Challengers of the Realm: A History of Mortal Kombat's Guest Characters Round 2

Welcome back...

Greetings and welcome back to A Challenger Approaches, the blog that takes a detailed look at some of the guest characters that have appeared in fighting games over the years. In the last blog post, we took a look at the first three guest characters that appeared in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Just as a quick reminder for those just joining us, the three characters were Kratos from the God of War video game franchise, Freddy Krueger from the A Nightmare on Elm Street film franchise, and Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th film franchise.

Today, we'll be looking at the remaining three guest characters that appeared in Mortal Kombat X and then speculate on what the future holds in terms of potential guest appearances in upcoming Mortal Kombat games.

Ready? Fight!

Predator, the Ultimate Hunter

Predator's in-game render
(Warrior Variation)

The first guest character to hail from a science fiction movie series rather than a slasher horror film series, the Predator brings his superior hunting tactics, weapons, and strength to the world of Mortal Kombat. Coming from the film franchise of the same name, Predator was confirmed to be the third downloadable character for Mortal Kombat X's Kombat Pack #1 and was the fourth guest fighter introduced to the franchise in general. I can't exactly explain why, but even before he was announced I knew he would be included in the game. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the Predator's species, the Yautja, are incredibly skilled and deadly warriors. Due to this, it seems like the Predator would be the perfect choice for a Mortal Kombat game, and he totally was.

Predator's in-game render
(Hunter Variation)

Modeled after the "Jungle Hunter" Predator that appeared in the very first Predator film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mortal Kombat X's Predator comes armed to the mandibles with all sorts of savage weaponry. That's no exaggeration, either. He's got wrist blades, a shoulder-mounted plasma caster, a self-destruction device, among other things. He also comes equipped with his famous cloaking device, allowing all but the yellow glow of his helmet's eyes to turn invisible. Also, if you pick the "Hunter" variation of the Predator, which colors his helmet black, he comes equipped with a medi-kit, which allows you to recover a small portion of his health.

Unlike with Jason, Predator does have a short backstory for why exactly he's all of a sudden in the Mortal Kombat universe. From what can be gathered via his in-game bio, Predator is here to hunt down and kill the most worthy kombatants for sport, like how his alien species normally does. Shao Kahn and Shinnok (Mortal Kombat X's main antagonist) are briefly mentioned, stating that they were defeated in their quests for konquest and that the Predator would not suffer the same fate.


In Predator's arcade mode ending, it is revealed that Predator had defeated and killed Shinnok. Relishing in his victory, Predator takes Shinnok's Amulet, a powerful magical weapon, as a trophy back to his ship. Predator then analyzes the artifact and soon learns of its magical secrets. Now wielding the power of sorcery, Predator single-handedly manages to decimate whole worlds and their potential warriors. He becomes, as the game puts it, the Apex Predator.

The Apex Predator finishing off Kotal Kahn.

Predator would be the second to last DLC character included in Kombat Pack #1. As I previously mentioned, the first was Jason Voorhees. The second was Tanya, an female Edenian who first appeared in Mortal Kombat 4. The last character was Tremor, a man with the power of an Earth Elemental, which allows him to control the very ground around him. He's a fan favorite who, prior to Mortal Kombat X, only appeared in the overwhelmingly disliked spin-off title Mortal Kombat: Special Forces.

Eventually, there would be a Kombat Pack #2. With it would introduce four new downloadable fighters, with two of them being guest characters. The first of which would be...

Leatherface, the Texas Chainsaw Killer

The cannibalistic, human face-wearing star of the horror slasher series Texas Chainsaw Massacre appears as the overall fifth guest character introduced to the Mortal Kombat franchise and the third guest character to originate from a horror movie franchise, after Freddy and Jason. He was first shown off in the Kombat Pack #2 reveal trailer, which shows him emerging from a forest like a bat out of hell to murder Ermac and Quan Chi. Leatherface's inclusion honestly came as a huge shock to me. Something about a guy carrying a chainsaw into battle against all these assassins and sorcerers just really didn't sit right with me. However, after he was released and I got the chance to play as him, I'm happy to say that the developers managed to make this crazy bastard fit well into the Mortal Kombat universe.

Leatherface's appearance in his "Killer" variation.

Leatherface's appearance in
his "Pretty Lady" variation.

Leatherface as he appears in the 2003 remake
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Like all of the fighters in Mortal Kombat X, Leatherface has three different fighter variations that the player can choose from. The best part about these three variations is the fact that they all reference different appearances across the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.

In his "Killer" variation, as seen above, Leatherface takes on the appearance he had at the very beginning of the original 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

For his "Pretty Lady" variation, he dons a suit and tie, as well as a mask coated in lipstick, blush, and eye-shadow. This look is a reference to how Leatherface looked at the very end of the original film.


And finally, for his "Butcher" variation, Leatherface takes on an appearance identical to that of his look from the 2003 remake of the original film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He wears a butcher's apron over a red shirt along with a dark blue tie and carries a small mallet to tenderize anything that crosses his path.

Along with the Predator, Leatherface has an explanation for why he is suddenly in the Mortal Kombat universe. Apparently, Leatherface's brothers kicked him out of their home telling him that he wasn't allowed to return until he found the best chili meat that he could find. Grabbing his best "masks", Leatherface ended up walking through a strange glowing doorway, finding himself in the world of Mortal Kombat. Now in this strange new world, there were plenty of strange new meats for him to try...

In Leatherface's ending, he straight up murders Shinnok, cutting off his face in the process. Now that he was dead, he had hoped that Cassie Cage, daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, would notice him. Putting on his fanciest "mask", he found the army camp that Cassie could be located at and gutted his way through the guards guarding the camp. He pulled out Shinnok's face and presented it to her as a gift. When she (obviously) refused it, Leatherface became angry and cut Cassie up into little pieces for his brothers to use in their chili. He kept her face for himself, however, figuring that if she wouldn't be his girlfriend, she could be his in other ways...

Messed. Up.

All I really have left to say about Leatherface is that the developers did a great job at staying completely faithful to the source material. Seriously, that ending is insanely disturbing and falls right in line with the original film franchise. If you think his fatalities and brutalities hold back any punches, then I dare you to watch the video below so that you can prove yourself wrong.

Alien, the Ultimate Life Form

Surprised at this character's appearance? Well, you honestly shouldn't be. Seeing as how the first Kombat Pack included the Predator as a downloadable character, it was only a matter of time before their rivals were added to the game. The sixth and currently final guest fighter to appear in the Mortal Kombat franchise, the Alien from the Alien science fiction franchise, also known as the Xenomorph, proves that while nobody can hear you scream in space, it's the exact opposite case in Outworld.

The Alien as he appears in Mortal Kombat X.

While I wasn't surprised at the Xenomorph's inclusion in the game, I was curious about how he would function given one of his most iconic traits. I'm of course talking about that fact the the Xenomorph's blood is acidic, meaning it'll burn and eat away at anything it comes in contact with. In a game where gallons of blood are spewed across the battlefield and the fighters taking part in these fights, this could propose a challenge to anyone who found themselves fighting the Xenomorph. So what did the developers do? They made the Xenomorph's blood non-acidic. It's as simple as that. While there isn't exactly an in universe explanation for why this is, I have a theory that might explain why the blood is no longer lethal that I'll explain alongside the reason why the Alien is in the Mortal Kombat universe.

The "Runner" Xenomorph from Alien 3.

You see, another one of the Xenomorph's most famous attributes is the fact that it inherits the DNA of the host it gestates in prior to being born. In the third Alien film known as Alien 3, a facehugger latches onto and impregnates a dog. When this xenomorph, known officially as the "Runner", finally bursts out of the dog's chest and matures to full size, it is a quadrupedal organism that lacks the regular tubes on its back that most xenomorphs have.

With all of this in mind, let's turn to the explanation for why the Alien is in the world of Mortal Kombat. In his bio, it is said that the Xenomorphs had arrived on Outworld long ago, but that the eggs containing the facehuggers were never found until only recently. A Tarkatan soldier had found and picked up one of the eggs, which was obviously a bad idea as the facehugger inside of the egg sprung out and attached itself to the face of the Tarkatan. Soon after, the chestburster clawed its way out of the Tarkatan's chest and eventually reached full maturity before going on a rampage and killing the rest of the Tarkatan's friends. It now roams Outworld in search for suitable hosts to build a hive and spawn a Queen Xenomorph.

Baraka as he appears in
Mortal Kombat 11. Note
his arm blades.

In-game render of the Xenomorph
with his arm blades out.

Due to the fact that this Alien decided to take over the body of a Tarkatan warrior, a species known for having sharp fangs and arm blades, it gained these attributes when it eventually matured into an adult. As for why the Alien's blood isn't acidic (I didn't forget about this point!), I'd take a guess and say that something in the DNA of the Tarkatan nullified the effects of the Alien's blood, causing it to become harmless.

Alien's arcade mode ending has got to be my favorite one out of all the guest fighters. After defeating and murdering Shinnok, the Alien continues his quest to find suitable hosts for his Outworld hive. Finding more than enough unique species to spawn more xenomorphs with, a queen eventually spawns and the deadly species begins to multiply at an alarming rate throughout the realm. In a desperate attempt to cleanse Outworld of the xenomorphs, Kotal Kahn attempts one final attack on the Aliens' main nesting ground. The attack fails, killing all those backing Kotal Kahn and handing over control of Outworld to the xenomorphs.

The Alien dragging Reptile to its hive.

Who's Next?

So... who will be next to join the fight and face off against the kombatants of Mortal Kombat. Well, at the time of me writing this, April 17, 2019, Mortal Kombat 11 is currently just under a week away from launching onto store shelves. The game releases on April 23 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. As of right now, there is currently no news of who the next guest fighter will be, or if the game will even have guest fighters available as DLC. Though, let's be honest, NetherRealm Studios has been putting guest fighters in their fighting games ever since Mortal Kombat 9, following the trend in Injustice: Gods Among Us, then Mortal Kombat X, and finally Injustice 2.

Michael Myers (Top left), Ash Williams (Top right),
Terminator (Bottom left), and RoboCop (Bottom right)

Who will be the lucky fighters to be included in Mortal Kombat 11? Well, given the fact that Mortal Kombat X included two horror guest fighters and two science fiction guest fighters, I would venture to guess that these would be the four new characters:

• Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise.
• Ash Williams from the The Evil Dead franchise.
• The T-800 (aka the Terminator) from the Terminator franchise.
• RoboCop from the Robocop franchise.

Michael Myers is a no brainier, seeing as how he's just as famous as the previous three slasher characters featured in the two Mortal Kombat games that came before Mortal Kombat 11.

Ash Williams is no stranger to fighting undead demons, so his inclusion would be quite groovy. There's also his arsenal of weapons, including his "boomstick" and his chainsaw hand. Seeing as how they were able to make Leatherface work so well, they'd probably have no trouble making this chainsaw-wielding bad boy work. Interestingly enough, Ash actually appeared in a crossover comic with Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees.

The Terminator also seems like a no brainier given how iconic he is. Much like Ash, his arsenal is massive, he's built like a brick wall, and his robotic body makes him a deadly force to be reckoned with. Given how graphic and action-packed the Terminator films are, the T-800 is a perfect choice for a guest character in a Mortal Kombat game.

Finally, RoboCop has a lot of the same things going for it that the Terminator does: Deadly with firearms, strong as hell, and nearly indestructible. Funnily enough, the Terminator and RoboCop franchises have crossed over before in things like video games and comics, so to see these two mechanical beings go up against each other in a game as bloody as Mortal Kombat would just be the best.

Random Facts/Trivia

Predator:

• Many of the Predator's moves are named after quotes that were spoken in the original movie. Some of these include Get to the Chopper, Ugly Mother..., Kill Me, and If it Bleeds, which are all quotes spoken by Dutch Schaefer, who was portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Predator alongside the rest of the Kombat Pack #1 characters.

Leatherface:

• This isn't the first time that Leatherface and Jason Voorhees have crossed paths before. In a 1995 three-issue comic book series entitled Jason vs. Leatherface, the two horror icons went at it years before their inclusion in Mortal Kombat X.

The cover art for the first issue of the series.

Alien:

• One of the Alien's brutalities, known as Alien Baby, involves the Alien calling down an egg and spawning a facehugger to latch onto the enemy opponent's face. Depending on who you do this move on can affect the appearance of the chestburster that gets spawned. For example, performing this brutality on Jason will cause the chestburster to spawn wearing a cute little hockey mask akin to Jason's. A full demonstration of this brutality on all characters can be seen below:

What's Next?

In the next blog post, we'll be taking a break from all these blood and guts as we dive into a more family friendly fighting game. That's right, next time we'll be taking a look at the guest characters that have appeared in the incredibly popular Super Smash Bros. fighting game series. Stay tuned!