WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first six episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms, streaming now on HBO Max.
As the seasons of Young Justice have gone by fans have fervently debated who the show’s most lethal assassin is. As good as Artemis, Deathstroke or Ra’s al Ghul’s pawns have been as dogs of war, it usually boils down to Cheshire or Lady Shiva. However, come the latest episode of Young Justice: Phantoms, a new killer enters the fray and this surprising face is actually a lot deadlier than the aforementioned.
This is none other than Rictus, the cybernetically-enhanced assassin sent by the League of Shadows to bring home traitors. He’s changed a bit in terms of look from the League of Assassins villain who debuted in 2013 to fight Red Hood and the Outlaws, but his powers are the same.
He can control his density to become heavier, lighter or faster in battle, use his body as a shield to take hits, plus his robotic limbs can detach and be used as weapons outside his frame. These are all put to good use when he’s the first to attack Artemis, Orphan, Spoiler and Co. at their hidden base as they hold an interrogation session with Cassandra Savage and Onyx to see if they’re really defecting.
While Black Spider goes after the others, Rictus shines in the cell, evading Artemis and even besting her and Cassandra in what should be a handicap situation. He’s more fluid and simply more intimidating than the heroes as he smashes them around with consummate ease.
Even when the others get involved, with Orphan cutting his hand off, he reattaches it and forces them to gang up, alternate weapons and become more ruthless in battle. Cheshire tries to use her sais to no avail, leading to her using guns too. Artemis is totally shocked because Lady Shiva’s usually the one giving them this kind of trouble, but as she sees her sister losing her mask as well, it’s clear they’re outmatched.
It does help that Black Spider is there to weaken the crew but Rictus is a true one-man wrecking ball, coming off like an army as he wages war on the vigilantes. He’s purely on the offensive, eventually allowing Shiva to use Shade’s cloak to sneak up, knock Orphan out and arrange a trade at a later date at the sinister Santa Prisca.
It shows Shiva’s confidence in using Rictus as a distraction but also reaffirms that she couldn’t be as direct as him in the first missive as she’s not as swift or powerful. It’s quite a compliment and as Rictus departs it’s clear Artemis wants a rematch, as the vile Sportsmaster trained her much better than that.
See how Rictus proves to be the deadliest assassin as new episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms air Thursdays on HBO Max.
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