WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Injustice 2 #56 by Tom Taylor, Daniel Sampere and Juan Albarran, in stores now.
The status quo is always shifting in the Injustice universe. This makes sense, of course, given the brutal civil war that has engulfed this DC Elseworlds-like reality since the video game debuted in 2013.
Now, with the follow-up Injustice 2 released last year, a new run of comics has been bridging the gap between the two games, continuing the narratives of Team Batman and Team Superman, who are still split down the middle on how Earth should be policed since Superman killed the Joker, only to see his dictatorship fall.
One of the teams that was affected tremendously by Joker's initial actions was the Titans, who lost quite a few members due to the maniacal clown's wicked ways. Recently, though, Batman's underground rebel network brought some key Titans back into the fold -- Superboy (Conner Kent), Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) and Starfire (Koriand'r) -- and as Injustice #56 shows, they're looking to rebuild their team.
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The catalyst for Superman's vengeful rule came after Joker tricked him into killing Lois and his unborn child, an action to which the Kryptonian retaliated by murdering Batman's most famous rogue. However, upon his death, Joker triggered a bomb that wiped out Metropolis and those nearby, claiming Titans members Kid Flash and Beast Boy as victims in the process. In the aftermath, Cyborg and Raven aligned with Superman's regime, but Superboy, Wonder Girl, Starfire and Red Robin (Tim Drake) didn't buy in, eventually going so far as to attempt to send the Man of Steel to the Phantom Zone.
They lost this encounter, and in the heat of the battle, Superman mortally wounded Superboy by puncturing his heart. However, he indicated that should they seek refuge in the Phantom Zone, not only would they be spared, but the environment would allow Superboy to live as a phantasm. Kal-El promised that once his war was over, he would bring them back and fix Superboy for good -- a secret plot the former hero kept to himself. They obliged and lived there until Batman (because let's be real, you can't keep a secret from the Dark Knight) used Plastic Man to literally pull them back into the real world.
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Sadly, the drama had only just begun. As they were being saved, Zod also came out the Phantom Zone, killing Tim before going on a massive rampage. The Kryptonian killer did serve a good purpose though; he was eventually murdered by Amazo -- Ra's al Ghul's pet project -- and his heart was transplanted into Superboy. In the wake of this, the Kents, regretful of the monster their own son had become, gifted to Conner Clark's old costume, making him a new Superman and a much needed beacon of hope for the world. Amid all this, Cassie resumed her duties as Wonder Girl, while Starfire remained on the sidelines, contemplating a way forward.
With a limited number of superheroes left in the world, Conner and Cassie were quickly thrust back into action though, joining Batman's army against Amazo. Sadly, in a devastating battle in Delhi, they were all taken down and left licking their wounds and egos. In the recovery period in the latest issue (from Tom Taylor and Daniel Sampere), as the remaining Titans ponder their place in this new, cruel world, Conner gives the impression that maybe his time is truly over. Cassie makes it clear that this isn't the case and that they still have a part to play in fighting the injustice they returned to.
She discloses that after discussing things with Starfire, they decided the world "needs the Titans more than ever," and that the trio need to start recruiting again. It'll be interesting to see how they chart this new chapter because, frankly, it's been a tough journey for them so far. Not only did Cyborg and Raven abandon them, the team also saw Dick Grayson graduate from Robin to Nightwing, only to be killed by Damian Wayne, one of Superman's former generals -- and the son of Batman.
But despite all this tragedy, the Titans seem hopeful once more, and they already have a few faces they can look to who were on the team in the mainstream DC Universe. Natasha Irons took over as Steel after her uncle John died in the Metropolis blast, and Jaime Reyes succeeded Ted Kord as Blue Beetle after Ra's killed the scientist. Given that these two budding heroes have already been seen on Batman's side in the war, they're natural fits for the Titans' new expansion project.