DC has been featured heavily in video games over the years — there have been video games based on DC superheroes for almost as long as video games have existed. As time pressed on, DC spread into the different genres of games, and it was only a matter of time before DC’s best crime fighters made their way into the intense and technical world of fighting games. The first major attempt at creating a DC fighting game was, infamously, Midway’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. While it was a decently competent fighting game, it was largely met with mediocre reviews and many disappointed fans.
Fortunately, Midway’s transition to NetherRealm brought another attempt at a DC fighting game: Injustice. Thankfully for the studio, the game was a massive success and spawned a sequel, Injustice 2, and numerous crossovers with modern Mortal Kombat games. Despite featuring a wide pool of characters from the DC universe, the Injustice games haven’t used every DC hero. Most DC games, especially fighting games, have pulled from the biggest heroes DC has to offer. However, there are several characters that would feel at home in a fighting game but have been completely overlooked.
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10 Wildcat
Wildcat is one of the most obvious choices for a fighting game. While he doesn’t have any superpowers, Ted Grant started his career as a heavyweight boxer. When he was framed for a murder, he donned the mantle of Wildcat until he was absolved. Even after clearing his name, Ted continued to fight crime as Wildcat and even served as a member of the Justice Society of America.
Despite his power relative to other DC characters, he has gone toe-to-toe with some of the greatest heroes, and he has even become a mentor to others. He would make a great brawler character that uses boxing as his fighting style. There aren’t many fighting game characters that fit the boxing archetype, and there are even fewer in games like Injustice. Wildcat would make the perfect addition as a character who takes just as many hits as he gives.
9 Ambush Bug
Ambush Bug would be a weird choice, but it is also a fun one, seeing as he is basically DC’s answer to Deadpool. However, Ambush Bug isn’t quite as powerful or as popular. Despite that, he would make the perfect addition to any DC fighting game. Ambush Bug’s main power is teleportation, which allows him to teleport basically anywhere. While that may not make for a particularly interesting fighting game character, his ability to break the fourth wall would bring some fun flavor.
Capcom was able to implement Deadpool’s fourth-wall-breaking knowledge into their own game, so it is reasonable to assume that the same could be done for DC’s own loveable loser Ambush Bug. In a more violent game like Injustice, Ambush Bug could draw inspiration from Fatalities made famous by the Mortal Kombat games. He could also teleport the opponent anywhere across the DC universe or senselessly beat the opponent with the life bar like Deadpool. The possibilities are truly endless with a character like Ambush Bug.
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8 Mr. Terrific
Michael Holt is another obvious character that should be included in a fighting game. At one time, Mr. Terrific was a relatively niche character in DC, but he has since developed a large following and grown rapidly in popularity. His growing recognition is well warranted, because he is one of the smartest and most powerful heroes out there, and his intelligence has granted him some incredible feats.
His famous “T-Spheres” would be the easiest tool of his to adapt into a fighting game mechanic. They are small orbs that Mr. Terrific can control and use to attack, defend, and do almost anything else he needs. They can be projectiles fired at an enemy, shoot lasers, create shields, or shock enemies. There is so much potential from a gameplay and story with Mr. Terrific.
7 Sandman (Golden Age)
While many fans are well aware of Neil Gaiman’s revolutionary work on Sandman, some may not know that Gaiman actually rebooted a Golden Age comic character by the same name. Morpheus Lord of Dreams may be a great pick to be included in a fighting game, but frankly, he is not especially combat-focused. His Golden Age counterpart, however, is perfect to go toe-to-toe with other heroes.
Wesley Dodds is an amateur detective and chemist burdened with prophetic visions. He is equipped with a gas mask and gas gun that sprays a sleep-inducing substance. There are definitely some interesting fighting game mechanics that can come from a character to can put opponents to sleep, and offer a fighting game playstyle focused on disabling the opponent first rather than fighting head-to-head. Plus, there could even be some Morpheus cameos thanks to Dodds’ retconned story.
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Metamorpho feels like he should already be a video game villain, boss, enemy, or playable character. His abilities lend themselves to the world of video games. Rex Mason was hired by Simon Stagg to retrieve an Egyptian artifact. However, that artifact would permanently transform Rex into Metamorpho. It changes the entire composition of Rex’s body, and it allows him to shape-shift or transform into any element or combination of elements, which naturally makes Metamorpho incredibly powerful.
Naturally, these abilities would fit in perfectly to a fighting game. While his powers work similarly to Firestorm’s, Metamorpho’s powers would grant him a unique playstyle. He would be able to transform his body into any element and create weapons to use at will. It would even allow players to customize their playstyle if they wanted, and there would be different attacks and builds based on Metamorpho’s elemental makeup.
5 Animal Man
In the past, Animal Man has been the butt of the joke in DC. He is just one of many campy characters that, at first glance, seem outlandish and useless. However, he has had a massive turn-around in the comics, and there have been some truly fantastic stories featuring Animal Man. Furthermore, he has become a rather endearing and relatable character to fans.
Animal Man, Buddy Baker, can gain the abilities of animals. He can possess the strength of a T-Rex, the flight of a bird, the speed of a cheetah, the camouflage of a chameleon, and so much more. If it isn’t obvious, the ability to channel these abilities would be perfect in a fighting game. Not only using the abilities of animals but also a combat style inspired by different animals would make Animal Man an incredibly interesting and powerful fighter.
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4 Mister Miracle
Honestly, almost every character from “The Fourth World” could make an amazing fighting game character. As a matter of fact, an entire fighting game could be made around all the “Fourth World” characters. Big Barda, Orion, and even Forager would all make amazing characters with unique abilities in a fighting game. However, Scott Free has to be one of the most deserving characters to be incorporated into the game genre — not only is he a great character with a great story, but his abilities would make him an interesting character in a fighter.
Like most of the New Gods, Mister Miracle possesses superhuman strength, speed, and durability. In addition to that, Scott Free is also the greatest escape artist alive. He has escaped from some of the harshest imprisonments in the universe using only his tools, intelligence, and will. Fighting as an escape artist opens up interesting gameplay options in a video game. Mister Miracle could be an agile fighter focussed on evasion and precise attacks, and there are tons of options for special attacks and finishing moves given the amount of tools at Scott’s disposal.
3 Booster Gold
Booster Gold is another initially niche character but has since gained a massive following. Like Animal Man, there have been several stories that have made him a much more endearing and relatable character. Michael Carter is a man from the distant future who travels back in time in hopes of using his knowledge of the future to become a celebrity. While he doesn’t have any outstanding superpowers, he makes up for this with his futuristic tools.
Several of Booster Gold’s futuristic tools put him on the same level as other heroes, but he has other gadgets that set him apart. Obviously, his ability to time travel would make for an interesting mechanic in a fighting game. He also possesses some powerful energy blasts and a near-impenetrable force field, and his Mass Dispersal Field allows him to absorb matter and rebound it without taking damage. Needless to say, this could combine to create an amazing and interesting fighting game character.
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Static is an amazing DC character that should be featured in countless movies, shows, video games, comics, and any other piece of media the studio has. Unfortunately outside a few comic runs and TV appearances, he has been mostly absent from pop culture. However, he is nonetheless one of the coolest DC characters, and he would be fun to play in any game. At first glance, it may seem like he can just shock people with electricity, but he has several more abilities.
Of course, shocking people is a great ability to have in any fighting game, but Static’s powers exist on the electromagnetic spectrum. His powers allow him to create massive electromagnetic balls to blast at enemies. He can also use his powers to lift objects as if he had telekinesis, and he can see on the electromagnetic spectrum. Plus, he has a metal disc that he can use to block projectiles and attacks, fly, and saw through things like a blade. Static would be a fearsome foe in any fighting game.
1 Jason Blood/Etrigan
Jason Blood is a criminally underrated character, and he is another character that should really appear in more media than he does. Jason Blood and the demon he is bound to, Etrigan, have a duality to them that is similar to Bruce Banner and The Hulk. However, Jason Blood turns into a demon rather than a green version of Mark Ruffalo. Etrigan would be a great addition to any game, but combining his character with Jason Blood, as they are in the comics, makes for a much more unique gameplay experience.
Naturally, Etrigan the Demon has superhuman strength, agility, and stamina, but he also has a strong command over magic. He can spew fire, cast spells, and has several other demonic abilities. Despite Etrigan’s immense power, Jason Blood is no slouch. Blood is a master of swordplay and hand-to-hand combat, and he is fairly adept in spells. All of this would make either character a powerful fighting game character, but it would be amazing to combine the two. Similar to Shield/Zelda in Super Smash Bros. Melee, it would be great to be able to switch between the two characters at will. Jason Blood and the Demon would make for a devilishly good time in any fighting game.
DC heroes have appeared in several video games across many genres, but there are certain DC heroes that fit in fighting games perfectly. Read More