Mortal Kombat 11 made a lot of buzz when it revealed its latest DLC guest character: John Rambo. The Vietnam War veteran turned action superstar joins The Terminator, RoboCop, and Spawn in the latest game’s roster, which hyped up some fans while also inspiring a bit of mockery.
Many jokes were made about how Mortal Kombat 11’s guest list was some gamer’s dad transparent attempt to fulfill his boyhood fantasy of seeing Rambo fire an M60 into a T-800, while more serious criticisms about the continued deification of ‘80s nostalgia were hard to dismiss. Since the eleventh is unlikely to be the last, here’s who else we think should fight in Mortal Kombat.
Alice (The Resident Evil Movies)
Like them or not, the Resident Evil movies gave pop culture one of the most recognized action heroines in Alice. Ignoring how she’s a wholly original character made specifically for the movies, Alice is great at fighting hordes of zombies and/or freakish mutations with kung-fu and guns. Also, her backstory is a weirdly convoluted mess that changes in every installment. Basically, she’s perfect for Mortal Kombat.
Despite how well-known she and the Resident Evil property are, Alice never appeared anywhere outside of the movies, and a Mortal Kombat guest appearance can finally fix this. Last but not the least, just think of how many cool movie tie-in skins Alice would get.
Victor Crowley (The Hatchet Movies)
To keep up with Mortal Kombat’s tradition of bringing in horror icons, that honor needs to be extended to Victor Crowley. Hailing from the underrated Hatchet series that simultaneously parody and celebrate slasher movies, Victor is as physically imposing and violently strong as slasher villains come.
Victor has it all: a monstrous look, inherent brutality, and a needlessly complex backstory that’s nonetheless interesting. Weird mask or none, he’ll fit right in with Mortal Kombat’s host of undead ninjas, zombie ghosts, and other supernaturally-powered fighters. Also, adding Victor will finally allow horror fans to reenact a dream match between Victor and horror legends like Jason Voorhees and the Xenomorph.
The Bride (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2)
At its most basic, Mortal Kombat is a celebration of action fiction, specifically of the kung-fu and samurai brands. This digital tribute would only be made more complete with one of the most beloved and current walking homages to the glory days of the Shaw Brothers: The Bride.
Kill Bill was Quentin Tarantino’s introspective throwback to the kung-fu movies of the ‘60s and ‘70s, with The Bride being a badass combination of Bruce Lee, Lady Snowblood, and many more before her. After taking down the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DeVas), The Bride would feel at home in the Mortal Kombat world, which is populated by all kinds of psychos and assassins.
Frank Dux (Bloodsport)
Mortal Kombat may be known for its magical ninjas and mystical warriors, but it also has some relatively normal human fighters like Sonya Blade and Liu Kang. To uphold this tradition and continue the ‘80s action movie trend, Mortal Kombat should bring in another genre icon: Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) from Bloodsport.
Whether one takes it as a serious biopic or just a kickass action movie from The Cannon Group, Frank is undoubtedly one of the best martial artists to grace the big screen, proving that all he needs to win is hardcore training, expert fighting technique, and sick splits. Helping Frank’s case is the fact that Bloodsport’s central match – the Kumite – was Mortal Kombat before the latter even made it to arcade cabinets.
Domino (Deadpool 2)
As of this writing, DC got the lion’s share of the Mortal Kombat glory, getting a fully-fledged crossover to boot. Rumors of a Marvel tie-in are abundant online, but nothing concrete has been confirmed. That said, a host of Marvel heroes and villains made it to fans’ wishlists, with Deadpool, Punisher, and Wolverine unsurprisingly popping up. So to go with an underdog instead of the usual names, why not add Domino from Deadpool 2?
Despite having a seemingly useless ability, Domino weaponized her endless luck and showed just how deadly it can be in the right moments. This would make for an interesting Fatality and moveset, giving players something new to toy with. That, and her leather-clad, gunslinging ensemble already looks like it came right of the Mortal Kombat closet.
Blade (The Blade Trilogy)
Easily the most underrated and underappreciated Marvel movie hero of the pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) days, Blade doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves. Now with the MCU about to relaunch the Daywalker, the original Blade – portrayed by Wesley Snipes – deserves to get one last hurrah, and a Mortal Kombat appearance is the best way to go.
Like the game itself and Spawn, Blade is emblematic of the dark and edgy ‘90s pop culture scene. The two are basically a match made in heaven waiting to happen. Not fighting Nitara or Mileena would be a wasted opportunity for Blade, since they (and others) are the perfect kinds of undead murderers he fights in his movies.
Grace Harper (Terminator: Dark Fate)
Since the original Terminator is now part of Mortal Kombat, it only makes sense that other characters from the franchise appear in due time. Grace Harper is a unique franchise character in that she’s an augmented human rather than a cyborg assassin.
Dark Fate may be polarizing but fans and detractors agreed about Grace’s awesomeness. She made such an impression that some wondered why Dark Fate wasn’t solely about her, instead making her share the screen with an older Sarah Connor. Given her death and the uncertain future of the Terminator movies, it’d be a shame not to see more of Grace – even in a DLC.
John Wick
If there’s one action hero who defined the 2010’s as much as Rambo did for the ‘80s, it’s John Wick. The eponymous babayaga from the ongoing series is the deadliest movie killer in recent memory, seen in how he’s more than capable of mowing down an entire private army. It’s come to the point where even the mere mention of his name is enough to frighten the most experienced criminals and hitmen around.
With his unsurpassable skill in killing everyone in his path with literally anything in hand’s reach, Wick would make an excellent addition to Mortal Kombat and another great video game appearance for Keanu Reeves. Just imagine the Fatalities executed with a pencil! Also, why should Fortnite be the only game to enjoy Mr. Wick’s presence?
Imperator Furiosa (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Mad Max: Fury Road is, without question, one of the greatest action films ever made. Aside from breathing new life into Max’s post-apocalyptic wandering, Fury Road gave audiences a new action hero in the Imperator Furiosa, Immortan Joe’s general who turns rogue to save his harem from further abuse and exploitation.
From her rugged look to her fiercely protective personality, Furiosa wouldn’t feel out of place in the unforgiving world of Mortal Kombat. Furiosa is no stranger to fighting her way out of a brutal environment dominated by the worst killers imaginable, and Netherrealm could prove to be just a walk in the park compared to being chased by Immortan Joe’s army. If ever she manages to get into the roster, letting her use the War Rig for a Fatality is a must.
Liam Neeson
This isn’t about one of Neeson’s roles, but rather the man himself. Some would argue that it should be Bryan Mills from Neeson’s signature Taken but aside from a famous phone speech, what exactly separates Bryan from Neeson in The Commuter or Run All Night? Just put the Oscar-nominated star of Schindler's List in Netherrealm, give him a gun and a particular set of skills, and he’s ready to take on Scorpion.
Adding an actual action star isn’t as crazy as it sounds, since long-time franchise regular Johnny Cage is both an in-universe actor and formidable fighter. If the most recent game was gung-ho about adding nostalgic onscreen legends like the Terminator and RoboCop, it should take it to the next level by bringing in an actual action legend.