Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Young Justice (2010) - League of Shadows
aka: Young Justice League Of Shadows

Go To


The League of Shadows

An organization of assassins founded and run by supervillain Ra's Al Ghul, until Deathstroke took over.
    open/close all folders 

Leadership

    Deathstroke 

Current Members

    Lady Shiva 
See her folder under the "Head Enforcers" section on The Light.

    Bane 

Bane

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yjo_bane_0.png
"No one gets on or off Santa Prisca without Bane knowing."

Species: Human

Voiced by: Danny Trejo (series), Eric Lopez (Legacy)

A supervillain who uses a strength-enhancing steroid known as "Venom" to increase his strength and body mass.


  • Adapted Out: His history as a nemesis of Batman is gone for this version of the character. Word of God confirms that they have never met prior to Seasons 1 and 2. Their brief confrontation during Season 3 appears to be the first meeting between the two.invoked
  • Adaptational Wimp: Downplayed example. Bane in the comics is one of the smartest and most formidable members of Batman's Rogues Gallery. Whilst this series does show him to be somewhat intelligent, its mostly in the opportunistic sense rather than the schemer from the comics and he doesn't seem to have any further ambitions for himself other than being in control of Santa Prisca. His strength and combat abilities seem somewhat downplayed as well. His debut features him on the losing side of a Curb-Stomp Battle with Mammoth. In the comics, Bane came out on top when he and Mammoth met. He also loses to Robin and Zatanna later on.
  • Badass Boast: He attempts one in Season 3, only for it to be quickly shot down by Batman.
    Bane: No one gets on or off Santa Prisca without Bane knowing.
    Batman: Except Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Zatanna, Rocket, the Cult of the Kobra...
  • Badass Normal: Became this in Season 3 after giving up his Venom addiction and putting in some serious martial-arts training. He's now one of the best hand-to-hand fighters on the planet.
  • Batman Gambit: A small-scale one, he guides the team into routing out the warehouse for him, then attempts to entomb them in a tunnel when they can't do the job in order to get the League to intervene. He reasons he can clean up once the dust settles.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: Bane's attempts at conning the Team into doing his dirty work fall apart amazingly quickly, and in the end, all he can do is watch and be enraged while his Venom-producing operation goes up in smoke.
  • Brought Down to Badass: An unusual variant - he voluntarily gave up his Venom-induced superpowers in Season 3 so that he could clear his mind and learn martial arts properly. It worked, too - he's now a solid physical match for Batman.
  • Caught Monologuing: What leads to his defeat in Drop Zone. Bane chooses to partake in some Evil Gloating to the Team, explaining how he manipulated them to ensure he would take back his island, intending to blow them up with explosives, visibly holding a detonator. He does this whilst talking to persons whose powers include Super-Speed, Telekinesis, and Super-Strength. Predictably, they use these combination of powers to remove the explosive threat and then take Bane down.
  • Expressive Mask: One of the most expressive in the series. At times, it almost looks like face-paint.
  • Genius Bruiser: One of the few times he's portrayed as this outside of the comics.
  • Gratuitous Spanish: Refers to the Team as "such clever ninos" (Spanish for "children").
  • Growing Muscles Sequence: Whenever he injects himself with Venom.
  • Psychic Static: Recites Spanish and football scores in his head to block out Miss Martian's mind reading abilities.
  • Sleeves Are for Wimps: Wears a black undershirt.
  • Super Serum: The Venom drug, which gives the user immense strength and muscle.
  • Super-Strength: When he's on Venom.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Whilst not quite to the level of his comic counterpart, Season 3 shows him having abandoned his Venom addiction, and Bane puts up a serious fight against Batman that the Dark Knight is forced to make a retreat from.
  • Villain Team-Up: Provides security for Luthor on his island in exchange for Apokolyptian technology in "Usual Suspects".
  • The Worf Effect: Gets curbstomped by Mammoth.

    Black Spider 

Black Spider (Eric Needham)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yjoblackspider.png
"Why do they always run? Do I need better quips?"

Species: Human

Voiced by: Josh Keaton

A spider-themed assassin.


  • Adaptational Comic Relief: The original Black Spider has practically no humor and acts as Knight Templar, whereas this version is a wisecracking assassin.
  • Adaptational Superpower Change: This version has a Spider-Man-like power set derived from a special suit. The original version is a Badass Normal who mainly relies on martial arts, knives, and sometimes guns. While the original did take some inspiration from Spidey, it's made much more obvious here.
  • Adaptational Villainy: While his original comics counterpart wasn't a good person either, he started with sympathetic qualities in his crusade against the criminal underbelly of Gotham before suffering a Motive Decay in his subsequent appearances. Here, he's simply an assassin from the start and enjoys what he does to those he targets.
  • Age Lift: Inverted. This version is confirmed to be 22, whereas his comic counterpart is usually somewhere in his thirties.
  • All There in the Manual: He's the Eric Needham version of Black Spider according to Greg Weisman.
  • Building Swing: How he gets around.
  • The Bus Came Back: After being subdued in his second appearance, and missing the entirety of Invasion, Black Spider makes a reappearance in Outsiders.
  • Clothes Make the Superman: While he's still a skilled assassin, his Black Spider suit augments his physical abilities to superhuman levels, and gives him the ability to Wall Crawl and use Projectile Webbing.
  • Corrupted Character Copy: He's pretty much a completely evil version of Spider-Man, even more than in the DC comics. He has Spidey's ability to stick to walls, shoot a sticky substance resembling spider webbing from his wrists through webshooters, lean muscular physique, a dark costume with a spider emblem (ala the black Symbiote suit) and a wise-cracking, cocky personality. Helps that Josh Keaton voices him.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He jokes around and even asks if Artemis and Green Arrow would just let him kill Jones and go about his business. He's still an assassin with no qualms about murdering a man in front of his daughter. In Outsiders, he acts very chummy with an assassination target, telling him that he deserves to have a grand old time in a nightclub... because this is to be his last night on Earth.
  • Grappling-Hook Gun: His webshooters.
  • Harmful to Minors: He had absolutely no qualms about trying to kill Bernell Jones with his daughter watching, despite Jones's pleas to spare her the image. Fortunately, Artemis and Green Arrow save Bernell's life and incapacitate the assassin.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: The source of his webbing appears to come from a specialized pack located on his upper back. When Cheshire slices it in half, the webbing explodes and fully encases Black Spider.
  • Malevolent Masked Man: He's never seen without his masked off, and is a Faux Affably Evil assassin.
  • In Name Only: Played with. This version of Black Spider is basically an evil Spider-Man instead of a direct adaptation of the comics. Though the "evil Spider-Man" aspect was intentional of the original comic character, it's much more blatant with this version.
  • Noodle Incident: He was captured in the first season and remained as such, missing the entirety of Invasion. However, he evidently broke out offscreen, as he's out and about with the League of Shadows again, but the details aren't known.
  • Older Than They Look: While he's never seen without his costume, he's confirmed to be in his early twenties. However, his short height, lean physique, and wisecracking personality make him appear around the age of the Young Justice heroes.
  • Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Granted, it didn't take, but it's still a pretty good one:
    Bernell Jones: Please. Please, not in front of my daughter!
    Black Spider: Nah, I'm sorry. You know how it is-I'm on deadline. And so are you.
  • Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Traditionally a Batman villain, here he never menaces him but rather the Team.
  • Scary Black Man: Though it's never shown onscreen, he is Eric Needham who is (traditionally) African-American.
  • Spider-Man Send-Up: Despite being based on a DC character named Black Spider, he's basically a Captain Ersatz of Spider-Man if he was evil. He makes wisecracks during battle, he refers to swinging through the city as 'web slinging', and he's even voiced by Spider-Man's voice actor from The Spectacular Spider-Man. Of course, "Evil Spider-Man" was pretty much the premise for the original comic character as well.
  • Wall Crawl: Black Spider can stick to any surface thanks to his suit.

    The Hook 

The Hook

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yj_hook_8.png

Species: Human

An assassin with a mechanized right hook.


    Professor Ojo 

Professor Ojo

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yj_ojo.png

Species: Human

Voiced by: Nolan North

An assassin who uses a helmet with laser beams.


  • Cyber Cyclops: He uses a mechanical cycloptic helmet to both see and fight.
  • Energy Weapon: Fires artifical Eye Beams from his helmet.
  • Handicapped Badass: Ojo is blind, requiring his helmet to see (which is why he gets to keep it, albeit with a boot to stop him from using the laser, in Belle Reve).
  • His Name Is...: A non-fatal example in "Terrors" when Ojo recognizes Superboy and tries multiple times to tell people only to be knocked unconscious by said Superboy.
  • Meaningful Name: "Ojo" is Spanish for "eye".

    Rictus 

Rictus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rictus.png

Species: Cyborg

Voiced by: Gwendoline Yeo

  • Gender Flip: In the comics Rictus was male, but they appear to be female here.
  • Healing Factor: Thanks to their cyborg nature, when Artemis cuts off one their arms, the arm simply moves on its own, reattaches itself and heals.
  • No-Nonsense Nemesis: Unlike Black Spider, Rictus doesn't waste time bantering and goes for the kill as soon as possible.

Affiliates/Former

    Ra's al Ghul 

    Cheshire 

Cheshire (Jade Nguyen)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yjo_cheshire.png

Species: Human

Voiced by: Kelly Hu

Cheshire (real name Jade Nguyen) is a highly-skilled assassin who worked for the League of Shadows. She is the daughter of Sportsmaster and Huntress, and the older sister of Artemis. She is married to Red Arrow, and the mother of Lian Nguyen-Harper.


  • Action Mom: Kicks ass while carrying her infant daughter.
  • Adaptational Angst Downgrade: While Jade's relationship with her father Sportsmaster is depicted as abusive, the show excises her history as a victim of sex slavery from childhood. She is also not a Child by Rape, a retcon that was introduced in Birds of Prey.
  • Adaptational Badass: Her comic counterpart tends to rely on seduction and poisons to gain an advantage and has been shown to be very easily beaten in a straight fight. This version is a more impressive physical combatant.
  • Adaptational Heroism:
    • She's not nice by a long shot, but she's also a far cry from the genocidal psychopath of the comics. There's also the fact that there seems to be no doubt that she loves her sister, daughter and husband, unlike her comic counterpart who has tried to kill the latter and attempted to replace the second (and has no former).
    • The reasons behind why she left Lian differ vastly from the recent developments in the comics. In the show, Jade left Lian in Will's care because she genuinely believed both would be safer and happier without her since the Shadows have a bounty on her head for betraying them. DC Infinite Frontier revealed Cheshire allowed everyone to think Lian was dead, then left her at a church in Gotham City so she'd have a fresh start. Whereas YJ!Jade ensured Lian had her father in her life so the girl now has a comfortable, happy home life, Comic!Jade selfishly abandoned her amnesiac daughter, kept Lian being alive a secret from her devoted father and extended family, and ended with Lian spending several years as a homeless orphan who now has to steal in order to get by. There's no doubt about it that, for all of her faults, Jade loves her daughter and husband while her comic counterpart's expressions of well-intentioned love leave much to be desired.
  • Adaptational Modesty: While her Young Justice attire has a skirt, it's more tamed in comparison to how her outfits in the comics would accentuate her bust and butt.
  • Affably Evil: After some Character Development, she's gotten into this territory by Outsiders; she's a Benevolent Boss to her team of mind-controlled metas, calmly answers all of Artemis's questions about the League of Shadows, and later releases Shade from Branchwater's control with no strings attached.
  • Affectionate Nickname: Of all people, she's nicknamed "Chesh" by her husband, Roy Harper/Red Arrow.
  • Airplane Arms: She tends to run like this.
  • Aloof Big Sister: To Artemis. Although she does care for her little sister in her own way. And as seen in "Satisfaction" she regrets not being that close to her sister.
  • Animal Motifs: Cats. Her alias comes from the famous Cheshire Cat, she had a poster of said cat in her shared childhood room with Artemis, the mask she wears resembles a cat, and she can be as coy and mysterious as a cat.
  • Antagonistic Offspring: While she and Sportsmaster do work together under the Light's direction, Jade doesn't hide her loathing for her father in the slightest.
  • Anti-Villain: She's a ruthless assassin most of the time but she definitely has people she cares about and has a tragic past that sort of explains her actions. In season 2 and during the time skip she seems to have become a Nominal Hero. Despite being back to villainy by Outsiders, she clearly takes no joy in it, and seems resigned to such a life despite still loving her husband and daughter.
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Girl: Cheshire likes to gloat her enemies while using her martial arts.
  • Asian Babymama: For Roy, as she is half-Caucasian, half-Vietnamese and introduced their daughter, Lian, to him in "Salvage". Her goal was to help get her husband back on track by showing that his child needs him in her life.
  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Which we first see in "Usual Suspects" when she saves her sister from an avalanche.
    Cheshire: Artemis!!
    later
    Cheshire: Ok, fine, we're sisters, I don't actually want you dead.
  • Babies Ever After: Has a daughter, Lian, with Roy/Red Arrow in season 2.
  • Badass and Baby: In the timeskip, Cheshire manages to fight an army, while carrying her infant daughter.
  • Badass Normal: Badass enough to go toe to toe with Aqualad... and the rest of the (superpowered) Team... and pretty much anyone while snarking the whole time.
  • Battle Couple: With Red Arrow, her husband. They battle the henchman of a Tibetan monastery who were guarding the original Roy Harper...along with their infant daughter.
  • Berserk Button: Cheshire really hates her father, Sportsmaster. And once commented she has no problem killing him.
  • Big Sister Instinct: Saved Artemis from an avalanche that could've killed her, even though they were on very different sides. And Jade swore vengeance on Aqualad when he "killed" Artemis.
  • Blood Knight: She enjoys a good fight in general, and even seems to be a bit bloodthirsty - she considered killing Dr. Roquette even after she'd succeeded in downloading the program to stop the nano-tech the Light were using (after forcing Roquette to develop it in the first place) even though it would no longer accomplish anything; she spared her only because her employers might still have use her later (at least, this is what she claims).
  • Brainy Brunette: Jade has black hair and is quite the intelligent one. The best example would be how she managed to find a link to Speedy I's location, when no one else could. Not even the entire Justice League, which included "the world's best detective" Batman.
  • Broken Bird: Beneath her playful demeanor is a lot of anger at her abusive father.
  • Cain and Abel: Subverted. She's a villain (Cain) while her sister is the hero Artemis (Abel) and both have little problem fighting each other. However, they do love each other as evident in Artemis's relief that Jade wasn't dead from a plane crash and Jade saving her from an avalanche. To further prove this point, it turns out that she named her daughter after Artemis' middle name.
  • Character Development: In season one, she believed in the "every girl for herself" mentality. In season 2, she appears to have forgo that way of thinking as evident in her diligent care and parenting of Lian, helping her estranged husband from his self-destructive funk, and openly admitting to and regretting not taking better care of Artemis when they were growing up together.
  • Cheshire Cat Grin: Her mask is permanently set in one.
  • Color Motifs: Green. Her outfit is mainly green and the color can often represent mystery, a character trait of hers. Also, her real name is Jade.
  • Cool Mask: First appeared in the Teen Titans animated series.
  • Cruel to Be Kind: After getting Red Arrow to overcome his issues so he'd step up as a parent, Jade left him and Lian claiming she couldn't adjust to a normal lifestyle. The truth is there's an active bounty on her head and she honestly believes her husband and daughter shouldn't be caught in the crossfire for her sake.
  • Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Inverted for season 3, Cheshire has returned to being a villain and doesn't spend time with Lian despite obviously loving her very much because she's a villain. However, when she encounters Will in the tenth episode, her body language, facial expressions, and use of words are all implying she has another reason why she cut herself out of their lives, and she might not have returned to villainy of her own volition. Season 4 has revealed Cheshire left Will and Lian because the League of Shadows has been after her head ever since she initially betrayed them for Will after the first season. Few episodes later, she says she left because she didn't wanna raise Lian to be like her the same way Sportsmaster did with her.
  • Daddy Issues: Cheshire hates her father, Sportsmaster. While on missions together, her sense of professionalism is about the only thing that stops her from trying to kill him. A desire for revenge brings them together again in season 2, but she still clearly loathes him.
  • Daddy's Little Villain: Odd example; Cheshire is a rare case of a daughter being just as evil and effective as her father, even working in tandem with him... and actively despising him all the while. Though she does have more redeeming traits than her dad and she eventually makes a Hazy-Feel Turn.
  • Dark Action Girl: She's just as skilled a fighter as anyone on the team, only she works for the Light.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Both of her parents were career criminals; however, while Jade had a loving relationship with her mother, she hated her father who was emotionally and verbally abusive to her and her little sister, Artemis. When their mother was sent to prison, the relationship between Jade and her father truly became acrimonious resulting in running away from home at only 13, leaving behind Artemis (who was 9 at the time). And somehow, she ended up in a life of crime.
  • Dating Catwoman: She acts like she and Roy have this relationship in the first season, just to mess with Artemis. In season 2, they're married and have a child.
  • Deadpan Snarker: She has a dry sense of humor, and treats her opponents like a cat would treat a mouse, allowing herself to be involved in playful banter to a small extent.
  • Deliver Us from Evil: Zigzagged. She and Roy got married during the time-skip, but she left him and returned to crime after having a child. Why? So she could better finance the search for the original Speedy, allowing Roy to get off his butt and step up as a parent. Subverted by season 3 when she just couldn't adjust to a normal life apparently between season 2 and season 3.
  • The Dog Bites Back: In "Usual Suspects", Jade refuses to help Sportsmaster after he gets trapped by the team, leaving him to be captured.
  • Enemy Mine: During Invasion, despite her loathing for him, she teams up with Sportsmaster in order to avenge Artemis' supposed death.
  • Even Bad Women Love Their Mamas: Implied. Most of their relationship has yet to be fully explored, but there are hints that Jade always held her mother in high esteem. First, Artemis' flashback implies that Paula was a decent parent (despite being a villain back then) and her daughter's downplayed Morality Chain, as Jade said she wasn't going to stay in their house since Paula would be in prison for a while. Secondly, Jade has enough trust in Paula to babysit Lian.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
    • Results in her first genuinely altruistic act of the series. As she states:
      Cheshire: (after pushing Artemis out of an avalanche) "Okay fine, we're sisters. I don't actually want you dead."
    • As stated under Even Bad Women Love Their Mamas, Jade loves her mother.
    • In season two, her husband Roy and their daughter Lian. It's implied in their dialogue in "Salvage" that she left the League of Shadows because she fell in love with him; for the latter, Jade is a good mother to her daughter, putting her needs a first priority.
    • Averted with and only with her father, Sportsmaster, as she makes statement after statement about how much she truly hates him.
    • During a flashback to her childhood with Sportsmaster and Artemis, she stands up to her father when he berates Artemis for being unable to see through one of his trademark masks, given it's far too big for her. Jade points out to Sportsmaster that he would never go into the field with gear that didn't fit, so it would be unreasonable to expect different for his children. She gets backhanded for her trouble, unfortunately.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: She's disgusted by the idea of Talia al Ghul keeping her son in her life, believing it'll put the child in grave danger and leave him so emotionally traumatized he'll require therapy when he gets older.
  • Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Implied. In Season 3, Jade leaves Lian with Roy, explicitly saying in "Triptych" that Lian is better off without her.
  • Faux Affably Evil: As a villain, she adopted a playful, flirty demeanor, especially with Red Arrow. The development of their relationship shows that her attraction to him was likely genuine.
  • Femme Fatale: Flirts with Roy while working against him. Ironically, they end up married with a child.
  • Foe Romance Subtext: In season 1, she's clearly attracted to Red Arrow, flirts with him to no end, and even steals a kiss during a fight. All subtext is dispensed with in Invasion; they've since fallen in love, married, and had a child together.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Foolish Sibling, who works for the League of Shadows to Artemis's Responsible Sibling who works for the good guys.
  • Freudian Excuse: Dad was a dick. Mom was an enabler.
  • Good Parents: From what we have seen of Jade's interactions with Lian, Jade would do anything for her daughter.
  • Green and Mean: She wear a nearly green colored attire as Cheshire and is an assassin for the League of Shadows.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: One that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • In Young Justice: Legacy Jade's below comment may imply she regrets getting into the villain business.
      Artemis: We know what you want.
      Cheshire: Please. Half the time I don't even know what I want.note 
    • Despite being a villain who becomes something of a Nominal Hero in season 2, turns out to be the "responsible, level headed" parent, than her husband, Red Arrow, even though he was a hero long before her.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Despite leaving Red Arrow between season 2 and season 3, she still loves him but feels like she can't adjust to a normal life and thus it's better for him and Lian to move on.
  • Interspecies Romance: Zigzagged with Red Arrow. Both are human, but he's technically a clone of another human.
  • Irony: The daughter who hated Lawrence Crock so much she refused to go by his family name (and ran away in an attempt to get out of his life) ended up working alongside him (albeit grudgingly). Adding to it, her sister (who resembles their father while Jade takes after their mother) ended up an indisputably heroic individual.
  • Jerkass Has a Point:
    • When fighting Artemis, her sister demands to know who she's working for, but Jade replies that while she may know Artemis' secrets, that doesn't mean she'll tell all of hers to Artemis.
    • When she returns to her estranged husband, Roy, he rebuffs her attempts to help him since she left him to return to a life of crime. After a coy response to his accusation, Jade tells him that his obsession with finding Speedy was all consuming, which made it hard for anyone to get close to him, herself included.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's very subtle, considering how she is an arrogant, sarcastic jerk, but it is there. She only shows her softer side to the people she deeply loves (Artemis, her mother, Red Arrow, and Lian).
  • Lady of War: She's a very graceful and feminine combatant.
  • Leitmotif: Some creepy, sneaky bell notes.
  • Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: A sibling example: The Dark (works for the League of Shadows) to Artemis's Light (a protege of Green Arrow and member of the Team).
  • Magic Skirt: Averted in "Targets", where the skirt on her disguise predictably shows her underwear when she performs acrobatic flips and kicks.
  • Mama Bear:She found every lead she could to find the original Roy Harper, so Red Arrow could get out of his funk to help raise their daughter.
  • McNinja: All of the stealth, finesse, and deadly skill associated with ninjas. It almost makes you forget that she's half-Caucasian, half-Vietnamese.
  • Meaningful Name: "Jade" is often associated with the color green and is a synonym of being mysterious. The former being her main color scheme in her "Cheshire" attire and the latter is a main part of her personality. Not to mention, to be called "jaded" means "cynical", which she definitely is under her playful exterior.
  • Meaningful Rename: Justified. Due to her father's emotional abuse and the implied good relationship between Jade and Paula, Jade legally changed her surname (her father's last name) from Crock to her mother's maiden name, Nguyen.
  • Missing Mom: Has become this to her daughter Lian in season 3. She apparently tried to return to a normal life, but couldn't adjust, and felt Roy and Lian were better off without her. Season 4 later established it was because the League of Shadows has been trying to execute her for betraying them, so her excuse of being unable to adjust to a normal life is probably a lie.
  • Mysterious Past: The exact circumstances of Jade entering into a life of crime after running away from home.
  • Noble Demon: She actually enjoys the prospect of killing, but she is not without her own sense of duty, following the orders of her masters to the letter, despite how easy it would be for her to ignore them.
  • Nom de Mom: Due to issues with her dad Jade took her mother's maiden name.
  • Off Screen Break Up: She and Red Arrow apparently split between season 2 and season 3.
  • Offscreen Teleportation: Befitting her namesake, Cheshire disappears in a cloud of smoke in "Infiltrator".
  • Older Than They Look: She's 19 (24 after the first timeskip), but can pass for 17 or 18.
  • Omniglot: Word of God confirms that Jade is able to speak Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and possibly many more.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
    • Whenever Jade drops her usual coy, sarcastic attitude, it means something has happened that is serious enough for her to treat as such, like helping her husband out of his funk or Artemis' "death".
    • While trying to convince Will Harper to move on and that she's never coming back to him or Lian, Jade appears at her most vulnerable, runs off without slinking into the shadows or disappearing as she is known to do, and even cries. Season 4 finally revealed her real reason for leaving her family was to protect them, since the League of Shadows has had an active bounty on her head for years, but mostly, she was afraid she'd be the same kind of parent to Lian as Sportsmaster was to her and Artemis and end up on the same path as her.
  • Poisoned Weapons: She incapacitates Aqualad with jellyfish poison in their first bout (it's not as effective due to his Atlantean heritage, but still causes him trouble).
  • Pregnant Badass: Implied. Cheshire became pregnant with Lian around January 2015 and after her falling out with Roy, went back in the League of Shadows.
  • Related in the Adaptation:
    • Here, she's a member of the Crock family, but in the comics, she has no connection to them.
    • A minor example with Red Arrow. In the comics, Lian's conception came as a result of a fling between Jade and Roy Harper. In the series, their counterparts were actually married when Lian was conceived, and thus Lian wasn't born out of wedlock.
  • The Runaway: She ran away from home at the age of 13, because of her father's constant emotional abuse.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Very pointedly walks away when Sportsmaster gets captured by the heroes.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: In "Targets". She looks very nice in her dress.
  • Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Implied. Jade does fall in love and marry Red Arrow AKA Roy Harper. And even after he shuts her out during his whole "Speedy recon" thing, she doesn't stop loving him. She even went out of her way to find the clue that ended in Roy finally finding Speedy I.
  • Smoke Out: One of Chesire's favourite tricks.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Jade got a lot of her looks from her mother.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Jade is usually aloof and coy towards others; the exception is her father, whom she acts hostile and aggressive to just downright cold when they are together. But to those she has an actual emotional attachment to she's caring and, surprisingly, sweet.
  • Terms of Endangerment: Downplayed. Her father calls her "Little Girl", but she hates him for how emotionally abusive he was to her and Artemis during their childhood. But, since they work for essentially the same group, she must remain professional.
  • Took a Level in Cynic: Jade's Character Development killed a lot of her playful attitude. By Outsiders, she's somber and generally unhappy, often expressing a sense of self-loathing about her lifestyle.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: Downplayed. In season one, she was a mysterious, coy enemy to Artemis and the team, performing one genuine Pet the Dog moment for her sister. And she's still the same coy, mysterious, sarcastic rogue in season 2, but shows more vulnerability and Pet the Dog moments.
  • Tranquil Fury: Downplayed. She is seething with murderous rage over Aqualad "killing" Artemis but usually keeps her voice even sounding and only shouting a few times.
  • Tsundere: In "Complications", after finding out that Artemis is alive, Jade is relieved and begins to do the same witty banter with her sister and claimed she was angry at Artemis' death because she lost a babysitter for Lian.
  • Turn Out Like His Father: She hates being compared to her father, and would tell anyone that she's nothing like him. But in "I Know Why the Caged Cat Sings", she tearfully admits to Artemis that she's exactly like their father, which is one of the reasons why she doesn't want to return to Lian.
    • Sportsmaster calls her out on this when they team up to avenge Artemis' (supposed) death, pointing out she never liked her sister so her vengeance is as much to do with pride as his own motives.
  • Unkempt Beauty: Even without makeup, a pretty dress, or combing her hair, Jade is still hot.
  • Villain: Exit, Stage Left: She is a master at this. That's why she calls herself Cheshire.
    Cheshire (to Artemis): "So like the Cheshire Cat, I'll just disappear."
  • Villainesses Want Heroes: She becomes infatuated with Roy over the course of Season 1, and they married during the Time Skip to Season 2.
  • Wild Hair: Goes with her personality.
  • You Killed My Father: Swears revenge on Aqualad for her sister's "death". She later discovers Artemis is alive.

    Clayface 

Clayface (Matt Hagen)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface1.png

Species: Metahuman

Voiced by: Nolan North

Clayface is a shape-changing supervillain with a monstrous, mud-like appearance.


  • Badass in Distress: Is kidnapped by Task Force X after trying to go straight and join Bowhunter Security, presumably so he can forced into joining their ranks. He is thankfully rescued by Will and several of the original members of the Team, and is deeply grateful.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: Hagen hoped to cure his cancer thanks to the Lazarus Pit... but it turned him into a mud monster instead.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Delivers one off-screen to the Team, only to be given one himself by Batman. The comic book tie-in shows this battle and how Clayface tricks the heroes and takes them out, one by one.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Had a whole issue of the tie in comic devoted to about how he became Clayface. It's really something since he only appeared for a few seconds in the show itself.
  • Heel–Face Turn: After his experience with Mad Hatter and Stagg, he reforms and joins Bowhunter Security as "Harlan Matthews."
  • Freak Out: After his transformation. Ra's uses this to his advantage.
  • I Choose to Stay: Declines an invitation to the Justice League after he goes straight, instead retaining his position at Bowhunter Security as an alternative way to affirm his commitment to turning over a new leaf.
  • It Only Works Once: Five years later, he is immune to electricity, his usual weakness.
  • Manipulative Bastard: He dated Talia al Ghul in order to get access to a Lazarus Pit to cure his cancer. Talia repaid his dishonesty by locking him in the Pit for a year, mutating Hagen into Clayface.
  • Pet the Dog: He genuinely thanks Robin for freeing him of Hatter's nanotech.
  • Refusal of the Call: After he is rescued from his kidnapping attempt, he tells Kaldur he is genuinely grateful they went through so much to save him, and Kaldur actually extends to him an offer to join the Justice League. Hagen however declines, but instead affirms his dedication to remaining on the side of good by remaining with Bowhunter Security.
  • Sizeshifter: As a shapeshifter, he can change his size to impersonate smaller people.
  • Sincerity Mode: He's genuinely relieved when Tim releases him from Hatter's control and thanks him. This inspires him to go straight, with him even consenting to a mind meld wih Megan to confirm his intentions so he can work for Bowhunter Security. He again expresses genuine gratitide when he is saved from being forced into Task Force X by members of the original Team.
  • Shapeshifter Weapon: He can shape his body into any form he likes, including various weapons.
  • Voluntary Shape Shifting: His primary schtick. He can mimic the appearance of anyone.
  • Was Once a Man: Being trapped in a Lazarus Pit for months did cure Hagen's cancer, as he wanted it to, but it also mutated him into an inhuman monster.
  • Woman Scorned: Becomes a victim of this from Talia after he uses her to access the Lazarus Pit.

    The Sensei 

Species: Human

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yj_sensei.png

Voiced by: Keone Young

Sensei is one of the League of Shadows' most senior members. He is also an associate of the Light, and directs the League of Shadows based on the Light's orders.


  • Badass Boast: When Brion demands to know where the Shadows' army of ninjas is hiding, Sensei calmly replies "I don't need an army; I trained the army".
  • Beard of Evil: A high-ranking assassin with a beard.
  • Covered with Scars: Scars on his chest and face.
  • Deadpan Snarker: His encounter with Brion is filled with calm snark as he mocks the young prince's temper.
    Sensei: Perhaps your sister chooses not to be found by you. I've hardly known you five minutes, but already sympathise with such a decision.
  • The Dragon: To Ra's al Ghul.
  • Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's only ever referred to as "Sensei", his job title in the League of Shadows.
  • Evil Mentor: He claims to have trained most members of the League of Shadows. Incidentally, it's why he's not worried to face three young heroes at once. He doesn't need an army, he trained one himself.
  • Evil Old Folks: An older man and member of the League of Shadows. He shows just how badass he is when he takes on Brion, Forager and Halo all at once with minimal fuss. He even snaps Halo's neck, the only reason she survives at all is because of her powers.
  • Feel No Pain: He walks barefoot over magma and when Halo asks if it hurts, a perfectly calm Sensei merely replies with, "Pain is an illusion."
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has an evil one over his left eye. Judging from the clouded iris, the injury seems to have blinded that eye.
  • Katanas Are Just Better: Shown to wield one in issue #12 of the tie-in comic.
  • Nerves of Steel: He handles the arrival of Brion, Halo, and Forager with aplomb, and his composure never falters for a second during the subsequent fight. Even when seemingly outmatched, the Sensei calmly calls for reinforcements and ends the engagement quickly.
  • The Stoic: At all times, Sensei is calm, serene, and even-tempered. The only thing to even slightly shake his composure is seeing Halo resurrecting themself after Sensei snapped their neck.
  • Undying Loyalty: To Ra's al Ghul. Even after Ra's leaves the Light and loses control of the League of Shadows, the Sensei stays with him, and won't let anyone treat his master with disrespect.
  • Unrelated in the Adaptation: Despite "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" revealing that the Sensei was Ra's's father, Weisman has said that isn't the case on the show.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Snaps the teenage Halo's neck without a second thought. Halo recovered, but Sensei had no idea that they would.

    Sportsmaster 
See his folder under the "Head Enforcers" section on The Light.

    Ubu 

Ubu

Species: Human

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore ("Summit")

A servant of Ra's al Ghul.


    Talia al Ghul 

Talia al Ghul

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yj_talia.png

Species: Human

Voiced by: Zehra Fazal

Ra's al Ghul's daughter. Talia had previously only appeared in the tie-in comics but officially appeared in the show in the sixth episode of the third season and speaks in the fifth episode of the fourth.


  • Age Lift: Talia in the comics is many decades older than the 30-something woman that she actually looks, due to having access to the Lazarus Pit. In this continuity, Talia was born in 1984 and would be in her mid 30s as of season 4.
    • This is actually more in line with her initial backstory. Talia was actually younger than Bruce when she first appeared in the comics and was a university student.
  • Art Evolution: Talia previously made appearances in the tie-in comics set during Season 1 and 2. When she finally makes her appearance in the show proper during Season 3 her design has been altered so that she more closely resembles the character's appearances in the DC Animated Movie Universe.
  • Asian Babymama: Anyone familiar with comics will tell you she really wanted to bear a child by Batman. She would ultimately succeed.
  • Cowardice Callout: When angered by Cheshire calling her a "selfish fool", Talia retorts by calling Cheshire a coward for refusing to be in her own daughter's life due to her fear of "tainting" the child. This is something that Cheshire's own family have repeatedly called her out on.
  • Dating Catwoman: What she was to Batman. In the tie-in comics, he rejects her when she can't choose between joining him or staying with her father. As of season 3, they have a kid together.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: She expresses contempt at Cheshire for leaving Lian instead of being in her life, calling the woman a coward for not sticking by her child.
  • Navel-Deep Neckline: Her first on-screen appearance in the show has her displaying this trait. Her design in the tie-in comic was somewhat more modest.
  • Woman Scorned: Briefly dated Matt Hagen when she realised that a relationship with Batman was impossible. When she realises that he only used her so he could get to use the Lazarus Pit to treat his cancer, she locks him inside, transforming him into Clayface.

    Damian al Ghul 

Damian al Ghul

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/damian_7.png
Click here to see him in Outsiders

Species: Human

Talia's son, fathered during the Time Skip between Invasion and Outsiders.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Instead of comic Damian's unmistakably Icy Blue Eyes, inherited from his father, here his eyes are green.
  • Age Lift: Given that this is Damian Wayne - then he's at least a decade younger than he is in the comics amongst his peers. Damian in the comics first appeared when he was 10 years old, and during that time Nightwing was an adult in at least his mid-20s and Tim Drake was in his mid-late teens. He even appears to be slightly younger than Jon Kent who appears to be more a toddler, when in the comics he was 3 years older than Jon. According to Weisman, he’s not even a year old.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Hard to see because this is a baby, but Talia's pouty lips are quite prominent and these black spiky hair really look like Bruce Wayne's hairstyle. In the fourth season, Damian very much is a miniature Bruce with Talia's eyes and skintone.

    Red-Hooded Ninja 

Red-Hooded Ninja / Robin (Jason Todd)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yj_redhoodedninja.png
Click here to see him as Robin II

Species: Human

Voiced by: Josh Keaton

The second Robin, who both joined the Team and died in the timeskip between Season One and Invasion. He reappeared in Outsiders as one of Ra's al Ghul's followers.


  • Adaptation Name Change: In the comics, he's known as Red Hood, but here, he's known descriptively as the Red-Hooded Ninja (in the credits, anyways).
  • Animal-Themed Superbeing: During his time as the second Robin, birds.
  • Back from the Dead: He died in the timeskip between Season One and Invasion, but he's alive again, albeit amnesiac, by Outsiders.
  • Badass Normal: No superpowers, but he easily takes down Forager and holds his own against Nightwing's team.
  • Dead Sidekick: He's specifically Batman's sidekick, but the affects of his death can be felt on all of the Batfamily, with Barbara citing his death to Artemis as a reason they'd be willing to drop what they're currently doing to help rescue Orphan.
  • Dying to Be Replaced: He was replaced post-mortem as Robin by Tim Drake.
  • In the Hood: Keeps his red hood up for most of his first appearance, only lowering it and revealing his signature hairstyle when the Outsiders have departed Infinity Island.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: He can't remember his past, but after meeting Dick/Nightwing (again), he starts to remember him.
  • Legacy Character: The second Robin, taking up the mantle after Dick Grayson became Nightwing.
  • Mysterious Past: No one outside of Ra's and his people know who he is. He's an amnesiac Jason Todd, brought back from the dead.
  • Pragmatic Adaptation: In the comics, he was resurrected as a result of Superboy-Prime causing a Cosmic Retcon. As Superboy Prime doesn't exist in the series, the manner of his resurrection was changed. Here, his body was tossed into a Lazarus Pit, reviving him in a similar manner to that of Ra's Al Ghoul, albeit amnesiac. This plot device was first used in Batman: Under the Red Hood.
  • The Quiet One: He doesn't talk much. When he does, it's slow and slurred. Given that he has amnesia, it can be assumed this is a result of brain damage.
  • Walking Spoiler: Anyone familiar with the comics (or has at least heard about him) would know that his true identity is Jason Todd, the second Robin, having become Red Hood after Ra's revived him from the dead using the Lazarus Pits.
  • We Hardly Knew Ye: He's never directly mentioned in dialogue in Invasion. We only know he existed because there's a memorial hologram of him in the grotto.
  • Wham Shot: He's revealed to have been the red-hooded assassin when he takes off the hood, revealing his signature hairstyle.

    Onyx 

Onyx Adams

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/onyx_adams_3.png

Species: Human

Voiced by: Logan Browning

Onyx is a member of the League of Shadows who has defected, or so she claims.


  • Badass Normal: Her grandfather had superpowers, but those evidently have not passed down to her. Not that she needs them, thanks to League training.
  • Child Soldiers: Admits to Cheshire that she joined the League when she was only eleven.
  • Defector from Decadence: Just like Cassandra Savage, she claims to have defected from the League. She’s the one that’s telling the truth.
  • Psychic Static: The League of Shadows trains its recruits to resist psychic probes, which makes verifying her story via Looker's telepathy difficult.
  • Raised by Grandparents: She was raised by her grandfather, until she ran away.
  • Related in the Adaptation: She's the granddaughter of Amazing Man, a WW2 hero. In the comics, the two have no known relation.

    Shade 

Shade (Richard Swift)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yj_shade.png

Species: Metahuman

Voiced by: Joel Swetow

Metahuman who can control shadows.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: In the comics, Shade had jet black hair even before he received his shadow powers. In Young Justice, he has reddish-brown hair instead.
  • Affably Evil: After being released by Cheshire, he gratefully bows to her before dropping into a shadow.
  • Black Eyes of Crazy: Not Shade himself, but his mask has this feature, with small, red irises surrounded by pure black.
  • Casting a Shadow: Just like in the comics, Shade controls shadows and can use them to teleport himself and others.
  • Dark Is Evil: A malevolent shadow-powered metahuman who is even contrasted against the light-wielding Halo. Though he leaves the League of Shadows, it's unclear if he will turn good.
  • The Dog Bites Back: Upon his release by Cheshire, he immediately goes after Simon Stagg, presumably to kill him.
  • Evil Is Not a Toy: Was mentally enslaved by Mad Hatter at the direction of Simon Stagg in a metahuman trafficking operation. When he's freed by episode's end he's last seen teleportating into Stagg's cell, with presumably lethal motives.
  • I Owe You My Life: The Shade helps Jade and the team escape because he owes her for freeing him in Season 3, even if it means angering the Shadows.
  • Makes Us Even: Shade saves Cheshire, Artemis, Onyx, and Cassandra Wu-San from Lady Shiva and quits the Shadows because he owed Cheshire one.
  • Mythology Gag: His mask resembles his face from Justice League.
  • Nothing Is Scarier: We never see what he did to Stagg at the end of "Triptych", but given how we never hear from Stagg again, we can only guess...
  • Older Than They Look: According to Greg Weisman, Shade is "biologically" 48, but he and Ra's al Ghul go "WAY back".
  • Powers Do the Fighting: Almost never lifts a finger during the fight with Nightwing's team.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Shade's preferred attire has him in an old-fashioned, but very stylish suit and top hat.
  • Thinking Up Portals: He can use shadows as portals to teleport or contain things. He uses them deftly in combat to redirect attacks.
  • Weakened by the Light: At the very least is pained by the blinding light emitted by Halo. He even starts burning.
  • White Mask of Doom: Unlike the comics, his deathly pallor is not his natural appearance. He looks deceptively normal before it's revealed who he is outside of it.

Alternative Title(s): Young Justice League Of Shadows

Top