#2 Superman (7)
#3 Black Adam (3000006+)
#4 Steel (3)
#5 Green Lantern (1)
#6 Hawkman (1)
#7 Flash (1)
#8 Martian Manhunter (1)
#9 Aquaman (1)
#10 Red Robin (1)
#11 Wonder Woman (2)
#12 Deathstroke (1)
#13 Black Canary (1)
#14 Lethal (4)
#15 Black Mask (1)
#16 Soldier (1)
#17 Bizarro (1)
#18 Atom Smasher (1)
#19 Ganthet (1)
#20 Sayd (1)
The wave of hysteria continues for the unlikeliest crossover coming this year: Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe!
Last week we took a look at a couple of MK entries, and a few DC stories with a bit of a grim bite to them. The announcement of a T rating for this game, as well as the loss of MK's trademark fatality finishers has a lot of gamers up in arms. I've never been one particularly concerned with what amounted to repetitive acts of cartoon violence, but I can appreciate the dismay, particularly given the creative absence of the feature in 2006's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
Corporate malaise from DC/Warner obviously steers the product to a more friendly end. Designed to benefit the two series mutually through the wider exposure afforded by DC's mainstream icons, this non-lethal conclusion also neatly compliments heroes like Superman, and Batman, whose moral codes are staunchly opposed to killing -- or so you thought. Truth be told, the many stats accumulated by the Infinite Wars include killing blows, and as you can see from the top twenty DC ranked killers, plenty of their icons have executed their own fatality finishers. Don't believe it? Collected here are just a handful of the fatalities dealt by DC heroes!
The Dark Knight Returns #4 (June 1986)"The Dark Knight Falls" Frank Miller
They're two of the most recognised icons in the world and as the first two draftees into MK vs DCU, they'll be fighting on the same side -- as long as they can stay away from each other!
You might know them as leaders of the Justice League; fifty years ago they were the World's Finest crime fighting duo; but ever since Frank Miller showed us his dystopian future, we've known them as respectful allies, and fierce rivals!
In a world where society turned against the superheroes; Earth's champions have been outlawed and run out of town. Reduced to little more than a government puppet, Superman works in secret to protect the United States from it's enemies, but when the Batman leads a rebellion against the oppressive state, the conflict is anything but civil. In this legendary tale, Batman teaches his Kryptonian rival a rare lesson in pain, but when the fight is done, the blood's on Superman's hands!
Legends #1 (November 1986)"Once Upon a Time...!" Ostrander/Wein/Byrne
Known in certain circles as "the big red cheese;" Captain Marvel is a Golden Age icon who's struggled to shake off the innocence associated with his 1940's past.
When the Crisis of Infinite Earths wiped the slate clean for the DC Universe, Captain Marvel was in the thick of things as the heroes were propelled into a modern age. Unfortunately for them, Darkseid was drawing plans anew to destroy the DC heroes, and it begins with a plot to undermine the confidence of the public.
Child-TV host by-day, Billy Batson summons the magic of the Wizard Shazam when trouble shakes the foundations of the TV studio. Outside, the towering menace of the Macro Man threatens all who stand in his path, but unbeknownst to Billy, the real threat is to his credibility as a hero. With the world watching: Captain Marvel kills!
Superman/Batman #14 (January 2005)"I Pledge Allegiance..." Loeb/Pacheco
Having landed on Earth as a baby; Kal-El was christened Clark Kent and raised with the wholesome moral fibre of a Kansas native. As a child, Bruce Wayne witnessed the shooting murder of his parents, ingraining in him a deep loathing for lethal weapons.
Superman and Batman may be the two biggest icons of non-lethal justice, but when their histories are changed slightly, the two become fiercely protective dictators in a world they now protect from itself.
Pockets of resistance rise up to challenge the intolerance of these obsessive leaders, but when the masked vigilante Green Arrow launches a terrorist attack on Batman's birthday; he becomes the candle on the cake as Superman and Batman put an end to his march.
Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005)"Infinite Crisis" Johns/Jiminez
When Lex Luthor unifies nearly every villain in the DC Universe under his control, you know there's going to be trouble. When that Luthor is actually an interdimensional impostor intent on reshaping and remixing worlds to recreate his own -- it's a crisis!
The ghosts of a past they don't even remember come back to haunt them, when the DC pantheon of heroes are forced to engage the menace of various threats. At the centre, Alexander Luthor Jr, a man who once saved the multiverse, but now intends to destroy it! In order to do so, he rallies his Society of villains to target specific individuals with properties required to power the engine of the Anti-Monitor's tower. When the Freedom Force find themselves targets on the list, they're lambs to the slaughter as a task force of the Society's most powerful rip through the team -- literally!
52 #45 (May 2007)"Ever Hour Wounds, The Last Kills" Johns/Morrison/Rucka/Waid/Batista/Igle/Giffen
Every family has it's black sheep and for the Marvel's who've inherited the power of Shazam - Black Adam is exactly that!
Once a proud soldier in the ancient nation of Kahndaq; Black Adam lives through the ages quarreling with his dark designs. After a brief stint with the Justice Society, the hero defects with some of their member to form his own militia, intent on dealing justice under the ancient edict of an eye for an eye.
The Black Marvel's path ends with his homeland, now sullied by dictatorial leaders and internal conflict. With a motley crew of allies Black Adam easily tears asunder the corrupt leaders of modern Kahndaq, and restores the nation to prosperity. His leadership, however, attracts the attentions of neighbouring nations, and when his new family are murdered, Black Adam seeks biblical revenge on their killers, and those that would hide them. Genocide ensues.
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