The team over at Netherrealm Studios are doing everything they can to up the ante after the success of their DC fighter, Injustice! They are bringing out new super moves, movesets, a new armor mechanic, and most importantly, a slew of new characters.
With her surge in popularity, mainly due to the outstanding portrayal by Melissa Benoist, Supergirl was pretty much a shoo-in as a new character in Injustice 2. So, who could possibly do such a strong female character justice? None other than Laura Bailey.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to walk the convention knowing you voice such a beloved character, Laura Bailey said it pretty excitedly, “Screw you guys I’m Supergirl… It is so freaking cool.â€
Laura Bailey is at the pinnacle as a voice actress. With over 300 credited parts, she has voiced every role imaginable, and finally, she gets to bring Supergirl to life in Injustice 2. The road to where she is now started way back in high school when she gained her first speaking role. Can you guess who it was? If you guessed Kid Trunks you would be spot on. When asked about her start in the industry she explained, “I started voice acting. The first thing I ever did was Dragonball Z; oh yeah, Kid Trunks. ‘What’s up, beat you up with my hands tied behind my back, no big deal.’†Bailey added, “So, I started right out of high school and have just kind of done it consistently since then. When this came up, I jumped at the chance, but I didn’t  even know what I was going in for when I went in to record. I knew I was playing Supergirl, but I didn’t know what it was for and then got in and found out it was Injustice. Just dying it’s so cool.â€
With her extensive, and I even feel extensive is even selling it short, resume, there were some unique challenges in voicing a character in a fighting game versus her other current comic book role in Telltale’s Batman as Catwoman. “There’s a very different vibe between the two sessions, and Telltale is so story and dialogue heavy and so much of what we’ve done so far in Injustice is combat heavy. So there’s a big difference in the two sessions,†she explained. “Plus on Telltale, I have gotten to record with Troy [Baker] as Batman on that, so it feels more like animation, and in Injustice it is facial capture. So you are in the booth by yourself, and you’ve got the helmet rig on. It’s just a completely different experience.â€
Besides just the challenges that arose in physically voicing the character, Bailey explained how different the characters truly are and the differences between voicing a hero and a villain. She explained, “Everyone is a hero in their mind, and I think the biggest difference from being Selina Kyle and Supergirl is how much experience they have.†She added, “Supergirl comes from a very pure place. Catwoman, she’s been there and done that and is controlling the situation.â€
When voicing such a character that has an ever growing fan base, the urge to please the fans is definitely the elephant in the room; and Laura feels the pressure. When asked how she felt about the fan reactions from the Supergirl reveal she explained that, “I have been kind of avoiding it because I have been so scared of seeing something I don’t want to see. But has it been good? Yes? Good! I’ve been nervous man, but I am super excited about it.â€
Since this is one of the first times Supergirl would be in a videogame, the next challenge was how to voice her. Laura said that she really didn’t pull inspiration from any specific comic or animation. She explained that it was important for her to bring this character to life in this specific universe. When asked how much she worked on the voice of Supergirl she said, “ I didn’t play around with it too much because I feel like once i saw the dialogue and I knew what was happening with her in the story. It just kind of finds itself. But there is a lot of back and forth. I mean she’s young, so she has that kind of teen angst that I feel I don’t get to play with too much because it’s not a comedic approach to anything you would do in animation. It’s very honest; she is trying to find herself in this world that is messed up. So, there is this innocence there, but also she is powerful.â€
Laura Bailey is certainly excited to play Kara Zor-El and it appears that she could be one of my favorite characters in the game. With Netherrealm actually focusing on the story aspects of the title, something too few fighting games do, it will be nice to see Laura flex her voice acting prowess in the DC Universe.
Oh, and back to Trunks because why not? After a brief back and forth, the greatest epiphany occurred about Trunks and Supergirl. Bailey recalls, “I mean, they are pretty much the same, flying, super strength… what the heck? Supergirl and Kid Trunks are the same person. Oh my god, it’s all coming together, it’s amazing,†Laura exclaimed. Indeed it is!
Injustice is set to release sometime next year. If I were a betting man, look for the title to come out sometime shortly before one of DC’s 2017 films. Wonder Woman is set to release in theaters on June 2nd and Justice League is slated for November 17th.
You can find Laura Bailey at the following links:
Website: http://www.laurabaileyvo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraBaileyVoice/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraBaileyVO
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurabaileyvo/
