Superheroes have been punching one another of their face for many years, and doing that in video video games virtually as lengthy. Each from time to time, the superhero style crosses over into the preventing recreation house, ensuing within the likes of the Marvel vs. Capcom collection and appreciated jams like Teen Titans: Battle Blitz and X-Males: Youngsters of the Atom.
Warner Bros. finally acquired in on that motion with 2008’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe from Halfway. 5 years later and following a rebrand to NetherRealm, a second try was made with Injustice. The unique recreation, Gods Amongst Us, launched on April 16, 2013 with what was then the groundbreaking story pitch of resistance chief Batman and dictator Superman preventing one another and conscripting varied DC characters to hitch their respective sides. That alone could be a considerable hook, however the recreation went even additional by having the alt-universe Batman name in a Justice League from a separate universe (aka, the “right” one the place Superman isn’t evil) to assist out with the resistance effort.
On the time earlier than its launch, it wasn’t absolutely clear simply what to make of Injustice 1. Actually a part of that was its elevator pitch; its alt-universe tackle DC characters appeared virtually groanworthy, significantly when its “Evil Superman” hook was revealed to have been incited by him killing his pregnant spouse Lois Lane (on accident) and the Joker (intentional). Past that, NetherRealm had solely simply righted the ship of its Mortal Kombat franchise with the 2011 reboot, and MK vs. DC having a combined response from critics and gamers alike. With Gods Amongst Us, the reception was way more favorable, with reward for each its story and gameplay mechanics.
DC appeared to know that NetherRealm had successful on its arms, and did what it may to promote Injustice as greater than a easy alternate universe. Months earlier than the discharge of Gods Amongst Us, it launched a comedian e book prequel collection from Tom Taylor and Jeremy Raapack. The comedian continued for years following the sport’s launch below a special artistic group, whereas persevering with to sketch out the world. It helped that the problems launched in cheaper bite-sized chunks on-line earlier than coming in bodily codecs, permitting DC to hit audiences who may not have in any other case gone to a comic book retailer to choose it up.
The attract of Injustice varies for everybody, however I feel the final draw comes from how a lot it commits to its personal nonsense. Like with Mortal Kombat, NetherRealm managed to key in on the inherent enchantment of turning superhero brawls into much more bombastic wrestling matches, and allowed that dumb power to run by means of all elements of the sport. It’s extra noticeable in 2017’s Injustice 2; from the sport’s customization choices to the way in which characters banter backwards and forwards, all of it feels prefer it’s enjoying within the juvenile house that makes cape comics so endearing. Sure, it’s somewhat tousled when Superman melts Shazam’s mind or Tim Drake dies 5 seconds after being reunited with Batman…however it’s additionally kinda humorous, proper?
Once more, DC appears to suppose so. Not solely did it launch one other comedian e book collection that stuffed within the narrative between the 2 Injustice video games, it went even additional with a comic book e book crossover involving He-Man and getting each the Ninja Turtles and Hellboy to pop into Injustice 2 as visitor characters. In 2021, Warner Bros. launched an animated movie adaptation of the unique recreation, and Evil Superman has lately popped up within the orbit of Superman’s son Jon Kent from the principle DC Comics universe. Makes an attempt have additionally been made to duplicate Injustice’s success, to some extent or one other. The current alt-universe tales DCeased and Darkish Knights of Metal (each written by Taylor and respectively drawn by Trevor Hairsine and Yasmine Putri) really feel like they’re enjoying in an analogous house, deliberately or in any other case. Time will inform if both of these take off in the identical approach, although.
It wouldn’t completely be incorrect to say Injustice is the healthiest sub-franchise of DC’s secure, if solely as a result of nobody at Warner Bros. appears to be enormously overthinking it. Past that, the collection’ finest asset may be that it got here within the mid-2010s. Dickhead Superman felt quaint again then, and it additionally got here out months earlier than Man of Metal made the concept of discussing a jerk Clark an exhausting prospect. Had the sport come out years later, there’s a superb probability it nonetheless would’ve thrived; NetherRealm makes usually nice work, and other people like enjoying video games the place they will punch their buddies into or by means of partitions. However not in contrast to an skilled within the preventing recreation group, NetherRealm noticed a gap with Injustice to hit laborious and never let up one bit.
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