The Injustice Series Has Only Scratched the Surface With a Character I2 Skipped

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For nearly 12 years, numerous DC Comics heroes and villains, as well as a variety of guest fighters, have been featured in the Mortal Kombat-esque battles between a tyrannical Superman and a freedom-fighting Batman in NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice universe. From DC classic characters such as Wonder Woman to fellow comic book-originating characters such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, fighters of all kinds have been featured in Injustice’s campaign, multiplayer, and expanded media.

However, some characters have been focused on more than others, with several fighters not returning in the 2017 sequel Injustice 2. With rumors of NetherRealm creating an Injustice 3 soon, the developer should consider bringing back one Injustice 1 DLC fighter as a mainstay in the next campaign: Zatanna.

The History of Zatanna in the Injustice Universe

First appearing in 1964’s Hawkman #4, Zatanna is one of DC Comics’ most popular magic users and female superheroes. The daughter of world-renowned magician and sorcerer Giovanni Zatara, Zatanna was born with innate magical powers, the most famous of which being her ability to manifest anything into action or being by saying phrases and backwards, such as saying “etativel” to levitate. Growing up idolizing her father, Zatanna became a powerful magician and sorceress in her own right as well as a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, leading her to join and even lead several superhero teams, such as the Justice League, Justice League Dark, and Sentinels of Magic.

In August 2013, Zatanna was the final DLC fighter to join Injustice: Gods Among Us’ roster after coming in first place in a Twitter poll for the most requested character to join the game. Zatanna would later join the free-to-play mobile versions of both Injustice 1 and 2 for iOS and Android devices. Here, Zatanna uses her magic powers and magician tricks to teleport about the battlefield, burn and electrocute her opponents, and become intangible, among other move sets. Zatanna was voiced by Lacey Chabert, who first portrayed the character in the 2010 animated series Young Justice and later reprised her role as Zatanna in the 2013 game Young Justice: Legacy as well as the 2016 animated series Justice League Action.

Zatanna’s Role in the Injustice Comics Explained

Since Zatanna is a DLC character, she doesn’t play a role in Injustice 1’s main campaign. However, she does appear in the Injustice 1 comic book prequel series written by Tom Taylor and Brian Buccellato. Set in the five years leading up to the events of Injustice 1, the comics follow Superman building up his One Earth Regime and Batman recruiting allies to stop the Kyrptonian. Zatanna first pops up in Injustice Year Three, aiding Batman’s efforts by granting the Insurgency asylum in the Tower of Fate, rescuing John Constantine, and later teleporting the Insurgency to Alaskan lead mines for refuge. Zatanna’s Classic Battle mode ending later suggests she imprisoned some Regime forces in the Tower of Fate after Superman was defeated.

Zatanna’s Potential Role in Injustice 3

Zatanna doesn’t appear in the Injustice comics beyond the beginning of Injustice Year Four, and she never makes an appearance in the mainline Injustice 2 game or the 2021 Injustice animated film adaption of the first game. She does appear in the 2018 Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe series, set after Injustice 2’s bad ending, wherein Zatanna recruits He-Man to help fight against a Brainiac-empowered Superman and shields the Insurgency from Superman’s surveillance. However, if NetherRealm is working on an Injustice 3, they’ll likely ignore the events of the He-Man crossover to develop their own sequel story. Despite being MIA for most post-Injustice 1 stories, there’s still a lot of potential for Zatanna to appear in Injustice 3 and related expanded media.

With Doctor Fate slain by Brainiac and the Helmet of Fate crushed by Superman in Injustice 2, there are only a few magic heroes or villains left in the Injustice universe. Zatanna could return in Injustice 3 as the leader of a new Justice League Dark alongside Swamp Thing, Constantine, a reformed Raven, and a new Shazam after Billy Batson was killed by Superman in Injustice 1. She could also be depicted training new magic users to ensure there’s always a strong defense against Superman, as magic is one of his greatest weaknesses. If Zatanna doesn’t appear in the game Injustice 3, she could still be featured in comics set between Injustice 2 and 3 as DC has routinely published Injustice prequel comics set before the games’ events.

“}]] One magical DC Comics heroine deserves more time in the spotlight in NetherRealm Studios’ rumored Injustice 3 after being MIA in Injustice 2.  Read More