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Last week, Warner Bros and NetherRealm concluded the first “season” of downloadable content for the hit DC Comics fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us. Fans have already been treated to four expansion characters and two dozen extra costumes, and NetherRealm creative director Ed Boon has revealed that a second wave of DLC is forthcoming. Rumors from reliable sources point to the next four characters being Martian Manhunter, Red Hood, Sub Zero, and Power Girl, all of which would be fantastic additions, but here’s a handful of cool content options – 1 map, 2 costume packs and 2 characters – that I would love to see become playable.

Stage: Titans Tower

Season One featured a wealth of characters and skins, but so far there have been no additional stages. For those of us who have already been playing Injustice for months, some new fighting arenas, complete with new interactive items and entertaining level transitions (one of the highlights of the game), would be a great help in keeping the game fresh.

A number of iconic locations in the DC Universe already exist in Injustice, like the Batcave, the Fortress of Solitude, and the Watchtower, but one signature landmark from the comics is yet to appear – Titans Tower, the island home of the Teen Titans. Three Titans (Cyborg, Nightwing, and Raven) and their arch-enemy Deathstroke already exist in the game, and the Titans are name-dropped a handful of times, so Titans Tower seems like a natural addition to the game.

The Tower is also ideal for the multi-level aesthetic that’s become one of Injustice’s signature traits. Imagine starting a fight inside in the living room, with Beast Boy or Impulse trying to watch TV in the background, then getting kicked out of the plate glass window out to the beach below. The unusual “T” shape of the Tower would provide creative opportunities, too. Once on the ground, the transition to a third level could be smacking your opponent back into the building through the underside of the “T.” There’s a ton of possibilities for environmental destruction.

Costume Pack #1: “The Replacements”

Over the years, pretty much every DC hero has had… let’s call it a “sabbatical.”

Of the 24 characters available at the launch of Injustice, half of them were dead for some period of time. This was an especially popular trend in the 90s, when almost every major DC hero was sidelined to make room for hip replacements (not the kind your grandma got). Some of the replacements, like Artemis/Wonder Woman, lasted 15 minutes, whereas Wally West replaced Barry Allen as The Flash for two decades. And while the characters didn’t always last, a couple of the costumes were pretty neat.

I’m not suggesting adding new characters here, just providing alternative costumes off of the backs of these three would-be replacements.

For example:

1. Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner

Kyle Rayner was one of the longest-lasting of the 90s replacement characters, and the only one of them who still has his own ongoing title in Green Lantern: The New Guardians. Kyle’s had a ton of costumes for such a young character, and some of them are super cool. This one’s my favorite.

2. Green Arrow: Connor Hawke

Connor was one of the more short-lived successors of the 90s, but also one of the most interesting. Conner was Oliver Queen’s illegitimate son who took on his father’s mantle, but sort of eschewed all of his methods. He used real-ass, sharp, pointy arrows instead of gimmicky gadgets. He was calm and meditative in contrast to Ollie being a horny hothead. He’s unlikely to show up in any licensed media, seeing as he no longer exists, but this would be a cool way to at least acknowledge the character.

3. Nightwing: Dick Grayson as Batman

Just to be clear, this is a skin for Nightwing, not for Batman, meaning that it would be Nightwing’s moves and Nightwing’s quips, but in the cape and cowl. This is the one I really, really, really want to see, but it’s also the biggest longshot of the bunch.

When Bruce Wayne vanished into the folds of time, Dick Grayson became an entirely new kind of Batman, basically by continuing to be himself. He still smiled and cracked jokes, he still carried his escrima sticks, and he still tried to see the best in everybody. Nightwing wore the Batsuit while still essentially being Nightwing, so this Frank Quitely-designed Batsuit would make for an awesome alternate skin for Nightwing.

 

Costume Pack #2: “Season One”

This may actually be coming down the pike, but some alternate skins for the Season One expanded characters would be nice.

1. Lobo: Original

Lobo’s worn pretty much the same thing forever, because the biker gear just suits him so damn well. But did you know that when he first appeared he wore a dorky purple and orange body stocking? This goofy costume option would look great opposite Bane’s luchadore skin and wouldn’t it be funny to beat the crap out of Superman while wearing this thing? He can keep the cigar, though.

2. Batgirl: Cassandra Cain

I’ll be honest, I always preferred Barbara Gordon as Oracle and Cassandra Cain as Batgirl.

Cassandra is kind-of the Data of the Bat-family: an adult with the sincerity of a child and yet no ability to express herself. She’s also a brutal warrior whose literal first language is violence. Plus she’s got a Burtonesque quality to her costume and her characterization that is visually appealing.

I don’t think there’s a chance in hell we’ll see her as her own character in the game, but her costume would make for a great alternative for the Batgirl we do get in the game. Including the costume in Injustice would also be a great way for DC to appease the fans they upset when they seemingly erased her from continuity with the New 52. And since she’s usually silent, you don’t even need to dub in new dialogue – just mute Barbara’s quips and you’ve got it.

3. Zod: Man of Steel Armor

Not that there are a lot of options here, but with Superman’s Man of Steel costume available now as stand-alone DLC, there should be no reason that Injustice can’t include Michael Shannon’s cool armor from the latest Superman film. Terrance Stamp’s shiny man-dress is also acceptable.

Downloadable Characters

While the second wave of DLC promises to bring us four new (and kick-ass) characters, I think there are two others that would also be great additions to the game. They hit all the points that already existing Injustice characters do: powers that have potential for unique and devastating moves, striking costumes, and smart mouths. As an added bonus: while they’re sometimes neglected by DC-proper, both have maintained a fan base that would totally freak out if these guys became playable in Injustice. Including me.

1. Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes

The Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle feels like he was designed for a video game. He has a badass suit that makes creative and distinctive weapons and is constantly transforming and telescoping. He’s actually been playable once before in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but Injustice could really unlock his potential. How much fun would it be to take control of BB as he rockets around the stage while quipping in Spanish?

2. Static/Virgil Ovid Hawkins

He flies around on a manhole cover, manipulates metal, and shoots electricity out of his eyes and hands. People, this is a no-brainer.

Static would be super fun to play, especially in a fighting game that lets you interact with city environments. (Imagine hurling floating robots around with static electricity while trading lighting blasts with Shazam.) His throws could use the same game mechanics that the telekinetic moves do, flipping opponents around with energy instead of physical contact. Like a lot of characters in Injustice, Static has never been in a commercial video game before, but he’s also a deceptively recognizable character. He’s never been a big deal in the DCU, but there’s a whole generation who remembers the animated series Static Shock and might not even realize he’s a DC superhero. Use the license, people, and if you can, pretty please, get Phil LaMarr to reprise the voice role.

 

Injustice has already delved deep into DC lore, and introduced thousands of new potential readers to the universe. DLC is a great way to expand newbies’ knowledge while offering fans some sweet sweet continuity candy. What characters, costumes and stage would you like to see in future Injustice DLC? Sound off in the comments, loyal readers!