Some characters synonymous with violence and hand-to-hand combat were no-brainers (Deathstroke the Terminator, for one), but the game won’t just be a test of who the deadliest hero or villain really is. As evidence that NetherRealm has a wide scope of styles and tones, the newest pair of fighters revealed are none other than the megalomaniac Lex Luthor, and Batman’s back-breaking foe Bane.

The confirmation of Luthor and Bane as playable characters is not yet official, so we’ll have to wait for a full gameplay trailer to get a sense of their fighting styles in action. The reveal itself comes from an image that surfaced on NetherRealm boss and Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon’s Twitter. Featuring pages from @Gamer Magazine, the images show the visual style being taken for each fighter, which should be little surprise to comic book fans. Have a look:

Along with the character models are brief descriptions of both Luthor and Bane. They may not be as impressive as actual footage, but they are promising for those fighter fans looking for genuinely unique movesets:

With Luthor encased in his power armor (a villain we expected would show from the beginning) and Bane possibly exercising both a pre-Venom and post-Venom injection character model, the opportunity for some interesting attacks is present. The developers have claimed for quite a while that Injustice would surprise fans of the fighting genre, and it’s becoming clearer exactly what they mean.

Superman’s nemesis is not only key to the story mode, but he’s also a heavy-duty fighter, thanks to his armored suit. Luthor relies heavily on gadget-based attacks, and can launch missiles and suck foes towards him. His special trait is a shield that can be powered up by holding a button.

With Bane fighting as a wrestler, and Luthor as a mechanized war machine, the balancing will need to be executed with precision if there’s even a slight chance of success. The developers already have acrobatic martial arts and plasma cannons to work with, so they’re clearly not shrinking from any challenges.

From a technical standpoint, the variety of fighters revealed so far seems to appeal to just about every playing style we can think of. The fact that each character seems equipped with moves and behaviors that reflect their comic book origins perfectly is just a bonus.

What do you think of Luthor and Bane going toe to toe with Joker or Green Arrow? Are there any fighters you think they won’t include in the game, but should? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Injustice: Gods Among Us releases April, 2013, for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U.

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Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: @Gamer Magazine (via Ed Boon)