Monday 2 March 2015

5 Kombatants (Plus a Bonus) That I'd Like to See in MK X

It cannot be disputed that Mortal Kombat has an EXTENSIVE back-catalogue of characte-... Sorry, Kombatants… that they can call upon to cause a ruckus in MK X. They even turned up all at once for a massive scuffle in the car park at the climax of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Problem is, a large portion of the roster that haven’t made an appearance in either MK 9 or X have been left out for a good reason. Does anyone remember Kobra? No? Good. Keep it that way. But with that being said, here’s five Kombatants I’d like to see causing untold gore upon my enemies.

Number 1 - Nitara

Putting aside the fact that she looks like an adult film star in a vampire pirate film, Nitara could be an interesting additional faction in the new Faction War feature. In MK: Deadly Alliance, Raiden’s ending teases that the neutral Vampire faction could rise up against everyone else, which is then built upon with Nitara’s MK: Armageddon ending. Spoiler Alert: everyone dies.

The thought of an alternative story; one where Nitara enslaves half the cast and causes a huge war because she’s tired of crappy romantic fiction dragging the reputation of vampires through the mud (plot to be determined), is certainly an exciting prospect. Also, she has a ready made rivalry with MK9 addition Skarlet, if she turns up too. A warrior who controls blood versus a creature who lives on blood? It’s the new Wolverine and Magneto.

Number 2 - Bo Rai Cho

Mentor to Earthrealm Champion Liu Kang, and the supposed inventor of the Drunken Boxing style, Master Bo Rai Cho loves nothing more than a good drink. A benevolent citizen of Outworld, he trained Liu Kang in the original timeline, helping Kang to defeat Shao Kahn, and he exists in the alternate timeline too, as he appears in Shang Tsung’s Arcade ending. You have to believe he would seek revenge against Raiden for accidentally killing Liu Kang.

This could lead him into the employ of new Outworld emperor Kotal Kahn, with Bo wanting nothing more than to avenge his fallen friend and student, and destroy Raiden’s White Lotus. Or perhaps MK X goes in the path of Liu Kang’s MK 9 ending, where Kang gets tired of everyone’s s**t and becomes a vengeful god. Bo Rai Cho could step in as the hero. A drunken, washed-up hero, but a hero nonetheless.

Numbers 3 and 4 - Cyrax and/or Sektor

As of right now, the Lin Kuei Cyber Initiative isn’t being represented at all within MK X. This needs to change. Cyrax and Sektor are two legacy Kombatants from the original trilogy, so it makes sense that they’d find their way into MK X. As for the storyline, maybe we’ll deal with issues of race and robot….ism. Hear me out…...

With control of the Lin Kuei seemingly being given to a new Sub-Zero, (either Bi-Han or Kuai Liang have been resurrected, or we have a third Sub-Zero), perhaps Cyrax and Sektor have found themselves discarded by the very clan they pledged their undying loyalty to, forced out by a new, pro-human leadership. They were aligned to Outworld in MK 9, so it wouldn’t be stretch to imagine them seeking refuge under Kotal Kahn’s rule, using their allegiance to crush the betrayers of the “true” Lin Kuei.

Number 5 - Havik

A denizen of the oft-forgotten Chaosrealm, all Havik seeks is to instil some good old fashioned anarchy amongst the realms. Introduced in MK:Deception, he sought to defeat Onaga, the Dragon King, and use his power to revive Shao Kahn. Now, in the new timeline, Shao Kahn has once again been killed… You have to believe this doesn’t sit well with the Cleric of Chaos.

Much like Ares in the Injustice storyline, Havik has no true allegiances other than his own cause. This could see him side with Cassie Cage and her band of Merry Men, or conversely with Mileena and her uprising. Either way, it would get him closer to the amulet (believed to be Shinnok’s amulet, left behind from the aftermath of his battle with Raiden) we saw in the trailer. Maybe this contains enough power to resurrect Kahn… But so long as I see his weird contortionist fighting style on next-gen hardware, I’m happy.

Bonus - A Guest/Alternative Character

This is where speculation runs wild, as it could actually be anyone. We’ve had rumours of Spawn and Predator, and last year Kiefer Sutherland announced his involvement in an MK game. Are we to see Snake turn up in Mortal Kombat? Because I don’t think I’m actually ready for that. However, we could see the return of some console exclusives. Playstation might get an updated Kratos, whereas Xbox could see a collaboration with Iron Galaxy and Killer Instinct. Jago vs Scorpion? Sub-Zero vs Glacius? It’s a license to print money.

Considering that they own Netherrealm Studios, Warner Bros. could allow one of their character to make an appearance. Harry Potter, anyone? How about PeeWee Herman? Joking aside, Warner Bros. did co-produce The Matrix trilogy. Does the Path of The One lead to a dust-up in Outworld? Highly unlikely, but I’ve always been somewhat of a dreamer. “Mr Anderson.... GET OVER HERE!”

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see a DC character make an appearance as DLC, but I’d welcome it with open arms. There’s a certain appeal of imagining someone like Deathstroke mix it up with the MK Kombatants, but there’s the problem of a well known DC character being mutilated like never before.

There is also the possibility that Netherrealm pulls another Cyber Sub-Zero, using the alternative timeline as a crutch to give us a new take on an old character. Zombie Shao Kahn? The aforementioned God Liu Kang? Will Kano make a full cyborg transformation? We leave this in the capable hands of Mr Boon. Go on, surprise us.

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