Kurtis Stryker

"Police brutality, coming up!"

- Stryker's Mortal Kombat (2011) Battle Cry

Officer Kurtis Stryker is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat 3.

About Stryker
Stryker was introduced in Mortal Kombat 3 as a somewhat stout-looking Caucasian man sporting a very urban design with a white-blue shirt, combat boots, gunbelt, black police pants, and a backwards cap. However, his appearance changed in Armageddon into a more serious-looking and modernized policeman. Originally described as being a leader of the Special Riot Control division in the New York City Police Department, he employs modern weaponry such as explosives, firearms, tasers, and nightsticks in battle, making him a force that is not to be underestimated. He is seen as the first person to run towards the pyramid in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

Powers and abilities
Stryker relies mostly on police weaponry such as grenades, tasers, and guns in kombat. This gives him an advantage over other fighters in terms of range, in that he can deal a tremendous amount of damage from a distance. Using his baton, he can propel himself forward with incredible speed towards the opponent and either trip them or fling them far behind him. Additionally, in Mortal Kombat 3, one of his combos can launch the opponent into the air, which he can use as an opportunity for juggling.

In Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Stryker's baton doubles as a device for opening and closing portals.

Signature moves

 * Baton Trip: Stryker uses his baton to trip the opponent. In MK 2011, this move is called Baton Sweep. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Baton Bash. Stryker trips the opponent and then while they're lying on their back, smashes them over the head with his baton.
 * Baton Throw: Stryker jumps forward and uses his baton to fling the opponent behind him. In MK 2011, this is named Roll Toss and Stryker instead rolls towards the opponent, allowing him to duck certain attacks and projectiles. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Roll Out, the range is increased and Stryker tosses the opponent across the screen.
 * Grenade: Stryker throws a concussion grenade at his opponent. Two versions of this move exist, one allowing the projectile to be thrown in a high arc, called High Grenade Toss and another with a low arc, called Low Grenade Toss. It sometimes follows Stryker saying "EAT THIS!" (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * Double Grenade: Stryker throws two grenades at his opponent. There are also high and low versions of this move. In MK 2011, this is the enhanced version of the two Grenade throws. (MKT, MK 2011)
 * Stun Gun: Stryker fires his taser and delivers an electric shock from long range. This move was once his fatality. (MK:A)
 * Gun Blast: Stryker pulls out a pistol (or a machine gun in Mortal 'Kombat: Armageddon) and shoots his opponent. In Armageddon, Stryker could also aim his weapon at an upwards angle. In MK 2011, this move is named Gun Shot. (UMK3, MKT, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Bang Bang and Stryker uses two pistols to fire multiple rounds.
 * X-Ray Move - Busted: Stryker pulls out a flashlight and shines it into the opponent's eyes, blinding them and causing them to kneel down. Stryker then slams his flashlight on top of the opponent's skull, breaking it. He then slams the opponent in the side of the face with a baton that breaks the jaw and skull even more. He finishes the combo by tasing the opponent. (MK 2011)

Other moves

 * Throw: Stryker tasers his opponent under the chin, then strikes them with his baton either in the stomach or in the back. (MK 2011)
 * Baton Twirl: Stryker twirls his baton, hitting his opponent in the face. (MK 2011)

Fatalities

 * Taser: Stryker fires his taser and sends electricity into his opponent until he/she is fried to death. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Explosives: Stryker attaches an explosive charge to his dazed opponent and detonates it from a distance, causing him/her to explode in a mess of bones and gore. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Have a Blast: Stryker lodges an unpinned grenade into the opponent's stomach and turns away. The grenade will then explode in their stomach, leaving their fiery lower body on the floor. (MK 2011)
 * Time Served: Stryker tasers his opponent, then he graphically shoots the upper part of their head off with his pistol. (MK 2011)

Other finishers

 * Friendship: Stryker blows a whistle and holds up a stop sign while motioning for pedestrians to cross. In Mortal Kombat 3, all the playable characters run by. In Mortal Kombat Trilogy, all the ninjas (male, female, and cyborg) run past. In the Nintendo 64 version of Trilogy, Kung Lao's dog pulling a small red wagon passes through holding baby versions of Sub-Zero, Sindel, and Jax. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Animality: Stryker transforms into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and chomps off the opponent's torso. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Babality: Stryker pulls out his pistol and fires at the floor, knocking him back and then starts crying. (MK 2011)

Defenders of the Realm
Stryker was one of the main characters in the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, voiced by Ron Perlman. He was one of Raiden's chosen defenders of the Earthrealm alongside Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Jax, Sonya, Nightwolf, Kabal, and Kitana. In the show, he used his nightstick which concealed an electronic device to close the dimensional rips that were caused by invading realms. He also had a very strict and cold-hearted attitude among his fellow combatants, but in the later episodes he starts acting much kinder. He gets this sweet side at the end of the episode Fall from Grace, after assisting Sonya in battling Colonel Zenkaro of the Shokan.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Stryker is mentioned along with Kabal in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation as having been captured by Rain, though they never appear on-screen.

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
A policeman resembling Stryker is briefly seen in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Tahmoh Penikett portrays Stryker in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

In this continuity, Stryker is a member of the Deacon City Police Department and works alongside Sonya Blade and Jax Briggs.

Stryker appears in the first episode, going over a preparation to lead a strike team to Kano's location, giving what little info they have on Kano as well as revealing that the Black Dragon stole sensitive technology from the D.O.D. (Department of Defense), and while Stryker wants to wait for confirmation from Sonya on Kano's location and follow protocol, though Jax wants to head out right then, Stryker reminds him that Sonya shouldn't have been out on her own. Stryker knows about Sonya, Kano and Jax's tense relationship and asks Jax not to put him in this position.

When Jax decides to head off on his own to find Sonya, Stryker declares, "Fuck it", and orders his team to move out.

Stryker, Jax and their team arrive at the warehouse location from Sonya's transmission, but are soon ambushed and caught in a gunfight. Stryker wants to know how the Black Dragons knew they were coming, and lays down cover fire for Jax as he goes ahead to find Sonya. Stryker and Jax then work together to take out several Black Dragon members.

In the next episode, Stryker reappears at the end, greeting Sonya in the ICU of a hospital, Stryker himself also slightly wounded but in much better shape than Sonya. He lets her know she's been in a coma for a week and that Kano managed to escape. When Sonya asks about Jax, Stryker reveals his intense condition but assures her that the D.O.D. "has a plan" after revealing the injuries to his back and arms.

Actor and stuntman Eric Jacobus portrays Stryker in season 2 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

In-between season, Stryker was presumably contacted by Raiden and agreed to fight for Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat, possibly in the still injured Sonya and Jax's place.

In season 2, Stryker appears in the second episode, being the second of Raiden's chosen fighters to arrive on Shang Tsung's island. When Johnny Cage arrives next, Stryker recognizes him and wonders why he is there as well, though Cage just mocks him for bringing a stungun instead of answering his question. The two then see Sub-Zero and Kenshi's arrival, with Stryker questioning, "We fighting these kung-fu extras?" though Raiden soon announces his presence and clarifies that they are all allies.

That night, Stryker sits at the campfire with the other kombatants, and asks Raiden what the island is. Raiden reveals that the island is the remnants of a ruined civilization and serves as a reminder of what fate awaits Earthrealm if they fail. Stryker then witnesses Raiden using his control over lightning to reignite the dying fire.

After Raiden explains the island's unique ability to enhance the chosen kombatants innate supernatural powers, and Sub-Zero using his control over ice to put out the fire, Raiden declares the tournament has begun and the kombatants spread out over the island.

Stryker is not seen again until the series finale, having spent the better part of the day wandering the island and coming across a strange stone formation when he hears someone approaching. Stryker reaches for his weapon, drawing it but not firing once he realizes it's only an injured Johnny Cage. Stryker then tends to Cage's wound while Johnny explains the events he's witnessed, starting with Kenshi and Ermac's fight to his encounter with Mileena and Kitana. Stryker becomes hopeful at the idea of the enemies turning on each other, believing they might win the tournament.

Stryker starts to help Johnny up, suggesting they return to the beach when Liu Kang appears, attacking the two with fireballs. Stryker is knocked out momentarily from the first fireball, but revives in time to save Cage from death at the fallen Shaolin Monk's hands ("Still wanna make fun of my fucking vest?") by shooting Liu Kang with his stungun. To Stryker's horror, Liu Kang overcomes the volts coursing through him and engages Stryker in a fist fight, though Stryker tries to draw his gun, Liu Kang dodges and redirects every shot before getting the gun and mercilessly pistol-whipping Stryker into unconsciousness.

Before Cage and Stryker can be executed, Kung Lao arrives and saves them. Stryker is still unconscious as season two ends.

Character development
It took Stryker several tries to break into the MK series. A character named "Kurtis Stryker" was to appear in the first Mortal Kombat, but the idea was dropped in the place of a female fighter (Sonya Blade). This previously unused character would later appear in Mortal Kombat II with a different name: Jax. Jax's initial name was then finally reused for this character in Mortal Kombat 3. Stryker was made to be a SWAT type of character but with a sleeker design. The developers originally planned for him to have several other weapons, but problems and memory limitations prevented this.

Stryker has long held a mixed response among fans. Although character designer and series co-creator John Tobias thought that he would become one of the most popular characters in the game, the opposite would turn true. Many reviled his "common man" appearance, special moves and friendships as being out of place in the sword-and-sorcery world of Mortal Kombat. Despite this, he is also considered one of the highest-tier characters in Mortal Kombat 3, especially after he was given his gun as a special move in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. This move greatly increased Stryker's combo abilities, especially where juggling was concerned. In his Mortal Kombat: Armageddon bio card, Ed Boon claimed him to be one of MK3 ' s "hidden secrets" precisely for this reason. It was also stated that Stryker was purposely given a new appearance in Armageddon in order to make him look more appealing to critics of his original design. Armageddon's early concept art and cast render showed that Stryker was to have his MK3 look as his primary costume; however, this was scrapped later on as this look was one of the sources of rejection over the character. However, his new appeareance in Mortal Kombat (2011) strongly resembles his MK3 attire.

Game information
The original Stryker costume used for the Mortal Kombat 3 shoot was red (which is the case for most of the other live-action costumes in the game), but was changed to blue in the game. Stryker's select screen portrait still shows the red version of his outfit. The palette-swapped color variant used for the second player if both players choose Stryker does use the original red costume rendition, however.

Stryker made two cameo appearances in Mortal Kombat: Deception: once as a background prisoner in the Dark Prison stage and again during the game's Konquest mode, where he is seen aspiring to become a Seidan guard in Orderrealm. Also in Deception, his name is randomly shown up in the sky in the main menu. Stryker is also mentioned in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks in one of the game over messages, which says "Who will win? Stryker or Cyrax?".

Original Timeline

 * Shao Kahn claimed the souls of his city he swore to protect.
 * Received the vision from Raiden and instructed him to join the Earth Warriors before MK3.
 * Joined the fight against Shao Kahn and his minions in MK3.
 * Joined the Forces of Light in the final battle in Armageddon.
 * First person to climb the pyramid after punching Mileena in the face.
 * Shot down by Kano.
 * Attempts to climb the pyramid again but is blown away by Shang Tsung.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy

 * Lieutenant of the Deacon City Police Department.
 * Lead an investigation to stop the "Cyber Initiative" and arrest Kano, leader of the Black Dragon clan.
 * Assisted Jax in his mission to rescue Sonya.
 * Summoned to participate in the Mortal Kombat tournament.
 * Saved Johnny Cage from a corrupted Liu Kang.
 * Fought with Liu Kang and saved by Kung Lao.

Quotes

 * "Police Brutality coming up!" (Stryker's Battle Cry)
 * "Police Brutality" (His Challenge Tower victory pose quote)
 * "Spread 'em" (Activating his X-Ray Move)
 * "Busted!" (After performing an X-Ray Move)
 * "This is not happening" (Witnessing Outworld's invasion)
 * "Enough of this! It's you and me, freakshow!" (to Reptile)
 * "Spitting? Sticking out your tongue? Bet your mama's real proud." (after beating Reptile)
 * "Foe. Definitely Foe" (about Mileena)
 * "You're coming with me." (after beating Mileena)
 * "Johnny Cage fighting a giant monster? What is this, Time Smashers?"
 * "Never knew I had it in me." (After beating Kintaro)
 * "Oh yeah? Come and get it!" (After Ermac confronts him)
 * "I think I'll be keeping my soul." (After beating Ermac)
 * "Yeah? Well, Earthrealm Defender is about ten steps above my pay grade."﻿﻿ (to Nightwolf)

Mortal Kombat: Legacy

 * "Still wanna make fun of my fucking vest?" (to Johnny Cage while teasing Liu Kang)
 * "We all have our talents. Even D-List actors." (to Johnny Cage after Cage ridicules Stryker's chosen artillery)

Trivia

 * Known for being a very divisive character, according to Ed Boon in Stryker's Bio Kard, he is the favorite character of some, and the least favorite of many.
 * Ed Boon also stated that Stryker was supposed to be one of the strongest fighters in MK3.
 * When Stryker performs his Friendship in MK3, he will blow a whistle, then make characters pass by. Oddly, one of those characters is Kurtis Stryker himself.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Stryker uses his Grenade Toss move only once, in the episode "Old friends never die", where he uses this move to distract Smoke and save Sub-Zero.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, Stryker is shown very shortly as a friend of Sonya.
 * In the official poster for Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Stryker is shown in his MK3 costume, even though that costume was not used in the actual game.
 * Also the blood that is splattered on Stryker is always red, regardless of the opponent.
 * In Mortal Kombat (2011), he is the only character where his final action of both Fatalities is seen three times.
 * In Stryker's MK 2011 bio, one of his accomplishments, "rescuing passengers of a speeding crosstown bus rigged to explode", is a reference to the 1994 film Speed, the other accomplishment, "single-handedly thwarting the terrorists in the famous Greenberg Tower Incident", is a reference to the 1988 film Die Hard and its Nakatomi Tower.
 * Stryker's X-Ray move opens with him blinding the opponent with a flashlight. This somehow affects Johnny Cage (who wears sunglasses) and Kenshi (who is blind). This is most likely just a gameplay mechanic, or it could be attributed to the flashlight being of such a high intensity that it is physically burning the other kombatant.
 * A number of redesigns were made for Stryker in Mortal Kombat 2011, such as an army-style design and a more vigilante-inspired SWAT outfit. These would all ultimately be rejected for a more refined version of his original MK3 outfit.
 * Stryker spends the majority of Mortal Kombat (2011)'s Story Mode in his alternate outfit. Oddly, he only appears wearing his primary outfit after being resurrected and forced to serve Quan Chi.
 * In a Top 10 list hosted by Screwattack.com, Stryker was placed at #3 of the worst characters in the Mortal Kombat series. However, they did say that he is much cooler in Mortal Kombat (2011) but "the damage is already done" and "the scars are too deep".
 * Stryker Gun Shot is the fastest projectile in Mortal Kombat (2011) as it hits the opponent immediately after the activation.
 * It is also the only Special Move that can be delayed in both enhanced and normal version.
 * In Nightwolf's chapter (15) in  Mortal Kombat 2011' s Story Mode, when the Lin Kuei enters the Cathedral, Stryker is the one who starts fighting Sektor. However, after Nightwolf beat Cyrax, Smoke is seen being beaten by Sektor. Stryker is seen briefly in the background of Nightwolf fighting a gray cyborg.
 * Despite his death in the opening sequence of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon being on the stairs of the pyramid, Stryker's body is located behind Sonya's, a great distance away from the pyramid.
 * Probable reasons for this are that he was either blasted by Shang Tsung's Skull Flame, or he survived the attacks that damaged him.
 * Stryker is one of the only seven characters that, after Mortal Kombat: Trilogy, only became playable again in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. The others being Sheeva, Kintaro, Motaro, Chameleon, Khameleon and Rain.
 * Pictures taken during the previous development of Mortal Kombat (2011) show Stryker using his Stun Gun move. However, he does not possess this move in the game.
 * In Mortal Kombat (2011), his gun resembles a Beretta 92. This makes sense, as some police officers carry a Beretta 92 variant as their service pistol.
 * In Armageddon, he trades in the Beretta M9's for a rifle resembling the FNH SCAR-L, a rifle marketed towards Special Forces units and Law Enforcement SWAT teams.
 * Mortal Kombat (2011) is the first game where Stryker wears an official police uniform.
 * In MK (2011), according to his alternate costume, Stryker is the rank of Sergeant.
 * In Freddy Krueger's story trailer, Stryker was the target of Freddy when Johnny Cage knocked him unconscious in the beginning.