Summary
Developer NetherRealm fell into a fairly regular pattern with its video game releases in the 2010s. 2011’sMortal Kombatbrought the franchise back in full force, and the groundwork laid by it was used just two years later forInjustice: Gods Among Us, a fighting game centered around the DC universe. In 2015, NetherRealm releasedMortal Kombat X, which continued to refine and add to the studio’s fighting game formula, and just like the first entry did before it,Injustice 2carried that formula forward in 2017. But whenMortal Kombat 11released in 2019, no thirdInjusticeentry followed it.
Instead,Mortal Kombat 11was followed by last year’sMortal Kombat 1. However, sinceMortal Kombat 1’s release, NetherRealm’s Chief Creative Officer, Ed Boon, has teaseda newInjusticeentrya few times. In an interview with The Direct back in July, Boon stated that he “would be surprised if [NetherRealm] never did [Injustice] again.” This is far from an official confirmation thatInjustice 3is in the works, but it does suggest that it’s only a matter of time. And whenInjustice 3does launch, it could come with one big advantage thatMortal Kombatdoesn’t get.
Injustice 3 Could Bring Back The Injustice Comic Series
Over the course of three years, five separate volumes of theInjusticecomic were produced, each one detailing a year in theInjusticetimeline.
The Injustice Comic Series Is More Than Just a Retelling of The Game’s Events
All the way back in January 2013, just a few months before the game’s launch, anInjusticecomic hit digital storefronts. Written by Tom Taylor and illustrated by Jheremy Raapack, this first issue ofInjustice: Gods Among Uswas just the start in a surprisingly long run of comics set in the video game’s distinct version ofthe DC universe.
Over the course of three years, five separate volumes oftheInjusticecomicwere produced, each one detailing a year in theInjusticetimeline.Injustice: Year Onesees Joker killing Lois Lane and driving Superman to madness.Year Twosees Superman take on the Green Lantern Corps.Year Threeintroduces magic-users like Doctor Fate and Constantine and sees them joining the growing Insurgency led by Batman.Year Fourshows Ares using the ongoing conflict between the Regime and the Insurgency to gain power, andYear Fivehas Batman and Lex Luthor trying to contact a different universe for aid, leading directly into the events of the firstInjusticevideo game.
In the lead-up toInjustice 2’s May 2017 release date, DC published another handful of comics based on the video game series. Running from December 2016 to July 2017, DC releasedInjustice: Ground Zero, a comic that retold the events of the first game from Harley Quinn’s perspective. A prequel comic that filled in the gap betweenInjusticeand its sequel, simply titledInjustice 2, also ran from April 2017 to October 2018.
The most recentInjusticecomic series is its most bizarre, withInjustice vs. Masters of the Universerunning from September 2018 to March 2019. This comic takes place afterInjustice 2’s Superman ending, where the Man of Steel reforges his Regime. To try and stop Superman, Batman and the Insurgency recruitHe-Man and the rest of the Masters of the Universe.
Injustice 3 Should Resurrect The Injustice Comic Series
While theInjusticecomics have their slower moments, they’ve generally been worthwhile reads for fans ofNetherRealm’s fighting games, fleshing out the world and characters a bit more thoroughly than the games' story modes. If/whenInjustice 3happens, it would be great to see another comic run revolving around NetherRealm’s bleak DC universe, with the developer using it as a way to fill in some story gaps between entries.
Injustice 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Power up and build the ultimate version of your favourite DC legends in INJUSTICE 2.EVERY BATTLE DEFINES YOU: With every match you’ll earn gear to equip, customise and evolve your roster.A NEW THREAT RISES: Picking up where Injustice left off, Batman struggles against Superman’s regime, as a new threat appears that will put Earth’s very existence at risk.THE BEST OF DC: Choose from the biggest DC Universe roster ever and battle across iconic locations in epic-scale battles.BUILT BY NETHERREALM: Developers of the best-selling and critically acclaimed MORTAL KOMBAT franchise.
