Injustice is the worst DC Comics animated adaptation

DC Comics Injustice was a disappointing revision of the classic video game and comic book series.

The comic book series and video game Injustice were both hits. The story of Superman becoming a despot and most of the Justice League supporting him was an interesting concept. We’ve seen evil Superman before, but not like this. In this reality, he thought he was the hero. In some ways, it was understandable.

Wars were all but eliminated and people were safer. However, at what cost? His foot soldiers were beating people for small infractions. On the other side of this was Batman and the Insurgency. They were the last line of defense against Superman and his Regime. The two teams battled for years. Friends on both sides were killed along the way. Among them were Nightwing, Alfred Pennyworth, and Lex Luthor.

Like many, this writer couldn’t wait to see Injustice adapted into a movie. It had all of the ingredients for a phenomenal film. That’s on top of the fact that animated DC Comics movies rarely miss the mark. Well, everyone misses sometimes and Injustice is a prime example of that.

*** WARNING! THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!! ***

Injustice rushed

The war between Batman’s Insurgency and Superman’s Regime lasted five years in comic book time. With that in mind, there really should have been multiple Injustice movies. Or, if they went the route of an animated series, they could go into detail and make it last longer. Instead, however, it was compressed into a single film and the entire movie was rushed.

Getting to Superman murdering Joker immediately made sense. That was the most renowned moment of the series. Everything after that, however, was done too quickly. The fact that the scene in which he was sitting in the Fortress of Solitude with Joker’s blood still on his hands was left out highlights that. That was a powerful moment that needed to happen. We’d never seen Superman in this state so it was rather shocking in the source material but we didn’t get that here.

Wonder Woman’s attempt to kiss Superman was another rushed moment. It hadn’t even been a week since Lois died. That’s not something Wonder Woman would do – not even in this reality. It made her look more emotional than calculated. In the comic book series, she took her time and made certain that her moves were done without breaking her bond with Superman. But the film missed the mark on that. And it wasn’t just rushed, it poorly-executed.

Then there was the end. Five years of a movie done in what may have happened in a total of a couple of months tops. By the time the final battle ended, there wasn’t that much emotion to Superman’s loss. It was just another villain defeated by the heroes. When Superman defeated his evil counterpart in the comic book and video game, it meant something. Here, it wasn’t anything special.

Gone in a Flash

In the comics, The Flash was a crucial part of the story. He was the one person in the Regime that truly questioned Superman and everything he did. Sometimes Flash did things out of respect for his teammates. Other times it looked as if he feared Superman. Nevertheless, Flash wasn’t important to this story at all. Even in his death.

He was killed and we didn’t hear about it again. A death doesn’t mean anything if nothing comes of it. How do you not mention the death of one of the best members of the Justice League? That’s why Superman turning into a tyrant after killing The Joker was monumental. Seeing the Man of Steel broken isn’t something to take lightly. Unfortunately, the Flash’s was.

Removed classic moments

The problem with rushing a project is missing out all the good parts. The scene where Alfred Pennyworth meets Superman after he takes over? Didn’t happen. Wonder Woman, Shazam, and Green Lantern battling Aquaman and Atlantis? Removed from the movie. They didn’t even use the scene where Superman breaks Batman’s back and then tortures him for information.

Moments like these added to Supes’ slow progression to becoming the evil tyrant he is in Injustice. In this film, his descent into madness and rage was almost instantaneous. Granted, this was an alternate Injustice reality. But that shouldn’t matter. Character building was nonexistent here and it was disappointing to say the least.

The travesty of Harley Quinn

The best part of the Injustice story was Harley Quinn. She went from being Joker’s sidekick and punching bag to being a fantastic hero. We saw the side of Harley that displayed her genius. People forget that she’s a psychiatrist. That’s not something that’s easily accomplished.  It’s also a skill she used to defeat Lobo and escape out of Hades (literally). A debate could be made that Batman’s team would’ve lost without her.

In the Injustice film, Harley was just, well, there. She could have been killed in the first part of the movie and nothing would have changed. She wasn’t even as fun and entertaining as she normally is. The only thing that came out of this was Green Arrow changing the name of his hideout from the Arrow Cave to Quiver joke. So, at least there’s that.

Injustice conclusion

If you’ve never played the Injustice game or read the comic book, you will probably enjoy the DC animated movie. But if you’re like me and consider yourself a fan of both, then you will likely be rather disappointed because of all the wasted potential in the movie.

And even for the good in there, you still have to get past the lack of character development, questionable pacing and the premature escalation of the story.

What do you think? Did you enjoy Injustice? Let us know in the comments below.