In the entire DC Multiverse, few worlds are as dark as the Injustice Universe. In that world, a tyrannical Superman rules over the Earth with a steel fist, enforcing peace at all costs through a twisted dystopian regime. While the beginning of the Man of Steel's descent into villainy with the murder of the Joker is well-documented, it was only the start of his fall and only hinted at his much more sinister and frightening actions.
The Injustice timeline is first introduced to gaming audiences in 2013 with the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us, by Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios. A few months prior to the game's release, DC began releasing a tie-in prequel comic under the direction of writer Tom Taylor and a rotating cast of artists to keep up with the comic's weekly digital-first release schedule. This comic dives deep into the downfall of Superman and the series of events that split this storied universe down the middle. In a storyline similar to Marvel's Civil War, heroes fought each other, irreparably breaking the foundational bonds of the DC Universe.
Following the bombing of Metropolis and tricking Superman into killing his own pregnant wife, Kal-El was left with almost nothing. This monumental feeling of loss and anger would drive Superman into murdering the Joker, symbolically driving his fist through the mad villain's chest. While few could blame him for such actions, this murder would begin a transformation for Superman, taking what is familiar about the character and gradually alienating him from audience expectations. While brutal and haunting, Superman's actions following the Joker's murder would only get more so.
Following Superman's extreme action against the Joker, much of the Justice League would fall in line with Superman's idea of enforcing a strict interpretation of their peace around the globe, with Wonder Woman continually pushing Superman to act increasingly harshly. By forcing peace between warring nations and toppling tyrants, corrupt governments and terrorist organizations, Superman began to act in a way that he never had before, even taking lives when needed. While most of the Justice League believed in Superman's vision of a more peaceful world, there were others who fought Superman's need for control. Aquaman, was one such Justice Leaguer, and he raised armies across the oceans to threaten Superman and his infant regime.
To end the threat Atlantis imposes, Superman, alongside Wonder Woman, Shazam and Green Lantern, went on to find the city of Atlantis in the depths of the ocean, raise it from its foundations, and drop it in the Sahara Desert, thereby showing Aquaman just what he and his allies were capable of given the right provocation. By threatening thousands of innocent lives, Superman proves to the world that the bright boy scout has become something much darker, a twisted reflection.
In a desperate attempt to fight Superman, Batman recruited allies from all across the familiar DC Universe. Beginning in Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Two, he would partner his Resistance with the Green Lantern Corps following Superman's partnership with Sinestro. This brutal conflict would see the deaths of many, including the entirety of the Sinestro Corps and Lanterns Guy Gardner and John Stewart. During the climactic battle, Superman seemingly murdered Black Canary with his heat vision and donned a yellow Sinestro Corps ring alongside Hal Jordan.
With this added power, Superman would force Green Lantern powerhouses Ganthet and Mogo into the sun, thereby relieving the Corps of their most powerful members. In the wake of these brutal deaths, the Green Lanterns would surrender, and Batman would next find partnership in the more magical corners of the DC Universe.
By the time of Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five, Superman has fully become a heartless tyrant, murdering those who begin to question his authority. Having fully actualized his regime, movements began to pop up challenging the Man of Steel's control. One such movement operated under the moniker of the "Joker Underground," led by former Gotham cop Jason Bard. Having discovered this group's existence, an enraged Superman finds this group assembled in a Gotham warehouse.
Despite being a bunch of civilians with no real means to fight him, Superman murders every one of them with his heat vision. These actions would lead to others within the Justice League questioning their trust in Superman. While certain prior actions could be justified, this violence was senseless, sitting firmly as a landmark of far DC's premier hero had fallen.
Throughout the Injustice storyline, Superman is shown to have murdered many recognizable faces including Black Canary, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter and Hawkman. However, Superman's killing Billy Batson with his heat vision stands as the moment that Superman's evil is most transparently recognizable, both to audiences and to various members of the Justice League.
At this point, the Flash could no longer justify these continued atrocities and would begin to work down the long road of atonement leading into Injustice 2. Superman, in contrast, had fallen too far to even see that as a possibility. Even after his downfall and his eventual imprisonment, he would return in Injustice 2 with the same motivation. Though all of this began with the death of a madman, a new one would be born in his stead, carving a bloody campaign across the DC Universe while perverting the hope he once embodied.
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