Summary
- Characters like Khameleon, Harley Quinn, and Master Chief almost made it into the Mortal Kombat roster.
- Unused characters like Belokk and Quan Chi were scrapped due to various reasons, leaving fans disappointed.
- Popular characters like Michael Myers and Ash Williams were also considered for Mortal Kombat but faced copyright issues.
With Mortal Kombat 1 continuing to add characters via DLC with more to come in the future, it is impressive how massive Mortal Kombat has become as a universe. Almost every game introduces new faces and reintroduces old ones, allowing every roster to stand out in some way.
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Since every game has its trials and tribulations to overcome, not every character saw the light of day of being on the roster. For one reason or another, Midway and Netherrealm Studios have completely canceled the appearance of a character, or, in certain cases, put them on the backburner to have them shine in a future Mortal Kombat title.
8 Khameleon
A Forgotten Ninja Who Almost Debuted In Arcades
- Almost appeared in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
- First Appearance: Mortal Kombat Trilogy
Khameleon is a lesser-known Mortal Kombat character who has only appeared a handful of times. Their debut was in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, but this came about because initially, the ninja was going to appear in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, which already introduced characters like Rain to the lore.
They were removed from Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but their files still exist and can be accessed through cheat codes. Similar to Reptile, Khameleon became the secret character found in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, a game that combined the elements and characters of all three original games into one.
7 Harley Quinn
Before Injustice, She Was Almost In Mortal Kombat
- Almost appeared in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
- First Appearance: Batman: The Animated Series
Before she got her big video game boom with the beloved Batman: Arkham games, Harley Quinn was going to appear in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe as a DLC fighter, but was canceled when Midway Games went bankrupt and closed their doors. She would have been a good choice since the game had a surprisingly low number of female characters from both the Mortal Kombat and DC sides.
Harley Quinn has had a diverse lineup of video games over the years and would even go on to become a major part of the Injustice franchise, which spun off from Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. That doesn't stop fans from wondering how Harley Quinn would have played with Mortal Kombat controls after she was revealed by Ed Boon on X.
6 Master Chief Or Marcus Fenix
Xbox Players Almost Got Their Own Exclusive Character
- Almost appeared in Mortal Kombat (2011)
- First Appearances: Halo & Gears Of War
It's uncertain which character would have been chosen, but Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon stated that there were discussions about adding a character exclusive to Xbox 360 owners, like Master Chief from Halo for Mortal Kombat 9. The idea would have been to balance out the roster since PlayStation 3 owners were gifted with Kratos from God Of War.
By the end of the Mortal Kombat 9 life cycle, it never happened because the team at Netherrealm Studios decided against it. Alongside Master Chief, there was also a mention of Marcus Fenix from Gears Of War, but nothing was officially set in stone before they decided to cancel the DLC character altogether.
5 The Terminator
The T-800 Nearly Joined Other Horror Characters
- Almost appeared in Mortal Kombat X
- First Appearance: The Terminator
Before he was one of the best Mortal Kombat 11 fighters, the Terminator was originally planned to be alongside other 80s horror icons such as the deadly Xenomorph and Jason Voorhees in Mortal Kombat X. For reasons unknown, that plan did not work out for Netherrealm Studios, but a few years later, the T-800 would become a poster child for the Kombat Pack 1 in Mortal Kombat 11.
There are several aspects of the Mortal Kombat franchise influenced by Terminator movies, including Kano's cybernetic eye, the Cyber Lin Kuei, and certain fatalities. As a result, finally getting the T-800 in Mortal Kombat 11 and the T-1000 in Mortal Kombat 1 has brought the franchise full circle.
4 Belokk
Eurocom's Long Lost Original Character
- Almost appeared in Mortal Kombat Gold
- Never appeared in the franchise after.
When Mortal Kombat 4 was being remastered and ported to the Sega Dreamcast with Mortal Kombat Gold by Eurocom, the studio wanted to add an exclusive character in the form of Belokk. He was a tall demon-like character with many horns and the only look at the character fans ever got were low-quality screenshots leaked to GameInformer magazine.
This has resulted in Belokk becoming an infamously lost original character, with fanmade mods for games being made over the years to feature him. The reason for Belokk's cancelation is said to be that Eurocom and Midway ran out of time to complete him, seeing how Mortal Kombat Gold was meant to be a simple port to the Dreamcast.
3 Quan Chi
The Evil Sorcerer's Small Role Teased His DLC
- Almost appeared in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
- First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Defenders Of The Realm
Quan Chi has become a quintessential villain in the Mortal Kombat universe, rivaling the likes of Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung. He became one of the most anticipated DLC characters for Mortal Kombat 1, but before that, his first time as DLC was going to be in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. The character's unused render was revealed by Ed Boon on X years ago.
Mortal Kombat: 10 Best Story Modes In The Franchise
Story and characters are a big part of what fans come for in Mortal Kombat games, from the spin-offs to the mainline entries.
This explains why Quan Chi has a role in the story mode as an NPC for seemingly no reason. Similar to Mortal Kombat 1, his appearance within the story was a tease for the necromancer joining the roster down the line, but he was another character that was scrapped due to the closing of Midway Games.
2 Michael Myers
Fans Almost Had The Ultimate Slasher Crossover
- Almost appeared in Mortal Kombat X
- First Appearance: Halloween (1978)
There were multiple slasher villains in Mortal Kombat X: Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Xenomorph, and Predator, making it the closest thing to a slasher tournament fighter fans ever had. Fans did notice that Michael Myers from Halloween movies was noticeably missing from the roster, despite being as iconic as Jason or Leatherface.
According to Ed Boon, Michael Myers was considered for Mortal Kombat X, but it didn't pan out for multiple unsaid reasons, but the character has since gone on to appear in other games including Dead By Daylight. Rights to the character were likely an issue, plus with Jason and Michael being so similar, it was probably a challenge to make Michael distinct from the hockey mask killer.
1 Ash Williams
Copyrights Ruined The Chances Of Bruce Campbell's Famous Hero
- Almost appeared in Mortal Kombat 11
- First Appearance: The Evil Dead
Easily the most infamous case of a canceled Mortal Kombat character was Ash Williams, as his files were found via datamining, he was teased multiple times, and an advertisement used the name Ash Williams for Kombat Pack 1. Unfortunately, due to rights issues with every Evil Dead movie, trying to acquire different versions of Ash and, possibly, the production of Evil Dead: The Game led to Ash being dropped.
From Bruce Campbell's many one-liners to utilizing the combination of a chainsaw and shotgun, the idea of Ash Williams had fans excited about the character. Instead, fans were surprised by The Joker from DC taking Ash's place, which still worked out since Joker was a fun character to control, but many still hope that one day Ash Williams can join a Mortal Kombat roster.
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