With sales ofMortal Kombat 1’s Khaos Reigns DLC and DLC fighters lower than expected for Warner Bros. Games, rumors are appearing that development on future DLC for the fighting game may have been canceled. Other DLC fighters, Conan the Barbarian and the T-1000, will still be released in the near future but they may be the last major DLC content added toMortal Kombat 1. If this turns out to be true, Warner Bros. could have all of NetherRealm Studios’ workforce developing their next major game. While many would expect the next game to beMortal Kombat 2, recent developments by James Gunn’s DC Cinematic Universe could make it the perfect time to produce the nextInjusticegame:Injustice 3.
James Gunn’s DCU Could Lay the Foundation for a New Injustice Game
Following the largely critical and financial failures of Zack Snyder’s DCU, Warner Bros. hired celebrated director James Gunn to essentially reboot the DCU while keeping some elements from previous films and shows intact. Gunn’s 2021 filmThe Suicide Squadand 2022 seriesPeacemakerwill primarily remain in canon for the new DCU, withPeacemakerSeason 2 expected to release in Summer 2025. Meanwhile, the rest of the DCU will be rebooted and feature new actors in the roles of DC Comics’ world-famous heroes and villains. This means that the unfinished plotlines teased at the end of prior movies such asBlack AdamandWonder Woman 1984will be unresolved.
While 2023’sBlue Beetlefilm is considered to be the first movie in Gunn’s new DCU, that project was already in development before Gunn took over control of DC’s Cinematic Universe. The first entirely new project to release under Gunn’s control isthe 2024 seriesCreature Commandos, wherein a team of incarcerated monsters recruited by Amanda Waller is sent to complete dangerous missions. The next film to appear in the DCU isSuperman: Legacyreleasing in Summer 2025, starring David Corenswet as the Last Son of Krypton. Other upcoming DCU films and series includeSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,The Brave and the Bold,The Authority,Lanterns,Paradise Lost,Booster Gold, and more.
James Gunn recently revealed that the appearance of the Justice League at the end ofPeacemakerSeason 1 is not canon with the rest of the DCU.
Potential DCU Tie-Ins With Injustice 3
It’s been over seven years sinceInjustice 2first debuted on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. Since then, twoMortal Kombatgames have been released:Mortal Kombat 11andMortal Kombat 1. However, theInjusticestory has briefly continued or been expanded upon in other ways beyond games. In 2018, DC released a six-issue sequel comic to the bad ending ofInjustice 2in the form of a crossover withHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Later in 2021, DC released the fourteen-issue prequel comicInjustice: Year Zero, as well as an R-rated animated film adaptation ofInjustice.
Whilerumors of anInjustice 3in developmenthave been spreading for months now, there’s been no confirmation from NetherRealm or Warner Bros. If the two companies were to announce the development ofInjustice 3by the end of 2024 or 2025, it may release sometime in 2026, and it could feature some characters from new DCU projects.Injustice 2already featured characters tying into other DC films and projects, with the Suicide Squad appearing prominently in the game’s narrative, seemingly in response to 2016’sSuicide Squadfilm. AnInjustice 3could potentially include G.I. Robot, Doctor Phosphorus, Eric Frankenstein, and others as new fighters. NetherRealm could additionally include some alternate costumes for fighters based on DCU films, such as an outfit of Corenswet’s Superman.
DCU Character Roles in Injustice 3
Depending on how NetherRealm addressesInjustice 2’s alternate endings, the DCU characters can play various roles inInjustice 3. The Creature Commandos could play relatively minor roles in the conflict, similar to how the Suicide Squad was portrayed inInjustice 2.Supergirl could be given a more prominent or lead roleto coincide with her upcoming filmSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrowstarring Milly Alcock. The Authority could serve an especially interesting role inInjustice 3as they may side with Superman’s more tyrannical rule compared to Batman’s efforts to restore democratic governments. Adding DCU characters to the nextInjusticegame could both expand the DCU’s influence and deepenInjustice’s famously complex narrative.
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.
