Anonymous writes...

Notice how in season 1, no one felt the need to bring up the fact that Aqualad is black? He just is, and he was a well-developed character. Same with Jaime in season 2 - he's clearly Latino by his name and appearance and sprinkles Spanish into his speech, other than that his character had a compelling storyline that had nothing to do with his race. That's how you do diverse representation properly.

Whereas with Halo and Khalid, the audience is outright told that they're Muslim instead of shown, and it's a big part of both of their arcs. YJ is a superhero show with an ensemble cast that doesn't go super deep into the character's personal lives, and religion is personal - that's why we don't know the majority of the characters' religion.

To harp on it so much with the two Muslim characters reinforces this idea that Muslims are "others," that we're not "normal" like white Christians and that we're all extremely conservative and ultra religious. It would have been nice to have a character that's visibly Muslim (Halo's hijab) or shown to be Muslim in subtle ways (like by saying certain Arabic phrases or mention celebrating a holiday) and just let them be a normal character with a compelling storyline.

You guys had representation down perfectly in the first two seasons, I don't know why you've changed the approach?

Anonymous writes...

If Icicle Jr. was technically still in love with Tuppence Terror (despite the fact that Miss Martian having posed as her), than why haven't asked her out yet? Is because he's worried that her twin brother, Tommy, will beat Icicle, Jr. up if he tries to date his twin sister?

Family writes...

When did Eric Needham become Black Spider?
When did Leonard Snart become Captain Cold?
When did George Harkness become Captain Boomerang?
When did Albert Michaels become Atomic Skull?
When did Teth-Adam become Black Adam?

Marriages? writes...

Hello! I hope you're having a good day, I just wanted to stop by and ask some questions about the relationships (specifically, the married couples) in Young Justice.

1. You've been asked this before, but at the time you said that you never got around to calculating the date. I figure there's a chance you've done the math since then, so: what year did Orin and Mere get married?
2. What year did Clark and Lois get married?
3. What year did Jonathan and Martha Kent get married?
4a. What year did Jefferson Pierce and Lynn Stewart get married?
4b. What year did the two of them get divorced?
5. Given that Raquel had a bridal shower, it can be assumed she indeed got married not long after. Not asking for spoilers or a specific date or anything, but did you guys have the actual wedding date in-mind or just a vague timeframe?

I figure these are generally safe questions to ask, given that you've previously answered a similar question about when Iris and Barry got married. If not, though, I do apologize for wasting your time. I hope all is well, and given the nature of these questions, I hope your wife is having a nice day too! Enjoy!

Anonymous writes...

So regarding the Meta-Gene from my understanding it is essentially a genetic marker that can unlock natural abilities due to experiencing extreme stress and duress. The meta gene also happens to be opportunistic in nature and now here is my big question What about the Flash Family they gained their powers through a specific experiment and have no blood relations to each other so why manifest powers so similar to each other.
2. Would Flash Family be considered meta humans or should we consider all humans with powers meta-human.
3. Should Superman be classified as a meta since he didn't seem to suffer by side effects of Granny's Anti Life Equation machine Device in Terminus or should we just attribute this to kryptonian endurance and yellow sun radiation.

Anonymous writes...

So I had a question with regards to Face Your Fears-
1. Wally is the first one to break out of the effects of Medusa Mask which he cites is probably due to his fast metabolism. Was this assessment of Wally wrong or right.
2. Does this mean Wally has more resistance or will the effects of emotion manipulation will have a shorter impact, basically does his fast metabolism give him any advantages.
3. Also Why has the Light not been able to create a speedster as fast as Barry, Wally or Jay, as you have revealed earlier Jaculi and Trajectory are both slower is it because of Barry's notes which the Light doesn't have, so does that mean Barry's note are under lock and key meanwhile Light has weaker speedsters than even Barry.

Daniel Jacob writes...

A lot of Beast Boy trauma all began with Queen Bee- killed his mother, and took over his childhood home. From joining the Doom Patrol-The Team- becoming Meta-Human Advocate/Celebrity Actor- and now leader of the Outsiders. Aside from his inspiration to bring justice to the world, is there any personal motivation for bringing justice to Queen Bee for her crimes that motivated Gar to become a hero.

SkyGoyle B0X writes...

Hey Greg I'm a big fan of how the Martian race is depicted in YJ that they have a less human looking natural form, that they have less shared powers with Kryptonians and the world building for them.

1) If it's not a spoiler request when between seasons did Conner and Gar first meet M'gann's folks?

2) Did J'onn meet M'aatt before he got sent to Earth or after he first came back to Mars?

3) I couldn't help but notice how excited M'aatt looked when he spoke about building an alter with Conner. Am I right in guessing this was either the first time he got to do so or he didn't get to do this for a lot of his G'arrunn kids?

4)I'm admittedly not the most well read individual but I know enough pop culture to tell you guys drew on a lot of different inspirations for the Martian race and culture. What were the main influences?

5) Did M'gann have any other default forms between seasons before settling on the one in Phantoms?

Anonymous writes...

1 Did the light pick ultra humanite because he worked with the Brain before and had similar abilities
2 Does the light currently have candidates in place if one of their members gets captured or leaves?
3 Are the heroes aware that the light knows (at least some) of the heroes secret identities
4 Do ultra humanite and deathstroke genuinely agree with the light goals or did they only join for the power and influence they would get from it
5 During young justice season 3 episode 15 when Artemis scanned task force x one of the things that was shown was that black manta was the strategist for the light. Was this an actual role he had when he was still with the light?

Jay writes...

Is there a reason people wear the same civilian clothes every day? (I know this is for budgetary reasons for most animation but considering how much thought goes into this world, I figured I'd if there's an in-universe reason)

Are people actually wearing the same clothes every day? Or are we, the audience, just seeing a false version of their clothing? If they are wearing the same clothes every day, do they have multiple identical articles of clothing?

Regardless of all of the above, how many Superman t-shirts does Conner have? If it's just the one, how many times a week does he wash it?

Steve writes...

1: Is Zviad Baazovi from markovia? He was a soviet originally in the comics.
2: How many lords of chaos and order are there usually at a time?
3: Why did Wonder Woman return to man's world after returning home following world war 2?
4: Was John smith/red tornado Connor's legal guardian? I remember seeing that here but i couldn't find it in the archives
4b: Did anyone else took over for torando like ma and pa kent?
5: If Tornado was Connor's legal guardian, does Connor view as a father and by extension Traya as a sister?

Anonymous writes...

1. When did Barbara joined the Team ?
2. When she joined, were Dick and Zatanna still together ?
3. Did Barbara and Zatanna already happened to team up ( like just the two of them ) ?
4. How did Zatanna and Barbara meet ?
5. Would you say that they (Zatanna and Barbara) are good friends, very good friends or just friends ?

Rob writes...

Hey man been a big fan of Young Justice since high school and spent a nice chunk of those teenager years helping build the wiki and I just want to say thanks for helping me find a passion in storytelling and I’m curious to see where you take the story and I’m happy it’s back.

My question is: Do Roy and Jim consider Lian as a niece (considering they’ve meet her at all) since the Harper trio essentially have a brotherly relationship with each other?

Suzie writes...

How many leaders have the Team had over the past 10 years and can you tell us how long they were in charge. For example when did Miss Martian become leader of the Team and how long was she in charge before stepping down.

Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg, hope your doing well.
1.Has Zatanna ever dated someone else after breaking up with Dick ?
2. Has Dick dated someone else after breaking up with Zatanna and before dating Barbara ?
3. Had Dick and Zatanna ever wondered to set back together after breaking up ?
4. Had they ever regret they break up ?
Thanks for your time !

Izzy writes...

Hello! I've seen the last three episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms and I'm eagerly awaiting the fourth. The relationship dynamic between M'gann and her family (especially M'comm) is rivaling Artemis's in terms of pure curiosity and intrigue. I love it and I want to know everything! And given what was shown in the trailer, it looks like even more of Artemis's family dynamics are going to be explored, which is fantastic. I think this is going to be something they'll bond over this season. But who knows! Anyways, on to the questions:

01. You mentioned in a recent Tweet that ‘Catwoman: Hunted’ is, like your Green Arrow short, a story that also occurs similarly on Earth-16. Given that information, is it safe to assume Catwoman exists on Earth-16?
02. Are Lucas Carr and Bethany Lee alumni of Happy Harbor High School, or did they graduate elsewhere? Given that Snapper was at least living in Happy Harbor as a teenager, I assume he attended the public high school. The same can be said for Bethany, if her backstory from the comics as the daughter of Happy Harbor’s police chief before becoming one herself is largely unchanged.
03. Given you are a Stanford alumni and have thought about what dorms Wally and Artemis spent their Freshman years in, did you give any thought into who their respective roommates were? Not asking for spoilers about who they were, just merely if you guys ever bothered to come up with them.
04. Is Batwoman Jewish on Earth-16 like she is in the comics? If so, wouldn’t that make Batman (by proxy, if not in practice) Jewish as well, at least on his mother’s side?
05. This is a long one! I know birthdays aren't something you come up with unless the story needs it, but do you have the same line of thinking with babies born during the story? Artur, for example, was born on February 1st, 2011 (according to the YJ wiki, which got the date from Legacy). For Lian, however, we only know she was born in September 2015. Do you have a birthdate in mind for her, or just the month? For Don and Dawn Allen, you answered in an ask that their due date was sometime in the September following Invasion. I’m not asking if that due date was accurate or when, if you know it, their actual birthday(s) are, but merely the concept as a whole. Was Artur the only one assigned a birthdate in-story because the diary entry needed a timestamp? Since then, a whole bunch of other super-kids (Anissa and Jennifer, Jonny, Traya, Amistad, and most recently Rhea) have been introduced, with Rhea being (according to Unknown Factors) born on January 21, 2019. While Rhea’s birthday is obviously a byproduct of the story and thus laying credence to your stance on only assigning birthdays when needed, she was also the only one explicitly shown. I guess this whole question can be summed up to: do children (emphasis on children somehow connected to the main cast) born DURING the story get assigned birthdays even if the story doesn’t necessarily showcase/reference their birth outright? If not birthdays, then just birth-months? Or is that only come up with when needed as well?

Amelie writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman! I hope you and the team working on YJ are doing well!
1. In episode 6 of season 2 "Bloodlines" where Bart first appears we see that in almost nothing in the future has changed after his departure (except for Neutron). Does this imply that the future is going to look that moded?

2. At the end of a Young Justice comic collection you wrote that you made a list of about 100 young heroes as potential main characters for the series. Are you ever going to publish this list?
3. If you were allowed to publish Young Justice comics again, when would the play? Before, during oder after season 3? (Assuming you already know what you want to publish).
4. Will you and your team keep on making these entertaining (and well-written) credits for following seasons when YJ gets a go from HBO Max? (I will riot if HBO Max cancels this show #keepbingingyj)
5. What do you keep from your interactions with your fans?
You heard that probably a lot, but I just want to let you know that your show got me through 2020 and I am really thankful for you, your team and the fanbase not giving up on this amazing show!

Verdragon writes...

Does Black Canary have formal training in psychology?

Elliot writes...

Hello Greg! After just watching the first two episodes of YJ Phantoms on HBO Max, I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm so excited to see where the Mars storyline takes us, and meeting M'gann's family has been quite the surreal experience. M'gann's attitude and confidence was a sight to behold whenever she (unfortunately) had to deal with the Green Martians' prejudice and outright assault. I love to see it! Anyways, here are some questions:

01 | Did Roy go back to school after being rescued from the Light? It's assumed that Will was the one that finished his education in Roy's place, so was Roy homeschooled after the fact or did he go back to attending public/private school? Was he not schooled at all? Or was Roy (pre-frozen) homeschooled from the get-go and, as such, so was Will?
02 | In the tie-in comics, it's apparent that Dick and Bette hooked up on the eve of his birthday. Given the retcon (if that's the appropriate word) of the Wayne/Kane family relations in the comics, as well as on the show (with the addition of Batwoman and your confirmation that Bette and Martha Wayne are related), would it be safe to say that neither Dick nor Bette knew that they were distant cousins to some degree?
03 | While I assume it was for budgetary reasons, was there a specific reason you guys chose to use Talia's whitewashed design with the same overtly sensualized/sexualized outfit from the recent DC Animated Movies instead of the more appropriately Arabic and regal design Christopher Jones gave her in the tie-in comics?
04 | A lot of stuff has changed very recently in the comics regarding character sexuality, what with Tim Drake and Jon Kent both being confirmed bisexual (though, as of this writing, I don't think Tim's put a label on it one way or another). Whether or not you were privy to such a development isn't what I'm asking about, per say, but you've stated in earlier posts that you'd never take away an LGBTQ+ character's sexuality away (the question was in reference to Renee Montoya's sexuality in the show), so even though I highly doubt it would effect S4 at all, would the change be taken into consideration in later seasons? I'm not asking about Tim and/or Jon specifically, by the way, just the notion itself. Would a previously perceived straight character getting recently confirmed/retconned as another sexuality impact your interpretation of that character? Just for example, Alan Scott has been gay in the comics for quite a few years now, same with Wonder Woman and her bisexuality. Given that you make histories and timelines regarding most of the characters on your shows, I assume you've done the same with these two back in S1 when they were first introduced, but back when in the comics they were straight. Has the retcon changed things for you guys, or is it largely a non-issue?
05 | Not really a question, just more love for Phantoms! The poster alone was phenomenal, and I'm so stoked for what's to come, especially given the trailer, the first two episodes, and the new opening! I'm so glad Raquel is (seemingly) taking a bigger spotlight this season, hopefully we can finally find out who she married!

Andrew writes...

Hey Greg, got two questions for you

1. How did you meet Brandon Vietti?

2. I ask because I'm a big of the DCAU, how did Rich Fogel get involved with the series?

Kyle writes...

Hello Greg,

While I adored both the first and second seasons of Young Justice, and I have gone on to enjoy many parts of the third, I have to say that as of right now, I am very disappointed with what I've seen so far of Outsiders. Please know that I mean absolutely no disrespect to you, Brandon, the writers, the crew, or the actual show, but I feel this needs to be said.

I have watched all thirteen available episodes (by the time you get to this ask, I'm more than sure the second half of the season will have already aired in its entirety and you'll be well on your way into making the fourth season *fingers crossed!*) and the show has yet to come through in the ways I -- and many, many others -- had hoped it would prior to the season's airing. By the time you read this, I hope my complaints will have already been resolved and you can tell me I should have been patient and waited for the whole thing to air, in which I would agree. Fair enough.

But as of right now my complaints are still very valid and I would very much appreciate you addressing them, if possible. (Honestly, chances are you have already addressed these issues by the time you read this, if not in the actual show then on your Twitter page or in an interview. If so, I am sorry for wasting your time with a subject you've already gone on to spend a great deal of time on, but if not, here we go.

The pure lack of LGBT+ representation is, frankly, appalling.

I mean no disrespect, but it is 2019 for crying out loud. Men can marry men and women can marry women; boys can dance with boys and girls can dance with girls at their high school proms; those of us that are non-binary can express such freely and openly, when with the right crowd.

You have gone on record saying that LGBT+ people exist on Earth-16; you've gone on record saying that there have even been LGBT+ members of the Team and yet, still, after thirteen full episodes AND a twenty-page comic story where you COULD HAVE represented LGBT+ people, you've failed to showcase even ONE character and/or relationship of the sort. All of the while finding the time in these very crowded episodes and comic for not one, not two, but THREE new straight couples.

There's Garfield Logan and Queen Perdita. Then there's Helga Jace and Jefferson Pierce. And then finally Prince Brion Markov and Violet Harper.

And that's not even counting the suggestion of a relationship between Will and Artemis. Or the hinting that Bear and Dreamer have become exclusive, which would pretty much go against everything the New Gods (Bear himself, specifically, if memory serves) had preached to Conner about them finding satisfaction when they all come together as one back in the first season, which I thought was a pretty interesting way to sneak in the idea of them all being in one big polyamorous relationship. Which would have been SO COOL and SO PROGRESSIVE for a show back then to do.

The one -- ONE -- actual confirmed LGBT+ character you've ever had on the show in its entirety, not just Season Three, was then killed BECAUSE of said-sexuality. The sexuality-in-question, might I add, that we don't even get to know for certain, as when you were asked if she was a lesbian or just bisexual, you simply commented "Yes," as if there wasn't a distinguishable difference between the two in the long run, which just simply isn't the case.

And that's not even really a confirmation since it's plainly just Word-of-God in the grand scheme of things, rather than canon content that was stated out-loud or depicted, either on-screen or on-panel, in the comic. (I know that you weren't allowed to acknowledge it out-loud or in writing back then, so I'm not arguing on that. But you deciding to make her the ONLY LGBT+ character we ever got to see and then having her said-only character killed later in the same comic issue? Not only is it near-downright insulting, but it also fails to come across as anything other than a cheap and thoughtless try at representation.

(And with you and Brandon both going on about how you wanted to include an accurate representation of the world with a diverse cast, the pure lack of LGBT+ representation justs adds insult to injury.)

You've had significant time with Kaldur, who you hinted may not be entirely straight. And, yes, during most of that time with him you couldn't have genuinely acknowledged it either way in-show or out, but with Season Three, there is simply no such excuse. You've got the Brain and Monsieur Mallah, who, I'll admit, wouldn't exactly be my first choices for representation under any circumstances, but they still qualify. You've got Wonder Woman, who, albeit, wasn't confirmed bisexual until after YJ had finished its first two seasons.

But since the start of S3, the show has introduced us to Batwoman, a very prominent lesbian character on-par with Batman and the rest of the Bat-family; the show has given us a cameo of Renee Montoya; and, most recently, the show has given us the gay, married couple of Casey Klebba and Dale Gunn. Both of whom were in the same scene together with speaking lines and still -- STILL -- not even an ounce of content.

You've even introduced Harper Row, who I can't help but guess was only added to the character roster simply for the Harper-confusion joke. I'm hoping she will lead to actual, on-screen LGBT+ content in the next half of the season since that was one of her and her brother's most defining stories from the comics, but I'm no longer getting my hopes up.

And while I know you made no promises of actually having LGBT+ content in the third season, which I won't fault you for nor should anyone else, you KNEW you had a very large, very apparent LGBT+ fanbase. If you knew people were hopeful, don't string them along. If you honestly didn't have any LGBT+ content in store for us, just say so -- lest you be accused of queerbaiting down the line, and while it wouldn't be the case in technical terms in your case, it can still turn many, many fans against you.

Young Justice has and, up until I'm proven wrong, will always be a heteronormative show. The first season's finale got that message across loud and clear, with the second season's finale hammered it in, after you plopped in the surprise, secret romances of not one, but TWO more straight couples in the already-vast sea of straight couples. First, there was Virgil's surprise that Tye and Asami had gotten together, even though we got absolutely zero screentime showing anything of the sort, and was only included because, to you and Brandon, it "Felt right."

Then there's Tim and Cassie, who spent all five seconds of screentime together prior, with them only exchanging a conversation once. (Who then promptly leave each other's sides and enter a fight we're apparently meant to care about less than ten on-screen minutes later, in S3.)

And, now, Young Justice: Outsiders is pulling the same tricks but in a far worse fashion. The twelfth episode alone -- an episode all about Garfield going through nothing but hell, living through every trauma he's ever faced and then some, including the death of his LGBT+ mother, mind you -- ends with him kissing his girlfriend SECONDS AFTER recovering from nearly ending up catatonic. Because of hormones, or something.

Never mind the fact that he'd just rewatched many of his friends' deaths all over again, relived BOTH of his mothers' deaths, AND just realized that his boss -- someone who helped found a META-HUMAN YOUTH CENTER -- was using the Goode Goggles to abduct potential meta-teens and was continuously doing so, all over the country.

But, hey, let me make out with my girlfriend real quick first, right next to my sister and her fiance of the opposite sex, who then promptly make out as well, and just NOT rush to tell the proper authorities, the Justice League, the Team, or the Outsiders about ANY of this until after we're done showing just how straight we are to the audience.

I know this may come off as rude, critical, and/or entitled, but it is truly not what I wish for you to take away from this. Again, I mean no disrespect and do love -- LOVE -- many aspects of the third season, but some of the more recently established relationships and the actions that result from those relationships are the weakest links of an otherwise fantastic show.

I know I may be way off the mark/way too impatient and you actually ARE setting up stories with LGBT+ characters and relationships for the second half of S3, big or small.

If that's the case, I am truly sorry for wasting your time.

But I feel this needed to be said, and while I believe you already know this, I'll say it anyway for the other readers on this site: hinting that a character is LGBT+ off-screen (i.e. in a Tweet or an interview or something) does not adequately represent LGBT+ people at all. Either say it out loud and on-screen/on-panel or just, you know, show it on-screen/on-panel -- otherwise, what do you actually accomplish besides later being able to cry wolf and say that you had LGBT+ characters on-screen and therefore cannot be accused of NOT having them?

Once again, I'm sorry if this came across as critical and/or insulting to you, Brandon, your team of amazing writers/animators/voices, etc., but I promise you all that was not my intent in the slightest, and I hope when you get the time to respond to this (assuming it makes it to you, which I hope it does) it will be to say that I just jumped the shark, so to speak, a little too soon and that LGBT+ characters are all over the second half of S3, confirmed on-screen. It would be amazing, if so.

If not, though, then I would greatly, greatly appreciate an honest answer of why you and Brandon still haven't shown LGBT+ characters/relationships on-screen or on-panel, despite having no restrictions preventing you.

Sincerely,

Kyle

Lea1997 writes...

Can you please give a full description of Superman and Superboy's relationship with the Kent family in Young Justice.

QueerGuy writes...

Big fan of your work. Not really a question, but I felt the need to clarify after seeing your response to another question regarding queer-baiting.

In your response, you (respectfully) provide some push-back against the concept, while expressing a willingness to learn more. I had a few quick responses to your comments I wanted to share.

You talk about some of the examples given in the Wikipedia entry for queer-baiting to be unfair, citing Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as an example. To be clear, in both the Wikipedia article and in popular usage of this example, people refer to Holmes and Watson as they are depicted in the BBC series, "Sherlock", and not (necessarily) in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories or other adaptations.

Queer-baiting refers to creators of media actively misleading a fan-base with hints or indications of "queerness" without any intent of follow-through. NOT -- as you indicated in your prior comment -- a fan-base misinterpreting close same-sex friendships and sexual. "Sherlock" (the BBC series) is a famous example of queer-baiting, as the series very often hints at homoerotic attraction between the two leads in the series' writing, the performances of the lead actors, and in the ways that other characters in series refer to their relationship. I won't go into specific details and examples from the series, but if you are interested in examples there are scores of them documented and easily locateable on the internet.

The key aspect of queer-baiting is the attempt to take advantage of queer fans by providing the bare minimum of queer(ish) interactions, without ever following through for fear of alienating a non-queer audience. This is very different from both presenting close same-sex friendships without any romantic or sexual relationship developing between the two characters, and the presentation of queer characters without the ability to actively show examples of their queerness due to external factors, such as network interference (such as Lexington in "Gargoyles" or Korra in "The Legend of Korra"). These are non-malicious and do not seek to mislead a queer audience.

To be clear, I don't think you have been guilty of queer-baiting in any of your work. I simply wanted to clarify the concept a bit more so that you can hopefully understand where the concern of the initial comment came from. Looking forward to "Young Justice" season three!

Marvelman writes...

Hi Greg. I'm going to ask for a spoiler only because it is a spoiler you have already given us.

Years ago, you said that a villain from the YJ:Legacy would play a role in season 3 - if it ever happened. Is that still the case? (I'm guessing you were referring to Tiamat as she is the only villain specific to Legacy.)

Also, is the general plan you had for season 3 the same as it was when you completed season 2? I guess you'll be able to talk more freely about this after Outsiders has aired.

Marvelman writes...

I always imagined Wally and Jade liking each other for some reason, and then it hit me: Jade is like a darker, nastier, sultrier version of Artemis. So, my questions are:

1) Do Wally and Jade like each other?

2) Was it your intention to have the two sisters mirror each others personalities to some extent? Or, am I imposing my own interpretation after the fact?

Jeff Bell writes...

Does the young justice invasion hero Wonder Girl have a longer lifespan a normal human because her father is a god ?

Jaden writes...

I know Paula kicked Sportsmaster out of the house, but are they divorced? If not, how come?

Hayden writes...

Will the complete young justice timeline be revel if all future seasons of the young justice you Mister Greg plan for the show to have are produce ?