The DC Universe is back and better than ever, DC's illustrious cast of characters are ready once again to punch, kick and ‘Super move’ the living daylights out of each other in Injustice 2. Fighting game supremo’s NetherRealm Studios return with their second addition to the Injustice franchise with added features such as character customization and a bigger online community. Despite the interesting additions, the biggest thing that Injustice fans were looking forward to is the list of superhero and villains they get to select from. There are tons of characters to choose from already, with even more to uncover with DLC.

On top of all this, there are also six skins that allow some characters to change their appearance into either an enemy or an alter ego, so players are not short on options. However, like always, players (including myself) want more and feel disappointed that some of their favourite DC characters were left out, while others managed to creep their way in. Now, after a little bit of time, players have probably started to get tired of some of the characters and have started to wish others had been included instead. With that in mind, we have looked at 8 characters that should have made this game and 7 that shouldn’t.

There are some spoilers ahead, so be wary!

15 Should: Black Manta

Now out of the nine DLC characters, only the first 3 have been confirmed with Red Hood, Starfire and Sub-Zero set to join the party. So there is a good chance some of my selections may still make it onto the game and, Black Manta, is one of the first characters I’d like to see added to the playable list. Black Manta already features in the game in a small staring role during an arena transition on the Atlantis stage. With a bug eyed helmet that shoots beams and his very own trident, Black Manta would be a perfect inclusion to the character list with Aquaman lacking a sole villain. NetherRealm could even just add him as an Aquaman skin if they were feeling lazy, however, I’d like to see him in full force.

14 Shouldn’t: Sub-Zero

Speaking of upcoming characters, one such character that should not be included is the incoming Mortal Kombat fighter, Sub-Zero. Just like in the previous Injustice, where NetherRealm Studios added Scorpion, they are doing it again with Sub-Zero as he joins on as part of their first fighter package. Now, you can probably see where I’m going with this but Sub-Zero should not be added to the list of characters BECAUSE HE IS NOT DC! It’s genuinely lazy development from NetherRealm who quite honestly have a plethora of characters to choose from in the DC Universe. One of the great new additions to Injustice 2 is the interaction between the characters. A small feature I know, but it’s nice seeing some of the great rivalries actually have some dialogue before a fight. Sub-Zero, on the other hand, has nothing. He is totally out of place and I’m not sure what sort of gear will be available for him when it comes to using him in the Multiverse but he does not strike me as a character that would suit different appearances.

13 Should: Mera

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Now some may not like this addition, and I know it’s another Aquaman inclusion, but hear me out, as giving Mera a shot makes sense. Towards the end of the Injustice 2 story (SPOILER ALERT), if you chose to side with Batman, you must first fight Aquaman before chasing after Superman. At the end of the fight, Batman stabs Aquaman in the leg leaving him incapacitated. So perhaps with Aquaman down, Black Manta, who I included before, has sensed the chance to strike, but who comes in to stop him? The one and only, Mera! It makes perfect sense. It would also be nice to add another female character to the mix, as the current crop have been done exceptionally well and I would love a chance to play as another kick ass heroine.

12 Shouldn’t: Deadshot

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Deadshot is one of a handful of characters in Injustice that were just pointless substitutes for characters in the previous game, Injustice: Gods Among Us. Deadshot, on this occasion, replaced Deathstroke, who was an awesome character to play as because of his similar fighting style to Batman, while also wielding a gun and sword. To add to this, Deadshot doesn’t offer much substance, as his storyline is cliché and he is part of a long list of Batman villains that flood the game. Let’s face facts, Deadshot only made the game due to the recent movie Suicide Squad, which, despite Will Smith’s decent efforts portraying the elite marksman, wasn’t the best of films. Plenty of other characters should have been ahead of Deadshot, even the character he replaced. Let's hope we get some intriguing new characters to supplement this boring choice.

11 Should: Carol Ferris - Star Sapphire

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We're adding another female character to the list here, but the reason I’ve gone with Carol Ferris – Star Sapphire is because one, she’s awesome and two, because she can be used in two separate ways. Known more for being a superhero in recent times, Carol Ferris has also been used as a supervillain and that’s how I would like her introduced. Injustice lacks female villains with Poison Ivy and Cheetah being the only original villains in the cast. Carol Ferris also offers a large amount of creativity with her abilities and powers. She can fly, summon blasts of force and she looks good doing it, so if NetherRealm studios consider her, they could take the mechanics of Supergirl and Green Lantern to make a devastating villain.

10 Shouldn’t: Blue Beetle

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A new character to the Injustice franchise this year, Blue Beetle has done little to make an impression. A character who is just there as part of Batman’s team of defenders, he plays an early role in preventing Superman’s escape, but all his fighting is vein when Batman yields and allows Superman to help fight alongside him once again. After that, Blue Beetle has little presence in the campaign and with no arch villain to jostle against, he is simply forgotten. It even feels like NetherRealm have forgotten about him with no worthwhile Mutliverse challenges yet to include Blue Beetle. Once again, Blue Beetle could have been replaced with a character with a little more diversity, personality and intrigue, much like our next entry.

9 Should: V

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Here I have my first left of center choice, but I would love it if Injustice added or started with V. V, from V for Vendetta, is more commonly known by the general public for the dystopian political thriller film back in 2005, but what some don’t know (including myself until further research) is that the film was first a comic and, more importantly, a DC comic. This maestro vigilante would be an awesome addition to the list of characters in Injustice 2. V would be almost a cooler version of Deathstroke, wiyh a unique design, excellent martial arts skills, and collection of sharp utensils at his disposal. You could even use the final fight scene from the film as inspiration for his Super Move, how awesome would that be?

8 Shouldn’t: Firestorm

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Much like Blue Beetle, Firestorm is a new character to the Injustice Universe, but he's also just another one of Batman’s lackeys and his only memorable moment is when he pulls out some Kryptonite in an attempt to stop Supergirl, which inevitably fails. There is something about Firestorm that just makes him unexciting. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but he’s just a little boring. Even playing with him isn’t that fun, as his attacks feel clunky and his moves are easy to read if you’re defending against him. Despite his look having a visual flair and the fact that he has abilities other characters would dream of, he doesn’t seem to use them to good effect. I’d be tempted to let Firestorm stay, but I believe my next entry would be more interesting.

7 Should: Big Barda

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When we said all the female characters were exceptional, we didn’t mean that they couldn’t do with some improvements or some new blood. So here is another improvement to the female cast, as we'd like to bring in Big Barda. Big Barda brings pure strength to the roster, plus blistering speed. Big Barda is comparable to Star Sapphire is some ways, as she can play both the hero and the villain in any storyline and arguably she could have been a better choice than Cheetah. Similar to Wonder Woman, but perhaps with a more varying attack combinations, Big Barda would be an interesting fighter and NetherRealm could either incorporate her as an individual character or even just using her as a alternate skin for Wonder Woman.

6 Shouldn’t: Robin

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This was a tough decision, but Robin falls into the same category as Deadshot, where he is simply a replacement for a previous character in Nightwing. Robin does actually play a decent part in the story, as he defies his father Batman to side with Superman. However, this big plot twist doesn’t ever really go anywhere, as most of the time you will see Robin standing around sulking like a moody teenager, making it very difficult to take him seriously. Adding to this, Robin might become surplus to requirements with an incoming roster addition. Red Hood is a similar character who has an arguably more interesting entry. I also find Robin an absolute nightmare to play against, so if NetherRealm could just remove him, I might be able to sleep at night.

5 Should: Parasite

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I’m calling for Parasite to be a part of the Injustice Universe and I’ll tell you why. What would be cool about Parasite is that he has the ability to absorb others powers. Other fighting games have characters with the same ability, such as Kirby from Super Smash Bros. and Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat, Injustice could do with a character of similar ilk. So every time a player selected Parasite, he would don the abilities of the character he or she were facing, which keeps him different every time you use him and forces the player to be a master of all the character's move sets. Plus there are varying forms of Parasite in the DC Universe, so they could either include him as a big scary beast or a slick looking alien.

4 Shouldn’t: Doctor Fate

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Doctor Fate is one of those characters who just happens to stumble into the Injustice universe, babble on about some prophecy and make it his mission to hinder the greater good. Not only is that annoying, but once he finally comes to the realisation that he was wrong (SPOILER ALERT) and discovers that his helmet is corrupting him, he’s killed off by Brainiac. So, not only does he have a bland ending, he can’t even control the one thing that makes him powerful. Talk about pathetic. On top of all, that Doctor Fate’s attempt to grapple someone is like a gentle slap that is so ineffective other characters lay waste to him every time you attempt the move.

3 Should: Constantine

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What’s better than having one London based antihero? Two London based antiheroes. John Constantine would be another excellent addition to the roster in place of some of our ‘shouldn’t’ list. In an unlikely scenario where NetherRealm do add or include V, Constantine could perhaps prove a good foil for V. Although no connection between the two has been made before, having two of London’s freedom fighters go at it would be a wonderful thing to take part in. With Doctor Fate on my out list, Injustice 2 now lacks a sorcerer and since they omitted Zatanna, after she was a playable character in Injustice: Gods Among Us, why not add in her love interest, Constantine, as her replacement? He could be out for vengeance after his first lady was left out of squad.

2 Shouldn’t: The Joker

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This is the most controversial entry on the list by a long shot and is sure to annoy a few people, but if there was a vote to remove a character, I would seriously consider the Joker. The Joker is a fantastic character and an arch villain, but in Injustice 2 he is just there. His appearance in the story is only through Scarecrow's gas and the idea of customizing him through different outfits just doesn’t feel right. With The Joker being killed off in the previous game by Superman, Injustice 2 could have introduced a totally new villain who could have played a bigger part in the story. You may say that The Joker needs to be on the character list as the arch villain to Batman, but the story clearly pits Superman as Batman’s main antagonist, rendering The Joker useless.

1 Should: Krypto and Ace

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We come to our final entry and it’s the wackiest one on the list, but I sincerely wish someone at NetherRealm throws this idea into the mix and adds Krypto and Ace to the game. What could be cooler than fighting as two Superhero Dogs? Absolutely nothing. You may be wondering how this would work, as it would mean having two fighters on screen. Even I have struggled to figure it out, but surely it could work. Perhaps getting both Super Canines to do combos together. Quite a few characters can summon sidekicks for a brief moment, so it seems possible that NetherRealm could make it work. Imagine Kyrpto launching an enemy into the air, which is then followed by Ace launching a ‘Batarang’ at the airborne opponent. The two would be unstoppable and fun to use.