Mortal Kombat 12: 10 Crossover Characters We Want To See

Even though it feels like the last game came out just yesterday and that it also seems to be releasing at the expense of Injustice 3, an announcement for Mortal Kombat 12 is seemingly pencilled in for May 2023. Based on the fact that NetherRealm  have to raise their game to the highest levels with new Tekken and Street Fighter games to show them who’s boss,  it’s a very exciting time to be a fighting game fan. It’s also a very exciting time to be a fan of horror and generally hyperviolent franchises because of how Mortal Kombat loves to collaborate with other bloody-minded IPs with guest character spots.

Ever since Freddy Krueger and Kratos guest starred on the MK9 roster, Mortal Kombat fans look forward to seeing which famous characters appear from other franchises, often long-standing since the 80s with a penchant for buckets of gore. MKX featured the likes of Jason Voorhees, Leatherface and Alien’s Xenomorph, while MK11 really pushed the crossover boat out and boasted The Joker, Spawn, Rambo, RoboCop, The Terminator, and Robocop. At this rate, Mortal Kombat 12 will have crossover characters in the double digits — so why not put together a bit of a wishlist for who should come to the MK12 roster?

 

1. Albert Wesker

Franchise: Resident Evil

Ahead of the Mortal Kombat 12 roster achieving complete saturation, there are few better characters from Resident Evil to come to a fighting game than Albert Wesker, though all the teleporting and absolute refusal to die could get a bit old.

Everyone’s favourite Matrix cosplayer has already featured in Dead by Daylight of late, and with the RE remakes now set to make him into a pivotal character once again, it’s time to reintroduce his character to a new audience before it does a slow mo dive over a shark in the inevitable RE5 and RE6 remakes.

 

2. Ash Williams

Franchise: Evil Dead

While it may seem like Bruce Campbell is somewhat against Ash turning up in other games, this could just be a smokescreen to make people rule it out and create a bigger surprise. After all, Ash was heavily believed to be coming to MK11, and when that never came to pass and Ash just got his own game instead, there was plenty of disappointment.

With Evil Dead Rise currently hot off the presses and an MK character possibly turning up in Evil Dead: The Game as part of the trade-off, now’s still as good a time as any to get groovy.

 

3. Frank Castle

Franchise: The Punisher

It feels like for as long as Mortal Kombat has existed, The Punisher has been touted as the perfect fit for a guest apperance, but what are the chances of a Marvel character turning up in an extremely violent, very non-PG game published by WB, who currently hold the keys to the DCEU? Honestly, not that high, but Marvel and DC characters both co-exist in noted intellectual property utopia Fortnite, and The Punisher is set to return to our small screen very soon, so the license could do with an uptick.

As a big, angry lad, Frank Castle makes almost too much sense for Mortal Kombat and could play very similarly to The Terminator in Mortal Kombat 11 in terms of firepower. Again, license holders make this guest character request a bit of a stretch, but it’s been way too long since The Punisher featured in a video game — it’s time for that to change.

 

4. Homelander

Franchise: The Boys

What’s the next best thing to playing as evil Superman in Injustice 3? Playing as a more evil evil Superman, of course. Homelander in Amazon’s The Boys is maybe the most compelling villain of the last ten years on the small screen and is the subject of countless match-up hypotheticals by fans, so why not make some of those match-ups a reality in Mortal Kombat?

His moveset could be filled with callbacks to his character in the show — maybe his fatality could feature a bottle of milk or two and a windpipe? — and there’s no way his inclusion wouldn’t create headlines, especially after it’s been memed into internet immortality. The Boys actually started out as part of a DC imprint, so there’s a bit of a relationship there already, and the Herogasm mansion possibly being a stage is surely going to be the highlight of the next EVO.

 

5. Jack Baker

Franchise: Resident Evil

The second Resident Evil character to make our wishlist, Resident Evil 7‘s Jack Baker may actually be a better fit for the horror tone of Mortal Kombat over Albert Wesker, who does tend to err on the campy side. Jack? He’s just a straight slugger with a penchant for giant shears and really traumatising family dinners.

His regenerating abilities also present an interesting design route for NetherRealm, who managed to balance the time-wimey nonsense of Geras fairly well in MK11. Also, you can already see the hilarity in Jack chasing his opponent around in a car as his Fatality. Is it time for Jack to be welcomed into the MK family (son)? We think so, and we also think his brother Joe, the man who could beat up the sun, deserves a shot as a cosmetic option at the very least.

 

6. Judge Dredd

Franchise: Judge Dredd / 2000 AD

We really don’t understand what Rebellion are doing with the Judge Dredd license, but it’s definitely not making a video game with him. It’s been far too long since Mega City One’s mega-chin last had a video game outing, which is kind of wild when you consider just how video gamey hunting down perps and shooting a sci-fi gun is. A good way of testing the character in the video game space for a modern audience? Let someone else figure it out instead.

Dredd is a perfect fit for Mortal Kombat, especially when his Lawgiver’s different fire modes could basically become moveset variations. Dredd could do with some kind of soft refresh to get a more contemporary audience invested, and MK is a great way of doing just that. Also, it’d be fascinating to see a fight with the next potential guest.

 

7. Peacemaker

Franchise: DC

While watching John Cena getting his face caved in by Shao Kahn is probably going to ruin a lot of childhoods, Peacemaker really is the DC crossover that makes the most sense for Mortal Kombat 12. There’s a new season of his show to promote, and an appearance in Mortal Kombat would just nudge the character that bit closer to the mainstream, though he will probably never be a Batman or Superman.

Still, Peacemaker likes to make peace in the same way that Homelander like to undertake foreign diplomacy, so a guest appearance in Mortal Kombat would likely be a lot of fun and another excuse to cuss out Aquaman. With his dual pistols, Peacemaker could probably play similarly to Erron Black too, so there’s definitely a framework there.

 

8. Pennywise

Franchise: It

It’s been a little while since It’s two chapters hit theaters, and it’d be very for the terrifying Pennywise to start falling out of the zeitgeist, if it hasn’t happened already. Crossovers and guest appearances will keep the character busy until a surely inevitable third movie, and Mortal Kombat feels like the most obvious temporary home for him. Erm, it.

While Pennywise really was never much of a fighter, neither was Joker, and he annoyed a lot of people in Mortal Kombat 11. Similarly to Jack Baker, Pennywise’s ability to change form would offer several fascinating design avenues to pursue, as would the ability to scare your opponent to death during a Fatality. A sewer as a stage also just makes too much sense, as does the possibility of turning into a giant spider, if only to mean that I can finally scare Ash into submission.

9. Pinhead

Franchise: Hellraiser

Mortal Kombat has collaborated with a lot of iconic horror franchises over the years, with Hellraiser being one of the only pillars of the community NetherRealm hasn’t yet touched. Again, just like Pennywise, Pinhead was never much of a fighter, but as weird as it might be to see him perform a leg sweep on the equally pointy Baraka, there are so many interesting things they could do with his inclusion, including maybe unleashing other Cenobites and changing the very stage you’re fighting on.

While Doug Bradley’s portrayal of the character will forever be synonymous with him, the recent reboot‘s female spin also won its share of plaudits, with the franchise now needing to keep up that momentum. Whichever version of Pinhead they pick, we’re sure NetherRealm would have such sights to show us if they do end up getting included in Mortal Kombat 12.

 

10. Pyramid Head

Franchise: Silent Hill

A lot of us probably thought we’d never see the day when the Silent Hill franchise wasn’t so silent, but with about 17 new games and a movie on the horizon, it looks like Konami are going all in on the IP once again. No Silent Hill character would be a better fit for a Mortal Kombat 12 guest spot than Pyramid Head. Not even ultimate chad Eddie.

Arguably Silent Hill’s most instantly recognisable character (even over the protagonists), ol’ conehead’s fondness for tearing flesh from bone and using a comically large sword to cleave people in twain make him probably the biggest shoo-in on this entire wishlist. Dead by Daylight has proven that Konami are willing to work with other studios when it comes to crossovers, and with so many absolutely obscene options when it comes to a Fatality and an upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake to promote, Pyramid Head in Mortal Kombat 12 is the easiest bet there is for everyone involved.

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