User blog:NaveNinja/Who Else Fits In?

So, Kratos and my old friend Freddy Krueger got into the latest Mortal Kombat game.

Kratos is of course from the God of War series of games, a powerhouse of a warrior who, at the climax of the first game, kills Ares. By the end of the third, he's slaughtered nearly the rest of the pantheon. What I like about Kratos fitting into Mortal Kombat is not only his look and style, but also the idea that Godhood is something you can gain and lose, and Gods can die. It's a bit of a stretch, but I can see how the gods of the God of War series can fit into the context of Mortal Kombat's gods, which for me, implies that the events of God of War could have possibly happened in the background of Mortal Kombat's history. Like I said, a bit of a stretch, but one I like.



So then we have Freddy Krueger, of Nightmare on Elm Street fame. Love or hate him and his movies, he's a popular guy. I'm not going to get into anything regarding Robert Englund or Jackie Earle Haley, or the fact that this Freddy has two claws instead of one, because I don't care about any of that nonsense. According to word of god, this Freddy is neither, and therefore I don't impose any arbitrary expectations upon him based on past renditions of the character. Quite frankly, we should be glad with what we got: an awesome version of Freddy who fits into MK's story, albeit from a non-canon perspective, like Kratos. I love that they got Freddy in one way or another, because it shows that it IS possible for characters from other sources of media to appear in Mortal Kombat and do well.

So that, to me, begs the question... who else could fit in?

So here are my rules/restrictions:

1: They must fit into a realistic context. This means no cartoon-only characters, no animated objects, no silly kid stuff. They need to be able to be reimagined into fitting into Mortal Kombat's history and setting. Ergo, typically only realistic or gritty neo-realistic things will make the list.

2: They can't bring their entire universe with them. If their entire backstory is tied into their fictional universe, like, say, Mega Man, he simply can't be reimagined into MK's universe. It simply wouldn't work unless we change major things about the MK setting, which is not what we aim to do. The character has to be able to stand on their own in a realistic, modern-day setting. Alternatively, if drawn from the past, like Kratos, they need to be able to fit into the past of either our world or MK's past events, which is, after all, subject to both mystery and alteration.

3: Overpowered characters don't belong. One of the reasons I hated MK vs. DC was the simple fact that I firmly believe that nothing should have stopped Superman (among others) from simply defeating his enemies in a single punch. I didn't buy the reasoning behind the ability of anyone in MK to hang in a fight with someone like Superman or Green Lantern or the Flash. Strictly speaking, most people in Mortal Kombat rely on Martial Arts prowess, supplemented by their special powers. Anyone on this lists needs to be able to be defeated in a fist fight.

4: If there is a version of a character that does not fit into the overall canon, such as a movie adaption that is capable of standing on its own, then that character probably has a better chance to be included. I'll get more into this as I elaborate.

5: No characters with powers or abilities that rely specifically on many other people also having similar powers or abilities. For example, no mutants from X-Men. Not that I hate them or anything, in fact I love them, but if you let one in, you have to account for the fact that now a significant minority of Earthrealm's humans have to be mutants. It's really the only way, otherwise their backstories would have to be altered and then they're a completely different character. It kind of ties into Rule 2: where if you let one in, you feel obligated to include all the others.

I might go on to add more rules or redefine some key things about those rules, but first, here's my list. Now, it's important to keep this in mind: it's not specifically about who would fit in as DLC, like Freddy, but moreso who could fit into the Mortal Kombat universe in the way they made him fit in, IE, reimagining. I welcome any suggestions, but please, don't disrespect anyone else or their submissions, nor let this turn into a debate regarding the legitimacy of guest characters in Mortal Kombat. It's not about that. It's a thought experiment.

With that, here we go.

Ashley J. "Ash" Williams, of Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. He's got the will, the smarts, the looks and he's played by the immortal Bruce Campbell. He can fight off the undead, snap off witty one-liners and make anything he does look easy. He's an everyman, an average joe, flung into situations far beyond his paygrade, and we love him to death. He was in Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, and he could bring along the Necronomicon, which couldn't hurt... much. Story? The portal at the end of Evil Dead 2 brought him to Outworld. Simple enough.

Jason Voorhees, the original, the badass, the ultimate stalker-killer. Killed as a child in Crystal Lake while the adults were off smoking, drinking and having sex, Jason eventually came back after the death of his murderous mother to take up killing in the name of killing. He's tall, silent, and wears a hockey mask and wields a machete and is nigh-invincible. Of course, over the course of his long, bloody career, he's made enemies with Freddy Krueger, who tricked Jason into killing the kids of Elm Street but then fought with him when Jason wouldn't stop. We've got a connection to Freddy right there, and even one to Ash: In Jason's last film (not counting X) there is a brief cameo with the Necronomicon. Hmm... As for story? Well, as Freddy says, "I had to scour the depths of hell to find someone." Jason died and went to hell, where Freddy found him and brought him back to do his bidding. Why not the same again? Only this time, release Jason in Outworld to destroy the minions of Shao Kahn, making his own job all that much easier.

Christopher Nolan's Batman. This version of Batman is more than able to stand on his own, without any other DC superheroes to follow him. This is scrictly the canon of the Batman Begins, Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises films. Batman was one of the few characters I liked in MK vs. DC, because he actually makes sense from a Kombat point of view, in that he could actually fight the kombatants on fairer terms. As for story, well, assuming Batman doesn't die or quit at the end of his next movie (looking forward to it, no matter what happens) he could be lured into the Mortal Kombat tournament by either dealing with the Outworld Invasion when it hits Gotham or by following my next entry to Shang Tsung's island, or perhaps Outworld.

Heath Ledger's Joker. Now, I know he's dead and all, but that's not the point. My point is that the character himself isn't dead, though we probably won't get to see him again in the same series, unless they pass on the role to someone else. I'm conservative about adding Scarecrow from the first film, as I didn't like him very much, and Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul. I'm also warry about adding anyone from the next movie, as we don't know what they'll be like (yet). Story? Shang Tsung teleports/breaks Joker out of jail at Kano's request, as Kano knows how useful someone like the Joker can be.



Blade, as portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the movies series of the same name. This one's pretty easy: he's a half-vampire (daywalker) who hunts vampires. He's got the moves, skill, equipment to do so. Mortal Kombat, of course, has vampires. A little creative work and bam, Blade could be the son of one of Nitara's race. I don't think all vampires in Nitara's race have to have wings, in fact, I like to believe she's simply a special kind of vampire or perhaps they're retractable or given to her by magic. However you feel like explaining it, I like to think Blade would fit quite nicely into Mortal Kombat.



Daredevil, probably from the movie he was in. Like it or hate it, I think Daredevil would be a rather effective character in a fighting game like Mortal Kombat. He has a simple enough origin and fits well into an urban setting. He has speed, agility and combat prowess to boot. Story? He'd probably come into play during Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm, joining up with the other heroes. Possibly recruited by Raiden.



Elektra. Simple enough. I didn't see the spinoff movie with her from the Daredevil film so I can't comment on that, but I remember her character fitting in with Daredevil's story in his movie. It wasn't great, but not terrible. Point is, a reimagining of the character would work rather nicely alongside Daredevil. Her story could fit alongside his in the context of Mortal Kombat, and once more, she could come into play during Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. Alternatively, she could become involved in the first tournament somehow.



Predator. That, alone, is almost enough said. Do I need to list the number of ways this guy would fit in? Barring the fact that AVP is now a merged continuity with some established differences on Earth from our own, we could simply ignore past events and rewrite a few things. His skill, his look, his weapons, all of it fits in. Story? A lone yautja is monitoring the Earth below from orbit, and picks up some strange readings. Deciding to investigate, he lands on the island and observes the tournament, seeing so many hnorable warriors do battle, and he immediately begins to picture himself taking skulls.

The name's Bond. James Bond. Tell me you wouldn't want to kick some Outworld ass with England's number one spy. You could get really creative here when it comes to Bond's gadgets and weaponry: a gun, watch laser, grappling hook, smoke bomb, cloaking device (why not?) and not to mention his martial arts prowess. The clear choice is most recent Bond actor Daniel Craig. Story? Well, either he is sent to investigate strange happenings, which leads him to the tournament, or he comes into play during the invasion, like Stryker. Either way, Bond would be pretty cool.



Turok. Classic Turok. Hell, the title of Turok is bestowed upon one who dedicates his life to defending Earth from extra-dimensional invasion. How could he possibly not fit into Mortal Kombat? With some creative work, he could easilly be remade into a protector of Earthrealm against the forces of Outworld. He's fought giant dinosaurs, cyborgs, aliens and more: how hard could Shao Kahn be? His weapons could also get pretty creative. I call cerebral bore for a fatality. Now, does it matter that Turok is Native American, and Nightwolf is Native American? If that was your first thought, then you're most likely a horrible person. It's no worse than having more than one African American character in the series.

RoboCop. Hell. Yes. You all know RoboCop, and if you don't, I have nothing but pity for you. From the movie of the same name, it's set in a crappy future Detroit, but since Detroit has actually gotten that bad and could use a true RoboCop, he would easilly fit into the context of Mortal Kombat, since we already have ninja-cyborgs in there. RoboCop is badass through and through, and would probably enter the story at the point of Shao Kahn's Invasion, like so many others.



Lara Croft, adventurer, mercenary, kickass poster woman for gaming. Though it's likely she'd play similar to Stryker when it comes to gameplay mechanics, that's not really the point of this list. Lara Croft has the skill and the will to survive Mortal Kombat, and is a treasure hunter after all, so what if circumstances led her either to a portal to another realm, some other Mortal Kombat treasure or the first tournament itself? Though she could just as easilly get wrapped up in the Earthrealm invasion.



Another treasure hunter, although this time with splices of being male and sarcasm. Nathan "Nate" Drake is from the Uncharted series, of which I am a pretty big fan. Nate would work pretty well from a story perspective (assuming he doesn't die in the next game) and is a damn fun protagonist to play as. His story would, admittedly, probably work the same as Lara's, either finding some treasure of Mortal Kombat, finding the first tournament, or getting caught up in the invasion. Take your pick.



Ghost Rider. He's cool as hell, nobody disputes that. With his look, weaponry and overall design, he could easilly fit into the context of Mortal Kombat. Make him from the Netherrealm, forced into servitude and his ghostly form by either Quan Chi or Shinnok. Alternatively, have him rebel against such control and turn him into the anti-hero we know and love him as. Give him a new story to fit in with the rest of the series, though of course make it similar to the character he is based on. The Nicolas Cage movie would serve well as a basis. The same could be said for...



Spawn. Do I need to say much? He's pure awesome served up on a silver platter. Even if you don't like the character, you can't deny how well he'd fit into Mortal Kombat's reality. Simply alter his backstory to connect it to Shinnok and the Netherrealm and we're golden. His cape, chains and other weapons and powers would be perfect. Get this dude in.



Frank West. He's covered wars, you know. Getting rid of the zombies in his reality, it would be all too simple to rewrite his character into getting sent to take photos of the first tournament. He would snap pics during fights, and due to his nature, would probably get into trouble before learning the truth behind the tournament and what is actually at stake. Then he'd get involved and go on to take photographs of the second tournament and Outworld invasion. Because he's Frank West, and that's what he does.



Max Payne, of the Max Payne series. He's a badass cop gone bad, looking to uncover a conspiracy that he has become entwined with, one that will reveal the truth behind the death of his family. Instead of all of that, however, he instead finds himself fighting the hordes of the Outworld invasion, and all the while, the narration in his head will never stop. Not for one single second. Jokes and references aside, Max is awesome. I can't speak for how good his next game will be, but I hope it'll be nice.



Candyman, played by legendary horror actor Tony Todd, is big pimpin'. He's got an awesome coat, a hook for a hand and his exposed ribcage is swarming with bees. As a slave, he was killed when he was caught with a white woman, covered in honey and stung to death by bees. Before he died, they called him Candyman. He returned as a man who shows up to kill those who look into a mirror and say "Candyman" three times. Hey, there've been worse reasons to create a murderous hellspawn, right? Candyman's movies are awesome (though I've seen only the first two) and it wouldn't hurt to at least consider him. He'd be from the Netherrealm, and would probably get wrapped up into serving Shinnok or Quan Chi.

Let's keep the horror movie train rolling. Michael Myers! Everybody loves good ol' Michael, of the Halloween series. The man practically invented the slasher genre. How would his story fit into Mortal Kombat? Well... I'm not sure. But he's a killer, right? In the same vein as Jason? And he's been in hell? I say we get lazy and just say he gets pulled out of hell either by Freddy, Quan Chi or Shinnok. I'm afraid I don't know too much about the character to get terribly more specific.

I hope I'm not the only person here who saw this movie. Pumpkinhead, of the film Pumpkinhead, is a demon, known to the rural folks of the south who fear him like a boogeyman, and for good reason. They call him Pumpkinhead, due to the fact that the witch who controls the demon keeps it buried in a pumpkin patch. The demon's only known supposed true name is "Vengeance" for that is its purpose: it is summoned through a ritual to kill those who have wronged its summoner. Though of course, there is a hefty price to pay. The demon is, of course, from hell. He is described by the evil witch as being a "specialist" for the sin of revenge. As for story, I'd like to think that Shang Tsung or Quan Chi somehow gain the power to summon Pumpkinhead and use him for their own gains.



Niko Bellic, of Liberty City and GTAIV. So, he'll bring Liberty City into Mortal Kombat. Batman brought Gotham, so that's all good. So, Niko brings a lot of side characters from GTAIV with him, including the protagonists of the GTAIV expansions. Well, they're not too important, so they can all die during the Outworld invasion when it reaches Liberty City. Niko wouldn't die, of course, since he's way too good to be taken out like that.



Alright, so, a little bit of a stretch with Faith from Mirror's Edge. I get that, I do. Her character relies pretty much on the setting in which she lives. Now, we have two possible options that I can see: Either we reimagine her character to bring her into a different setting, or we keep the city in which she was raised (one in which all personal communication is monitored and the people's scheduals are controlled, amongst other things). Both are okay, but in the end, Faith was a pretty cool character and she could use another chance to kick ass. She would most likely enter the story when the invasion hits.



Agent 47, of Hitman fame. Now, I must confess to not knowing a great deal about the series, as I have never played a game in it. However, I have watched gameplay and have read parts of the story, so I think we can safely stick Agent 47 into the Earthrealm invasion like everyone else and we'll be okay.

Teams


Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios of Army of Two. Now, these two rely on, in their fictional universe, the idea that militaries are being replace with corporate teams of mercenaries. Or something. It's been a while since I played the games with a buddy of mine. Anyway, they could easilly be reimagined as two badass mercs who get wrapped up in the invasion. There you go.



The Ghostbusters. Remember my point about how this list doesn't need to be about gameplay mechanics, but story? Well, who better to wipe out spiritual spectres, wraiths, ghouls and ghosts in the wake of the invasion from Outworld? They'd fit in just fine, since the Mortal Kombat universe, of course, has ghosts. So long as they don't trap Liu Kang, we'll be good.



The original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Pictured: Billy, Trini, Tommy, Jason, Kimberly and Zack. Search your feelings, you know it to be true: You would play as the Green or Red Ranger. The others don't hurt as well. Now, at first, this might seem like I'm violating my rule of "don't bring the fictional universe with the characters." Well, Power Rangers is an interesting thing, and is worth the effort, so let's change the story. Option 1: Get rid of Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, and all the other villains. Make it purely about protecting the Earth from Shao Kahn. Zordon will grant the powers of the dinosaurs to six teenagers with attitude. The only problem is, they can't morph in Outworld nor take their Zords there, as the Morphing Grid will only extend to Earth. Therefore, it is their duty to protect the Earth from the forces of evil while the other forces of light defeat Shao Kahn. Option 2: Keep the main villains, have them be allies with Shao Kahn in taking down the Earth, give the Green Ranger his original story and have him turn to good. Rita and Zedd attack Earth with a variety of mutants, monsters and other things. Their base will, of course, be on the moon.

So, that's the list. Comment below on it, or throw in your own suggestions, or criticize my choices. Constructive dialog only, if you'd please.