[As Originally Spoiled on SNo2.]
In case you couldn’t immediately tell from reading the title, I am going to thoroughly spoil some of the most explosive and interesting moments from the Injustice 2 story mode- whether it be battles or epic cutscenes. That having been said, if you continue reading past this point and don’t want the story ruined for you, you’re probably in for a world of hurt. And now without further ado, let’s get this show on the road.
1. Krypton Destroyed, Kara Zor-El Revealed: It’s fair enough to state that Injustice 2 starts with as much or more of a bang than its predecessor because within (literally) the first five minutes Brainiac and his minions utterly destroy Krypton. Now this retelling that some of us may be used to while others may not- Krypton was failing of its own accord in some comics and movies, establishes both Clark and Kara’s set paths and provides a prologue of sorts for things to come in the future. Both Kara and Clark play a large role in the story of Injustice 2 and this calamitous event sparked the flame that ignites that story.
2. Superman Recruits Damian Wayne (aka Robin): While we’re still relatively in the past and tying together the plot of the first Injustice game, Batman and Robin head to Arkham Asylum to stop a grief-stricken Superman from murdering all of the incarcerated criminals. Along the way they fight the likes of Cyborg and Wonder Woman along with other foes. When they finally arrive to battle the head honcho himself, Batman easily gains the upper hand over the enraged Kryptonian and has just convinced him to leave when Damian Wayne comes back into focus. Robin has a knife to Victor Zsasz’s throat and true to his League of Assassins upbringing he slits the serial killer’s throat, fights (and loses to) his father, and then is scooped up by Superman as they fly into the moonlight.
3. Harley Fights Scarecrow and…The Joker: For those of you wondering how any incarnation of the clown prince of crime may be in Injustice (beyond popular demand alone) after the events of Injustice 1 led to his death and his alternate universe self’s exile back to his home, I’ve got you covered. During a multi-stage fight and cutscene which sees Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Harley Quinn fighting the likes of Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and Swamp Thing, Dr. Crane doses them all with fear gas and H.Q. hallucinates Mr. Jay forcing her to kill people and generally be a bad person. As she approaches a tied up Batman menacingly with a knife she suddenly snaps out of it and starts fighting the newest incarnation of the Joker, leading to her shattering the fear gas induced hallucination in time for the trio to pursue an injured Dr. Crane.
4. Doctor Fate Intervenes in the Name of Order: In between the dynamic duo of Green Arrow and Black Canary fighting Gorilla Grodd’s Society- comprised of Bane, Grodd, Deadshot, Catwoman, Cheetah, Poison Ivy, Captain Cold, and Scarecrow, Doctor Fate shows up to warn of an impending danger which these heroes aren’t supposed to face. If you remember correctly then after the events of the first Injustice, certain heroes such as Green Lantern and Green Arrow were killed or exiled from their specific world and now occasionally show up on this one. This impending danger is of course Brainiac, which Doctor Fate will actually later not fight against because Nobu sees Brainiac as a bringer of Order amidst the Chaos that Superman and Batman’s war has caused. Doctor Fate is ready to ferry both Black Canary and Green Arrow away which in turn naturally leads to another fight.
5. Brainiac Makes His Entrance: It shouldn’t have been long before gamers put together than Gorilla Grodd’s so-called silent partner and Brainiac were actually the same being. As the machine-driven alien ships descend over the largest cities in the world carnage ensues. Green Arrow and Black Canary are picked up by a ray of light transferring them to Brainiac’s capital ship. Oliver Queen actually even asks Brainiac if he is related to Martian Manhunter thanks to the green skin but otherwise the two heroes are rudely detained and Black Canary is nearly choked to death because they both rebel against their captor. Brainiac’s end game is obviously something along the lines of what happened to Krypton and yet many details are hazy at this point and his mere entrance alone is entirely epic and ruthless.
6. Barry Allen’s Fight Through Metropolis: After the events of the previous game Barry Allen was given something of a second chance so long as he refrained from using the Speed Force. He is forced to abandon this promise when Brainiac invades and begins destroying the denizens of Metropolis and other cities. The Flash speeds from his Arctic research station to the city and quickly defeats many of the robotic enforcers vaporizing humans right and left. Make no mistake, Brainiac and the Society planned for this and Deadshot lies in wait- coerced by a bomb inside his skull (Suicide Squad much?) and able to shoot Allen in his calf and slow the runner down. Next he must fight through a veritable gauntlet of foes- Captain Cold (angered by the death of his friends and family), Deadshot (only here by coercion), Reverse Flash (trapped her by a time paradox), and Green Lantern (because he wasn’t douchey enough the last time). It’s epic and in particular the Flash x Reverse Flash matchup has the best of dialogue and references.
7. Green Lantern Meets Atrocitus and Dex Starr: In the previous Injustice Green Lantern made the dumb decision to join Superman and became a member of Sinestro’s Yellow Lantern Corps which, long story short, is a group of bad dudes. After being exiled and imprisoned by the few remaining Lanterns in the galaxy, Green Lantern has returned and is now fighting on Batman’s side and for the correct ideals for once. Hal Jordan continuously suffers minor pauses in battle and cutscenes throughout the game and these headaches stem from Atrocitus the Red Lantern (Ragey Rage Monster!) toying with his mind and feelings. When Lantern and Aquaman are defending Atlantis from Brainiac, Atrocitus takes the time to warp in and spew rage fueled blood into Jordan’s eyes whilst trying to tempt him into taking up a Red Ring. It’s all very Lord of the Ringsy but Green Lantern resists and continues to battle his emotions (as well as Atrocitus and his feline friend).
8. Firestorm Transmutes Flames Into Kryptonite: At the facility where Superman has been held (using Lex Luthor’s brand no less), Firestorm and Blue Beetle are defedning themselves from the likes of Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Robin, and Supergirl. Of all of these people Kara Zor-El is the most manipulated and innocent, however that’s not apparently obvious to herself or to her current enemies. After recovering from the initial shock of seeing a second Kryptonian, Firestorm briefly uses his power of transmutation in order to produce green kryptonite fueled flames and keep the woman at bay. It’s downright dastardly but it’s also pretty darn awesome. Of course later the whole battling to free Superman point is kind of moot when Batman releases Clark himself seeing as he may be their only shot at facing down Brainiac successfully.
9. Wonder Woman Fights (Pretty Much) Everyone: Wonder Woman is a pretty powerful gal and this is never more apparent than when she’s forced to fight the majority of the Society and even some of her own supposed compatriots. While she and Supergirl are investigating part of Metropolis, Cheetah shows up to crash the show and shoots both of them with a massive laser. Shortly afterwards Captain Cold and Reverse Flash show up to crash Diana’s party and she has an epic moment where she reflects Cold’s ice beam and freezes the yellow speedster temporarily. After fighting Cold and Reverse Flash, she steps into what looks like fear gas and soon Superman shows up- first happy and then angry about Diana’s (actual) manipulation of his actions. In her vision she stabs the man of steel through the chest before actually fighting Jonathon Crane and likewise slicing his hand. Next up, Wonder Woman (and Super Girl) down Cheetah whom Diana says deserves to die. Cue Harley Quinn intervention and Wonder Woman stabbing her in the chest. Side Note: H.Q. has been so beat up in this entry- stabbed, heart stopped and restarted, etc. Oh, and then of course Diana and Kara fight as well.
10. Brainiac (Seemingly) Vaporizes Superman: Somewhere during their continual fight and flight throughout Metropolis, which always seems to be a focal point of utter ruination and destruction on the silver screen and in video games for Superman, the man of steel meets his maker. Or at least that’s what it looks like at the time and it’s truly gut wrenching even after all that he has done to this point, if only because Kara is so visibly shaken and everyone from Diana to Bruce Wayne isn’t sure what to make of Earth’s mightiest superhuman being ground to dust. Honestly, it’s all a little reminiscent of Darkseid using his powers to vaporize the guy. Superman has been battering the shield covering Brainiac’s ship for some time when he is hurled to the center of an already blasted crater and unceremoniously pounded by rays from the ship which leave no trace of the Kryptonian. Of course we later realize he’s probably been digitized rather than vaporized.
11. Black Adam and Aquaman Take Down Brainiac’s Shields: Injustice 2 is every bit as “go big or go home” as the previous game was and no moment more readily encapsulates this than Black Adam and Aquaman’s use of the Rock of Eternity in Kahndaq to take down Brainiac’s shields. First the duo must fight a Gorilla Grodd mind controlled Green Arrow and Black Canary as well as several other foes (Blue Beetle) prior to unlocking the mystical other dimension housed in Kahndaq that leads to Adam’s Rock of Eternity. Once inside it appears to have been a trick and they battle Grodd himself before Aquarman dispatches the gorilla permanently, ending his mind control and machinations against villains and heroes alike. Black Adam stays behind to channel the mystical energy of the Rock and sends it blasting through Aquaman’s trident and across half the planet in order to down Brainiac’s shields and allow the others a chance to confront the big bad himself.
12. Batman and Supergirl are Rescued by Superman: Upon infiltrating Brainiac’s capital ship by themselves, both Kara and Batman are trapped by the villain’s mechanical tentacles and at his mercy. When he orders his minions to kill Batman since he is only an ordinary human, Superman makes his survival and presence known and appears to narrowly prevent his former friend’s death. With the combined might of Superman and Batman they fight their way through the ship in an effort to discover where Brainiac has taken Kara and what intent he has with the rest of the world beyond mere destruction and digitization. They fight a mind controlled Swamp Thing and Firestorm, eventually realizing that they can be released when Batman uses a disruptor in close proximity to both. Doctor Fate himself shows up in order to fight on the side of Brainiac because Nobu has come to realize that Brainiac is the ultimate Order. As soon as the crew defeats him, Brainiac himself shows up and plunges a tentacle through Fate’s chest after Superman has crushed Nobu’s helm. Superman proceeds to fight Brainiac and subdue him at least for the moment, leading to Kara’s release from near vivisection.
13. Absolute Power Corrupts and Betrayal is Inevitable: In the final act itself, having subdued Brainiac for the moment the ship is falling uncontrollably and in order to save the cities and people on board Superman fuses with Brainiac’s ship and mentally steers it. After this and another fight against Brainiac, Superman and Batman return the majority of the cities not outright destroyed to their rightful places in the world. By now the majority of Earth’s heroes and villains who’ve been fighting against Brainiac show up as this is a crucial moment of decisions to be made regarding what to do with the ship and the remaining equipment and powers. Just when it seems like Superman is a decent guy again Diana of course whips him into a frenzy and all hell breaks loose. The final confrontation between Batman and Superman begins here and players are given the choice between Batman (good ending) and Superman (bad ending) before watching two versions of events unfold. I won’t ruin what comes next but allow me to say that the bad ending is one of the most chilling things I’ve seen in a superhero game.
As I’m sure I’ve by now ruined the majority of the plot of an excellent game and narrative, I hope that you heeded my warning and didn’t read through the entire thing despite wanting to come into the game relatively fresh or unknowing. If you’ve played the game yourself then I hope you’ll enjoy what I’ve talked about here and comment below. If you’ve played parts of it but not the entire story then hopefully you haven’t read through past wherever you may currently be at- I labeled things pretty specifically for that particular contingency. As always, cheers!