After its lore had become bloated with time travel plots and various continuities, Mortal Kombat decided to wipe its slate clean with a full series reboot. Mortal Kombat 1 was released in 2023 and introduced players to a new era for the franchise. Canonically, this reboot followed Liu Kang's ascension to godhood in Mortal Kombat 11, after which he attempted to rewrite the Mortal Kombat timeline in the hopes that he could end his universe's cycle of violence.
Liu Kang's new era not only reimagined the backstories of popular Mortal Kombat characters like Scorpion and Baraka, but it also reintroduced characters from Mortal Kombat's early 3D games like Havik and Reiko. This gave Mortal Kombat 1's roster an interesting mix of characters that helped it to stand apart from the overlapping casts of Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11. That said, these characters were sorely missed in Mortal Kombat 1 and could be great additions to the new continuity whenever Mortal Kombat 2 rolls around.
A History of Mortal Kombat Guest Characters
From 2011's Mortal Kombat to Mortal Kombat 1, over 15 guest characters from various comic, film, and game franchises have appeared in the series.
Mortal Kombat 2 Can Honor Some Overlooked MK Characters
Jax
Jax is a beloved character from Mortal Kombat 2 (1992) who was a major player in the previous Mortal Kombat continutiy that started with Mortal Kombat (2011). The cybernetic soldier was noticeably absent from Mortal Kombat 1, so he would make for a welcome addition to Mortal Kombat 2's roster. In this new timeline, NetherRealm would have the opportunity to come up with yet another way for him to lose his arms -- or maybe the big twist is that he doesn't lose his arms and lives a nice and peaceful life. Anything's possible.
Kano
A longtime antagonist in the Mortal Kombat series, Kano first appeared in the original Mortal Kombat. The Australian criminal and leader of the Black Dragon Clan gained plenty of popularity thanks to his crude personality and fun playstyle. Due to this, Kano was not only featured throughout the original Mortal Kombat trilogy but has been a playable character in every mainline Mortal Kombat game since Mortal Kombat: Deception — up until Mortal Kombat 1, in which he only appeared as a Kameo Fighter. Kano got his break from the series, which means he's ripe not only for a return to the series, but a reimagined form and role for the new era.
Sareena
Sareena is a demonic assassin who originally served Quan Chi before defecting to work alongside Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei. Despite only appearing as a playable character in Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, she still has a cult following among series fans thanks to her unique design and intriguing backstory. Sareena also appeared as a Kameo Fighter in Mortal Kombat 1, which generated even more interest in the character. Bringing her back in Mortal Kombat 2 would present NetherRealm with a great opportunity to expand upon this long-underserved character and see what her relationship with the new era's Lin Kuei looks like.
Sonya Blade
Introduced in the original Mortal Kombat as the series' first female character, Sonya Blade is a prominent member of the Earthrealm Special Forces. She has played an important role in Mortal Kombat's ongoing narrative for decades, but as with some other characters on this list, she only appeared as a Kameo Fighter in Mortal Kombat 1. Not only is she in heavy demand from fans, but with the retooling of characters' backstories and relationships in this new timeline, NetherRealm has the opportunity to play with Sonya's character in interesting ways. Sonya has deep ties to characters like Jax, Johnny Cage, and Kano, so whether Mortal Kombat 2's story decided to sever those connections or take them in completely different directions, it could be a nice refresh for her character after her lackluster appearance in Mortal Kombat 11.
Mortal Kombat 1
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- September 19, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- NetherRealm Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Brothers Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
