Back in 2013, Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios released Injustice: Gods Among Us, a DC superheroes fighting game that took place in an alternate world under the brutal rule of Superman. After The Joker tricked Superman into killing Lois Lane, the Last Son of Krypton went a little crazy and started killing anyone that got in his way.
Tom Taylor and a large team of artists have been working on the Injustice prequel comic since last year. The hit digital first series takes place before the events of the video game as the remaining heroes either side with Superman or take up arms against him.
This week, Injustice Year 2 wrapped up Superman’s war with the Green Lanterns and the Tyrant of Steel gained even more power. We recently spoke with Taylor about the end of Injustice Year 2 while looking ahead to Injustice Year 3 before in launches on Tuesday, September 30.
There are MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD for Injustice Year 2 Chapter # 24! You’ve been warned!
CraveOnline: Superman as a Sinestro Corps member is a huge power upgrade. Will he retain the ring in Year 3?
Tom Taylor: He will definitely be wearing the ring when we see him next. It makes him even scarier and less balanced.
More importantly, will the entire world view Superman with fear now that they’ve seen him “murder” Black Canary?
Yes. Yes they will.
At what point did you decide to spare Black Canary? It seemed like her death was pretty final until that last minute reversal.
Actually, this was decided pretty early on. We know she’s gone by the time of the game but I wanted to find a way to cheat a bit. There’s already too much pain and loss and sadness in Injustice. I get sick of grim and gritty and death and violence. I wanted some hope and Dinah deserved it.
Now that Hal Jordan is a member of the Sinestro Corps, will Sinestro once again be taking him under his wing?
I think Hal and Sinestro will actually find more of an equal footing. Sinestro is still as manipulative as he’s always been but Hal won’t be shying away from what he’s become. They’ll be partners more than mentor and student.
How will Carol Ferris react to Hal’s new mindset?
Not well.
You killed off three of the five human Green Lanterns in Year 2. Did you have a particular favorite death scene out of those three?
I don’t know. They were all equally brutal. That said, Kyle’s was probably the most fun as he was able to really give a lot of crap to Sinestro before he went.
One of the things we know from the Injustice video game is that the Guardians of the Universe and the Green Lantern Corps are still out there even after the events of Injustice Year 2. Will they return for more in Year 3? This strikes me as the kind of defeat that they wouldn’t easily let slide.
I think this has hit them in a big way and they’ll take a very long time to recover from this. So, no, we won’t be seeing them in Year Three.
Back when DC announced Injustice Year 3, you mentioned that your pitch was John Constantine vs. Superman. So, what brings Constantine into the conflict? And why didn’t he join sooner?
There’s a very personal reason that Constantine’s involvement increases here but we do make it clear that he’s been involved for some time. I mean, he’s Constantine. He’s involved in everything. If you don’t know he’s involved, that just proves he is.
What other magical allies will Constantine recruit for his war? And will Swamp Thing and The Spectre take sides?
You will see a lot of the major magical characters of the DCU. Yes. Swamp Thing and Spectre will have important rolls to play. Zatanna will be there along with Doctor Fate. Etrigan the Demon will have a part to play. I don’t want to spoil too much more. There will be surprises.
How does Batman handle a partner like Constantine? That can’t be an easy adjustment.
It’s a whole lot of fun. Batman needs him but is clearly unimpressed with John, and Constantine thinks a grown man dressed as a Bat is pretty ridiculous. Constantine isn’t exactly shy about letting his thoughts be known either. And no, it’s not an easy adjustment for Batman. He’s out of his element in the magical world. But that gives us a fun and highly unlikely buddy-comedy between the two.
Is there any chance that Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes will show up at some point? I’d love to see their reaction to this Superman.
I’m not sure. Hmm. That’s interesting. I’ll think about it…
At some point, will Injustice catch up with the events of the video game? Does this story have an end date?
We don’t really know at this stage, which is why I’m trying to give every year a satisfying ending unto itself. That said, the book is incredibly popular and sells well, so we’ll keep making it while people are still reading it.
Can you share some parting Injustice Year 3 teasers for our readers?
Something big and scary is about to stand with Superman, and the magical world will be rocked to its core! Also, there’s a ridiculous scene in a taxi… it may involve a monkey.
