other media versions of these heroes as reference points. Each series or movie generally goes its own way.

Greg responds...

I dunno. That hasn't come up yet. I'd have to do some research to answer definitively.

Greg responds...

It's a really good question. One that I can't believe you thought I would actually answer. No spoilers.

Greg responds...

1. Have we shown her lifting cars? I can't remember an instance of that. But my memory isn't what it used to be. Anyway, I would think that a VW Bug would be a challenging lift for her.

2. They'd still be as strong as a normal human, probably. But a normal human of normal size. Not a GIANT HUMAN.

3. I don't think it was Metamorpho's elasticity that was making bullets bounce off him.

4. I don't know what that means.

Greg responds...

1. No spoilers.

2. Not canon. At least not yet.

3. Not all telepaths are meta-humans. Not all meta-humans are telepaths. Miss Martian is a telepath, but she's not a meta-human. She's a Martian. Looker is also a telepath, and she is a meta-human. Static is a meta-human, but he isn't a telepath. Basically, think of telepathy as an ability. Like walking. Dogs can walk. Cats can walk. But not all dogs are cats, etc.

4. There's not one thing. Not even for Atlanteans. La'gaan's specialty has nothing to do with water manipulation. As for Martian sorcery, I feel like we showed a range of things on screen. I'll leave it at that.

5. I assume you're asking about S2. But I'm not sure I understand the question. Initially, it didn't talk about the Reach because it had no memory of having any connection to the Reach. Or of the Reach at all. If you're asking why it didn't tell Jaime it no longer wanted to serve the Reach after the Reach took control of it and Jaime, the answer is because it was being monitored at all times.

Greg responds...

1. No.

2. See above.

3. Thanks for watching!

Greg responds...

1. Well... maybe you should read the comics, including recent issues of Young Justice: Targets. The answers regarding Match are all there.

2. Yes, the companion comics are all fully canon. (To be clear, I'm talking about the actual companion comics, which are now available in two trades - Young Justice: The Early Missions and Young Justice: Growing Up - plus our new six issue mini-series, Young Justice: Targets. I am NOT talking about the old 90s comics or the more recent "Wonder Comics" issues, which are also titled Young Justice. They may be great stories. But they're not canon to Earth-16.)

Greg responds...

Anonymous, you're giving me a lot of questions about pre and post-Flashpoint continuity. I'm not really up on any of that. (Never read Flashpoint, and don't know if I understand it's significance, i.e. why it's a turning point in DC Continuity.) And I'm not inclined at this stage to answer stuff I haven't researched myself yet. Sorry.

But if you want some true Earth-16 Merlyn, check out Young Justice: Targets.

Greg responds...

1. Versions of them, yes.

2. For the Green Arrow Showcase, check out Young Justice: Targets to get the timing. For Catwoman: Hunted, no spoilers.

Greg responds...

1. I'm not sure "easier" is the term I'd use, but "possible" includes a lot of fixes we can make in editing and post-production on voices, on picture, on effects, etc. There are things we can do now that we flat out couldn't do before.

2. Nothing particularly springs to mind, unless it's the glut of content that makes getting attention for one's project more difficult.

3. Mostly, with changes in technology. I like to think that I'm better at certain things now than I used to be, too. Of course, the flip side of that is that I'm also more demanding than I used to be. Different studios have different strengths and weaknesses, but I haven't noticed one being stronger or weaker overall, and I've worked at a LOT of different places.

4. Post-production visual FX work became much more commonplace since. But it was largely not done previous.

5. That depends on all sorts of factors that are hypothetical. But there's no reason why - at least in theory - we couldn't simply use the same design style, assuming TPTB approved.

Greg responds...

Absolutely not.

Greg responds...

Not necessarily.

Greg responds...

1. Yep.

2. I think he sees her as a friend and mentor - but not as a parent.

Greg responds...

1. If I said it was an accident or coincidence would you believe me?

2. Here and there.

3. I do. Very much.

Greg responds...

What do you want or expect me to do with that criticism?

I think it's valid in and of itself.

But it assumes something about the show that just isn't true in our minds.

This is the show Brandon and I want to make. A big expansive view of the DC Universe from the point of view of its young - but maturing - heroes. One that moves forward through time and isn't stagnant, which by definition means we're always going to be introducing new young heroes as our original leads continue their growth and maturity.

That's the show. So, again, what would you have me do with this criticism?

Change the show to fit the critics?

I mean, frankly, anyone else could make the sort of small cast show that this critique suggests. And it's been done and will continue to be done over and over again. And that's great. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that approach.

But simply put, that's not OUR show. That's not Young Justice.

So I'm not "dismissing" it, as you say. I'm just shrugging and ignoring it. Cuz it's irrelevant to what we're trying to do.

I don't think there are too many characters per episode or per season. We never attempt to focus on EVERYONE every year.

The real underlying truth behind the criticism, I believe, is that for the critic, we're not focusing enough on the SPECIFIC characters they WANT us to focus on, because we've chosen to focus on other characters instead. So it's less about there even being too many characters than about the choices we make as producers/creators/writers.

I'd wager most everyone's good with us focusing on the original six, but most everyone has at least one or two favorites that they'd specifically like to see us add to that spotlighted group. And odds are good - because overall we indeed do have so many characters - that we're just not putting their specific picks under that spotlight.

Thus, if we just happen to focus on Joe's faves, that means we're not focused on Julie's faves. Etc.

So for Julie... the problem can't be that her favorite character doesn't merit the spotlight right now, doesn't fit with the goals of the season. It must be that all the other over-abundance of characters are forcing her favorite OUT of the spotlight. Then THAT must be the problem: Too many characters!

<shrug>

Meanwhile, the series may - quite legitimately - not be everyone's cup of tea. I can accept that. But for the most part, I think our fans like the show we're giving them - which NOT incidentally is the show we want to make.

We're passionate about it, and hopefully that passion shines through and makes the fandom passionate about it, too.

Even with 777 characters and counting...

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. All sorts of stuff, I suppose.

3. EVER? Sure. I guess. Why not?

Greg responds...

I don't feel the need to lock this in for either character. I'm guessing it's not as simplistic an answer as flipping a switch.

Greg responds...

No. There's no requirement for any aliases.

Greg responds...

I had compiled a large list of super-villains for the Light. After we made those seven picks, we returned to that same list for the Injustice League. Ultra-Humanite and Wotan had been major candidates for the Light, for example, before we settled on Brain and Klarion.

Greg responds...

Just fun cameos. At least for now...

Greg responds...

1. It's iffy whether or not Barbara would fall under the Nuclear Option. That tends to be reserved for non-combatant relatives of the heroes. Oracle would be on the bubble. But it was - largely - an empty threat. Shiva would probably need approval up the ladder for that kind of assassination. It's considered "fair game" to kill the heroes in combat. But to assassinate them - even if they don't fall under the Nuclear Option restriction - is another ball of wax.

2. That's a good question. Maybe he did. But all those actions scenes were taking place simultaneously. By the time he got involved, it might have all been over. Or perhaps he didn't want to risk changing back and maybe still be under Klarion's control.

3. Forever People isn't the name of a race. They are a group - like the Team or the Outsiders - who have banded together for adventures. Moonrider is a member of the Forever People. But he's a New Genesian. Metron is a New Genesian, as well, but he's not a member of the Forever People. Darkseid is an Apokoliptan, and obviously isn't one of the Forever People team. All three are New Gods. Strictly speaking, New Gods are not immortal. They age - VERY SLOWLY - and will eventually die. They can also be killed. But that's not easy. They can take a lot of punishment. And they have Motherboxes or Fatherboxes, which can also heal them. I'm not sure if that answers your question. But I hope so.

4. No. Or at least not easily. The collar, in essence, interacts with the spine or the brain. And it has to work on all sorts of different powers. It's big and clumsy, and thems just the breaks.

5. They all know she can't speak. Most know she was involved in Barbara's injury. Most DON'T know she's the daughter of Lady Shiva. Although word of that is gonna spread now.

Greg responds...

The most fun to write dialogue for is G. Gordon Godfrey.

Beyond that, there really isn't a character I don't enjoy writing in the series.

Greg responds...

I'm not too big on hypotheticals. So I'm just going to say, NO SPOILERS, and - for now - leave this to your imagination.

Greg responds...

We don't see that many League missions - and fewer still that require a mystic solution, but I guess my answer to (the way you put) your question is ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Doctor Fate is pretty busy, in my mind, handling mystic problems that the general public - and even the League - never learn about. Case in point, our brief glimpse of Fate in Young Justice: Targets.

But I'm sure there are plenty of Leaguers who don't care for Fate or the way he hijacked Zatara. Plus Nabu doesn't exactly go out of his way to be endearing.

Greg responds...

It wasn't really cast aside. You specifically saw Nightwing, Superboy and Tigress mentoring Geo-Force, Halo and Forager over and over, in Season Three. Then in Season Four, you saw Superboy and Miss Martian mentoring Beast Boy and J'emm; Tigress mentoring Orphan, Onyx and Cassandra Savage; Zatanna mentoring Thirteen, Khalid and Mary.

It's one of our themes, and we have been fairly darn consistent about it.

Greg responds...

There's no official year. We call it Team Year Zero.

Greg responds...

1. I don't know.

2. I don't know.

3. James Gordon learned that his daughter was Batgirl in Team Year Four, i.e. before Season Two.

4. Um... first off, I don't think we ever said in the series that Marvin or Megan went to Ivy. Not saying they didn't, but I'm not saying they did. And we never confirmed that either Wendy or Conner graduated. Again, not saying they didn't, but I'm not gonna confirm that they did. Karen, of course, has gone on there to get her masters and is working on her doctorate. I think she was a high school sophomore when we first met her in Season One, i.e. Team Year Zero. So you can do the math on when she graduated with her undergraduate degree.

Greg responds...

We were aware that tragedy would abound on both planets... and would still exist on the reunited Earth.

Greg responds...

1. I haven't nailed that down specifically, but it was in between S1 & S2.

2. Team Year Four. (And that helps narrow down your first question a bit more.)

3. No one.

4. Well, you saw when Megan and Conner met Lucas during Season One, on their first day at Happy Harbor High. Wally probably met him on Halloween of that year. Not exactly sure when the others met him, and I haven't nailed down when they learned about his connection to the Justice League.

5. No. He joined because he remembered that the original Robin had been a public hero and thought it would be a good idea for Robin to go public again.

5a. I ALWAYS wish for more screen time (or page count) for every character.

Greg responds...

Kinda both. Anyone with a head, I guess, can put it on. And Nabu can take over. But Nabu's limited by the body he's occupying. Someone with low stamina - or someone ill - or someone with no affinity for magic would severely limit Doctor Fate's abilities.