'INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US' Character Designs in Review (UPDATED)

Ten quid says Batman killed Green Arrow out of spite.

Bruce's always been jealous of my boy Ollie's awesome goatee.

To say I've been less than thrilled with the pre-release hype for Netherrealm's Injustice: Gods Among Us would be...more or less accurate.  It got to the point where I couldn't resist the urge to complain about the recent teaser trailer for the game's story mode on Twitter and unwittingly caught the eye of the game's own PR account, who told me to reserve judgement until I'd at least checked out DC's tie-in comic miniseries.  At £2.99 a pop for at least 4 issues.  Sad thing is, I probably will buy those comics just to be sure, and I almost certainly will buy the game despite what the voices in my head tell me.

Still, just because I can't nitpick the story yet doesn't mean I can't speak out on other things - like, for example, the character designs, which have foregone the straight-from-the-comics look of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe in favour of...uh, something.  Involving leather.  Again, to be totally fair and whatnot, I'm only covering the characters for whom I could find the hi-res promo renders; for some reason guys like Deathstroke and Green Lantern, who have been confirmed for a while now, don't have renders out yet.  If I find more I'll update this post accordingly.

UPDATE 10/05/13 - Added Ares and Killer Frost.

Aquaman

We're not still stuck in that 'trying to take Aquaman seriously' phase, are w...oh.  We are.  Darn.  Well, the basics of Arthur Curry's traditional look are still present, insofar as his pants are green and his top is orange and styled like fishscales.  Beyond that, Netherrealm seem to have gone raiding their own back catalogue and stuck as many bits of silly, spiky Mortal Kombat nonsense to the King of Atlantis as they could fit.  What's with all this jagged-edged metal business?  It doesn't make him look 'cool', it makes him look evil.  Black Manta doesn't usually look this frickin' scary, and that guy spends his whole life cutting off peoples' hands.  Plus the prongs on his trident look like Batman's face, which is...really weird.  Speaking of, this guy's face model looks pretty ugly and almost incomplete up close.  It's pretty much par for the course with Aquaman - even after some 40-odd years, nobody really knows who he is beyond the basics, so there's no central theme or motif to hook his design to.

Ares

Inserted largely due to Wonder Woman's exceedingly thin rogues' gallery, the God of War here takes the form of a Dark Eldar Scion from Warhammer 40k, albeit with a bit more muscle mass.  I've seen enough comic art to know that Ares does occasionally appear like this...and just as occasionally looks almost entirely different.  He's a minor enough character, with such a long time between appearances, that he hasn't yet developed a single 'uniform' look.  Anyway, the detail work isn't as obnoxious here as it is on so many others, as the lines all connect to and compliment the very spiky silhouette of his armour, and the ridged shoulders, cape and horned helmet successfully imply his status as something regal and mighty even compared to a roster of superhumans.  Though the design does evoke dread, there isn't a lot that screams 'war' - if I'd seen this guy without knowing the name, I'd have assumed he was some sort of death god or lord of the underworld (and then sulked because they could have used Nekron instead), what with the ashen skin and the skull motif on the helmet.  Still, he's one of the more simple, successful transitions from the source material.

Bane

We're mostly starting off on the right foot here.  Bane's mask - easily the most distinctive part of his original look - survives the transition mostly intact, with its red-rimmed-with-white eyes, zipper on the top and no exposed facial skin, stripping away the guy's humanity and leaving only a stark, staring promise of swift death.  The spiked knuckles and jagged arm bracers are very '90s, but then so is Bane as a whole, so that works.  On the downside, the Venom feed is too overdone, again; it's a point of vulnerability and Bane knows it, that's why it was always pretty discreet - just a tiny PDA control gizmo on his wrist and a thin cable strapped to his bicep leading up to his head.  Most guys wouldn't notice it, and so wouldn't target it.  Here, though, he's COVERED in huge green pipes that any moron could pull out or cut with minimum effort, and for a guy who does all his fighting up close...well, that's like putting your one weak point dead-center on your face, and we all know how badly that went for him.  Still, this is at least miles better than the Bane from Rocksteady's Arkham games.

Batman

*sigh*  I'm sure I've said this before, but...you know how Batman used to just wear tights?  Yeah, he should've stuck with that.  What we have here is a becaped and Bat-branded knockoff of the rebooted RoboCop, which was itself a knockoff of Nolanverse Batman, and it charts back to this dumb idea that Batman needs to be dressed like a tank because bullets can hurt him.  Reminder for the slow people at the back: Batman is a ninja.  Ninjas do not worry about gunfire because they are so super-quick they practically teleport.  If they wore armour, they wouldn't be able to do that because armour is heavy and slows you down.  Hence Batman dressing like this is akin to Batman breaking his own legs before he goes out on patrol each night.  Further point: the cowl makes it look like he's inherited Peter Cushing's cheekbones, and that's just odd.  And the colours are flat, too - bring back the blue cape and boots and the yellow chest-oval and we'll talk.

Black Adam

Now this is good, oh yes.  There's a whole mess of crazy-paving lines all over it, but it's restricted to predominantly-black areas where it kinda vanishes and doesn't cause clutter or dilute the simple, elemental original design.  The massive lightning bolt is carried over from the Shazam suit (or is it the other way around?) without any sparkly electro-lines, thankfully, and the gold/yellow accents stand out sharply from the black.  The few other details, like the rope-cords dangling from the belt and rounding the collar, are both faithful to the comics and hint at Adam's ancient origins and immortal life.  And that face?  Perfect.  Okay, yes, he's ugly as hell, but only in the way he's meant to be.  Severe hair, enough wrinkles to suggest age without overdoing it, evil Spock eyebrows, and a general sense of not-to-be-screwed-with.  I've never been a huge fan of Black Adam (or the Shazam family in general) but this is nonetheless squee-worthy.

Catwoman

There's something really odd about how Selina's face looks here, but I can't quite put my finger on it.  Her head's just a bit too narrow.  The costume is mostly fine; I'd prefer it be simpler and more like one solid piece, but I can kinda see the logic behind the more scrappy approach.  Catwoman doesn't have Bruce Wayne money to throw away on her wardrobe, so she makes do with what she can scrounge together, and if that means a parachute harness as a corset and a kneepad that appears to be a...rollerskate?...then that's what she'll go with.  The lenses on her goggles are a bit odd, mind you.  I'd get the idea of making the lenses slits to mimic the pupils of cats' eyes, but angled the way they are it doesn't look quite right.

Cyborg

As is frequently the case with technology-based characters, Cyborg's look has changed a lot over the years, reflecting the concept of constant upgrades to stay one step ahead of the bad guys (see also Iron Man and his infinite revolving wardrobe of armours).  As such, he doesn't really have a single definitive look, beyond the fact that he's usually got a silver body, three-quarters of a human face and one-quarter of a Terminator skull.  Those qualities are present here, and the rest of the body keeps things surprisingly simple; there's detail, especially around the neck, but most of the metal panels are left clean and uncluttered, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing look that matches most modern comics and catches the eye in its own right.  Top marks here.

Doomsday

Let's get one thing clear up front - Doomsday has always been a pretty stupid-looking character.  I mean, he's Grey Hulk covered in bone-spikes, with a ponytail, wearing green cyclists' shorts.  Ridiculous.  On the other hand, I've kinda always liked the guy precisely because he looks ridiculous, so all told, I'm happy the Netherrealm guys didn't really change much of anything, and the main things they did do - like putting his ponytail in a braid, and arranging his facial bone spikes to look like a bone spike beard - only serve to heighten his silliness.  I mean, really, this guy braids his hair?  LMAO.

Green Arrow

What with Ollie's standing as the one consistently good thing in the latter seasons of Smallville and as star of his own show now, it seems that the hooded look that debuted with Mike Grell's 'The Longbow Hunters' is now the status quo for Green Arrow.  While I do miss giggling at the old Peter Pan hat, I'll admit that the hood makes him a little more convincingly dangerous - and here it's been worked into a really great take on the emerald archer.  The quilted patterning is a nice way to separate the (presumably) heavier-padded sections from the rest of the suit, and the hood combines with the panels down his legs to give Ollie a rather Samurai-esque look that's quite befitting for a man who takes on powered criminals with deliberately archaic weapons as part of some code of honour.  And while I'm not especially keen on him having a nasty-looking knife to shiv people with, I do like that it clips onto his bow the way it does.

Green Lantern

"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall miss me because some asshole's gone and drawn a skeleton over my outfit with a highlighter pen, what the f***?"  Ehehehe.  Well...what do I like here?  I like that Hal still has white gloves, which makes the power ring stand out.  I like the glossy finish on the green areas; they still look flexible but armoured, hinting at the unearthly origin of the suit and his powers.  And I really like how his hair is styled, for what it's worth.  But, damn, I can't take my eyes off those stupid neon lines.  What are they?  Power conduits?  Doesn't work, they're not glowing so much as just being really brightly-coloured and why are they going outward from the centre when his power logically flows from the thing in his right hand?  It's not quite as terrible as the suit from the Green Lantern movie but it's coming from the same direction, that the suit has to look alien and strange because the ring is from space.  Maybe so, but the suit is a manifestation of Hal's will, meaning he controls how it looks; so it should fit the style choices of a cocksure jet-fighter pilot, not a Martian.  The pattern on the black areas makes them look like cycle shorts, too.  Not great.

Harley Quinn

There probably isn't a single other character in the whole DC universe that's been hurt more by their own popularity than Dr. Quinzel here (well, maybe Batman, but I'm done talking about him).  Sure, she's always had some token sex appeal to her, but that used to play second fiddle to her childlike naiveté and idiot charm.  Nowadays we've had tarted-up nurse Harley in Arkham Asylum, the knife-wielding nympho Harley from the New 52 'Suicide Squad' series, and this.  Yeesh.  I mean, look at her...top, if that's even what it is.  Four hastily-assembled belts are all that's keeping her boobs from flying out, she's not wearing a bra, and I have little doubt that's a thong to compliment those stockings.  Even if the gratuitous cleavage wasn't wrong for the character and distracting (it is), the massive gap right down the middle of the top pretty much ruins the attempt at matching the old checker-square pattern that's been Harley's staple fashion choice since the beginning.  And I'm not too keen on the hair, either - it's meant to homage her old hat, but it looks less court jester and more Little Red Riding Hood.

Hawkgirl

Hawkgirl with no Hawkman, who'd a thunk it?  Welp, I love both Hawks equally and don't object at all to broadening the game's female line-up, and this is at least a more out-there, interesting choice than another Batman villainess.  Costume-wise, it's immediately recognisable, what with the wings being unchanged and the helmet retaining the familiar silhouette.  I don't know that I care much for the area around the eyes being converted into a second mask sitting under the helm - a little too complicated - but that's a minor thing.  One thing that's not minor is the colour shift, spreading more green over the top and minimising the yellow; I can't say I understand the reason behind it, but it's not a bad choice, and one could argue that the actual spandex part of Hawkgirl's outfit is the least well-remembered (and you'd be right).  Oh, and the mace is more ornate than I'd expect of a pretty simple weapon, but hell, it's still a spiky ball on a stick.

Joker

Well...he looks like the Joker.  Not really a lot's changed, so there's not a lot to say.  I mean, he appears to have two more belts than he really needs, and there's some sort of moulded rubber over his shoulders, but those are really minor tweaks that don't distract or diminish anything.  His hair seems a little, I don't know, flat?  It's like he's just come in from the rain and hasn't dried out yet.  Also, a knife?  Really?  Yes, yes, I've seen The Dark Knight, but if you're not gonna go full Ledger with it, give him something a bit crazier than a knife.  Even just a revolver with a BANG! flag would've worked better.  One can only hope his primary special move isn't to talk about his father whilst making slurpy noises.

 

Killer Frost

No, I don't know who this is.  Apparently there have been multiple Killer Frosts over the years, each of which looked fairly different, with the only constants being an unnatural skin pallor and ice powers.  NetherRealm got both of those points right, at least.  The furry lining around her gloves and boots is carried over from at least one previous comic incarnation, as is the general outline of her...suit, i.e. it's a strapless bathing suit.  The metal sculptures and gems hanging on her front and around her neck are nicely designed, although I don't really see any relevance to 'ice' in their design, and I'm buggered if I know what the black wings stemming from her tailbone (a la Morrigan from Darkstalkers, probably the most inexplicably popular fighting game character ever) are all about, because this girl does not fly.  I'm really having a hard time picturing anyone on the dev team being super keen on getting Killer Frost into this game, unless they were just dead-set on having a freezing character to stand in for Sub-Zero.  On the plus side, she's probably got the most attractive face of all the female characters by a mile.

Lex Luthor

Ehhhn...I don't like it, but I can't blame Netherrealm for this.  I've just never really liked Lex' power armour.  Don't get me wrong, the concept is fine; Lex absolutely would use his genius mind and infinite money to elevate himself up to Superman's level somehow, and a robot suit is as good an idea as any.  It's just never really looked all that great, lacking any real individual style beyond being green and purple (which could just as easily mean Joker as much as it does Lex) and lacking a helmet to leave Lex' mighty bald mug on display, because if you're worried enough about getting hurt to wear a huge robot suit over your body, of course you'd want to leave yourself open to headshots.  This iteration isn't as busy as I might have dreaded and does look satisfyingly big, but really, DC aren't giving the devs much to work with here.

Nightwing

First things first: the fact that this guy looks eerily similar to Chris O'Donnell can't be a coincidence, right?  (go on, check out that jawline and tell me I'm wrong) Aside from that, it's a fairly successful attempt to make Nightwing's typical gear more REAL ASS without straying too far from the source.  Making so much of the blue detailing look like solid, sculpted material does make me wonder how Dick expects to be able to move in the suit, but it's nowhere near as much an issue as it is with Batman.  The cobalt blue has some very nice highlights, and...er, that's really all I've got to say.  This outfit's always been kinda basic like that.

Raven

Well...uhm...okay, full disclosure: I have no idea if this looks 'right' or not.  Of all the characters in the game unveiled so far, Raven is the only one whom I have absolutely no knowledge of whatsoever.  I mean, I know she was in the Teen Titans, including several cartoon versions of that team, but there's a part of my brain that kind of shrugs whenever I hear about 'young' superheroes so I never really watched any of said series, and she's never turned up in any DC books I've read.  So what can I say?  She's wearing a hooded cape/cloak which is somewhere between dark purple and midnight blue, which I'm pretty sure is how she typically dresses...uh, the chains and the scary steel claws certainly make her look evil, which might relate to the game's plot somehow?  I don't know - I mean, she looks more like a dark Elf from World of Warcraft than anything from DC Comics, but again, I can't tell if that's wrong or not.  I tap out on this one, guys.

Shazam

The artist formerly known as Captain Marvel before my no.1 comics gal Carol 'Cheeseburger' Danvers took up permanent dibs on that name, Billy Batson's alter-ego appears here channeling a lot of his most recent 'New 52' design, although it's not quite as terrible.  The lightning bolt on the front growing to cover practically the whole torso actually works quite well, as do the fancy armband/gauntlets, and the hood - while still pointless - doesn't cast his face in shadow as much as it seemed to often do on the printed page, which prevents the Big Red Cheese (why the hell do we call him that again?) from looking unintentionally sinister.  But dear god, what is with all those seams?  They're just unnecessary clutter that spoil the simple purity of the old design, again, and while I get the logic behind it, having them constantly crackle with lightning just gives the impression that this guy is a purely electricity-based hero, which is pretty far from the truth, and is immensely distracting.  Also, he appears to have borrowed Batman's belt.  What, the guy who flies and throws bolts of lightning needs a grapple-gun and batarangs?

Sinestro

OH HELL YEAH IT IS ON NOW!...Ahem.  Sorry, but Sinestro is basically my favourite DC villain hands down.  He's the perfect mix of believable motivation, plausible thought-provoking rhetoric, and utterly cold and relentless cruelty that makes you wonder why on earth you ever sympathised with the guy.  Here he's unsurprisingly rocking his Sinestro Corps uniform, as most will agree the blue-collared shirt has had its day (and lacks a sweet chest emblem).  Of course, there's a bunch of stuff I don't like - the ribbed lines on the black material, the robot gloves (Sinestro is always bare-handed!), the weird lightbulbs on his forearm (what ARE they?), but happily there's a lot of good to counterbalance that.  The jagged edges of yellow on his front and the open-centred 'belt' are both held over from the comics - traits shared by all members of the yellow corps - and the beefed-up, armoured collar and epaullettes match Thaal's militaristic desire for order and his pompous arrogance.  He's also kept his widow's peak hair, and while he does seem older than usual, there's a very real sense of withering contempt in his expression that suits him to a tee.  More than likely going to be my most-used character.

 Solomon Grundy

Well, he's...certainly a big zombie.  Honestly, there's not a lot that's consistent or iconic about Grundy; the only real points to nail are massive size, grey skin and a sleeveless shirt (he hates sleeves, nobody knows why), and this look ticks those boxes nice and firm.  Having various knives and whatnot sticking out from his back is a nice nod to his repeatedly-killed status, as is the hangman's noose around his neck.  I do think his face is a little too similar to many iconic interpretations of the Hulk for my liking (not helped by the purple pants) but concede that I'm not sure what else he could look like.  Dude is basically just Undead Hulk.

Superman

Hrrrrm.  Well, the shield looks great, I'll give it that.  Having the cape connect to the shield is an odd choice, but not a terrible one.  And, alright, fine, I guess he's not supposed to have red trunks anymore, no matter how boss they looked.  FINE.  The rest of it, though...it seems someone's been looking to Jim Lee for inspiration, hence a simple blue suit becomes cluttered with a hundred unnecessary seams and other crazy-paved lines that just overpopulate what has been and should be the most simple superhero outfit to get right. And of course, he's got bloody armour plating on his torso.  Developers.  Artists.  Guys.  Enough with this crap.  You know what we call Superman?  The 'Man of Steel'.  Not the 'Man of Easily Bruised Fruit'.  I get that he's not so invincible in games like this because balancing etc., but even so he's still a tough son of a gun and faster than a speeding bullet.  A couple centimeters of kevlar over his gut isn't going to help him in the least.  And what's with the half-assed kiss curl?  It's supposed to look like an 'S'!  Y'know, for Shazam!

The Flash

...so I guess the Flash is a robot now?  I don't want to repeat myself too much here, but...the whole 'must wear armour because realism' thing annoys me with Batman, and that guy is still mostly non-powered.  The Flash is faster than the guy who's faster than a speeding bullet.  There isn't a single thing in creation he can't dodge, usually without even really trying.  He does not need any of this.  Plus of course there's several different complicated textures thrown in the mix, because he can't just wear tights, it has to be...erm, fancier tights?  I don't know, but it makes it harder to notice some of the extra touches, e.g. his belt and arm-wraps both based on the same lightning design as his chest symbol.

Wonder Woman

Huh...she pretty much just looks like Wonder Woman.  I mean, yeah, she's got the new-fangled leggings instead of the old star-spangled pants, and her chest-eagle is a larger piece than usual, but generally speaking, this is the Wonder Woman of the comics.  Same colours, same patterns, not much in the way of added textures and (hallelujah) no needless armour or Jim Lee lines.  Much like Catwoman, Diana's also wound up with a pretty odd face, but I don't mind it so much here; the severity of her stare fits the character  pretty well.  More like this for the rest of the roster, please.