A new Brutality which has recently been discovered in Mortal Kombat 11 calls back to one of Jax's classic finishing moves from Mortal Kombat 3. First introduced in Mortal Kombat 2, Major Jackson Briggs, or Jax, has since gone on to become one of the most recognizable characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise, thanks in no small part to his iconic metal arms, which made their first appearance in Mortal Kombat 3.
There were many other new introductions in Mortal Kombat 3 which would go on to become series mainstays, including the addition of robotic kombatants like Sektor, Cyrax, and Robot Smoke. Mortal Kombat 3 also introduced the concept of Mercies and Animalities to the series, the latter of which was featured in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Something which was not introduced in Mortal Kombat 3, but arguably was perfected there, are the game's fatalities, many of which leaned more into the eccentric and silly varieties as time went on. Not only did Mortal Kombat 3 allow players to perform ridiculous Fatalities, but they could also humiliate their opponents even more by turning them into a small child via a Babality, or, worst of all, make friends with them via a special Friendship finisher.
Now, Mortal Kombat co-creator and series lead Ed Boon has confirmed via Twitter that one of MK11's most recent updates included a new brutality for Jax, and it hearkens back to the days of pixel art MK3 glory. Much like in the 2d-era, once the Brutality's prerequisites have been met Jax suddenly grows to an absolutely massive size and squashes his opponent under his boot, with even the camera framing recreating the iconography and feel of Mortal Kombat's earlier, sprite-based version. Check out Boon's confirmation, including a retweeted video of someone discovering Jax's new brutality for themselves, below:
Some of the best Mortal Kombat fatalities in the franchise have often made little sense, and this one from Mortal Kombat 3 is no exception. Currently, it appears as if only NPCs can perform the brutality, but it will likely be included for normal players to earn during a Towers of Time event in the near future.
Mortal Kombat 11 has been a somewhat divisive game among longtime series fans, with many players praising Netherrealm's continued dedication to trying out new mechanics and others lamenting the needlessly complex armor system. Something which is not up for debate, however, is how much the development team loves diving into Mortal Kombat's past for new ideas, be it rehashing plot-lines from previous games or bringing back classic fatalities like Jax's stomp. Hopefully, this means fans of Mortal Kombat 11 will soon learn all about Liu Kang's shadow puppet skills and Scorpion's Jack-In-The-Box obsession.
Source: Twitter