The Mortal Kombat sequel could take a cue from the video games and feature a guest character from a popular movie franchise. From powerful ninja fighters such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero to bizarre monsters such as Reptile and the elusive Krypt Monster, the Mortal Kombat video games are full of unique characters. Simon McQuoid's 2021 live-action adaptation only presents a small fraction of the games' roster, but a sequel could really begin expanding the Mortal Kombat lore.
Although 2021's Mortal Kombat did a good job at establishing the world of the video games, it remains a relatively basic introduction to everything the franchise can offer. Among the many various additions fans expect from a Mortal Kombat sequel are the debut of Johnny Cage, a rematch between Sub-Zero and Scorpion, and a proper Mortal Kombat tournament. One surprise the sequel can bring, however, is the appearance of a guest character from a different film franchise.
The violent nature of the Mortal Kombat video games has attracted several horror movie icons and — especially in the latest title Mortal Kombat 11 — action movie legends. While copyright issues and canon discrepancies could be an obstacle, it's fun to imagine one or more of these characters showing up in a Mortal Kombat live-action sequel.
Nightmare on Elm Street's iconic antagonist Freddy Krueger appeared in the DLC for the 2011 Mortal Kombat video game. The horror hall-of-famer fits Mortal Kombat perfectly due to his tendency to kill his victims in the most violent manner, but also due to his hunger for souls. In the 2011 game, Freddy becomes a natural enemy of Shao Kahn when the latter seeks to steal Earthrealm's souls, and the battle between them brings Freddy into the Mortal Kombat story. The same could happen in a Mortal Kombat live-action sequel, but instead of Shao Kahn, Freddy could face off against the soul-sucking Shang Tsung.
Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees appeared in Mortal Kombat X. While Freddy Krueger is unstoppable due to his mastery of dreams, Jason is invincible out of pure spite. He has been "murdered" many times in the movies, but he always comes back with a vengeance. This makes him an ideal addition to the Mortal Kombat games and movies, considering the number of gory attacks every character has to endure. Unfortunately, Friday the 13th's legal rights are complicated, to say the least. It's unlikely the Friday the 13th will appear onscreen anytime soon, but an eventual appearance in a Mortal Kombat movie wouldn't be far-fetched after so many bizarre movies like Freddy vs Jason and Jason X.
The Predator is another movie character that fits so perfectly in the Mortal Kombat franchise that it could seem as if the monster was designed specifically for the video games. The Yautja hunt and kill for sport, and their wide assortment of alien weapons and abilities make them a force to reckon with, even for seasoned Mortal Kombat characters. Carl Weathers' Al Dillon from the 1987 Predator appears as an alternate skin for Jax in Mortal Kombat X, and the Predator himself appears as a DLC character.
When Al Dillon fights against Johnny Cage, the two characters shake hands the same way Al Dillon and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch do in the film. Johnny Cage's appearance in Mortal Kombat 2 could replicate the nod. Jean-Claude Van Damme, who served as the inspiration for Johnny Cage and was originally set to play the Predator in the 1987 film, could bring everything full circle by playing Cage in Mortal Kombat 2 and facing the ruthless Yautja.
Alien's Xenomorph appeared as a guest character in Mortal Kombat X. While not invincible like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, the Xenomorph is ideal for Mortal Kombat because it's a powerful exemplar of a whole species. Like Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, Mortal Kombat contestants could perform the goriest fatalities they can think of and still have to confront a new specimen — or even worse, a Queen, a Runner, or a Predalien. It also wouldn't hurt the Mortal Kombat sequel to have another powerful female fighter in the form of one of the most iconic action heroes of all time, Ellen Ripley.
Leatherface, from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre slasher movies, rounds out Mortal Kombat's roster of horror movie icons. While Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and the Xenomorph are imposing, Leatherface is terrifying for how ruthless he is. The serial killer is nearly unstoppable, and he doesn't hesitate when it comes to turning his victims into a bloody pulp. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has lost steam in the last few years, so a crossover with Mortal Kombat would help revitalize it. Leatherface's killing methods aren't too different from Nitara's bloody death at the hands of Kung Lao in the 2021 movie, anyway.
Image Comics' Spawn is one of the most famous comic book characters outside of Marvel and DC — and with good reason. Spawn blends the right amount of action, violence, and comic book extravaganza into one ominous antihero. The character has only appeared in one Hollywood movie, which didn't get as much praise as its fans would have liked. While the long-awaited Spawn reboot is slowly becoming a reality, a guest appearance in a Mortal Kombat sequel could help boost the character's popularity with general audiences prior to his own solo film.
Contrary to most franchises on this list, the Terminator movies have struggled with overstaying their welcome. Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 is as popular as ever, but all the Terminator sequels after T2: Judgment Day have failed to do the character and the overall story justice. Movies like Terminator: Genysis and Terminator: Dark Fate have ripped away all the horror and seriousness away from Skynet and its robot apocalypse. So, like the Terminator's DLC in Mortal Kombat 11, a T-800 guest appearance in a Mortal Kombat sequel would likely put Arnold Schwarzenegger's talents to good use in a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously but still honors the character's terrifying nature.
The Robocop franchise hasn't had the same number of subpar big-screen releases as Terminator, but it also hasn't found as much success after the original movie. Despite its age, the 1987 Robocop remains a sci-fi classic and, like Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, Peter Weller's performance is the gold standard when it comes to action-fueled robotic characters. Alex Murphy also appears as a guest character in Mortal Kombat 11, and would benefit from a role in the bloody battles of the Mortal Kombat sequel.
Sylvester Stallone's iconic characters continue to be relevant to this day, with Rocky Balboa training Adonis Creed to superstardom in the Creed movies and John Rambo participating in Mortal Kombat 11. Despite not having any superhuman abilities, Rambo's sheer determination has made him a nearly invincible fighter capable of mowing down hundreds of enemy soldiers and Mortal Kombat warriors. Rambo's appearance in Mortal Kombat 2 would be the most far-fetched out of all the other guest characters, but the sequel could connect Stallone's character to the fictional Hollywood where Johnny Cage thrives. The Mortal Kombat movie franchise could also draw inspiration from Last Action Hero and The Expendables and pay homage to Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jean-Claude Van Damme directly or through their most famous performances.
Considering the prevalence of shared movie universes and Batman's importance in the DC universe, The Joker would be the least likely to cross over with a totally different franchise. However, the popularity of Joaquin Phoenix's standalone performance in Todd Phillips' 2019 Joker and the arrival of the multiverse to the DCEU have made it possible for different versions of the same character to appear in different movies. Jared Leto's Joker appeared in Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Matt Reeves' The Batman is likely to have its own version of the Joker somewhere in its universe. With Mortal Kombat and DC comics under the same roof at Warner Bros., a Mortal Kombat sequel could recreate part of the 2008 Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe video game and cross paths with other DC villains like Joker, Lex Luthor, and Deathstroke.
On the other side of the spectrum, Kratos from Sony's exclusive God of War games is perhaps the least likely guest character to cross over with Mortal Kombat, despite being the protagonist of a video game himself. It's safe to say that if Sony wanted to introduce Kratos to live-action, it would be in a solo movie of their own in order to secure the franchise's future and not have to deal with complicated rights issues (The connection between the Sony Pictures' Universe of Marvel Characters and the MCU may be more than enough). Still, a surprise appearance by the Ghost of Sparta himself in a Mortal Kombat sequel would be one of the most delightful treats a gamer could have.
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June 27, 2021 at 12:47AM
