Injustice 2, apart from being one of the best fighting games we’ve ever played, is a true feast for the eyes; an audio-visual buffet. Our favorite DC Comics heroes, heroines, anti-heroes, and villains have never looked better, and one one reason we’re so impressed with NetherRealm Studios is because our heroes have never looked so good in action before.
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When the fight begins and fists start flying, every character exhibits fighting styles and super moves that brilliantly showcase their canonical powers and personalities. NetherRealm’s creative muscles are flexed most impressively during our heroes’ super moves, which were all designed and animated from scratch for Injustice 2.
Now we’re about to do the impossible. We’re about to count down the six best super moves in Injustice 2. These are the supers that made us say “DAMN!” the first time we saw them in a character reveal trailer. These are the supers that make you elbow your friends and make explosion noises with your mouth every time you pull one off in a fight. These are the supers that leapt straight from the pages of a comic book, into our imaginations as kids, and straight onto the screen in Injustice 2.
Of course we’ll have gifs for you highlighting the best parts of every super. You can keep scrolling to see them all. We begin with number six, which presents the greatest smack-factor.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman won a spot in our countdown for her super’s sheer impact factor. The actual attack sequence is fairly simple, and we don’t get transported to any bizarre alternate worlds, but every single hit in this sequence makes us recoil in vicarious pain.
After roping her foe and pulling them in faster than gravity can weigh them down, she delivers a smack in the face with her shield that, in the real world, would likely smash a person’s face clean off. You’d think that’d be enough damage to the dome, but no, she chucks her shield edge-first right into their forehead. We’re not done. A fist to the face sends them careening down, followed again by shield and sword and shield– “Oh!, oh!” Finally, the double boot-stomp. “OOH!”
Flash
We had to include Flash’s super move. Not only is it hard-hitting and, well, flashy, it’s also just straight-up inconsiderate. He’s ruining history, here. He’s messing with the time continuum. That dinosaur probably died (or at least suffered serious cranial damage). The Sphinx is ruined. Who knows how many hours of slave labor went into that structure, and now they have to look up with aching backs and look at that giant missing chunk. Not cool.
Then there’s the doppelganger. Flash not only introduces his alternate timeline self to his present timeline self, he also brings an alternate timeline foe face to face, literally, with the present timeline foe. We could all disappear at any moment.
Scarecrow
Using his hook to rip a tear in dimensions (or something), Scarecrow is drags his opponent into a nightmarish realm where he reigns. Dangling like a doll, suspended on that terrifying hook, Scarecrow’s foe is smashed back and forth into multiple tombstones before being slammed down into their own personally inscribed grave. If you look closely toward the very end of the animation, you’ll see “Batman” written on the tombstone.
This super is brutal because it plays into a very common fear of being suspended on the end of a massive hook and being slammed into tombstones, which is the third most common fear in the United States right below fast-moving spiders and public speaking.
Brainiac
Brainiac is the universal bully. Zero empathy; total control. This is a being who literally has zero conception of other beings’ worth except the extent to which they may serve to advance his goals. And he doesn’t like to get his own hands dirty. How do you get someone to stand still? Have your robot army puncture his torso with cords and hold him in place.
How do you get rid of him? Why, call in your mothership and have it send down an apocalyptic beam of death capable of destroying entire planets. That’s not overkill or anything. Not only does he obliterate Superman, he also takes out for of his own robotic soldiers. They were probably looking forward to promotions for their role in Superman’s demise. Oh well…
Atrocitus
Atrocitus has the first super move that actually made me stop and think, “My God, I would hate to live through this.” I don’t know where the Red Lantern Corps goes to hang out, but if it looks anything like this unique version of Hell, I wouldn’t attend any party there — no matter who was DJing; no matter what kind of beer was in the keg.
Every stage of this super sequence gets worse and worse. First getting impaled, and then a full-force impact with the horn-side of a spectral bull-demon. If that wasn’t bad enough, you have to lay there on the ground and wait for this horrendous beast to vomit burning, rage-tainted blood all over your face. Just kill us already!
Deadshot
This is by far the most brutally choreographed super in the entire game. There’s no filler here. No fancy flashbacks, no fancy dimension transitions, not big explosions rolling across the screen… Just straight up brutality. Strike after strike, shot after shot, this truly is overkill.
We count ten blows total in that super sequence, and every single one of them on their own would kill a normal human being. It would kill ’em good. We don’t care how super you are, what’s in your blood, or what kind of gear you’re wearing — this sequence would put you on the ground, and you should never, ever get up again.
Deadshot gets our vote as having the most brutal super move, but what about you? Which super do you think deserves the top spot? Cast your vote below and let’s see who reigns as the most merciless hero-slayer.
