Happy Monday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. It’s time for another Geekly Casting. Today, I’m flying solo with casting Young Justice. While Young Justice has had an on-again, off-again monthly comic book series, I’ll lean heavily on the critically acclaimed animated series of the same name for the characters today. Heck! Most DC Comics fans will know the cartoon before the comic book. Why not lean into it? Robin (Dick Grayson), Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis Crock are on the casting docket today. Alright, let’s get started with Geekly’s Casting for Young Justice.
Aqualad: Jharrel Jerome
While casting this superhero team, I’m trying to stick with actors in their mid-twenties or younger. Jharrel Jerome (28 years old as of writing this post) as Aqualad is one of two exceptions. But an older Aqualad makes sense. He’s the team leader. He has a cool, calm demeanor. And Jharrel Jerome is an amazing actor. He debuted in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight. Seriously, Jerome’s Hollywood debut was in the best film of the year. And Jerome is the voice of Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse film franchise. That makes Jerome a respected actor who has no problem portraying a superhero. He’d make a perfect Kaldur’ahm.
Robin: Asher Angel
Asher Angel (23) is a reclamation project. He starred as Billy Batson in the DCEU Shazam films. Angel was the strongest actor in both of those films. You know, it might be easy to outdo Zachary Levi as an actor. Regardless, Angel deserves a second chance. He showed enough in the Shazam movies to prove he could grow from Dick Grayson as Robin into Nightwing. If Jason Momoa can transition from Aquaman to Lobo, why not give Angel a different shade of tights?
Kid Flash: Jacob Tremblay
Jacob Tremblay (19) may be one of the youngest members on this list, but he has plenty of range. Tremblay portrayed a five-year-old captive child in the psychological thriller Room and provided the voice of the titular character in Luca. He’s even done voice work as Damien Wayne (Robin) in the Harley Quinn Animated Series. Tremblay possesses the acting and comedic chops to pull off a young Wally West, or even Impulse, if Young Justice chose to go in that direction.
Superboy: Garrett Wareing
Superboy occupies an awkward space within Young Justice. I want to cast him young, but not too young, because he is the love interest for the next character on this list. Garrett Wareing as Superboy is a long shot, but I’m sticking with him. Wareing may not have as long a resume as many of the actors on this list, but his turn as Lucas Russell on Ransom Canyon shows he can pull off a complicated Superboy. Young Justice’s version of Superboy will be a binary clone of Superman and Lex Luthor. We’re talking a Superboy with anger management issues. Wareing may be newer to the acting scene, but he’s proven he can handle dramatic roles. And it doesn’t hurt to lean on his Texas charm. Gig ‘Em!
Miss Martian: Ella Purnell
I knew who I would cast as Miss Martian before any other member of Young Justice: Ella Purnell. Miss Martian begins as a bubbly new recruit, but her bright facade hides a dark secret. Despite her green skin, Miss Martian is a White Martian, the race of Martians who exploited Mars (until it became the uninhabitable planet it is today) and subjugated the Green Martians as slaves. Ashamed of her heritage, M’gann M’orzz chooses to shapeshift into green skin. Miss Martian is a fan favorite because she was the character comic book writers used to explore white guilt. Purnell has a knack for portraying effervescent characters, who may also have dark pasts.
Artemis Crock: Peyton List
Best known for School Spirits and Cobra Kai, Peyton List has plenty of experience in action roles. She was even in Spider-Man 2 as a young child. Yowza! Similar to Miss Martian, Artemis Crock hides her past. Her parents are supervillains (Sportsmaster and Huntress). Despite her family’s past, Artemis proves herself to the point where she’s Aqualad’s lieutenant and has served as Young Justice’s leader. Peyton List is more than up for the challenge.
Vandal Savage: Khary Payton
We have our first–and hopefully only–repeat casting from a previous Casting list: Khary Payton as Vandal Savage. For all the reasons I mentioned in our Justice League Casting, Payton would kill it as Vandal Savage. He’s voiced almost every character in the DC Animated Universe, and Savage often disguises his voice. Yes! Give me an actor so ubiquitous in the DC Animated Universe that he voices himself.
Deathstroke: Joe Manganiello
Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke is a gimmie. He was supposed to have portrayed the character in the DCEU, but it never happened. Manganiello is a decade older than he was when he was first cast as Deathstroke, but that works in his favor. The Deathstroke in Young Justice is an older, grizzled Deathstroke. Perfect!
Granny Goodness: Jamie Lee Curtis
There are so many great options for Granny Goodness. I love that Hollywood has embraced older actors. But I wanted to go against type with Granny Goodness. Her name is a misnomer. Besides Darkseid himself, Granny Goodness is the most feared person on Apokolips. She’s sadistic. She rules her underlings (like Big Barda and Desaad) with an iron fist. So, I went with Jamie Lee Curtis. She’s never come close to portraying a character like Granny Goodness, but I think she could handle it. And she’d be amazing.
Klarion the Witch Boy: Aidan Gallagher
Klarion is chaos personified. Stadistic and cruel, Klarion the Witch Boy can also be hilarious, especially when he takes himself too seriously. Even though Klarion looks to be as old as his Young Justice counterparts, he’s millions of years old. We’ll need a young actor with experience portraying someone much older than themselves. How about The Umbrella Academy’s Aidan Gallagher? Five’s powers in that series come off as magical, and Gallagher gave a layered performance. Seeing those two side-by-side, I can’t see anyone other than Aidan Gallagher portraying Klarion the Witch Boy.
Lady Shiva: Go Ara
As a member of the League of Assassins, Lady Shiva trained under Ra’s Al Ghul. Her voice is as serene as she is ruthless. Korean actor Go Ara hasn’t crossed over into American pop culture. Yet. But Ara is building a nice acting resume. She’s done a little bit of everything from Rom-Coms to Fantasy to straight-up Action. That’ll come in handy. Lady Shiva’s daughter (she was a young mother) grows up to become Orphan, another complex character who could be introduced in a future Young Justice film. Lady Shiva has a long and complicated history that I’m sure Ara would bring to life.
That’s all I have for the Geekly Casting of Young Justice. Who would you cast in which role? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
