Earlier this summer, DC Comics' bet big on a suffocatingly serious universe in the form of the much hyped Batman v Superman. The film failed to meet critical and financial expectations at the box office. Rumors have been flying ever since that the film branch of the comic book publisher is trying to quickly shift course, adding humor and color to the company's next film, Suicide Squad. Presumably promotional work for Injustice 2, a sequel to the DC Comics fighting video game series, had begun long before the release of Batman v Superman. That would explain its unflinching commitment to a colorless, brooding, mechanical version of the DC universe.

The animated trailer manages to be even less colorful than the original game. The scene takes place in a dark hallway lit by long fluorescent bulbs. Batman, Superman, Flash, and other heroes pulverize one another. A man who needs a glass of water performs a monologue that sounds like the ramblings of a boxer who's taken 50 too many punches to the head.

Injustice 2, like its predecessor, comes from developer NetherRealm Studios, who are responsible for the most recent Mortal Kombat games. NetherRealm has shown as surprising talent for grafting enjoyable stories around the hundreds of fights that compose a fighting game campaign. Injustice 2 will continue the story of the original. This bit of detail, reported by Polygon, sounds a lot like this summer's film:

In the sequel, Batman and his team are working to restore society to what it once was against a group of people who want to reinstate Superman's regime. The studio also teased a bigger threat to Batman and the world at large that will be introduced in the new game.

Injustice 2 is scheduled for a 2017 release. We expect to see gameplay and learn more details at E3 next week.

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