Aliens. Are they out there? Is intelligent life in our cosmos possible, or are we the result of a singular flip of the coin that has yet to be repeated within our universe? These are questions that many people ask every day, delving into Fermi paradoxes and the like to find the truth. It’s a question that Batman has never had to ask. Until now.

By now, you’d expect the line-up to be complete in Injustice 2. You’ve got Superman’s regime on one side, Batman’s resistance on the other and Gorilla Grodd’s Society caught in the middle of the reignited civil war between heroes and villains. There’s one other face that you haven’t seen so far. A certain wild card who’ll also pop up to throw a crowbar at Brainiac’s plans for global domination.

Whereas the Rebirth initiative was a tonal reboot for the entire pantheon of DC Comics heroes and villains, it wasn’t a proper reboot. It wasn’t Crisis on Infinite Earths or Zero Hour: Crisis In Time. The New 52 universe was still the prime reality for Superman and pals. Until now that is.

An alien intellect that makes Stephen Hawking look about as smart as me, Brainiac lives up to his name and then some. He’s also the primary antagonist in Injustice 2, the catalyst that turns the more dickish Man of Steel and Batman away from the path of frenemies and back towards being the world’s finest tag team again. Here’s the 12th level intellect trailer for it.

It’s hard to believe that DC’s Rebirth initiative is going to celebrate its first birthday next month. DC promised a soft reboot that would restore its heroes back to their tonal values, a move that so far has resulted in changes both big and small. Superman is now more original than ever before because of really weird reasons, Wonder Woman’s origins are finally becoming clearer and Batman is actually a force of hope. Weird, but good, times. DC also promised an angle that the entire Rebirth event would be built around: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s cult classic comic book series Watchmen. How do the gritty heroes of that world fit into the DC universe? That’s the mystery that began unfolding in Batman #21 this week

Over the years DC Comics has adopted a Freddy Krueger-styled persona for the phobia physician, which reached its peak influence in 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight. For Injustice 2 though? This Scarecrow is more than ready to throw down with the big boys thanks to plenty of hallucinogenics and the appearance of a bulimic Bane. Bad trip man, bad trip.

DC and Warner Bros. Animation have had a mostly crackin’ good run at doing just that over the last decade. All Star Superman, The Dark Knight Returns and Justice League: The New Frontier are prime examples of the medium honouring a story. Last year’s Batman: The Killing Joke, less so. While 2016 may have resulted in that black mark on the record of the DC Animated Universe, Justice League vs Teen Titans was still a positive step in the right direction. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract keeps that momentum going.

Injustice 2 may only be out in shops in May, but the sequel comic book series is already live with a first issue that sets the scene for an even bigger confrontation between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight, as the two former friends find themselves stuck in a world that trusts its heroes a lot less.