Injustice 3 Leak Reportedly Names Supergirl and Batwoman as First Two Characters

Injustice 3 might be the worst kept secret in gaming right now. NetherRealm has not officially announced it, Warner Bros. is still acting like nothing is happening, but there is another leak, and this one reportedly names two characters, points to motion capture work being done, and lines up with a possible play test happening right now. Stacked on top of everything else we have heard, I think we are past asking whether Injustice 3 exists. The real question is how close we are to actually seeing it.

This latest leak did not come from some anonymous account claiming an uncle delivers lunch to NetherRealm. It reportedly came from the professional resume of a stunt performer who has worked with the studio, and that resume specifically named Injustice 3. It is not an unannounced fighting game and it is not some mystery project called Project Justice. It reportedly says Injustice 3, and it appears to reveal the first two characters on the roster: Supergirl and Batwoman.

Supergirl's Return Fits the Injustice 2 Ending Where Kara Turns on Superman

Supergirl showing up again is not shocking to me. She was one of the central characters in Injustice 2. She arrived on Earth expecting Superman to be its greatest hero, then discovered her cousin had become the superpowered dictator Batman had spent years trying to stop. By the canon Batman ending, Kara turns against Superman and helps rebuild the Justice League, so if Injustice 3 continues that ending, she is going to matter. She is not just another fighter NetherRealm drops onto the character select screen.

She is one of the strongest remaining heroes in that universe, she has a personal connection to Superman, and she could become the emotional center of the entire story. I think that matters because Superman cannot remain frozen in Brainiac's collection forever. I do not care how many times Batman says the prison is secure, this is Injustice. As I put it, "Somebody's opening the bottle."

Whether Superman escapes, gets released because Earth needs him, or somebody deliberately brings the regime back, Kara will probably be the one forced to decide whether there is anything left in her cousin worth saving. To me, "that's a much better story to me than simply doing Batman versus evil Superman for a third freaking straight game." We have done that story. We understand Superman is angry. At some point even he needs a new arc.

Batwoman Would Be the First Mainline Playable Version of the Character

Batwoman is the interesting name here. Outside of a version inspired by the CW series appearing in a mobile game, Batwoman has never been a mainline playable Injustice character. If this report is accurate, Kate Kane is finally making the jump to a real roster. The immediate reaction will be that the game already has too many members of the Bat family, with Batman being the obvious one, Harley Quinn guaranteed, Catwoman likely, and Nightwing, Robin, Red Hood and Batgirl all fighting over roster space.

So NetherRealm has to make Kate feel like more than Batman with red hair in a different cape. She is a trained soldier, so her combat should be direct, aggressive and tactical, and she could use military hardware, firearms and grappling tools. If a stunt performer was specifically doing motion capture for Batwoman, that suggests she may be more than a premium skin pasted over somebody else. It points toward an actual character with her own movement and her own combat animations.

It may also hint at the story. Batwoman died in the Injustice comics, so her presence could involve a flashback, a resurrection, another universe, or NetherRealm simply choosing the continuity it wants and stepping around the comics. The franchise has never been afraid of the multiverse. The first game was built around heroes crossing between worlds, and Injustice 2 had alternate endings that changed the future. If NetherRealm wants Kate Kane alive, there are approximately 47 comic book doors it could walk through to make that happen.

The 50 Character Roster Rumor Floating Online Is Not Confirmed by This Report

This is where we need to slow down. Supergirl and Batwoman are the only character names actually attached to this new report. There is a giant 50 character roster floating around online with supposed guest characters like He-Man, Constantine and King Shark, plus release dates, subtitles and entire league storylines. None of that has suddenly become confirmed because this surfaced.

This is how gaming rumors get out of control. One believable piece of information appears, and within a few hours somebody has designed three DLC packs, a collector's edition and the ending of the story. To be clear, I am not telling you Injustice 3 has a confirmed release date or that every roster leak is suddenly real. What I am saying is that the evidence the game itself exists is very difficult to dismiss.

Earlier Resumes and Actor Comments Add to the Pile of Evidence

This is not the first resume either. Earlier this year, another report found Injustice 3 explicitly listed on the resume of an artist working at Warner Bros. Games. Before that, fans claimed the actor who has voiced Superman in these games and the actor who plays Green Lantern separately mentioned they were working on Injustice 3.

One actor allegedly said something to a fan that could be misunderstood, and one resume on its own can contain a mistake or an outdated project name. But when multiple pieces come together like this, that is where I start thinking, okay, that makes sense.

A Reported Play Test in Culver City Adds to the Timing

Then there is the reported play testing. A group recently recruited experienced fighting game players for a mystery AAA title being tested in Culver City, California. The listing did not say Injustice 3, so I am not presenting that as confirmation, but the timing lines up with everything else. A mystery fighting game being tested while resumes are connecting NetherRealm personnel and stunt work to named DC characters is hard to ignore.

Motion capture means performances are being built and animated right now. Play testing would mean somebody already has a playable version in front of them. None of that guarantees the game is six months away, but it does mean there is an actual game in development, not just NetherRealm's Ed Boon sitting in a meeting drawing Batman punching Superman on a napkin.

Why NetherRealm Needs This Reset After Mortal Kombat 1's Post-Launch Cycle

I would not call Mortal Kombat 1 a total failure, but the post-launch cycle left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. The expansion struggled, support ended earlier than a lot of people thought, and the monetization became part of the conversation far too often. After two Mortal Kombat games in a row and nearly a decade without Injustice, "I feel like going back to DC feels like a reset the studio needs."

Injustice 2 released in 2017, so by the time this game arrives we are looking at close to a decade gap. The superhero landscape is different now. DC has a new cinematic universe, the Absolute Universe has created wildly different versions of major characters, Peacemaker is more popular, Blue Beetle has a larger audience, and King Shark has become a recognizable character instead of something casual fans assume Aquaman ordered off a menu.

NetherRealm almost has too much material to work with, and the danger is trying to use all of it. Injustice 3 does not need to become an advertisement for every upcoming DC movie and television show. That is worth keeping in mind.

The Biggest Open Question Is Which Ending Injustice 3 Follows

The biggest story decision is always Superman. Do they redeem him, do they make him a villain again, do they follow Batman's ending where Superman is depowered in prison, or do they follow Superman's ending where Batman is under mind control and the regime prepares to spread across the universe? My guess is they will use the Batman ending, but we will see.

So no, none of this is confirmed, but as I said, wink wink, it is definitely happening, and I am excited. I love these games and I cannot wait to see more. What ending do you think Injustice 3 should actually build its story around?