Injustice: Gods Among Us: Why The Fighting Makes Sense Now

In 2008, Midway (now bankrupt, effectively now Netherealm) released Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. As a comic fan myself, I was pleased to see DC Comics characters given a chance to flourish in a beat em up. Despite being an average but capable fighter, the back story was largely forgettable; MK world merges with DC world, and Shao Kahn merges with Darkseid to become Dark Kahn (I’m still laughing now). Superman and Wonder Woman are weakened almost inexplicably so the MK characters can actually hit them, and so on.

Now, DC’s heroes and villains have their own tale to tell with the impending release of Injustice: Gods Among Us next month. Although full plot details are yet to be revealed by Netherealm, DC Comics have produced a weekly web comic set some time before the video game. I’ve been picking this up myself, and is a thoroughly original and riveting read, with some shocking moments.

Moments such as above are unprecedented in the world of DC Comics, and a few comic fans have even taken to the forums to show their potential boycott for the video game, due to the plot devices used. Superman may have gone nuts, but not without reason; he is inadvertently responsible for the death of Lois Lane and a scathing attack on Metropolis. After his attack on the Joker, the President himself sanctions countermeasure preparations against Superman, whose attempts at world peace have become a bit more aggressive. Of course there are those that agree with Superman, and sympathise with his methods, and there are those who do not. Cue Batman, who is of course against taking any lives, so does not see Superman’s new ‘warped’ vision.

The comic is still on sale now every week, and is slowly exploring the angles, as well as introducing the cast of the video game at its own pace. As usual, the main catalyst for this new order is the Joker, and given the actions above, I’m intrigued to see how he gets to the video game. Regular DC scribers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, famed for their consistent creative run on the Jonah Hex comic, are penning the game’s script and story. With what promises to deliver a story mode in the vein of the recent Mortal Kombat success, Injustice is a video game with the potential to finally deliver DC characters the video game success they deserve.

Injustice: Gods Among Us will be out on 19th April for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U.

2 Comments