Playing with its multiverse and exploring the most outrageous scenarios with iconic, timeless characters has been DC Universe’s bread and butter since its conception. Across a litany of platforms and mediums, beloved heroes, villains, anti-heroes, and everything in between have been subject to countless marvels, terrors, and extraordinary situations to the delight of many. One such popular rendition that pits fan favorites in another dark multiverse bender is found in NetherRealm’s Injustice series, where Superman becomes a tyrant closing the world in a Kryptonian fist and a downward spiral of tragedy follows. Though it’s been roughly 8 years since the release of Injustice 2, there is still very active fan interest in seeing the series continue.
Some might argue that Injustice is simply a Mortal Kombat game with a DC Universe coat of paint on top, as the mechanics of the individual games beneath the NetherRealm umbrella are deeply similar, especially given the running theme of exploring multiverses and jumping timelines with the developer’s most recent titles. The stretch of time between Injustice 2 and its awaited sequel, however, presents a unique opportunity for NetherRealm to shake things up and take it from the top.
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Rumor: Mortal Kombat Dev Already Working on Story Mode for Next Game
NetherRealm Studios, known for its Mortal Kombat and Injustice games, is seemingly working on the story mode for its next project.
Injustice Acting as DC’s Own Multiverse Of Madness Might Be a Great Idea
NetherRealm needn’t throw away the entire premise of the previous titles; the next game may even be called Injustice 3 in the same way that Mortal Kombat 1 is a soft reboot of its story spawned from the events of Mortal Kombat 11 but retconned a lot of new stories for old characters. Due to the amount of time that has passed, however, Injustice 3 could draw in fans both new and old. Rather than refreshing everyone’s memory of what transpired 8 years ago, NetherRealm could flip the script entirely and pull another Mortal Kombat 1 move. The benefit to inducing a multiverse and dimensional travel into a story is that it permits big shifts in the story and entirely new takes on known characters.
Maybe instead of having Superman kill the Joker (as was the original sin of the first game), the victim could be Lex Luthor, resulting in a butterfly effect that’s drastically different in a multitude of ways. NetherRealm could also make the primary antagonist another character entirely, as DC has done with stories in its other mediums. Batman or Wonder Woman, for example, could murder another character entirely. NetherRealm could take Injustice 3 in any direction as long as the story itself is compelling, regardless of its connection to the previous titles — or decided lack thereof.
Pros of an Injustice Reboot
- The chance to fix plot holes and explain inconsistencies within the story and gameplay
- Introduce other highly requested characters for the roster
- New game modes to tie into the affordances of the main story (like Mortal Kombat 1‘s invasions mode)
- Promotes recent DC Universe content and ties into marketing campaigns
Regardless, the premise of a sequel would need to enrapture audiences as if it were the first title for a rebooted concept to generate the proper hype. The succession of released Mortal Kombat sequels disrupted fans’ expectations of in which order the sibling titles would be released, ultimately electing to leave the fate of the DC adaptation in dated suspense. There is also the possibility that such a jarring change might place an Injustice 3 reboot under a critical eye, as some responses to the retconned backstories of some of Mortal Kombat‘s characters sparked debate among fans. With Mortal Kombat 1 well into its lifecycle, the conversations surrounding a possible Injustice 3 have once again begun to circulate, and the truth about what’s up NetherRealm’s sleeve is anyone’s guess.
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