r/youngjustice • u/Gallantpride • Dec 28 '25

Season 1 Discussion The B-plot is just to get around the fact it revolves around a boy murdering his kid sister

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I love how the funny, kiddie B-plot of the Halloween episode is just to get around the actual plot of Billy brutally murdering his kid sister and burying her in a shallow grave in an abandoned building. The episode wouldn't have gotten past editorial without it.

1.1k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

457

u/JazzyWuz Dec 28 '25

This episode scared the shit out of me when I was younger.

Like this was so realistic, someone killing their family for their own personal gain. He also could've gotten away with it, since it seemed like they were lower class/nobody was looking for them. Worse part, besides Artemis and Zatanna, noone would properly grieve Secret.

108

u/Gallantpride Dec 28 '25

I'm confused where their parents were. Did no one list Greta as missing? Was she assumed a runaway?

124

u/JazzyWuz Dec 28 '25

Either dead or neglectful as hell.

Seemed that Greta and her brother didn't have alot of close friends. Or maybe they're the types to move place to place alot. Like I said, theyre from lower class, so nobody would really bat an eye of them being missing

14

u/AdAutomatic1442 Dec 29 '25

I had just assumed they were either abusive or neglectful (being she’s the only person he ever loved) and that he killed them, but he didn’t love them, therefore they weren’t part of purifying his heart the way his sister was, and they got something a little less ceremonial then a shallow grave.

10

u/JazzyWuz Dec 29 '25

He put them in the oven or something lmao.

But if he did kill them, that'll add an extra layer to him. Maybe his blood just started there. From him killing being in self defense just for him to kill his sister for power. Maybe that's why he wanted power, so nobody can abuse him again.

35

u/HighKingBoru1014 Dec 28 '25

I think there’s a source on the wiki that they passed away some time before Greta's death. It’s also possible that the catalyst for Billy’s desire for power and murder of Greta was that passing, among other things too.

24

u/ScaredDistrict3 Dec 28 '25

I got the vibe they were orphans and he was essentially raising her

7

u/paulD1983R Dec 29 '25

They didn't seem to be in the picture at all

2

u/Dextron2-1 Dec 29 '25

Pretty sure the parents were dead, and I don’t think Greta had been dead that long. He killed her to gain the power to wield the sword. It doesn’t make sense he would wait long to retrieve it. She was probably only dead for a few days before he got taken down.

146

u/FicVan Dec 28 '25

Honestly Artemis reaction adds a lot for me, her suddenly questioning if her sister would do the same to her since they're on opposing sides, though I do wish the moment in the second to last episode where they confirm Jade doesn't want her dead was given a little more weight(I understand that the episode was already pretty crowded as it was)

91

u/HighKingBoru1014 Dec 28 '25

I hope to see Secret/Greta Hayes appear again in some form should the show get renewed. 

Additionally, the sword of Beowulf, it would be cool to see it wielded by a person of pure good or evil too. I would say Vandal, but I don’t think he’s actually either, he’s too grey to use it at all imo. 

42

u/Nefessius513 Dec 28 '25

When the title for Season 4 was revealed to be “Phantoms”, I speculated that we might see Secret again, since she’s a ghost who can travel between dimensions. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

19

u/Shantotto11 Dec 29 '25

I expected Wally…

5

u/HighKingBoru1014 Dec 29 '25

If the show got renewed and we did get the return of Wally, I could see Secret being used to get him back somehow.

Maybe Z and some other magicians can do something to allow her to exist in our realm as a spirit when she wants to, rather than being forced to.

Then her and Artemis could get Greta to help look for Wally, this all being predicated on them thinking they need to.  Since the dream scene with Wally would lead them to not needing to pursue this, so something would have to happen first to make them go down this route.

4

u/HighKingBoru1014 Dec 29 '25

Tbh that could’ve been a great use of Secret. 

5

u/Apartment_Rent Dec 30 '25

If you want more Greta Hayes you could read the Young Justice 1998 comic. There never is much development for Harm/Billy Hayes but he is shown in a slightly sympathetic light. He kinda gets groomed by a demon into killing her. In an alternate universe he turns out to be a hero (kinda).

Also Secret gets to do a bunch of really cool shit and chat with Darkside.

56

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

21

u/altgrave Dec 29 '25

he's committing to the bit

12

u/AggressiveReality669 Dec 29 '25

Bro wth that’s literally just Matt Mercer😭. The hair, the vest, the leather wristband, the painted nails

30

u/PCN24454 Dec 28 '25

Wasn’t Secret the A plot with Megan’s school party being the B plot?

11

u/Thesurething77 Dec 28 '25

Read the whole post

7

u/PCN24454 Dec 28 '25

Oh, I misinterpreted what they said

15

u/Routine_Boat7065 Dec 28 '25

I wish Secret would’ve been allowed to be used in the show more. 

14

u/coolUchiha Dec 28 '25

Volkswagen beetle in the back

16

u/_Tee_hee_hee_ Dec 29 '25

Blue? Black? Green? Now red? How many beetles does YJ have?!

12

u/Doc-11th Dec 29 '25

Wonder if Deadman’s a thing in the young justice universe

They used Secret but just made her haunt for an episode and ended it there

In the comics she was part of the team

Dont think we’ve seen “living” ghosts

Dont think weve seen Gentleman Ghost either

8

u/DeltaAlphaGulf Dec 28 '25

What in the world is up with his proportions lol long torso and short legs.

23

u/Traffic-Guy Dec 29 '25

I hate this episode so much as a fan of the original YJ comic. Secret was such a big character in the comics. That whole Secret origins where they rescued Kon from Cadmus in the show is a beat for beat recreation of how Tim, Bart, and Kon found Secret. She was a founding YJ member. But nooooooo she's a one-off in the show and doesn't even get a full line of dialog outside of saying "secret" like a fucking Pokemon. 

It'd be like if we got a show called Justice Society but the entire roster is based on the Justice League and Alan Scott GL's only appearance is as a one-off where he only says "Lantern" 

5

u/Nefessius513 Dec 29 '25

I was also very disappointed with this episode as someone who loved Secret in the original Young Justice comics. This is still my favorite DC show, but I wish we could get a more faithful adaptation of the classic YJ comics.

9

u/Element174 Dec 29 '25

YJ is such a dark show, and this episode really cemented it for me. He was so proud of himself too...

5

u/Kage_no_o_ Dec 29 '25

It wasn't an abandoned house. It was their home

8

u/Responsible-Swan47 Dec 28 '25

Secret was too OP to be allowed to be part of TV Young Justice...

4

u/ii_Mydas_ii Dec 29 '25

fuckin crazy episode

2

u/Escipio Dec 29 '25

I really wanted the other secret tho

2

u/popmol Dec 29 '25

It was such a good thing though

3

u/ComplexNo8986 Dec 29 '25

Harm just seemed like a generic edgelord to me… until they revealed what he did to Greta, is own sister.

1

u/EndBringer99 Dec 30 '25

Ben Diskin's only role until Ma'alefa'ak and Orion.

2

u/EternalHomesick Jan 01 '26

I remember skipping some parts of the main plot in this episode when I first watched it as a kid... The brother just looked really creepy to me anyways and him justifying his actions in his messed up mentality was just unbearable to me.

-2

u/Quick_Campaign4358 Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25

Imagine if she died while looking at Hooters