In Mortal Kombat 11, NetherRealm resurrected a few underused characters, such as Fujin and Frost, but despite these somewhat deep character picks, there are still a few rarely-seen, yet interesting characters that they could pull from the annals of Mortal Kombat lore in Mortal Kombat 12.
The Mortal Kombat series has always been known for its distinctive, often downright strange roster of fighters that rides the line between ridiculously cool and unbearably cheesy. For every iconic ninja in color-coded pajamas, there is at least one black sheep that fans never really got behind. Characters like Meat from Mortal Kombat 4, or Deadly Alliance's Mokap may be extreme and ridiculous, but their gimmicks proved either too gross or too cartoony for many players to pick them up.
This partly explains the absence of such characters from NetherRealm Studios' more recent MK releases. But, within the series' vast roster of over-the-top martial artists are a few unnoticed, under-played characters that still deserve a chance in the spotlight.
Shujinko
The protagonist of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance has some of the greatest potential to make a fun character in the next MK. With his copycat abilities, Shujinko would make a great stand-in for Shang Tsung or Shinnok as a move-stealing character. This would turn the established trope on its head, as move-stealers tend to be evil Mortal Kombat characters. Unlike his counterparts, Shujinko actually fights for the forces of good, although his well-meant efforts usually have dire consequences. In the series' original timeline, it was Shujinko who accidentally released the evil Dragon King Onaga into the realms. Likewise, in the Mortal Kombat X comics, Shujinko was manipulated by Havik into attacking Scorpion and Takeda. Now reinstated into the current MK timeline, Shujinko is more ready than ever to make a comeback.
Havik
Havik has it all: a cool look, interesting lore potential, and dangerously obscene abilities. This skeleton-faced monster hails from Chaosrealm, one of the most obscure realms in MK. In the current timeline, Havik tossed his lot in with the dethroned elder god, Shinnok. In fact, he's the villain most directly responsible for freeing the fiend in the MKX comics. Along the way, Havik manipulated the likes of Quan Chi, Shujinko and the famed Outworld General, Reiko. He even managed to possess Raiden, Earthrealm's patron guardian deity. Unfortunately, Havik's plans did not end well for him, but he still managed to prove himself a substantial threat along the way. His inclusion would not only be welcomed, but it would also make for an opportunity to expand on the lore of Choasrealm.
Sareena
Among the hordes of identical, color-swapped ninja girls hides one outlier, Sareena. Sareena may look human, but she's actually a hideous demon that once served as an assassin for Quan-Chi. Like several other characters, Sareena debuted in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero, and since then has been continually shoved to the sidelines in a series of cameo roles (barring MK: Armageddon, where every major character in the series was playable). In MKX, she helped the forces of Earthrealm track down Quan-Chi, but was given neither a proper backstory for new fans, nor any tangible role in the current plot. With Mortal Kombat 12, NetherRealm has the opportunity to fix that.
Taven & Daegon
These ill-fated brothers count as a package deal. In the context of both of MK's connected timelines, the conflict between Taven and Daegon shown in Mk Armageddon is easily one of the most important events in the lore. Without it, Raiden would never have reset the timeline, and the events of the past three Mortal Kombat games would have never happened. Beyond their importance to the plot, the brothers flesh out some much-needed world building lore by being two of the only male Edenian characters in the series. Their involvement in the plot has the potential to bring other Edenian characters with them, including other underused characters like their half-brother Rain and Tanya. Mortal Kombat 12 would do nothing but benefit from these two.