A handful of recently uncovered animations indicate that Injustice 2 almost featured Brutality finishers like the ones in Mortal Kombat. The Injustice series serves as NetherRealm’s take on the lore of DC Comics and tells the story of a rogue Superman who is driven to extremism after the death of Lois Lane - as well as a band of resisting heroes trying to stop him under the leadership of Batman. As such, both Injustice games feature plenty of gameplay elements from NetherRealm’s other popular fighting game franchise, such as 2D gameplay and impressively brutal, Mortal Kombat-style “super moves” that allow players to deal large amounts of damage to their opponents in the form of lengthy attack animations.
However, one element of Mortal Kombat that has been absent from the first two Injustice titles is Brutalities, a variation of the MK series’ signature Fatalities that can be triggered whenever an opponent is on their last sliver of health and certain conditions are met during the fight. These are notably different from Fatalities, which are only performed once the opponent is completely drained of health and only require the related button input to execute. Interestingly enough, while neither Brutalities nor Fatalities were included in the Injustice series, the earlier Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe featured “Heroic Brutalities” for the DC heroes - though these were basically non-lethal Fatalities meant to get around characters like Batman usually refusing to kill their enemies instead of the traditional Mortal Kombat Brutalities.
YouTube user ermaccer recently posted a video showing off unused Brutality animations for Injustice 2 that were ultimately cut from the finished release (via CBR). Some of these animations are incomplete, such as one for Aquaman that seemingly involves his opponent thrashing on the ground after his attack is finished, while others fully detail Supergirl tossing her enemy into the ground and Superman using his Heat Vision to blast a foe into submission. There are also a pair of Victory Pose animations for these Brutalities, as shown when Aquaman stands triumphantly with his arms crossed around his chest or his hands to his sides.
Ever since NetherRealm announced that it was no longer making DLC for Mortal Kombat 11 last summer, fans have been speculating on whether or not Injustice 3 would be the next project for the popular fighting game studio. This discussion naturally shifted towards which of DC’s pantheon of heroes and villains would be featured in this hypothetical next Injustice game, while some have even gone as far to suggest that NetherRealm could be planning a crossover game between DC and its longtime publishing rival Marvel. However, recent leaks and job listings have hinted that NetherRealm is instead working on the next Mortal Kombat game before heading back into the realm of superheroes from any company.
If and when NetherRealm decides to begin work on the much-hoped-for Injustice 3, Brutalities could be an interesting gameplay mechanic to introduce given how close they apparently were to being included in Injustice 2. After all, Injustice has taken many elements from Mortal Kombat and reworked them to fit the characters of the DC universe, as proven by the glimpse into how Brutalities could have been implemented in Injustice 2.
Source: ermaccer/YouTube (via CBR)