Mortal Kombathas been successful at incorporating guest characters into the games, but Marvel’s heroes are unlikely to join those ranks anytime soon. AlthoughMortal Kombatis one of the most popular fighting game series, not every combat-ready character would be a good fit for it. Of course, Marvel has a lot of characters who are remarkably skilled in combat, and even some legendary martial artists in their own right. However, there are a few key differences between the Marvel andMortal Kombatuniverses. Unfortunately, these differences make the concept of a crossover between the two unlikely.
There is a rich history ofguest characters inMortal Kombat, with several of the more recent entries featuring characters from outside the series on their rosters. Horror icons such as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Leatherface were applying their craft inMortal KombatbeforeDead by Daylightcame along.Mortal Kombat 11upped the ante by including ’80s action icons Rambo, RoboCop, and the Terminator. Even Spawn and The Joker crossed over from the world of comic books to join the fight.Mortal Kombatis clearly willing to add all sorts of characters, but there’s something vital that likely blocks off Marvel’s heroes.
RELATED:How Peacemaker. Homelander Could Work in the Next Mortal Kombat Game
Why Marvel And Mortal Kombat Are Not A Good Fit
The biggest obstacle for Marvel’s heroes would beMortal Kombat’s controversial history with violence. Although Marvel has many properties designed for more mature readers, most of its most visible characters are considered family-friendly to some degree. Meanwhile,Mortal Kombatis the most mature-rated of the mainstream fighting game series on the market, with its fatalities and X-Ray moves making its battles much more visceral and brutal than those of its competition. It’s unlikely that Marvel would okay a character like Spider-Man or Captain America performing a fatality or dying gruesomely to one. That would probably clash with Marvel’s desired portrayal of the characters.
That said, there are some Marvel characters who could believably pull off one ofMortal Kombat’s infamous fatalities. The most mainstream of the bunch would probably be Wolverine. Wolverine has always had a reputation as the gritty, violent combat specialist of the X-Men, and he already has a game on the way that looks to be more M-rated than usual superhero fare. There is also The Punisher, whose entire modus operandi is killing his enemies, so he would probably fit in well. Aside from those two, the only Marvel characters who could potentially fit in are vicious villains such as Bullseye, who are more prone to killing.
Looking atMortal Kombat’s other comic cameo characters can further put this into perspective.The Joker’s appearance inMortal Kombat 11may be surprising, considering he is one of DC’s most iconic villains, but Joker has always been sadistic with a penchant for violence, so his actions inMortal Kombat 11aren’t much of a stretch from his usual behavior. In addition, Netherrealm and Warner Bros working with DC onInjusticelikely eased his entry as well. As for Spawn, he’s from a darker source material that makes him a better fit for such a violent world than most of Marvel’s generally more lighthearted superheroes would be.
Fans probably shouldn’t expect many Marvel characters to be joiningMortal Kombatin the near future. With furthernews aboutMortal Kombat 12on the horizon, players can expect to hear some information about the next game’s roster soon. And alongside the returning characters, there are probably going to be some guest characters added as well since that has proven to be a successful formula forMortal Kombatin recent years. Speculation on the next guest characters to appear in the series is virtually inevitable. However, the heroes of Marvel will almost certainly not be among them.
Mortal Kombat 12is in development.
MORE:Though Mortal Kombat 12 Has Not Yet Been Revealed: One Thing Already Seems Obvious
