Review: Young Justice Phantoms “Odyssey of Death!”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
When one portal opens for Rocket, another closes…forever.

Our Take:
Things are not looking too bright for the heroes on New Genesis, especially Rocket. The unsuspecting villains from Apokolips have succeeded in possessing the Phantom Zone projector, while the heroes are none the wiser. However, their unexpected issue with the time sphere puts Lor-Zod and the others on a collision course with Rocket, Orion, and the others. Meanwhile, Zatanna, Doctor Fate, and the other heroes on Earth continue to search for Connor’s spirit, only for the former to realize that he might still be alive, resulting in her seeking a detective.
The last couple of episodes strayed from Rocket’s arc to focus on the supporting characters that are crucial to the seasonal plot. The primary examples are Lor-Zod, Ma’alefa’ak, and Mantis traveling through time to find a projector to free Dru-Zod and Connor’s encounter with the Kryptonians in the Phantom Zone. The only thing Rocket and the others did throughout the arc is discussing a treaty between the heroes and New Genesis, so it makes sense why the show went in that direction. This episode finally sees Rocket, Orion, Tomar-Re, and the Foragers in action, as they attempt to prevent Lor-Zod from opening the portal to the Phantom Zone.
“Odyssey of Death” follows the usual formula of having a big good-vs-evil battle at the end of an arc, but it never strays away from providing good closure in the character arcs, mainly Rocket’s. Rocket has been struggling with herself throughout the arc regarding her experience with her autistic son Amistad. However, her encounter with Orion, Darkseid’s son, helped her accept the struggle within and try to be a better person for her family. Unfortunately, not everyone has a happy ending, including Lor-Zod, who takes Impulse and the Legion hostage after the projector is destroyed. Additionally, Tomar-Re was killed by Lor-Zod while attempting to prevent the Promethean from destroying New Genesis. This resulted in his ring choosing Female Forager as his successor, putting her and Forager in a long-distance relationship.
Overall, this episode is another satisfying conclusion to yet another arc in the show’s fourth season. With the focus shifted back to Rocket, it provided a good closure to her narrative arc, even though her presence wasn’t as significant as the other characters. Rocket’s arc may not be as exciting as Kaldur’s, but it was nice for me to see an unfamiliar character take the spotlight, even if it is for a brief moment or two.