Unlike other popular fighting games, it was Injustice 2 that introduced a way to “program” the AI of characters to focus on certain combat strategies and dominate other programmed foes. This is courtesy of the Battle Simulation Mode, where players are able to pin their characters with AI setups against other characters of the same nature, resulting in a fully-automatic mode where players can quite literally see their favorite characters duke it out in fights to the death.
This combat mode can be made all the more suspenseful when players use Superman who, in Injustice lore, is considered the leader of the One Earth Regime that aimed to forcibly unite the world in peace. With Superman eventually being freed in the course of events of Injustice 2, fans are now able to put AI attributes to the Man of Steel and see him fight with no holds barred against other opponents. However, just how should players set up their Superman AI builds?
10 Staple Combo Artist
- Grappling 0
- Rushdown 30
- Combos 30
- Counters 0
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
In any fighting game, securing the opening for combos is one of the essential elements of winning a match. This is generally the same throughout the mechanics of Injustice 2, particularly for a melee-dependent character like Superman. This Staple Combo Artist emphasizes Superman’s potential for dishing out attacks frequently, trading in bonuses on other stats in place of a focus purely on Rushdown and Combos.
Theoretically, this AI attribute set will allow Superman to be extremely combo-reliant, emphasizing capitalizing on any opening to rush toward the opponent and secure his combos, even his Injustice 2 super moves. While this generally seems run-of-the-mill and familiar for any character, players who want to start tinkering with Superman builds may want to start with something straightforward like this attribute array.
9 Balancing Act
- Grappling 10
- Rushdown 10
- Combos 30
- Counters 10
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
Gamers who want to play it safe with their Injustice 2 builds may want to use Superman in as balanced a way as possible while playing into his strengths. This is made all the more possible with Balancing Act, which is a build that focuses less on Zoning and Runaways, and instead capitalizes on Superman’s potential to create steady combos, which works well with the right Injustice 2 Gear.
While Combos are the main focus of this attribute array, the rest of the Balancing Act build gives Superman multiple lines of attack. For instance, Superman can start his combos from a typical rushdown maneuver, staple stunning grapples, or punishing counters. Players who want to see the full brunt of Superman’s strength in melee may want to try this build.
8 Sheer Power Domination
- Grappling 30
- Rushdown 0
- Combos 30
- Counters 0
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
One of Superman's most admirable - and potentially terrifying - characteristics in both DC Comics and as a character in Injustice 2 is his invincibility. There’s no reason for Superman to engage an enemy head-on, especially when the enemy couldn’t even make a dent in his suit if they wanted to. In turn, this is what makes this particular AI setting rather terrifying, as this visually represents Superman tanking hits while enemies delay the inevitable.
With zero focus on Rushdowns, Counters, Zoning, and Runaway, this Sheer Power Domination build represents Superman in a pure offensive build. Due to his innate specialization in melee, this AI attribute division relies on Superman being capable of dishing out punishment to enemies as soon as he gets in their melee zone. The lack of Rushdowns and Zoning means this particular Superman build may take more time to complete fights, but the Grappling and Combo focus does mean the Man of Steel will unleash hell as soon as he’s close enough.
7 Wreck Everything Apart
- Grappling 20
- Rushdown 0
- Combos 30
- Counters 10
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
When an opponent fights Superman toe-to-toe in any physical altercation, one prays the Man of Steel doesn’t catch them off-guard. Aside from his merciless nature in the Injustice 2 story, Superman is one of the most powerful characters in the Injustice 2 meta. And the Wreck Everything Apart toolkit ensures Superman’s AI settings become as severely punishing as possible up close.
Superman surrenders bonuses to Rushdowns, Zonings, and Runaways with this attribute array. This lack of mobility means enemies will likely find it much easier to get close to the Man of Steel. In these situations, enemies should pray Superman doesn’t use his Counters or Grapples, because the emphasis on Combos means a nasty string would be coming for opponents if they’re caught off-guard.
6 Juggling Emphasis
- Grappling 20
- Rushdown 20
- Combos 30
- Counters 0
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
One of the most defining traits of Superman in DC Comics and the Injustice 2 universe is his superhuman strength. This is somewhat of a focus in Juggling Emphasis, where Superman trades Counters, Zoning, and Runaway for more points in Combos, Rushdowns, and Grappling.
Compared to typical combo cycles, Superman with this AI attribute array will instead try to dish out Combos through mobile Rushdowns and lead-ins after Grappling interruptions. When used properly, part of the visuals here is to see Superman constantly grab opponents, and throw them to the other end of the screen, only to rushdown and repeat the same process.
5 Man Of Punishments
- Grappling 16
- Rushdown 0
- Combos 10
- Counters 28
- Zoning 6
- Runaway 0
As players may remember from the Injustice 2 story, it’s only after the death of Lois Lane that Superman lost all sense of self and became a dictator with a misguided notion of peace. This version of Superman had no qualms about using his powers to their most absolute if it meant securing order on Earth. In turn, this Man of Punishments build emphasizes Superman’s mercilessness in a counter-reliant AI setting.
Superman as a DC Comics character in Injustice won’t get bonuses on Rushdowns and Runaways with this build so Superman won’t be as mobile. His little Zoning bonus means Superman may frequently use long-ranged lasers to stop enemies from coming up close, and his bonuses on Combos will allow him to string attacks more often. Perhaps much scarier is an emphasis on Grappling, which emphasizes Superman interrupting opponents up close. And lastly, his focus on Counters means Superman always looks for openings on the opponent’s side.
4 Supreme Retaliation
- Grappling 20
- Rushdown 0
- Combos 20
- Counters 20
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
An alternate take on Superman’s punishing melee toolkit in Injustice 2 is to be as balanced as possible when giving him openings to punish opponents. With this Supreme Retaliation build, Superman again foregoes bonuses on Rushdowns, Zonings, and Runaways.
Instead, Superman focuses equally on Grappling, Counters, and Combos this time, which can be further amplified with Superman Injustice 2 Gear. This means Superman’s AI will maximize his combo abilities as much as possible after doing stunning Grapples or punishing Counters - all of which can become deadly with the melee-heavy toolkit of the Man of Steel.
3 Securing Environmental Advantage
- Grappling 8
- Rushdown 22
- Combos 0
- Counters 30
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
It’s one thing for Superman in Injustice 2 to get serious and go full-blast in terms of combat, and another thing entirely for him to clap back when enemies try to one-up him. This particular Securing Environmental Advantage build removes the focus on Combos, Zoning, and Runaway and instead emphasizes Counters, Rushdowns, and Grappling. In turn, a player’s AI Superman will not only prefer zooming into opponents to interrupt their combos but his grapples and counters may also destabilize the enemy’s momentum.
Perhaps more interesting is how this build may emphasize two (2) underused abilities of Superman, which are Ground Tremor and Empowered Heat Zap. With this build, Superman may secure his interrupts more efficiently thanks to his reliance on these two (2) skills, capable of defeating even the likes of Injustice 2 Batman with good Gear.
2 Decent Combo Mobility
- Grappling 0
- Rushdown 18
- Combos 17
- Counters 25
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
Given the presence of the Flash and his superhuman speed, both DC Comics and the Injustice 2 game doesn’t necessarily showcase Superman’s superspeed to be on par with that of the Scarlet Speedster. And while the Flash can travel beyond the speed of light, Superman is no slouch in the speed department. In the game context, Decent Combo Mobility emphasizes Superman’s mobility potential, especially when on the offensive.
The lack of Zoning and Grappling implies less focus on ranged attacks and immobilizing the enemies with throws. Not only that, Rushdown and Combos having close enough stats means equal prioritization of zooming across the battlefield to dish out as many attacks as possible, perfect for Injustice 2 beginners. The allotment of points in Counters makes this build especially deadly, meaning this AI Superman build won’t allow enemies to strike back that easily.
1 Aggression Is Mobile
- Grappling 0
- Rushdown 18
- Combos 17
- Counters 25
- Zoning 0
- Runaway 0
One of the scariest moments in any Superman story - be it in the DC Universe or the context of Injustice 2 - is when Superman decides there are no holds barred from achieving his goals. That’s because the full brunt of Superman’s might could kill almost anyone, and the world is lucky the Man of Steel chooses diplomacy whenever possible. This isn’t the case with Aggression Is Mobile, a build tailored explicitly to maximize Superman’s offensive capabilities.
Since this build has no bonuses for Grappling, Zoning, and Runaway, AI Superman won’t be highly open to interrupting the enemy’s advance every so often. However, the sheer emphasis on Counters, Combos, and Rushdowns means enemies had better secure their aim as one opening could have Superman punish them to oblivion. This is especially the case with Rushdown emphasizing securing the room for Combos, and Counters constantly interrupting enemies who leave themselves wide open.
Injustice 2 was released on May 11, 2017, for the PS4, Xbox One, Android, iOS, and PC.