DC’s Injustice: A Dark Side of Superman

Finally, this long-awaited animated feature has become available, and it doesn’t disappoint. For those familiar with the video game, you already know the premise to this movie. For those who don’t, let’s just say it’s the flip side of Superman’s decision in the seminal Kingdom Come series written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross. Though people tend to compare him here with Omni-man as he appears in Invincible, he is more of like Plutonian in the comic book Irredeemable also written by Mark Waid (hmm…).

What would happen to Superman if Lois Lane were murdered? This movie answers that question, and provides a side of Superman probably only seen in the darkest corners of the elseworlds universe. And, the film paints a scary picture. As is found in many epic Superman stories, the movie wouldn’t be complete without the presence of the other two members of the DC Trinity: Batman and Wonder Woman. Having said that, ‘Injustice’ also includes an array of supporting super hero characters that form part of the DC comics mythos with most of them coming from the Justice League bevy of characters.

With the characters set, and the premise plotted, we get to see how far Lois’s death can darken (strenghten?) the moral compass of the Man of Steel. The result is a police state not far from the imagination of Batman himself, though one can argue that a Superman police state is far scarier than one envisioned by the Dark Knight himself. Most especially since Superman has the raw power to carry it out without need of a lot of prep time. As we see just how far Superman can take his new moral compass, we can also see the heroes themselves take sides on the world Superman wants to enforce. There is no in-between here as battle lines are well-defined, and even Superman gets help from an unexpected, but unsurprising source.

Amidst the chaos, and destruction there is an apt order established; and one wonders if this is the way the way the world should have always been from the beginning yet it took so long to realize. However, even though the title of the film reveals its nature, let us not forget that this is still a Superman story, and the very best Superman stories are when he is at his best. This is the question the movie seeks to answer with its resolution: what indeed is the best version of Superman?

The answer is found in the vast multiverse that is the DC mythology though the answer still posits more questions. In the end, it is Superman himself who decides if this injustice done to him is worth the price of his ideal Earth or betrays the memory of his wife Lois. Even if the video game doesn’t provide any real ending to this madness, the film does provide the closure warranted. And, Superman is revealed as the hero we deserve even from the darkest depths of his soul. However, you still get to wonder how long before this tragedy happens again in the vastness of the DC Multiverse. Still, ‘Injustice’ shows Superman as he is: the best of everything we hold dear.