Injustice is a series of crossover superhero fighting video games developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, featuring characters created by DC Comics. The games were directed by Mortal Kombat creator and industry veteran Ed Boon, whose team had previously developed Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for Midway Games, and written by Brian Chard, Dominic Cianciolo, John Vogel and Jon Greenberg. The series features the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, George Newbern, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Alan Tudyk, Grey Griffin, Fred Tatasciore, Tara Strong, Khary Payton and Richard Epcar, reprising their roles from various DC Comics media.
The series' plot and premise take place within an alternate reality to the main DC Universe continuity, where Superman becomes a tyrant and establishes a new world order after the Joker tricks him into killing Lois Lane and destroying Metropolis with a nuclear bomb, causing Batman to form an insurgency in an effort to stop his regime. The first game, Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013), focuses on Batman receiving aid from alternate universe counterparts of the Justice League, who join his insurgency and help end Superman's regime. The second game, Injustice 2 (2017), is set five years later and follows Batman's insurgency rebuilding society after Superman's fall while dealing with the Society of Super Villains led by Gorilla Grodd and the alien invader Brainiac, which forces Batman to consider freeing Superman to help combat the threats.
Outside the video games, the Injustice franchise also comprises two comic book series and an animated film adaptation. The first comic series, Injustice: Gods Among Us, ran from January 2013 to September 2016 and serves as a prequel to the original game, exploring the events that led to the establishment of both the Insurgency and the One Earth Regime. The second series, Injustice 2, ran from April 2017 to October 2018 and bridges the gap between the two games, depicting the aftermath of the Regime's fall and the emergence of new villains who seek to fill the power vacuum. The animated film, titled Injustice, was released in October 2021 and features an original narrative that borrows elements from both the first game and its prequel comic.
Games Title Year Platform(s) PS3 PS4 PS Vita Wii U Win X360 XOne Android iOS Injustice: Gods Among Us 2013 Injustice 2 2017
Injustice: Gods Among Us
In the first game of the series, set in an alternate reality from the main DC Universe, Superman is driven over the edge after the Joker tricks him into killing Lois Lane and destroying Metropolis with a nuclear bomb. Joined by other heroes and villains, he establishes the One Earth Regime to bring about a new world order and enforce global peace. In an effort to overthrow the corrupted Superman, Batman forms an underground insurgency and summons counterparts of the Justice League from another universe to defeat the Regime.
Injustice 2
Injustice 2 is the sequel to Injustice: Gods Among Us, set five years after the events of the first game and featuring a larger cast of characters. In the aftermath of the One Earth Regime's fall, Batman and his Insurgency attempt to rebuild society while dealing with a Society of Super Villains led by Gorilla Grodd and a collector of worlds called Brainiac. Overwhelmed by the new threats, Batman is forced to consider freeing the imprisoned Superman to help combat the villains.
Characters List indicator A light grey cell indicates the character was not in the video game or the animated film.
Characters Video games Animated film Injustice: Gods Among Us Injustice 2 Injustice 2013 2017 2021 Story characters BatmanBruce Thomas Wayne Kevin Conroy Anson Mount SupermanKal-El / Clark Joseph Kent George Newbern Justin Hartley CyborgVictor "Vic" Stone Khary Payton Brandon Micheal Hall The Joker Richard Epcar Kevin Pollak Wonder WomanPrincess Diana of Themyscira / Diana Prince Susan Eisenberg Janet Varney Green ArrowOliver Queen Alan Tudyk Reid Scott CatwomanSelina Kyle Grey Griffin Anika Noni Rose Harley QuinnHarleen Quinzel Tara Strong Gillian Jacobs Bane Fred Tatasciore N/A Black AdamTeth-Adam Joey Naber AquamanKing Orin / Arthur Joseph Curry Phil LaMarr Derek Phillips Green LanternHal Jordan Adam Baldwin Steve Blum Brian T. Delaney The FlashBarry Allen Neal McDonough Taliesin Jaffe Yuri Lowenthal Robin/Nightwing IIDamian Wayne Scott Porter Zach Callison Nightwing/DeadwingDick Grayson Troy Baker Derek Phillips Thaal Sinestro HawkgirlShayera Hol (née Thal) / Shiera Sanders-Hall Jennifer Hale Killer FrostLouise Lincoln Cameo DeathstrokeSlade Wilson J. G. Hertzler Ares Doomsday Khary Payton Hallucination Lex Luthor Mark Rolston RavenRachel Roth Tara Strong N/A ShazamBilly Batson Joey Naber Yuri Lowenthal Solomon GrundyCyrus Gold Fred Tatasciore N/A BrainiacVril Dox Jeffrey Combs Gorilla Grodd Charles Halford Atrocitus Ike Amadi FirestormJason Rusch Ogie Banks Black CanaryDinah Lance Vanessa Marshall ScarecrowJonathan Crane Robert Englund Cameo Captain ColdLeonard Snart C. Thomas Howell CheetahBarbara Ann Minerva Erica Luttrell DeadshotFloyd Lawton Matthew Mercer Doctor FateKent Nelson David Sobolov Blue BeetleJaime Reyes Antony Del Rio Poison IvyPamela Isley Tasia Valenza N/A SupergirlKara Zor-El / Kara Danvers Laura Bailey Swamp ThingAlec Holland Fred Tatasciore DLC characters BatgirlBarbara Gordon Kimberly Brooks Martian ManhunterJ'onn J'onzz Carl Lumbly Lobo David Sobolov Zod Nolan North ZatannaZatanna Zatara Lacey Chabert DarkseidUxas Michael-Leon Wooley Red HoodJason Todd Cameron Bowen StarfireKoriand'r Kari Wahlgren Black MantaDavid Hyde Kane Jungbluth-Murry AtomRyan Choi Matthew Yang King N/A EnchantressJune Moone Brandy Kopp CameoGuest characters ScorpionHanzo Hasashi Patrick Seitz Sub-ZeroKuai Liang Steve Blum Raiden Richard Epcar HellboyAnung Un Rama Bruce Barker Leonardo Corey Krueger Raphael Ben Rausch Donatello Joe Brogie Michelangelo Ryan Cooper Premiere skins ArrowOliver Queen Stephen Amell Green LanternJohn Stewart Phil LaMarr Grid Khary Payton Reverse-FlashEobard Thawne Liam O'Brien Cameo Power GirlKaren Starr Sara Cravens Mr. FreezeVictor Fries Jim Pirri VixenMari McCabe Megalyn Echikunwoke FlashJay Garrick Travis Willingham Black LightningJefferson Pierce Kane Jungbluth-Murry BizarroEl-Kal / Kent Clark Patrick Seitz Non-playable characters Brother Eye David Loefell Lucius Fox Phil LaMarr Doctor Randall Tara Strong Alura In-Ze Grey Griffin Victor Zsasz Steve Blum Reid Scott Martin Stein Fred Tatasciore Brainiac 5Querl Dox Liam O'Brien Film characters Lois Lane Laura Bailey Rama Kushna Jimmy Olsen Zach Calison Captain AtomNathaniel Adams Fred Tatasciore Mirror MasterEvan McCulloch Yuri Lowenthal Ra's al Ghul Faran Tahir Jonathan Kent Kevin Pollak President of the United States Killer CrocWaylon Jones Edwin Hodge Mister TerrificMichael Holt Plastic Man Patrick "Eel" O'Brian Oliver Hudson Mirror Master Soldier Andrew Morgado HuntressHelena Bertinelli N/A HawkmanKatar Hol / Carter Hall ClayfaceBasil Karlo Amazo Calendar ManJulian Day Perry White Cameo Weather WizardMark Mardon TricksterAxel Walker PlastiqueBette Sans Souci RiddlerEdward Nigma Two-FaceHarvey Dent Mad HatterJervis Tetch Mantis Captain BoomerangGeorge "Digger" Harkness GigantaDoris Zeul CatmanThomas Blake Pied PiperHarley Rathaway Turtle Man-BatKirk Langstrom Ron Troupe
Other media Comics
The Injustice: Gods Among Us comic book series serves as a prequel detailing the events leading up to the game, as well as those that happen in the interregnum between Superman's murder of the Joker and the discovery of the primary universe. The series was first written by Tom Taylor and illustrated by a number of artists, including Jheremy Raapack, Mike S. Miller, Bruno Redondo, Tom Derenick, and others. The comic was released digitally beginning on January 15, 2013. The series was later issued in regular comic book form, and eventually a collected edition. Tom Taylor left the series after writing Injustice: Year Three #14, with Brian Buccellato replacing him by continuing the story into Year Four and Five. The final chapter of the series was released in September 2016, leaving the story incomplete; another comic book series, titled Injustice: Ground Zero, followed afterwards, which picked up the story and concluded the retelling of the game's events from Harley Quinn's perspective.
The Injustice 2 comic book series serves as a prequel to the events of the game. The series was written by Tom Taylor, who had previously worked on the tie-in comic books for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Bruno Redondo served as lead artist, with contributing artwork from Juan Albarran, Daniel Sempere, and Mike S. Miller. Beginning on April 11, 2017, the series was released in weekly chapters through various digital retailers, including ComiXology, Google Play Books, the Kindle Store, and DC Comics' own mobile app. Print versions became available for purchase the following month on May 3, each containing multiple digital chapters.
A miniseries known as Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe, featuring a crossover with Mattel's Masters of the Universe franchise, was first published on July 18, 2018, by DC Comics. It is written by Tim Seeley with art by Freddie Williams II, and follows the second game's alternate ending, where Superman wins out over Batman. After killing Brainiac and combining himself with his ship, Superman has used Brainiac's technology to turn Batman into the Black Oracle, who can predict crimes before they happen. Damian Wayne, now an adult, teams up with Cyborg and seeks the help of the Masters of the Universe to stop Superman for good. Damian manages to free Batman from Superman's control but is killed by Wonder Woman for his betrayal, which triggers Batman's release from Superman's programming. After Darkseid and Skeletor's forces invade both Earth and Eternia, the two groups of heroes need to cooperate to save their respective worlds.
The universe of Injustice returned in the Dawn of DC miniseries Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, written by the original Injustice writer Tom Taylor.
Film
An animated Injustice film was released on October 19, 2021, as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. It is a loose adaptation of the Year One comic series, featuring a different voice cast from the video games. The film was released in both digital and physical formats.
Reception
The series has been a critical and commercial success, with praise going to its story, gameplay mechanics, presentation, abundance of in-game content, character customization options, and use of the DC Comics license.
The animated Injustice film received mixed reviews. Criticism was leveled at the plot, unceremonious character deaths, poor character development, pacing, and unfaithfulness to the source material. Some reviewers, however, praised the voice acting, action sequences, and animation.
See also Kingdom Come: A 1996 comic book featuring a similar premise to the Injustice series, such as the Joker killing Lois Lane, and Superman and Batman forming opposing factions of superheroes. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe: A 2008 video game developed by Midway Games, with similar gameplay, aesthetics, and many of the same characters as the Injustice games, which it helped inspire.
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