How would you write good Superman in a potential Injustice 3 game?

[Maxi]

The best thing about the original Injustice was the fact that, in the climax, the "real" Superman came to the Injustice universe to kick evil Superman's ass.

That didn't happen in the sequel, and instead we got a full game with evil Superman as the only Superman and Batman kicking his ass at the end.

Now, this is really problematic not only for us as Superman fans but for the image of the character in pop culture as well. This is one of the few videogames based on DC characters and featuring Superman we're getting. There's a game with Superman coming once in a blue moon, and when it comes we have to deal with the fact that it has a total misrepresentation of the Superman. And videogames are a massive medium. Much more than comics, that are niche. People who read comics are a very small minority. Most people get known these characters through movies, TV shows and videogames. For many people, this is the only thing they know about DC. Superman's popularity has been dropping for years, and this portrayal is poison for the character in pop culture.

So, given that this is the only fighting game featuring Superman that we're going to get, I propose a writing challenge: Imagine you had to introduce good Superman again in a potential Injustice 3 and make him central to the story. How would you do it while continuing the same storyline that was established in the previous 2 games?

[Superlad93]

I hope this isn't a cop out to your question. If so, I really do apologize, and I'd be more than happy to change my answer.

Anyways, I wouldn't write good Superman as being part of the story long term. What I'd end up doing is turning Batman into a hyper version of his already super obsessed self. Clark's return from the Phantom Zone would be a looming boogieman threat for him. Paranoia would set in, and he'd end up falling down a similar rabbit hole that Clark did. Clark's "phantom" (possibly in a literal sense) would haunt Bruce, and push him more and more over the edge.

I'd have Kara really coming into her own as she rehabilitates what the shield means to people. She's the sort of vanguard for this new generation of heroes who just want to come together to help the world rebuild. Bunch of new heroes from Tim and Damian's generation are all falling in behind Kara's example.

But Bruce's paranoia has reached a boil, and he think that Clark is already planning his escape. He re militarizes the heroes, and they create what is by all accounts The Regime. At this point Batman is probably gonna try an assassinate Kara (who is part of his ranks). The kids rebel after they find out about the attempt on Kara's life.

About a universe away we have our good Superman and "we're not dicks" Earth. Many years have passed since the Joker bombing, and Clark and Lois have now raised a 17 year old Jon Kent. He's a good, impatient, and very powerful kid who wants to prove that he's ready to take on the mantle. They get word from Oliver who has been making a habit of keeping in touch with other worlds as best as he can. It's a one shot forward and one shot back trip, and Clark is planning on going, but Jon takes the opportunity to prove himself and goes in Clark's place.

From there it's Super family and new generation overthrowing Batman. At the end Jon learns what it means to be Superman and what it means to use power responsibly. Batman is sent to the Zone with Superman where he learns Clark never planed on escaping. Probably tells him about all Kara has become, and his alternate U son, Jon. Jon would elect to stay and safeguarding this world alongside Kara. Good Clark would give the okay, and tell him to make sure he always checks in.

Basically just say that the Injustice world was fundamentally ****, and both sides ruled by obsessive man-children.

Gameplay? I'd give bad Superman Phantom Zone powers along with his normal ones similar to Zod in the first game. Maybe even make him like this super zen guy who is neither good nor evil? I'd maybe put Batman on super venom, and make him slightly larger along with some tech. People seem to like Supergirl's playstyle (she's top tier, I think), so I guess keep it. Jon's wouldn't be able to fly at all, and he'd be a rushdown brawler/grappler. Probably give him whatever extra power DC ends up giving him in the comics, and just adapt it for gameplay.

[Maxi]

No, that's perfectly fine. I liked your answer. I highly doubt they would ever do that with Batman, sadly. Most people wouldn't like that but are perfectly fine with Superman being evil. The only one allowed to be evil is Superman, it seems. But that's a great idea for a sequel.

[Superlad93]

Oh cool, thanks!

And yeah you're probably right that they'd be a little less likely to make him out and out bad. However, I think we might have a shot at it because of BVS. In there Bruce is painted in a pretty unflattering light story wise (action wise we're made to root for him a lot). And it all comes from his "if there's even a 1% chance" idea of Superman being a threat foolish logic. We're at the very least accustomed to an unreasonably paranoid Batman who can go over the edge.

The way you keep his image intact is by making it so maybe "Regime Batman" still generally kill doesn't. And keep him "noble" by having him make up some flawed logic about "once I kill Kara I'll turn myself over to the Phantom Zone because I'm nothing like him." However, near the end have him kill someone else and then give him the logic of "I can't turn myself over now. There's an infinite number of Supermen out there waiting to go bad. Reality NEEDS Batman!" Then gives us an obligatory "he's becoming the Joker" sort of moment when the Superman phantom that's been haunting Bruce starts to laugh that Joker-like laugh, and then the cracked smile appears and suddenly it's Joker (and your shoehorned reason for making him playable even though he's dead). People eat up that whole "he's one bad day away" stuff for Batman in relation to the Joker.

I think that would be the way to do it. Also add in like Terry McGinnis as the new Batman that was training under Bruce, and send him over to Kara/Jon's side. This way the Bat side is still represented by relatively popular new gen Bat character. Do a team up between either Kara and Terry, Jon and Terry, or Kara, Jon, and Terry to take down Batman on venom at the end.

[superduperman]

I don't play the game and have no idea how it ends but I do read the comic so if I am missing something the game addressed feel free to correct me. Here is my solution: Find a universe with a good Superman and permanently transplant him into the Injustice universe. Kill off evil Superman somehow and bring in the new guy to start from scratch. Maybe have him married to his world's Lois, and she comes with. He could be from a universe where Superman is no longer needed or in retirement. It doesn't necessarily have to be the Superman from the first game but at least make him similar. Sort of pick up where the first game left off. Batman doesn't trust him at first because he doesn't trust any Superman at this point given everything he's been through but they slowly become friends. Evil Superman is out of the picture for good. Especially since all his ties to that universe are gone anyway with maybe the exception of his parents. All future threats are outside the League and they could find "good" versions of the rest of the Regime across the multiverse. "Good" Wonder Woman. Good Green Lantern, etc.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Given Injustice 2 hinted at a Crisis-style event in the making with Reverse Flash and the ending to Flash's arcade mode, bringing the good universe back in wouldn't likely be any kind of struggle.

[Superlad93]

True. Crisis-style event is very likely.

At that point we could get President Superman (who is in Green Arrow's ending), and a bunch of other universe characters.

[Knightsilver]

True. Crisis-style event is very likely.

At that point we could get President Superman (who is in Green Arrow's ending), and a bunch of other universe characters.

Now I'm imagining how cool a COIE-style videogame could be.

[jason white reborn]

The best way to bring back superman's humanity is to bring his son jon kent back somehow

Jon kent is one of the biggest things to come out of rebirth...and the best way to end the last remnant of new 52 superman(gritty dark superman) is for him to meet his son

Maybe darkseid brought the kid back

[FishyZombie]

It's an elseworlds so Netherealm can be as blasphemous as they want, heck that's part of the story's appeal. I just wish they'd rename him Ultraman. Also having the good main earth Superman show up from time to time. Those two would minimalism the damage it does to SM's reputation I think, without keeping them from telling the story they want I think.
As far as redemption goes, even if they'd time travel him back to being a good guy, it would be hard to get past how we know what this version of Superman is capable of given the right push. I wouldn't be able to take him seriously as a legit Superman. A legit Superman to me is virtually incorruptable. Or at least incorruptible enough to not be capable of falling as low as regime Superman.

[darkseidpwns]

Kill him and replace him with a good Superman from another Earth.

[Maxi]

It's an elseworlds so Netherealm can be as blasphemous as they want

I think I made my point very clear on my original post. Yes, I understand it's an Elseworlds, the problem it's that it's not one of hundreds of comics that come out every year, it's the only videogame featuring Superman we have, it's the only thing MILLIONS of people (a lot more than those who read comics, which are a small minority) are exposed to, and their only way to know the characters for many. This is something that it's affecting Superman in a negative way.

[godisawesome]

Kill him and replace him with a good Superman from another Earth.

My main idea as well, though I'd have the new good Superman hail from a planet with a fascist Batman antagonist, just so fair's fair (and because, even as a Batman fan, I'd like to see an evil Batman to get put in his place.) I'd also like to see a whole character interaction be having the good Superman and his world refuting and breaking Injustice Superman's world view so that Injustice Superman can have a bit of a spiritual reckoning and admit he's wrong.

Maybe have some Crisis style situation happen where the two Earths are combined at e end, but online with COIE, people remember their previous life's and now we have to deal with a world with double the population of heroes, villains, and civilians.

[Sacred Knight]

To end the entire thing I'd have him him repent and die in a sacrificial manner. Maybe in the process cause a reset to the moment he killed the Joker and instead he chooses not to. Upon making this choice, the "illusion" of Lois being Doomsday is in of itself revealed to be an illusion, and the mastermind of it is outed: Manchester Black. He is defeated and the series ends with the terrible future averted.

[DochaDocha]

I probably would leave out good Superman altogether. In that sense, I probably shouldn't have contributed to this thread, because it avoids answering the original question...

But since I've committed to answering, I'd say just show us how utterly screwed up some of the other heroes are, too. It will be the third go-round, so I suggest making Batman the big bad. How many times do you make the same villain three times in a row? This isn't Mega Man.