There have been a number of poorly received DC Comics-based fighting games, dating all the way back to 1995's Justice League Task Force (a game which inexplicably does not feature members of the actual Justice League Task Force team). But after decades of mediocrity, Mortal Kombat creators NetherRealm Studios finally struck gold with 2013's Injustice: Gods Among Us. Featuring a roster of heavy hitters and a grounded, character-driven story, the game received incredible reviews and lit up awards lists as many outlets' best fighting game of the year.

The franchise has since become a fighting game juggernaut of sorts. Injustice 2 released in 2017 to even more acclaim, praised for its unique gear system and streamlining the story to focus on the ongoing conflict between the Batman and Superman of one Earth rather than multiple worlds. And while the comic book tie-in sadly ended recently, the game itself shows no signs of slowing down as tournaments continue to feature the game heavily. A sequel is almost an inevitability, but the game isn't going to stop getting played any time soon for sure. With such a deep and varied roster, consisting of the obvious DC Comics A-listers and the surprising lesser-known oddities of DC's expanded character line, fans obviously turn their thoughts to debating who the strongest member of the roster is. We've put together our picks for the 25 strongest Injustice fighters across both titles. Take note, though, this isn't a list based solely on raw strength, but on the fighting prowess of each character in the hands of a capable Injustice player.

25 GREEN LANTERN

Green Lantern has a pretty interesting story between the two Injustice games. After donning a yellow Power Ring and joining Superman's regime, Hal Jordan would eventually seek redemption as a Green Lantern once again. Hal goes a long way towards proving himself again in Injustice 2, but the damage was arguably already done.

Hal's a great character all around but excels at long range. His array of energy constructs can lock someone down from full to mid-screen if he so desires. But if you get into his face, more inexperienced players may struggle with Hal's very brawler move set.

24 SCORPION

Injustice Scorpion

It can't be a NetherRealm Studios game without a Mortal Kombat cameo. In an homage to Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, Scorpion appeared in Injustice: Gods Among Us as a DLC bonus character. Apparently plucked from the Mortal Kombat 9 era, he quickly became a fan favorite character.

Scorpion adapts well to the Injustice gameplay style, though he feels much faster. Despite his traditional Spear being moved to a meter burn, his host of special moves still make him one of the game's most versatile fighters.

23 SWAMP THING

injustice 2 swamp thing

Swamp Thing, despite his rampant popularity in the late ‘80s, was a surprising choice for the Injustice 2 roster. Incorporated subtly into the story as someone more concerned with Earth's fate than humanity's, his inclusion was one that got a lot of otherwise uninterested fans to buy in.

He's big and lumbering, but Swamp Thing plays exactly like you'd expect. With moves focused on full-screen grabs, air counters and preventing an opponent's movement, Swampy is one of the most interesting Injustice fighters you can play as.

22 DEATHSTROKE

Adding Deathstroke to Injustice: Gods Among Us made sense. The character is perpetually very popular, and in the DC Universe may be one of the most sinister villains. Though the Teen Titans are implied to have not survived Metropolis' destruction, Deathstroke's turn in the story mode as Luthor's hired hand worked really well.

Deathstroke's used to get in close for big damage. From a distance, though, his special moves utilizing firearms enable him to lock down characters handily. Deadshot fills in for the absent Deathstroke in Injustice 2 nicely, though he's less powerful at close range.

21 DR. FATE

doctor-fate-injustice

Dr. Fate had long been an important Injustice character. Appearing in the pages of the Injustice: Year One comic, Fate was the one who took Black Canary to another world to allow her to start a new life with the Green Arrow of another world.

Fate's debut in Injustice 2 turned a lot of heads, and his magic is on full display here. Fate has set-ups that allow him to cause big damage, as well as a defensive heal. Up close, he's just as devastating with a bevy of powerful combos, and his projectiles have potential to strike from full screen.

20 BLUE BEETLE

Blue-Beetle-Injustice-2

Jaime Reyes has been the de facto Blue Beetle for more than a decade now. Still, it's somewhat rare for him to appear in DC stories, with even his most recent on-going being surprisingly canceled.

Jaime is one of the more interesting Injustice 2 additions. His Blue Beetle abilities grant him a variety of attacks, including an energy cannon and a flying tackle. But his character power is especially potent, replacing his fists with a pair of sharp blades and giving him a slew of easily chained together combos.

19 RAPHAEL

You will likely never again see a reaction on par with the reveal of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the Injustice 2 Championship in 2018. The inclusion of the Turtles really showed that NetherRealm just flat out gets it, incorporating the Turtles into each other's play-style.

Raphael may be the most notable. He's a strong, combo-heavy fighter. He's also loaded with parries, and even has a notable combo which flips opponents to the other side of the match-up. The Turtles are formidable together, but if you had to pick one, Raphael's the one to go with.

18 SHAZAM

Injustice Shazam

Despite joining Superman's Regime, Billy Batson remained the heart of the team. Shazam was portrayed as a formidable fighter, and it carried over into the main game. Shazam is tough, perhaps only a step or two below Superman.

Shazam's command of his magical lightning meshes well in the world of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Be it buffing his punches with lightning, calling it down to blast an opponent or using it to teleport around where a foe stands, Shazam is one of the game's most versatile fighters. It's a shame he didn't survive for an Injustice 2 appearance.

17 FIRESTORM

firestorm-injustice-2-header

Even with the character's rise in popularity thanks to Legends of Tomorrow, seeing Firestorm in Injustice 2 was a surprise. The Jason Rousch version of the character is an excellent fit for the franchise, He brought a lot not only to the story but to the game's varied roster.

Firestorm's move set makes him an unrelenting threat in the hands of competent players. His ability to trap opponents in place gives him plenty of opportunities to lay in combos. His range of projectile attacks, paired with his incredible full-screen Fusion Charge flying tackle, give him one hell of a toolbox.

16 BRAINIAC

It makes sense that Brainiac is one of the higher tier Injustice 2 characters. After all, he is the final boss of the game, scheming from his ship for the bulk of the game, Brainiac's transition to video game boss was an easy one, and he fits in perfectly.

Brainiac's bevy of moves gives him plenty of mix-ups. Commanding his drones allows him to lay down a ranged offensive, and in close, he's a powerful opponent to contend with. Newer players may have trouble, though, as Brainiac's slower than many expect.

15 DARKSEID

Darkseid from Injustice 2 video game

Pre-order characters are nothing new for video games, but Injustice 2 had one of the biggest ones. Long-time villain Darkseid was included as a DLC character upon release. Though the character is noticeably missing from the game's main story, he was still a welcome addition to the Injustice mythos.

Darkseid is also, naturally, a powerful character to square off against. Despite constantly walking with his hands locked behind his back, Darkseid's Omega Beams can pinpoint opponents from anywhere on the screen. And if that's not enough, his character power lets him launch an exploding Parademon.

14 ROBIN/NIGHTWING

Nightwing's appearance in the first Injustice was an odd one, as the character was two separate entities. The alternate Earth Regime version was revealed to be Damian Wayne, who had taken on the identity after a head injury permanently ended Dick Grayson's career.

For Injustice 2, Damian's back to his Robin identity, though in story mode he remains Nightwing. Robin's a step up from the previous game, with his Blade Dance combos helping to pin down and juggle opponents. But if you want a real challenge, a Robin equipped with the rare, highly coveted Staff of Grayson is nearly unstoppable.

13 SCARECROW

Scarecrow is something of a dark horse favorite in the game. Spinning out of his wildly popular appearances in the Arkham series, it makes sense that he would feature here. The character gets a serious upgrade, not just in terms of appearance, but as a fighter as well.

Scarecrow's move set focuses on a chain hook, which lets him attack from a distance as well as grab opponents. His specials also include poisonous fear gas, and what appears to be a teleport. However, Scarecrow's moves may actually just be trickery, explained as illusions created by the fear gas.

12 GREEN ARROW

Technically returning from the original Injustice, Injustice 2's Green Arrow is explained as the Ollie of another Earth, brought to the world by Dr. Fate. Ollie retains much of his original Injustice move set, making him easy for returning players to pick him up and hit the ground running.

Green Arrow brings with him his trademark style, including a bow spin and exploding arrows. His character power also equips him with a variety of arrowheads designed to lock down opponents for free combos. Up close or at range, Green Arrow is a lethal character, no matter who controls him.

11 BATMAN

Injustice 2 Batman Armor

How could Batman possibly rank high on a list of strongest Injustice characters? After all, he's just a normal guy in a suit of armor. But still, Batman proves time and time again that he's one of DC's most powerful heroes.

Even in the world of Injustice, he can go toe to toe with Superman without a magic green pill. His move set, consisting of parries and rush in attacks, make Batman a challenging foe to face down. Even at a distance, he can lock you down with exploding Batarangs until he can score a strike with his grapple line.

10 SUPERMAN

Injustice Superman

As unusual as it is that Batman ranked so high on this list, it's more unusual that Superman is so low. But despite the raw, unbridled strength he displays, he's still not the strongest of all the heroes. After all, he just keeps losing.

Superman's a plenty competent fighter. His move set is full of command grabs and utilizes his Kryptonian abilities to the best of their potential. But he's still a fairly simple fighter to feel out and counter, and it feels like he's held back quite a bit as a result.

9 AQUAMAN

Injustice aquaman

Aquaman was a joke for years, but his appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us changed that. His role as the ruler of Atlantis is put on display for all to see, and he holds nothing back.

This translates to his fighting style. Wielding a trident and summoning in aspects of ocean life to aid him, Aquaman is easily in the top tier of fighters. Injustice 2 made him even more overpowered, so much so that signature moves such as a bounce on his tentacle grab meter burn had to be removed after release to balance him better.

8 BLACK CANARY

Black Canary in Injustice 2

Black Canary was sorely missing from the first Injustice. Seeing Dinah finally make her debut in Injustice 2 after being featured so heavily in the Injustice: Year One comics was a welcome treat, and she's one of the game's best characters.

Black Canary's biggest appeal to players are her versatile parries, which allow her to counter even the strongest of attacks. And if she can't beat you up close and hand to hand, she's one of the few characters who can unleash her devastating super move in the air as well as on the ground.

7 CATWOMAN

catwoman-injustice-2-header

Catwoman's Injustice: Gods Among Us appearance wasn't much to take note of. She was fast but didn't have much to offer in the long run. Someone must have noticed, though. Despite going back to her wicked ways in storyline, Selina in Injustice 2 is leagues above her previous incarnation.

Here, Catwoman is much faster and given a series of dodges and a character power that grants her an auto-combo. Her whip is versatile, allowing her to strike anywhere from mid-range, and her dashing slash can catch opponents off-guard.

6 BLACK ADAM

Black Adam undergoes a fairly significant change going into Injustice 2. He's brought more in line with his original universe depiction, refocused as the withdrawn ruler of Kahndaq and aide to Wonder Woman. With Shazam's fall in the first game, he may be one of the strongest mortals alive.

Black Adam is a tricky opponent to deal with. He commands magical lightning like Shazam but uses it to create traps or surround himself with lightning orbs. Adam's patient, calculated fighting style benefits him greatly, luring opponents into their own defeat.