| "Independence Day" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Young Justice episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
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| Directed by | Jay Oliva | ||
| Written by | Greg Weisman | ||
| Production code | 101 | ||
| Original air date | November 26, 2010 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of Young Justice episodes | |||
Independence Day is the first episode the cartoon television series Young Justice that aired on November 26, 2010 as part of an hour long special with the episode "Fireworks", before the rest of the series. The Young Justice team - Robin, Aqualad, Superboy, and Kid Flash with Miss Martian and Artemis to join later in the series - appear. References to the cartoons Super Friends and Teen Titans appear in the episode. The episode won an Emmy for Individual Achievement in Animation.[1]
Contents |
Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy are put together in a superhero group by their mentors. When the superheroes come to the revelation that they will still be treated like children, Speedy decides to leave. In order to prove themselves, the kid heroes take on a fire at the research facility Project Cadmus and end up discovering a laboratory that specializes in genetics which is where they find Superboy.
The differs from the comic book series itself. Wally West is featured as Kid Flash, rather than Bart Allen as Impulse. Dick Grayson is also featured as Robin, instead of Tim Drake. A new version of Aqualad and Superboy are used, instead of their traditional versions.[2] The episode was the start of a new "young universe" with Superman only being around 10 years and Justice League having only been around for 3–4 years. Additionally, Robin has been a sidekick the longest while the others have been it doing it for a less amount of time. The executive producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti said that their aim was to keep the show starting with the first episode "young" "fresh", "contemporary", and "from scratch".[3] Like other shows, the first episode does not show their origin story which Brett Singer of A.V. Club said was alright except in cases that involve different versions of characters.[4]
Matt of Comics Online said that the episode "easily lives up to the high expectations and standards that we would hope to see with any DC animated project".[2] An IGN review gave the episode 7 out of 10 stars while complimenting the fights, visuals, and how the characters interact with each other.[5] R. J. Carter of The Trades said that the episode "sets a lot up in terms of character relationships that will provide a ton of fodder to explore in the upcoming series".[6]