REVIEW: ‘Young Justice: Phantoms,’ Episode 25 – “Over and Out”

Young Justice: Phantoms Episode 25, titled “Over and Out,” doesn’t waste a minute of its runtime as it delivers shock after shock. Picking up immediately in the aftermath of “Zenith and Abyss,” the episode has Lor-Zod (Phil Morris) breaking his parents, General Zod (also voiced by Morris) and Ursa (Vanessa Marshall) out of the Phantom Zone — and the elder Zod has brought a wounded Superboy (Nolan North) with him. While Nightwing (Jesse McCartney) and his team hold off the rest of Zod’s forces in the Phantom Zone, Miss Martian (Danica McKellar) races to Earth with the Justice League and the Legion of Superheroes to prevent Zod from conquering Earth.

Zod has been one of Superman’s most persistent foes across film and TV adaptations of the DC Universe, most notably with Terrence Stamp and Michael Shannon’s performances in Superman II and Man of Steel. However, Morris continues to be one of the best takes on the General; he speaks in an even, measured tone, yet his commands and actions bring forth death and destruction. And in case you were wondering, yes, Zod and Superman face off during the episode, and Morris gets to deliver his take on Zod’s most infamous line. Marshall’s performance is even more frightening, especially when Ursa gains a power upgrade courtesy of one of the Legion of Superheroes’ deadliest enemies.

But the true standout of the episode is North. Like Morris, he turns in a dual performance as Superboy and Superman, and the differences are outstanding. After his turmoil in the Phantom Zone, as well as the conditioning that Zod has placed him under, Superboy is a far cry from the husband that Miss Martian lost and the brother that Superman knew. As for the Man of Steel himself, he freely admits to Black Lightning (Khary Payton) that while he’d always dreamed of finding other Kryptonians, he’d never dreamed of someone like Zod. The pain underlining North’s sturdy performance as Superman is prominent; he delivered a similar speech in the Phantoms episode “I Know Why The Caged Cat Sings.” Throughout this season, co-showrunner Greg Weisman — who penned both “Over and Out” and “I Know Why The Caged Cat Sings” — shows that he has a full understanding of what makes Superman such an enduring character, and I wouldn’t mind him writing more of the Man of Steel in the future.

Props should also go to Christopher Berkeley, who directs some of the most intense action sequences that Phantoms has seen in its run. The majority of the action is split between the Phantom Zone, where Nightwing and friends fight off Kryptonian criminals, and inside Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. Aquaman (Payton), Tigress (Stephanie Lemelin), Rocket (Denise Boutte), and Zatanna (Lacey Chabert) even have a battle inside a Boom Tube! The other heroes, particularly Nightwing, learn the hard way that General Zod’s military training and Kryptonian superpowers make him a formidable opponent. And unlike Superman, he is willing to take the lives of his enemies. I also have to give Weisman and Berkeley credit for putting in shoutouts to 300 and Lord of the Rings. Yes, those are both franchises under the Warner Bros. umbrella, but they make sense in the context of the episode.

Young Justice: Phantoms Episode 25 is mindblowing in all the right ways, as General Zod battles the heroes of the DC Universe. The next episode will mark the season finale — and what a finale it’s shaping up to be. Our heroes have to somehow find a way to both defeat Zod and break the hold he’s had on Superboy. No pressure, right?

The season finale of Young Justice: Phantoms will air next Thursday on HBO Max.