Mortal Kombat’s Wildest Guest Characters Revealed!

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Over a span of approximately 33 years, Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios have consistently added fresh combatants hailing from six distinct realms and multiple alternate dimensions in the Mortal Kombat series. Characters like the mystical ninjas Scorpion and Sub-Zero, as well as the fearsome Dragon King Onaga, make up just a small portion of the diverse fighter roster that is unique to the Mortal Kombat universe and its rich history.

Nevertheless, over time, several designers and developers behind Mortal Kombat have aspired to pit their characters against well-known figures from movies, comics, TV shows, and even other video games. These cross-overs were rarely seen until Midway’s closure but blossomed under NetherRealm with the advent of guest fighters, who have featured in every subsequent mainline Mortal Kombat series since then.

The Origins and Expansion of Mortal Kombat’s Guest Fighters

Until 2008, the highly acclaimed fighting game series Mortal Kombat hadn’t officially collaborated with any other franchise. That changed with the release of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, a joint production by Midway and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game was created to boost revenue due to poor Midway game sales, compete against Capcom’s successful Marvel vs. Capcom series, and attract a new audience to the Mortal Kombat universe. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was commercially successful and generally well-received, but unfortunately, Midway filed for bankruptcy in 2009, leading to its purchase by Warner Bros. This event marked the start of a new chapter for Mortal Kombat, with more collaborations with popular franchises to follow.

In 2011’s Mortal Kombat, NetherRealm introduced their first-ever guest characters – Kratos from God of War and Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Initially offered as DLC for Mortal Kombat owners, they later appeared in the 2012 release, Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition, alongside all other DLC content. However, it’s important to note that Kratos was exclusive to the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

In the latest versions of their roles, both Kratos and Freddy were portrayed by their original voice actors, Terrence C. Carson and Robert Englund respectively. However, Freddy’s appearance was inspired by Jackie Earle Haley’s portrayal of the character in the 2010 remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. Furthermore, both characters had distinct endings at their towers, providing an explanation for their emergence and the destruction they caused within the “Mortal Kombat” universe.

Mortal Kombat Guest Fighters in the Eighth and Ninth Console Generations

After the success of introducing characters like Kratos and Freddy in 2011’s Mortal Kombat, NetherRealm continued to add characters from different series into each subsequent mainline Mortal Kombat game. However, since then, no guest character has been confined to a specific console or platform exclusively.

In the Mortal Kombat series, many of the guest fighters were portrayed by well-known actors who had played these characters before in other productions. They also incorporated sounds similar to their appearances in films or TV shows, and frequently drew inspiration from iconic ’80s action flicks and horror movies. Here are some of the guest fighters you might recognize from Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat 11, and even the original Mortal Kombat:

1. Predator (from the Predator series)
2. Leatherface (from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
3. Jason Voorhees (from Friday the 13th)
4. Alien Xenomorph (from the Alien franchise)
5. RoboCop (from the RoboCop series)
6. Freddy Krueger (from Nightmare on Elm Street)
7. The Terminator (from The Terminator franchise)
8. Ash Williams (from the Evil Dead franchise)

  • Alien
  • Conan the Barbarian
  • Ghostface
  • Homelander
  • Jason Voorhees
  • Joker
  • John Rambo
  • Leatherface
  • Omni-Man
  • Peacemaker
  • Predator
  • RoboCop
  • Spawn
  • T-1000
  • The Terminator

Potential New Guest Fighters in Future Mortal Kombat Games

Regarding the newest addition to Mortal Kombat 1, the T-1000 as a guest fighter, it’s uncertain if NetherRealm will unveil additional DLC characters or Kameo fighters for this game. There have been whispers that the proposed Kombat Pack 3 was scrapped because of poor sales of Mortal Kombat 1 and its previous DLC packages. However, there is a possibility that NetherRealm and Warner Bros. might introduce new characters starting from late 2025.

It’s likely that NetherRealm might release a third Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 1, timed with the premiere of the Mortal Kombat 2 movie in October. This potential new content could encourage players to revisit Mortal Kombat 1 again.

Regardless if Mortal Kombat 1 includes additional DLC fighters or not, enthusiasts are free to ponder over who the next guest fighter might be in the Mortal Kombat series. This could include characters that were initially planned but didn’t make the cut for various reasons, such as Michonne from The Walking Dead, Michael Myers from Halloween, Neo from The Matrix, Marcus Fenix from Gears of War, and John Wick’s main character.

Previously, The Terminator was proposed for Mortal Kombat X, demonstrating that characters suggested as guests in the past may indeed appear in subsequent games. Given NetherRealm’s history of incorporating horror or action movie stars, it’s plausible that future Mortal Kombat games could feature characters like Myers and Wick, potentially even Art the Clown from Terrifier, John McClane from Die Hard, or Pinhead from Hellraiser, given their popularity.

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2025-05-11 03:43