NetherRealm Studios has unveiled a brand new story trailer for its hotly-anticipated superhero fighter Injustice 2, giving fans a glimpse of the sequel's dark new storyline and some new characters joining the growing roster.

Appropriately titled, New Lines Are Drawn, the trailer picks up where the first game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, left off.

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Released in 2013, Gods Among Us took place in an alternate DC universe in which The Joker tricks Superman into killing a pregnant Lois Lane, kick-starting a string of events that leads to the Man of Steel ruling over a new world order on Earth.

Batman leads a team of superheroes and villains in an effort to stop Superman. The sequel will continue this story.

"The line between hero and villain has become blurred as the most epic battle in the DC universe rages on in Injustice 2," the description reads. "While Batman has emerged the victor in his battle against the Regime, a new threat arises and poses the ultimate threat to Earth."

"With many of his allies either victims of, or collaborators with, Superman's failed regime, Batman faces this dangerous world short of help. That's why he's brought together a new squad of superheroes," cinematic director Dominic Ciancolo wrote in a post on the PlayStation blog. "When Earth is invaded and threatened with destruction, Batman and his new team are thrust into action."

The trailer starts by showing the tyrannical Superman shackled in chains as Batman looks on.

"The preservation of life — so often the justification for taking it," the narrator says ominously. "Humans — elevating those that keep guard, until they watch too close and the so-called hero condoning the very act he would condemn."

In addition to showing Superman murdering the Joker, the trailer also teases some new allegiances and bitter battles between former friends, including Batman and Robin. Another clash sees Supergirl and Wonder Woman battling it out before Superman and Batman intervene.

The video also reveals some new additions to the game's growing roster, including supervillain Brainiac — the sequel's main antagonist — as well as other baddies such as Bane and Poison Ivy.

NetherRealm previously revealed that Injustice 2's roster will include mainstays such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and Supergirl, as well as villains Gorilla Grodd, Atrocitus and Suicide Squad members Harley Quinn and Deadshot.

Players that pre-order the game will be able to play as Darkseid as well. Another new character will be revealed on 24 January in The Injustice Watchtower Livestream on Twitch, the developer announced.

NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon has continued to tease new additions to the roster on Twitter. He hinted there are "so many more" DC characters joining the lineup touted as the "biggest DC roster ever offered in a fighting game".

While crafting the sequel's storyline, Ciancolo says the biggest challenge faced by the development team was "extending the Injustice narrative, without repeating ourselves".

"We knew that the game's core conflict — Batman versus Superman — had to remain front and centre," Ciancolo writes. "But to keep Injustice moving forward, we needed more. Enter Brainiac."

Injustice is set to release on 16 May for PS4 and Xbox One.