Summary
WithMortal Kombat 1continuing to add characters via DLC with more to come in the future, it is impressive how massiveMortal Kombathas become as a universe. Almost every game introduces new faces and reintroduces old ones, allowing every roster to stand out in some way.
Since every game has its trials and tribulations to overcome, not every character saw the light of day of being on the roster. For one reason or another, Midway and Netherrealm Studios have completely canceled the appearance of a character, or, in certain cases, put them on the backburner to have them shine in a futureMortal Kombattitle.
8Khameleon
A Forgotten Ninja Who Almost Debuted In Arcades
Khameleonis a lesser-known Mortal Kombat character who has only appeared a handful of times. Their debut was inMortal Kombat Trilogy, but this came about because initially, the ninja was going to appear inUltimate Mortal Kombat 3, which already introduced characters like Rain to the lore.
They were removed fromUltimate Mortal Kombat 3, but their files still exist andcan be accessed through cheat codes. Similar to Reptile, Khameleon became the secret character found inMortal Kombat Trilogy, a game that combined the elements and characters of all three original games into one.
7Harley Quinn
Before Injustice, She Was Almost In Mortal Kombat
Before she got her big video game boomwith the belovedBatman: Arkhamgames,Harley Quinnwas going to appear inMortal Kombat Vs. DC Universeas a DLC fighter, but was canceled when Midway Games went bankrupt and closed their doors. She would have been a good choice since the game had a surprisingly low number of female characters from both the Mortal Kombat and DC sides.
Harley Quinn has had a diverse lineup of video games over the years and would even go on to become a major part of theInjusticefranchise, which spun off fromMortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. That doesn’t stop fans from wondering how Harley Quinn would have played with Mortal Kombat controls after she was revealed by Ed Boon on X.
6Master Chief Or Marcus Fenix
Xbox Players Almost Got Their Own Exclusive Character
It’s uncertain which character would have been chosen, butMortal Kombatco-creator Ed Boon statedthat there were discussions about adding a characterexclusive to Xbox 360 owners, likeMaster ChieffromHaloforMortal Kombat 9. The idea would have been to balance out the roster since PlayStation 3 owners were gifted with Kratos fromGod Of War.
By the end of theMortal Kombat 9life cycle, it never happened because the team at Netherrealm Studios decided against it. Alongside Master Chief, there was also a mention ofMarcus FenixfromGears Of War, but nothing was officially set in stone before they decided to cancel the DLC character altogether.
5The Terminator
The T-800 Nearly Joined Other Horror Characters
Before he was one of the bestMortal Kombat 11fighters, theTerminatorwas originally planned to be alongside other 80s horror iconssuch as the deadly Xenomorphand Jason Voorhees inMortal Kombat X. For reasons unknown, that plandid not work out for Netherrealm Studios, but a few years later, the T-800 would become a poster child for the Kombat Pack 1 inMortal Kombat 11.
There are several aspects of theMortal Kombatfranchise influenced byTerminatormovies, including Kano’s cybernetic eye, the Cyber Lin Kuei, and certain fatalities. As a result, finally getting the T-800 inMortal Kombat 11and the T-1000 inMortal Kombat 1has brought the franchise full circle.
4Belokk
Eurocom’s Long Lost Original Character
WhenMortal Kombat 4was being remastered andported to the Sega DreamcastwithMortal KombatGold by Eurocom, the studio wanted to add an exclusive character in the form ofBelokk. He was a tall demon-like character with many horns and the only look at the character fans ever got were low-quality screenshots leaked to GameInformer magazine.
This has resulted in Belokk becomingan infamously lost original character, with fanmade mods for games being made over the years to feature him. The reason for Belokk’s cancelation is said to be that Eurocom and Midway ran out of time to complete him, seeing howMortal Kombat Goldwas meant to be a simple port to the Dreamcast.
3Quan Chi
The Evil Sorcerer’s Small Role Teased His DLC
Quan Chihas become a quintessential villain in theMortal Kombatuniverse, rivaling the likes of Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung. He became one of the most anticipatedDLC characters forMortal Kombat 1, but before that, his first time as DLC was going to be inMortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. The character’s unused renderwas revealed by Ed Boon on Xyears ago.
This explains why Quan Chi has a role in the story mode as an NPC for seemingly no reason. Similar toMortal Kombat 1, his appearance within the story was a tease for the necromancer joining the roster down the line, but he was another character that was scrapped due to the closing of Midway Games.
2Michael Myers
There were multiple slasher villains inMortal Kombat X: Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Xenomorph, and Predator, making it the closest thing to a slasher tournament fighter fans ever had. Fans did notice thatMichaelMyersfromHalloweenmovies was noticeably missing from the roster, despite being as iconic as Jason or Leatherface.
According to Ed Boon, Michael Myers was considered forMortal Kombat X, but it didn’t pan out for multiple unsaid reasons, but the character has since gone on to appear inother games includingDead By Daylight. Rights to the character were likely an issue, plus with Jason and Michael being so similar, it was probably a challenge to make Michael distinct from the hockey mask killer.
1Ash Williams
Copyrights Ruined The Chances Of Bruce Campbell’s Famous Hero
Easily the most infamous case of a canceledMortal Kombatcharacter wasAsh Williams, as his files were found via datamining, he was teased multiple times, andfor Kombat Pack 1. Unfortunately, due to rights issues with everyEvil Deadmovie, trying to acquire different versions of Ash and, possibly, the production ofEvil Dead: The Gameled to Ash being dropped.
FromBruce Campbell’s many one-linersto utilizing the combination of a chainsaw and shotgun, the idea of Ash Williams had fans excited about the character. Instead, fans were surprised by The Joker from DC taking Ash’s place, which still worked out since Joker was a fun character to control, but many still hope that one day Ash Williams can join aMortal Kombatroster.
