The fifth and debatably most demanded DLC character has finally hit Injustice: Gods Among Us. Plenty of people have wanted Martian Manhunter since the game launched and it's understandable because J'onn has massive potential thanks to his plethora of powers. So, did NetherRealm Studios make the character worth the wait or does he seem uninspired? Read on to find out.
As expected, Martian Manhunter uses phasing and his mental abilities for most of his special moves. Quite a few of them can be used to kick off a juggle or counter a spammer. Just like with everyone else, meter burning some of them is especially satisfying -- it may leave them open to attack longer or follow-up with an epic punch. However, what makes the fighter truly stand out is his character power called "Alien Malleability." When activated, all of his standard strikes and combos get extra range and a small damage boost. I won't lie, this is easily my favorite aspect of the character. Smacking around your foes with extended arms/legs and massive fists and feet didn't get old. Honestly, it's super fun to use.
While I love his character power, I'm really letdown by his super move. The sky was the limit when it came to blowing us away with something really creative and jaw-dropping, but all we're treated to is Martian Manhunter shape-shifting to look like his enemy, throwing a few standard strikes and then crushing his opponent between two boulders. Sure, taking it to Mars is a nice touch, but nothing else that goes down is jaw-dropping or something we haven't seen before. The game has some insanely fun super moves that are still a blast to use and unfortunately, this isn't one of them.
If even one Martian Manhunter is used in the Watchtower stage the character is removed from the background. I first tested this out with two Martian Manhunters in hopes of seeing a cool alternate costume in the background (like with Doomsday in the Fortress of Solitude), but unfortunately I had no such luck. Also, based on the events in today's digital issue of INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, the character's ending in the video game currently contradicts the series. That said, this could be totally rectified in next week's chapter. We'll just have to wait and see what happens with that. If there's any line of communication between the comic team and the developers (which I'd like to assume there is), then this won't be an issue come next Tuesday.
Is Martian Manhunter worth purchasing? If you're a fan of the character or looking to utilize someone with a completely different feel, then yeah, he's $4.99 well spent. His super move is beyond generic and that really is disappointing, but his variety of special moves and a ridiculously entertaining character power more than makes up for that.