Injustice 3 Roster Predictions: Heroes, Villains, and Guest Fighters We Expect

Fresh Injustice 3 roster predictions break down returning staples, likely newcomers, guest fighters, and how NetherRealm could balance the launch lineup.

Nobody outside NetherRealm Studios knows who will throw the first punch in the next DC fighter — which is exactly why Injustice 3 roster predictions have become a full-contact sport among fighting game fans. Every studio teaser, every DC film announcement, and every cryptic social post sends the community back to the whiteboard. The lineup matters because it decides whether a sequel feels like a genuine evolution or a re-run of the last game.

Below are the most credible Injustice 3 roster predictions out there: near-locks, deep cuts, guest fighters, and the role balance a launch roster actually needs. Everything here is speculation grounded in developer history and player experience — not leaked documents — so treat it as a framework you can argue with.

Why Injustice 3 Roster Predictions Are Heating Up

Injustice: Gods Among Us launched in 2013 with 24 fighters. Injustice 2 arrived in 2017 with 28 at launch and a long, generous DLC tail. Since then, NetherRealm Studios has shipped Mortal Kombat 11 and Mortal Kombat 1, meaning the team has spent roughly a decade away from DC's caped crowd.

That gap cuts both ways. On one hand, a fresh start means the developers can rebuild the roster from scratch rather than incrementally adding to it. On the other, DC's own media slate has shifted dramatically, introducing new audiences to characters the last two games barely touched. You can read more about the studio's history on NetherRealm Studios' official site.

There is also the DLC math to consider. Modern NetherRealm fighters launch lean and grow fat: base roster first, then several packs of three to six fighters. That pattern means a launch lineup is really just the opening act — and it is the part fans always predict worst.

GameLaunch RosterDLC AdditionsGuest Fighters
Injustice: Gods Among Us246Scorpion
Injustice 22810Sub-Zero, Raiden, Hellboy, TMNT
Projected Injustice 328–328–123–4 expected

The Near-Locks: Who Almost Certainly Returns

Some characters are effectively franchise furniture. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman have headlined every Injustice entry, and their absence would be a marketing disaster. Below that tier sits a group of fighters who are popular, mechanically distinct, and story-relevant.

The wild card is always death. Injustice's story mode is famous for killing characters off, but the games have never let continuity stop them from including a fan favorite. Comic-book logic applies: nobody stays gone.

CharacterRoleLikelihoodWhy
BatmanRushdown / gadgetNear-lockFranchise anchor, story protagonist
SupermanPower / zoner hybridNear-lockCentral conflict of the series
Wonder WomanBalanced brawlerNear-lockTrinity member, strong tournament pick
Harley QuinnMix-up rushdownVery likelyBreakout star of both games and film
The FlashSpeed / pressureVery likelyIconic and mechanically unique
Green LanternZoner / constructLikelyCorps lore fuels story mode
AquamanHeavy mid-rangeLikelyAtlantis storyline potential
CatwomanHit-and-runLikelyConsistently popular online
Black AdamPower bruiserLikelyMajor film exposure
SupergirlBalanced rushdownPossibleDepends on story direction

Community reports consistently put that top five in "if they're missing, I riot" territory, and it's easy to see why.

Newcomers and Deep Cuts Worth Betting On

This is where Injustice 3 roster predictions get fun. NetherRealm loves promoting a character who appeared only in the background of a previous game — Killer Croc, for example, went from stage hazard to playable in the sequel.

Expect the developers to fill gaps in archetypes rather than just add more Batman villains. The roster needs a shape-shifter, a proper grappler, and at least one puppet or summon-based fighter to keep matchups interesting.

Newcomer CandidateArchetypeWhy They Fit
Beast BoyStance / transformLong-requested, unique silhouette
John ConstantineZoner / tricksterMagic niche left open
StaticMobility / zoningBeloved animated-series legacy
Plastic ManStance / keep-awayAbsurd hitbox potential
BatwomanRushdownBat-family depth
KatanaCounter / bladeSword archetype gap
Booster GoldGadget / utilityComic relief with real mechanics
EtriganHeavy / projectileDemon magic contrast to Constantine

Player experience suggests one important caveat: a character being popular in polls does not guarantee inclusion. NetherRealm has repeatedly chosen mechanically interesting fighters over the loudest internet demand.

Guest Fighters: Where the Roster Gets Weird

Guest characters are now a NetherRealm signature. Injustice 2 brought in Sub-Zero, Raiden, Hellboy, and all four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a single slot. Mortal Kombat 1 leaned even harder into crossovers.

For a third DC outing, the safest bets are characters who already have a comic-book home or a proven relationship with the studio. A Mortal Kombat representative is close to a tradition at this point, and Warner Bros. owns enough properties to keep the well stocked.

Guest CandidateSourceFitChance
Mortal Kombat fighterNetherRealm stapleGuaranteed crowd-pleaserHigh
He-ManMasters of the Universe1980s nostalgia, heavy archetypeMedium
Judge Dredd2000 ADGrim tone matches regime storylinesMedium
Invincible-style heroModern animated hitYounger audience reachMedium
The Boys-style antiheroStreaming-era satireViolent, tonal stretchLow–Medium
TMNT returnPrior Injustice DLCProven, but repeats a gimmickLow

The key insight: guest slots are marketing decisions first and design decisions second. That's why they're the hardest part of any Injustice 3 roster predictions list to get right.

Building a Balanced Roster: Role Distribution

A roster isn't a popularity contest — it's a toolkit. If every fighter is a rushdown specialist, the meta collapses. Based on how Injustice 2 was structured, a healthy 30-fighter launch would roughly break down like this:

RoleTarget CountExample Fighters
Rushdown / mix-up8–9Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Flash
Zoner / keep-away6–7Green Lantern, Deadshot-type marksman
Grappler / big body4–5Bane, Grundy-type bruisers
Stance / puppet3–4Beast Boy, Plastic Man
Utility / counter4–5Katana, Booster Gold
Guest / wildcard3–4Crossover picks

Notice how the totals skew toward mobility. That's deliberate — fast, expressive characters are simply more watchable on stream, and NetherRealm designs with the competitive scene in mind.

How to Judge Predictions Like a Pro

If you want your own Injustice 3 roster predictions to age better than the average forum post, apply a few filters before you commit.

  • Check the release cadence. NetherRealm's rosters are planned years ahead of announcement, so leaks that appear overnight are usually noise.
  • Weigh story mode deaths carefully. The series resurrects characters constantly; a death scene is a plot device, not a roster cut.
  • Watch the DLC pattern. A base roster of 28 usually means several packs follow, so "missing" characters may simply be delayed.
  • Separate popularity from design need. A fighter with no distinct archetype is a hard sell, no matter how loud the fan campaign.
  • Treat datamined files as unverified. Community reports about placeholder strings have been wrong before and will be wrong again.
Confidence TierWhat It MeansTypical Characters
Tier 1Would bet money on itBatman, Superman, Wonder Woman
Tier 2Strong oddsHarley Quinn, Flash, Green Lantern
Tier 3Coin flipSupergirl, Black Adam, Aquaman
Tier 4Long shotDeep-cut villains, obscure heroes
Tier 5Pure wishlistCharacters with no modern comic presence

A useful habit is to sort your personal list into those tiers before you post it. It forces honesty about which picks are genuine reads and which are just favorites.

FAQ

Is Injustice 3 confirmed? No. NetherRealm Studios has not announced a third Injustice game, and no release window has been confirmed. Every Injustice 3 roster predictions list, including this one, is speculative until an official reveal happens.

Who is most likely to return in Injustice 3? Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, and the Flash are the safest bets. They anchor the story, they sell copies, and each one brings a distinct playstyle that would be hard to replace.

Will Injustice 3 have guest characters? Almost certainly. Guest fighters have appeared in every modern NetherRealm release, and a Mortal Kombat crossover is the most likely pick given the studio's own catalog.

How many fighters should we expect at launch? Based on the last two entries, somewhere between 28 and 32 is a reasonable projection, with additional fighters arriving through post-launch packs.

The honest answer to all of this is that the roster will surprise us. NetherRealm has a habit of including two or three characters nobody predicted and cutting one everybody assumed was safe. That unpredictability is part of the fun — and it's why the community will keep arguing about Injustice 3 roster predictions right up until the first trailer drops.