An Unlikely Crossover That Eventually Led to Injustice Happened on This Day 17 Years Ago

One of gaming’s most unlikely crossovers from 17 years ago ended up leading to massive advancement for two massive franchises. As with any long-running property, franchises like the DC Universe and the Mortal Kombat series have had their ups and downs. During a particularly down period for the latter, the fighting game series arranged for a crossover with the former.

The result was an unlikely “peanut butter and chocolate” situation, the hard-hitting fighting game violence of the classic fighting series landing surprisingly well with a superpowered fist. It was so successful, in fact, that it inspired exciting directions for both franchises and helped cement NetherRealms as a developer. Here’s how Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe helped lay the groundwork for the present-day Mortal Kombat resurgence and inspired one of DC’s most successful modern spin-offs.

How Superman Met Scorpion

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe literally fused the two franchises together, in turn laying the groundwork for the super successful Injustice: God’s Among Us sub-franchise. The final Mortal Kombat game to be directly produced by Midway Games before the company went bankrupt, an early showcase for a more cinematic-minded Mortal Kombat caught the interest of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

After penning a deal between Midway and DC, the game was restructured and turned into a crossover between Scorpion and Superman. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe focuses on the unexpected combination of Shao Khan and Darkseid who, after being defeated at the same time in their respective universes, merge into a new villainous form. With the universal fusion risking both worlds, Raiden’s assembled warriors and the Justice League unite for the fate of their worlds.

Notably, the story mode for the title was especially expansive for its era, with more fully animated cinematics and a central narrative that ran for hours. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe sold well and performed decently with critics. It was a major justification for Warner Bros. Interactive’s investment in the series, which has, in turn, led to a number of new entries. Notably, the game’s two biggest innovations — a darker fighting game riff on DC superheroes and a genuinely cinematic narrative imbued into the fighting game series –- ended up having a huge influence on both franchises.

The Rise Of Dark Kahn

Taking inspiration from Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe‘s success, the newly acquired Midway Games was reestablished as NeverSoft Studios and began development on new fighting games for both series. Mortal Kombat creator/NeverSoft Creative Director Ed Boon focused on the narrative-driven elements of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, setting up the 2011 reboot of Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat‘s reboot embraced a greater focus on cinematic storytelling and laid the groundwork for overt reboots of the franchise – in turn setting the stage for the increased focus on cinematic storytelling in games like Mortal Kombat 1.

This was also followed by 2013’s Injustice: God’s Among Us, which quickly became one of the defining DC video games of the era. Fully embracing the DC Universe’s sense of bombastic melodrama and grandiose powers but retaining Mortal Kombat‘s gameplay style and darker storytelling, Injustice took plenty of cues from Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The game mimicked the traditional fighting game mechanics, albeit with less gory moves in lieu of bombastic special moves that were more fitting for the superhero genre.

The story mode expanded on what the Midway team was able to do with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, fulfilling Ed Boon’s intentions for a more story-driven fighting game campaign. During the early development of that title, Boon had to fight tooth and nail to get that game’s cinematic story mode fully developed. By contrast, Boon’s time as Director on Injustice helped make its storyline into a selling point. The original narrative, focused on a traditional DC Universe interacting with a grim reality where a mourning Superman murdered the Joker and became a tyrannical “peacekeeper,” proved to be a compelling riff on the darker potential of superheroes, years before the likes of Invincible and The Boys fully indulged in the concept. 

Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe Changed Both Franchises

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe may be an odd outlier in the overall history of both franchises, but the impact it had on both franchises is still felt almost two decades later. Mortal Kombat being given a more overt storyline helped push the franchise away from just the standard fighting game formula and into a more narrative-driven form. In the years since, Mortal Kombat has introduced an entire multiverse of possibilities in the game universe, while the series has found renewed potential in the world of live-action and animated film.

Meanwhile, Injustice: Gods Among Us and the reality it introduced became a massive success for DC. The game has subsequently spawned various mobile and arcade spin-offs, eventually getting a formal sequel in the form of Injustice 2. The universe was also expanded into expansive spin-off comics and an animated film.

The Injustice universe has even crossed over with the core universe of the mainline DC Comics, using the Mortal Kombat-influenced DC Universe as a direct contrast to the traditional form of the franchise. Alongside the Arkham series, Injustice has defined DC’s expansion into the modern gaming space, an experiment that proved the superheroes could be properly adapted into the gaming space. None of that would have been possible without Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe becoming a surprise success 17 years ago.