Who Else Will Show up in Mortal Kombat 1?

Last week during San Diego Comic-Con, Netherealm studios revealed the first lineup of DLC characters that will be joining the roster for Mortal Kombat 1, which releases this September. The series has become known for exciting guest characters and this title is no exception. Along with returning faces such as Ermac, Quan Chi, and even Takeda from Mortal Kombat X, this game will feature introduce Omni-Man from the Image Comics series Invincible, Peacemaker from DC, and Homelander from The Boys.

These are certainly some great additions that mesh quite well with the Mortal Kombat franchise, however, it has me wondering just who else can we expect at this point? Over the last few years, Mortal Kombat has been able to include pretty much every popular character from comics, action, and horror films alike. Past rosters have included most of the major inspirations for the series with characters like the Terminator, Robocop, Predator, and more all making appearances. Meanwhile, the Injustice series has delved more into the comics side of things with guests such as Hellboy and the Ninja Turtles.

Another trend I’ve noticed is that these guest fighters have only increased with each successive Netherealm game. Mortal Kombat 9 had two, MK X had four, and 11 had five. With that in mind, I’m anticipating this new entry to have a total of six guest fighters. Now with half already accounted for, I thought it would be fun to pick out my top three choices for the second wave of DLC that will possibly appear post-launch.

Conan The Barbarian

As a Mortal Kombat guest character, Conan checks all the boxes. He’s been appearing in comics since the 1970s and is widely recognizable as a result of being featured in dozens of media forms since his inception. His stories are also often filled to the brim with mature content. On top of it all, his most famous on-screen persona is none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger who played the character in 1982.

Since Terminator appeared in the last game I wouldn’t be surprised if they still owned some rights for Arnold’s likeness. I also think Conan would be quite a fun character to play gameplay-wise. I envision him as a hybrid tank and grappler character due to his strength and incredible stamina. He would also have access to some dangerous reach with his sword. There aren’t a ton of characters on the MK roster who fill this playstyle with the closest being Kotal Khan. It’s a space that fans typically enjoy experimenting with.

Rorschach

This is a character people have wanted in a Mortal Kombat title for a long time. In fact, he was often the subject of many fake leaks regarding past Kombat pack guest characters. This certainly is for good reason. Rorschach is a character from the DC comic series Watchmen by Alan Moore, which is a critique of superhero society and the concept of justice. The characters within this universe are all morally grey and behave much more like villains than heroes.

Rorschach is the epitome of this concept. He is a deeply disturbed individual who often commits brutal acts of violence to satisfy his warped sense of morality. Roarshach’s playstyle would be that of an aggressive brawler who augments his abilities with various tools and improvised weaponry. I imagine he would play similarly to Batman or Red Hood from Injustice. Though I could honestly see any of the Watchmen characters in a future Kombat pack, Rorschach is easily the most iconic and fits in well with the anti-hero comic character theme that is looking to guide the first character pack.

Neo

This last one is probably the least likely of the three choices but one that I think could be fun. Since martial arts films are also a big influence on the creation of Mortal Kombat, it’s hard to find one more iconic than The Matrix. Though you could argue the films of Bruce Lee are a better choice, the characters he plays often meld together into one overwhelming screen presence. On the other hand, Neo is a distinct hero who brings more to the table than just martial arts skills. Neo utilizes firearms and other weapons on top of having supernatural abilities.

Just imagine how fun it would be to be able to activate a bullet time mode and inflict a slow effect on your opponent, similar to how The Flash could use his speed force to extend for massive combos within Injustice. Neo can also fly, run on walls, and perform other gravity-defying mobility options which could allow for some incredible mix-up options. I also feel he has the most potential for especially creative fatalities and x-ray combo moves that will make for an exciting visual spectacle in every match.

Those are my choices for who could be joining the fight in the future. I’m hoping I’m at least correct about one choice here, but even if not it’s always fun to speculate and talk about some fun game design ideas.