A personal rundown of Mortal Kombat & Injustice veterans' kostume redesigns (MK/Injustice series spoilers)
- Thread starter Scrappy-Fan92
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Thread's amazing!
I didn't comment at every update, but as a huge fan of MK I love and respect all the attention and dedication! Keep the great work!
I didn't comment at every update, but as a huge fan of MK I love and respect all the attention and dedication! Keep the great work!
Mortal Kombat (2021) post
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Thank you all for your support.
WARNING! OPEN SPOILERS FOR THIS FILM BELOW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
The year is 2021. Warner Bros., having endured failed start after failed start to resurrect the live-action Mortal Kombat film franchise, has finally gotten its new project off the ground. The film kicks off a new continuity, focusing on world-weary MMA fighter Cole Young as he and several other warriors are chosen to participate in the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament. Not that the movie ever actually gets to the titular tournament, what with Shang Tsung's machinations to kill Raiden's champions before they even have a chance to get to Outworld. Despite the more "grounded" packaging, this film looks as "Mortal Kombat" as its two theatrical predecessors, just in the modern armored sense instead of the aerobics B-movie sense. Weirdly enough, despite the amount of work put in by the three most recent (as of this post) entries, only kharacters featured or alluded to in the first five mainline games get to appear in this film beyond mural cameos.
Folks, you know the drill at this point. We'll go in theme song order and follow my arbitrary order from there.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7XvA9gOCxQ
www.youtube.com
Sonya Blade...
Okay, so in the movie there's this stuff called Arcana. It's apparently the essence that releases fighters' inner abilities and it's connected to the dragon tattoos that all of the chosen ones get. Sonya doesn't have that, so she's "only" a decorated military vet who helps Cole find Raiden's temple. She largely dresses in pants, fingerless gloves, and a tank top that's either black or green depending on the day. The get-up works for a no-nonsense Special Forces operative who has several bones to pick, usually in regards to Kano, seen pictured above while on the receiving end of one of Sonya's beatdowns.
Jax...
Jax helps Cole and his family evade Sub-Zero and loses his arms for his troubles. Goodness, he didn't even get to go to the island this time. Liu Kang's fellow monks (I think) provide him skeletal metal prosthetics that eventually grow into fuller arms as he unlocks his Arcana. I bet you forgot about that plot element, didn't you? The arms themselves are alright, though they look a little busy and since they're technically organic, I feel like they should have some mystical inscriptions on them or something, I don't know. Also, I might be tripping mad balls, but I think his nipples are metal now too. That's a choice. Overall, it's MK9 Jax, dog tags and all.
Kano...
Kano's his usual crass self, switching sides when it's convenient for him (or when he feels the need to amuse himself). His attire doesn't look too off from his Deadly Alliance and MKvsDCU kostumes, and the belts and brass ring even emulate his usual chest reactor. He looks like a "folksy" outback hunter dropped into a bad situation with the personality to match.
Shang Tsung...
Shang Tsung is the would-be figurehead of the tournament, covertly sending his underlings to kill Raiden's kombatants early to ensure a technical victory. He dresses in ornamental attire, looking far more like an emperor than an emperor's sycophantic sorcerer. One of Shang's alternate skins in MK11 kind of looks like it could've been a dry run for this design, especially with the gold detail on the chestplate. Shang is far less physically involved in this film, so he's content to strut around in long robes like it's MK1 again. I dig the shoulder pads and cape. This is a very impressive look for him.
Raiden...
Raiden finally gets to wear blue in a live-action film, usually in the form of a jacket over his white robes. His hat is also trimmed with metal and features a new inner brace. It's Raiden, God of Thunder, alright.
Liu Kang...
While Liu Kang is not the main hero of this film, he does at least look the part. This is by far the most game-accurate kostume we've seen in the live-action expanded media, giving him plenty of red to offset the black. He's even got red leg bindings in place of the usual black ones. If I have any "issues" with this kostume, it's that the white gi on top alongside the red headband (taken from the fabric trim of Kung Lao's hat) make him look like Ryu from Street Fighter. That's not a dealbreaker by any means, but I can't imagine any Mortal Kombat fighter, sans Kobra, ever wanting to be compared to a Street Fighter character. With that said, this design works well, it works very well.
Kung Lao...
The present-day Kung Lao makes his film debut and does so with aplomb. The production crew thankfully didn't try to tone down the concept of "Shaolin monk wears a sawblade hat that he throws at people" and that seems to have extended to the design side of things as well. Kung Lao keeps his general silhouette and plenty of red. Even his uniform contains some blue trim to keep the old color scheme alive in this reboot. The shoulder pads and red sash around his belt are a nice touch as well.
Sub-Zero...
Bi-Han is once again at odds with Scorpion over the death of the latter's family and clan. For his appearances after the prologue sequence, Sub-Zero wears heavy layered armor with what appears to be blue chainmail. For most of his screentime, the lighting makes the chainmail look so dark you'd think he was wearing all black. Certainly can't imagine why the designers would want Bi-Han to look like he's some shadowy phantom. He notably discards portions of his armor during the final fight to reveal his black undersuit, which I suppose is a bit more "ninja" than his armored appearance for the rest of the film. It's a fun look for the Lin Kuei, though I've been cursed with the viewpoint that his mask is a bit ill-fitting. Fan-edited images may ruin your life.
Scorpion...
Hanzo spends most of the film trapped in the Netherrealm, only resurfacing once a descendant of his sheds their blood on his old kunai. As he and Bi-Han are both warriors from the 1600s, they have what I'm presuming is relatively period-accurate armor modified to accommodate their iconic designs. Scorpion dresses in gold armor over a black and yellow uniform and in a possible nod to MKX, wears a hood, now lined with yellow trim. Outside of Deception, I'm not used to seeing an armor-clad Scorpion running around, but this works. Scorpion fashions himself as a reaper of death in this film, so I suppose he should look the part. Kind of want to see what his uniform is like without the armor plating, though.
Hanzo Hasashi...
In the film's prologue, we see Hanzo doing his day-to-day business at his home before the Lin Kuei put a stop to all that. For said prologue, he's dressed in a brown kimono with dark yellow flourishes.
And now for the rest!
Johnny Cage...
Mortal Kombat, (Not) Starring Johnny Cage. Our favorite celebrity chatterbox is MIA for the duration of this film, only appearing partially obscured on an in-universe movie poster. This is only at the film's end as Cole sets out for Hollywood to recruit him for the coming war with Shang's forces, and that's about all I can say for John Carlton. He does brandish the now-signature Cage belt on the aforementioned poster, though I have no idea if that will stick for this film's sequel.
Reptile...
You can tell how long it's been since a big-budget Mortal Kombat project last got off the ground because the filmmakers or Warner or somebody seemingly realized Reptile is a reptile and thus they don't even bother to hide or alter his true form at any point. The man's a miniature Godzilla. And naked, not sure how I feel about that part. If you're gonna go full-Deadly Alliance, then give me the awesome green and black duds.
Goro...
Goro is an impressive work of motion capture. Design-wise, he doesn't look too different from his MKX incarnation, adding a bandolier and tattered or feathered shoulder pads, and switching out his belt symbol. He also only wears bracelets on his top arms for some reason, with his bottom arms getting shoulder bands in exchange.
Mileena...
Mileena goes maskless for the entirety of the film, showing off her Glasgow mouth for all the realms to see. Her actual attire is a predominantly black bodysuit with hints of purple highlights, alongside what I will generously refer to as a chainmail sports bra over her boobsocks. Yeah, I don't know what to make of this one. Put some more purple on it and don't mold the suit like that and I'd like it more.
Nightwolf...
Sonya's research into the origins of Mortal Kombat gives the audience a few chances to go Easter egg hunting. And one of those Easter eggs pertains to a certain Matokan warrior. Whether this is meant to be the Nightwolf most fans know or a predecessor bearing the title (as MK11 revealed that there have been many Nightwolves) is unknown. Nevertheless, this is a pretty standard look for the kharacter.
Kabal...
Kabal is probably the kharacter who drew the most influence from his MK11 design, specifically the Revenant version. The larger, more demonic mask with glowing red eyes is retained, and it looks more like a gas mask. Understandable, given this is a still-human Kabal who needs the mask for breathing after whatever incident with Kano left him burned to a crisp. His color scheme is retained, with all the military green and brown you could ask for.
Reiko...
Reiko appears as one of Shang Tsung's enforcers and I don't think he speaks a single word. He's here to swing his hammer and give Jax someone to fight. For these purposes, he dresses in white and red robes with an armored vest to visually bridge him to his Armageddon design. Notably, instead of a skull design in the center, he gets an emblem of Shao Kahn in the center, which is a nice touch.
Nitara...
When I first heard Nitara was going to be in this film, I gathered that someone on the crew liked her enough to let her do something here. I was correct, one of the production members thought she was underutilized in the games and decided that if the film's villain side needed more minions, then she might as well get pulled out of storage. I can respect that. Shame she didn't do much here. For her stint as Shang Tsung'slover loyal servant, she dresses far more conservatively and also far more gothically. Gone are the studded bra and endless straps, and in their place leather everything. To offset the loss of red, her wings have been made a brighter shade, which I appreciate. It's a fine, suitably vampiric redesign, though it's a little surreal to see Nitara without her headband or hair sticks. Scratch that, it's surreal to see Nitara with mildly substantial screentime period.
Taven, Argus, and Delia...
On the murals in Raiden's temple, we get several more cameos. And on one of them were Taven and his parents. Taven is notably wearing blue for what is apparently his burial and Argus lacks his long cape. Even Delia gets mild tweaks to her design, her dress becoming more of a maroon shade instead of the deeper red it usually is.
Harumi and Satoshi...
Hanzo's family appears yet again to suffer the consequences of being Hanzo's family. Harumi wears yellow this time and Satoshi opts for white and gray. Also pictured above is Hanzo's baby daughter, seemingly exclusive to this specific continuity.
The Great Kung Lao...
On another mural, we have Liu Kang and modern Kung Lao's ancestor. He looks the same as he normally does, though with far spikier bracelets than usual.
I have to say, I'm kind of impressed with the kostume design in this film. When creatives were talking about making a new film, they always seemed to emphasize how much more violent and gritty it would be compared to the 90s films, and I guess I was afraid they would strip away all the fun from the outfits as well. Everyone looks about how they normally do, maybe Mileena and Reiko excepted. And most of the color schemes are retained, which I do consider an integral part of the visual language of the series. It helps keep people like Nitara recognizable even though the bat wings alone should give it away. These are some decent reworkings of the kast, and I wouldn't mind some of them becoming skins in the next game, whenever that happens.
Anyways, we have one more movie to cover, so don't leave this thread yet.
HEY, YOU! YES, YOU, PERSON SCROLLING UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE! ABOVE BE SPOILERS FOR THE 2021 LIVE-ACTION FILM. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
WARNING! OPEN SPOILERS FOR THIS FILM BELOW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
The year is 2021. Warner Bros., having endured failed start after failed start to resurrect the live-action Mortal Kombat film franchise, has finally gotten its new project off the ground. The film kicks off a new continuity, focusing on world-weary MMA fighter Cole Young as he and several other warriors are chosen to participate in the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament. Not that the movie ever actually gets to the titular tournament, what with Shang Tsung's machinations to kill Raiden's champions before they even have a chance to get to Outworld. Despite the more "grounded" packaging, this film looks as "Mortal Kombat" as its two theatrical predecessors, just in the modern armored sense instead of the aerobics B-movie sense. Weirdly enough, despite the amount of work put in by the three most recent (as of this post) entries, only kharacters featured or alluded to in the first five mainline games get to appear in this film beyond mural cameos.
Folks, you know the drill at this point. We'll go in theme song order and follow my arbitrary order from there.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7XvA9gOCxQ
Mortal Kombat Official Soundtrack | Techno Syndrome 2021 - Benjamin Wallfisch | WaterTower
Techno Syndrome 2021, a new track by Benjamin Wallfisch from the #OfficialSoundtrack of Mortal KombatAvailable Now: https://lnk.to/MortalKombatIDWritten by: ...
www.youtube.com
Sonya Blade...
Okay, so in the movie there's this stuff called Arcana. It's apparently the essence that releases fighters' inner abilities and it's connected to the dragon tattoos that all of the chosen ones get. Sonya doesn't have that, so she's "only" a decorated military vet who helps Cole find Raiden's temple. She largely dresses in pants, fingerless gloves, and a tank top that's either black or green depending on the day. The get-up works for a no-nonsense Special Forces operative who has several bones to pick, usually in regards to Kano, seen pictured above while on the receiving end of one of Sonya's beatdowns.
Jax...
Jax helps Cole and his family evade Sub-Zero and loses his arms for his troubles. Goodness, he didn't even get to go to the island this time. Liu Kang's fellow monks (I think) provide him skeletal metal prosthetics that eventually grow into fuller arms as he unlocks his Arcana. I bet you forgot about that plot element, didn't you? The arms themselves are alright, though they look a little busy and since they're technically organic, I feel like they should have some mystical inscriptions on them or something, I don't know. Also, I might be tripping mad balls, but I think his nipples are metal now too. That's a choice. Overall, it's MK9 Jax, dog tags and all.
Kano...
Kano's his usual crass self, switching sides when it's convenient for him (or when he feels the need to amuse himself). His attire doesn't look too off from his Deadly Alliance and MKvsDCU kostumes, and the belts and brass ring even emulate his usual chest reactor. He looks like a "folksy" outback hunter dropped into a bad situation with the personality to match.
Shang Tsung...
Shang Tsung is the would-be figurehead of the tournament, covertly sending his underlings to kill Raiden's kombatants early to ensure a technical victory. He dresses in ornamental attire, looking far more like an emperor than an emperor's sycophantic sorcerer. One of Shang's alternate skins in MK11 kind of looks like it could've been a dry run for this design, especially with the gold detail on the chestplate. Shang is far less physically involved in this film, so he's content to strut around in long robes like it's MK1 again. I dig the shoulder pads and cape. This is a very impressive look for him.
Raiden...
Raiden finally gets to wear blue in a live-action film, usually in the form of a jacket over his white robes. His hat is also trimmed with metal and features a new inner brace. It's Raiden, God of Thunder, alright.
Liu Kang...
While Liu Kang is not the main hero of this film, he does at least look the part. This is by far the most game-accurate kostume we've seen in the live-action expanded media, giving him plenty of red to offset the black. He's even got red leg bindings in place of the usual black ones. If I have any "issues" with this kostume, it's that the white gi on top alongside the red headband (taken from the fabric trim of Kung Lao's hat) make him look like Ryu from Street Fighter. That's not a dealbreaker by any means, but I can't imagine any Mortal Kombat fighter, sans Kobra, ever wanting to be compared to a Street Fighter character. With that said, this design works well, it works very well.
Kung Lao...
The present-day Kung Lao makes his film debut and does so with aplomb. The production crew thankfully didn't try to tone down the concept of "Shaolin monk wears a sawblade hat that he throws at people" and that seems to have extended to the design side of things as well. Kung Lao keeps his general silhouette and plenty of red. Even his uniform contains some blue trim to keep the old color scheme alive in this reboot. The shoulder pads and red sash around his belt are a nice touch as well.
Sub-Zero...
Bi-Han is once again at odds with Scorpion over the death of the latter's family and clan. For his appearances after the prologue sequence, Sub-Zero wears heavy layered armor with what appears to be blue chainmail. For most of his screentime, the lighting makes the chainmail look so dark you'd think he was wearing all black. Certainly can't imagine why the designers would want Bi-Han to look like he's some shadowy phantom. He notably discards portions of his armor during the final fight to reveal his black undersuit, which I suppose is a bit more "ninja" than his armored appearance for the rest of the film. It's a fun look for the Lin Kuei, though I've been cursed with the viewpoint that his mask is a bit ill-fitting. Fan-edited images may ruin your life.
Scorpion...
Hanzo spends most of the film trapped in the Netherrealm, only resurfacing once a descendant of his sheds their blood on his old kunai. As he and Bi-Han are both warriors from the 1600s, they have what I'm presuming is relatively period-accurate armor modified to accommodate their iconic designs. Scorpion dresses in gold armor over a black and yellow uniform and in a possible nod to MKX, wears a hood, now lined with yellow trim. Outside of Deception, I'm not used to seeing an armor-clad Scorpion running around, but this works. Scorpion fashions himself as a reaper of death in this film, so I suppose he should look the part. Kind of want to see what his uniform is like without the armor plating, though.
Hanzo Hasashi...
In the film's prologue, we see Hanzo doing his day-to-day business at his home before the Lin Kuei put a stop to all that. For said prologue, he's dressed in a brown kimono with dark yellow flourishes.
And now for the rest!
Johnny Cage...
Mortal Kombat, (Not) Starring Johnny Cage. Our favorite celebrity chatterbox is MIA for the duration of this film, only appearing partially obscured on an in-universe movie poster. This is only at the film's end as Cole sets out for Hollywood to recruit him for the coming war with Shang's forces, and that's about all I can say for John Carlton. He does brandish the now-signature Cage belt on the aforementioned poster, though I have no idea if that will stick for this film's sequel.
Reptile...
You can tell how long it's been since a big-budget Mortal Kombat project last got off the ground because the filmmakers or Warner or somebody seemingly realized Reptile is a reptile and thus they don't even bother to hide or alter his true form at any point. The man's a miniature Godzilla. And naked, not sure how I feel about that part. If you're gonna go full-Deadly Alliance, then give me the awesome green and black duds.
Goro...
Goro is an impressive work of motion capture. Design-wise, he doesn't look too different from his MKX incarnation, adding a bandolier and tattered or feathered shoulder pads, and switching out his belt symbol. He also only wears bracelets on his top arms for some reason, with his bottom arms getting shoulder bands in exchange.
Mileena...
Mileena goes maskless for the entirety of the film, showing off her Glasgow mouth for all the realms to see. Her actual attire is a predominantly black bodysuit with hints of purple highlights, alongside what I will generously refer to as a chainmail sports bra over her boobsocks. Yeah, I don't know what to make of this one. Put some more purple on it and don't mold the suit like that and I'd like it more.
Nightwolf...
Sonya's research into the origins of Mortal Kombat gives the audience a few chances to go Easter egg hunting. And one of those Easter eggs pertains to a certain Matokan warrior. Whether this is meant to be the Nightwolf most fans know or a predecessor bearing the title (as MK11 revealed that there have been many Nightwolves) is unknown. Nevertheless, this is a pretty standard look for the kharacter.
Kabal...
Kabal is probably the kharacter who drew the most influence from his MK11 design, specifically the Revenant version. The larger, more demonic mask with glowing red eyes is retained, and it looks more like a gas mask. Understandable, given this is a still-human Kabal who needs the mask for breathing after whatever incident with Kano left him burned to a crisp. His color scheme is retained, with all the military green and brown you could ask for.
Reiko...
Reiko appears as one of Shang Tsung's enforcers and I don't think he speaks a single word. He's here to swing his hammer and give Jax someone to fight. For these purposes, he dresses in white and red robes with an armored vest to visually bridge him to his Armageddon design. Notably, instead of a skull design in the center, he gets an emblem of Shao Kahn in the center, which is a nice touch.
Nitara...
When I first heard Nitara was going to be in this film, I gathered that someone on the crew liked her enough to let her do something here. I was correct, one of the production members thought she was underutilized in the games and decided that if the film's villain side needed more minions, then she might as well get pulled out of storage. I can respect that. Shame she didn't do much here. For her stint as Shang Tsung's
Taven, Argus, and Delia...
On the murals in Raiden's temple, we get several more cameos. And on one of them were Taven and his parents. Taven is notably wearing blue for what is apparently his burial and Argus lacks his long cape. Even Delia gets mild tweaks to her design, her dress becoming more of a maroon shade instead of the deeper red it usually is.
Harumi and Satoshi...
Hanzo's family appears yet again to suffer the consequences of being Hanzo's family. Harumi wears yellow this time and Satoshi opts for white and gray. Also pictured above is Hanzo's baby daughter, seemingly exclusive to this specific continuity.
The Great Kung Lao...
On another mural, we have Liu Kang and modern Kung Lao's ancestor. He looks the same as he normally does, though with far spikier bracelets than usual.
I have to say, I'm kind of impressed with the kostume design in this film. When creatives were talking about making a new film, they always seemed to emphasize how much more violent and gritty it would be compared to the 90s films, and I guess I was afraid they would strip away all the fun from the outfits as well. Everyone looks about how they normally do, maybe Mileena and Reiko excepted. And most of the color schemes are retained, which I do consider an integral part of the visual language of the series. It helps keep people like Nitara recognizable even though the bat wings alone should give it away. These are some decent reworkings of the kast, and I wouldn't mind some of them becoming skins in the next game, whenever that happens.
Anyways, we have one more movie to cover, so don't leave this thread yet.
HEY, YOU! YES, YOU, PERSON SCROLLING UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE! ABOVE BE SPOILERS FOR THE 2021 LIVE-ACTION FILM. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Last edited:
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms post
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WARNING! OPEN SPOILERS FOR THIS FILM AND ITS PREDECESSOR BELOW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Less than five months after the release of the live-action reboot, fans would receive another movie that followed up on the events of Scorpion's Revenge. Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms takes place not too long after its predecessor, focusing on Raiden and his Forces of Light attempting to keep Shao Kahn's armies at bay. This segues into what may be the most faithful adaptation of Mortal Kombat II's events to date. As most of the production crew from Scorpion's Revenge was retained, many of the returning kharacters look the same and as such I will only cover those who actually got a notable design change.
Please refer to the quoted post below to get comparisons on how the previous movie's redesigns fared:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrASFAjHTrk
Below are images of the opposing sides before they properly square off in the Outworld tournament.
Look at them, they're friends.
Fire God Liu Kang...
Liu Kang endures a lot to fulfill his destiny as the chosen one in this film. Like, a lot. But once he defeats Shao Kahn, he's given a power boost so that he can go toe to toe with the One Being after Shinnok's machinations make everything go pear-shaped. As I said, he goes through a lot. While he's not explicitly referred to as "Fire God," he is empowered by the Elder Gods and gains a fiery aura, so close enough? It's just Scorpion's Revenge Liu Kang going full-Human Torch...which means it's MKX Liu Kang going full-Human Torch.
Raiden...
Raiden participates directly in the tournament shenanigans this time around, but to do so he has to relinquish his godhood entirely. It seems he lost more than the pupilless eyes in the transition, going for something slightly closer to his MK9 default (or one of his MK11 alternates) in his fully mortal state. It's less detailed than the already-streamlined Thunder God robes of the last movie, but I kind of prefer it because of that. Maybe would've gone for a brighter shade of blue, though.
Johnny Cage...
Johnny, now taking this whole interdimensional war thing seriously, decks himself out in military wear akin to his MKX default kostume. Again, these movies' color palettes definitely make the outfits pop. Look at that blue. He retains the gold necklace from the prior film, but this is an otherwise near-1:1 recreation.
Sub-Zero (Kuai Liang)...
The younger Sub-Zero shares a subplot with Scorpion, understandably feeling a little cold on the Shirai Ryu due to him killing his brother. For his appearance in this film, he wears his MK9 outfit, with the faded blue complexion that was only seen in the 3D era. Bi-Han also had that complexion for some reason, despite presumably neither being in close proximity to the Dragon Medallion in these films. I neglected to properly expound on this earlier, but most of the designs in these films, while in the spirit of the games, do sand away a lot of elements. I presume any streamlining is done for the convenience of the animators. Having to draw all of MK9 Kuai Liang's loose tassels sounds like a pain, so I'm not sobbing much over their absence.
Jade...
Jade shows up with a handful of lines wearing her MK9 default, sans corset straps. Her mask is also missing the gold trim and any gold chains on her game kostume have been either removed or replaced with solid yellow tassels. I suppose that last part makes her look less like Princess Leia on Tatooine at least.
Jax...
Jax is basically the same, just with metal arms. Though his military vest actually does look a little different, featuring a new pocket on his left side and frocked armholes. And the U.S. flag wrapped around his arm is now larger and actually has visible stars on it.
Kung Lao...
Kung Lao makes his animated debut with a design not too dissimilar from his appearance in MK9 thus making it a reference to the outfit in Shaolin Monks which is a remix of the alt in Deadly Alliance which is a remix of the kostume in MKII. The artists definitely sized up the red rings around the caged bracelets, which are almost fingerless gloves now, the latter of which is an interesting choice. A lot of the more ornate silver detailing on the uniform has been removed, which is a shame, but again, understandable given how much of a mess it would likely look in motion.
Smoke...
Smoke appears alongside Kuai Liang early on before the former goes through his roboticization. He's basically wearing his MK9 alternate kostume with the shiny parts made a duller gray. His cowl has some gray streaks applied to it and his under-armor has more black, but those are probably the most notable deviations. I do have to say that the bulkier builds of the male kharacters in these movies make Smoke look like more of an action figure than usual. Look at those shoulders.
Kintaro...
Kintaro loses his cool cat's eye chest gem but gains a red belt in return.
Shao Kahn...
Shao Kahn still looks as he did in the last film. It's MK9-inspired, though lacking the hip guards and the black stripe on the loincloth. The crest on his helmet is also no longer gold.
Stryker...
Stryker looks about the same as he has for the last decade, just with a logoless hat.
Cyber Lin Kuei...
The cyborgs appear and Smoke is properly turned into one for the first time in a while. Cyrax and Sektor are reminiscent of how they were depicted in MK9, though slightly more streamlined. They're all lacking most of the blinking lights down below. Also, the yellow and black on Cryax's armor don't bleed into each other quite as much (which I think is an improvement), but the design is still built off the bones of MK9 Cyrax at its core. Sektor deviates a lot more from his modern game counterpart(s), his shoulder pads protruding less than they did in MK9 while his arms look to have more plating than before. Smoke is largely borrowing from Triborg's LK-7T2 Variation, though the grays contrast each other better here than they did in the game thanks to the movie's more saturated palette. There's not much else for me to say. These are pretty nice reworkings of the Cyber Lin Kuei. Sometimes, more is less.
Lin Kuei Grandmaster...
Sektor's dad also makes his animated debut, dressing in a way far more akin to his Mythologies: Sub-Zero design than the MK9 design, though the exposed face and white beard were retained from the latter. He definitely looks more like a Lin Kuei than a palette-swapped Shinnok here, which I appreciate. Though something about his design reminds me of Aku from Samurai Jack and I don't entirely know why.
Shinnok...
Shinnok is largely adhering to his MKX design, with the prerequisite detail removal. Pictured with him above are the Kamidogu, still looking like thesilly glorious mid-2000s video game collectibles that they are. If you put them in a Blinx game, no one would notice that they didn't belong.
Reiko...
Reiko appears as one of Shao Kahn's minions and not Shinnok's for some reason, and he's already wearing the Shao Kahn-inspired armor because that's kind of Reiko's backstory in a nutshell once you divorce him from the Brotherhood of Shadow. It's Armageddon Reiko but with a less pronounced collar and smaller spikes.
Li Mei...
Li Mei is one of the few kharacters to get a wholly new design in this movie, sort of. It's a weird take on her alternate kostume from Deception, which was a suit of armor that was actually pretty conservative relative to the average female outfit in that game. Here, it's had its sides cut out and the pants aren't actually pants, they're really long stockings with a loincloth and metal hip guards. I'd say this is Li Mei if she got to be playable in MK9, but this still probably wouldn't be far enough for that game. Nevertheless, I'm not sure how I feel about basically redesigning an old outfit by carving pieces out of it.
D'Vorah...
And to round things out, we have D'Vorah getting to be the sole representative of the reboot trilogy in these movies. Her "clothing" isn't too different from what it was in MKX, just with more solid black armor. Her cloak is also far more encompassing, as seen in the group picture above.
And there you have it. These movies are alright in the kostuming department. The deviations are generally minor enough that I didn't notice them the first time around and in some cases even improved some designs that were maybe a little drab (Sonya's uniform) or busy (Scorpion and his belts) beforehand. I'm not sure if we'll get a third Legends film, but I hope we do if only so we can see how other fighters would be reinterpreted by the art team.
Now this is probably where I'd do a wrap-up to provide some illusion of narrative cohesion so you all can justify the inevitably high number of hours you've spent reading this thread. But I don't have anything particularly pertinent to say yet. We're not done, because I'm going to just do a lightning round covering some of the various guest appearances of the kharacters. And we're doing that because much like the fighters in this series, I seem to enjoy pain. So please, bear with me a little longer.
SCROLL UP AT YOUR OWN RISK! SPOILERS AHOY FOR MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: BATTLE OF THE REALMS AND ITS PREDECESSOR!
Less than five months after the release of the live-action reboot, fans would receive another movie that followed up on the events of Scorpion's Revenge. Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms takes place not too long after its predecessor, focusing on Raiden and his Forces of Light attempting to keep Shao Kahn's armies at bay. This segues into what may be the most faithful adaptation of Mortal Kombat II's events to date. As most of the production crew from Scorpion's Revenge was retained, many of the returning kharacters look the same and as such I will only cover those who actually got a notable design change.
Please refer to the quoted post below to get comparisons on how the previous movie's redesigns fared:
WARNING! OPEN SPOILERS FOR THIS FILM BELOW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Released in 2020, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge is the first of a series of animated MK films focusing on the litany of fighters seen in the franchise throughout the years. The film retells the events of the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament, utilizing much of the narrative structure of the 1995 film, which itself borrowed heavily from Enter the Dragon. And as you can guess from the subtitle, Scorpion's Revenge also gives us the first extensive visual depiction of the death of Hanzo Hasashi and the birth of Scorpion. While the film was released roughly a year after Mortal Kombat 11, its kharacter designs are largely based on the outfits seen in MKX.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrASFAjHTrk
Liu Kang...
Liu Kang is once again one of the chosen saviors of Earthrealm, accompanying Raiden, Sonya, and Johnny to Shang Tsung's Island. He's basically MK9 Liu Kang in terms of looks but with MKX Liu Kang's outfit (albeit with shorter sleeves).
Raiden...
Raiden guides the Warriors of Light in a non-participatory role, as has usually been the case since 1995. His outfit is a less detailed version of his MKX default, removing the storm cloud patterning on the overtunic and giving said overtunic a more curved look to evoke shoulder pads, likely MK9 Raiden's shoulder pads. His hat also seems to be just sitting atop his head without the interior brace that was featured in MKX.
Sonya...
Sonya arrives on the island in green and black military wear. Seems to largely be a loose recolor of her MKX and MK11 military wear, just with a brighter color. I'm okay with this.
Johnny Cage...
Johnny notably does not pull from MKX for his design in this movie. Instead, it seems the art team looked at his Miami Vice-inspired alternate kostume from MK9 for his get-up here. It makes sense; Johnny's under the impression that he's on-location for a movie shoot and not an interdimensional tournament to decide the fate of the human race, so of course he's going to just dress like a dude. Johnny opted for a blue suit and pink shirt with a loosened tie in the ninth mainline game, while here he goes for a white jacket, blue shirt, and gray pants with a belt buckle that's either a "G" or a very stylized "C." Also, a gold necklace in place of the tie. And as you saw in Raiden's section above, Johnny also sports a pair of tinted shades. It's a simple "Hollywood business casual" design befitting the younger, more arrogant Johnny.
Scorpion...
And now we can discuss the (ninja throwing) star of the show. Scorpion, after pledging his allegiance to Quan Chi in the Netherrealm, is given a new outfit and his first mission. Said new outfit is just the MKX default that he never even wore in the story mode. I'm happy we get to see the MKX designs in a work with brighter colors, it certainly helps them pop more. The mask is a lighter shade of gold, and the overtunic is less worn out due to the fact that it's brand new.
Hanzo Hasashi...
...And for the film's prologue depicting a younger, less skeletal Hanzo, the filmmakers opted to give the uniform worn by his older counterpart in MKX to his younger self here. The black lining around the overtunic is more solid here, foregoing the game version's more segmented, faded-out stripes.
Sub-Zero (Bi-Han)...
Bi-Han serves as Scorpion's primary adversary yet again, wearing his younger brother's MKX default outfit for some reason. I guess in this continuity, Kuai Liang inherited all of his brother's stuff. Makes me wonder if the suspenders were actually day clothes from Bi-Han that Kuai Liang just happened to take a liking to.
Reptile...
MKX Reptile and Scorpion's Revenge Reptile are not all that different, though most of the gold trim from the former has been removed in the latter. The movie's Reptile's mask also seems to be a darker, duller shade of black.
Kano...
Kano's a loose hodgepodge of influences in this movie. His camo pants, chest straps, and wristguards are taken from MKX (though the former are green now), his chest reactor is closer to the MK11 version in terms of size and shape, and his hair also seems to be closer to the MK11 default Kano. Kano usually comes in three general varieties: Shirtless, wearing a vest (openness optional), and MK3. The movie settled on variety #1, and that's okay.
Goro...
Goro again serves as Shang Tsung's four-hand right-hand man and unlike the '95 film, gets the chance to actually fight Liu Kang this time around. His appearance is largely MKX-inspired with a few minor deviations here and there. The yin-yang symbol on the (now-darkened) belt is notably gone, replaced with a simple red circle, while his loincloth has a far less tattered look to it. Again, this movie's color palette does wonders for the MKX kostumes.
Shang Tsung...
The elder Shang Tsung reverts back to the MK9 look, with the green skull design on the belt made more clear now. The snake patterning on his robes has also been changed up, making them appear more like demonic versions of Pac-Man munching about. His robes are also more spiked at the shoulders, because the evil B-movie wizard look wasn't apparent enough already, I suppose. He's also sporting some gold shinguards whereas MK9 Old Man Tsung went for black boots with gold binding. Not a bad redesign for the sorcerer.
And in a flashback sequence, we get to see Shang in his younger days as a Mortal Kombat Champion.
It's MK3 Shang Tsung.
Kitana...
MKX Kitana gets to assert her dominance with a shade of blue that people wouldn't mistake for gray, so that's nice. Seeing this design in animated form made me do a doubletake because certain elements look more fanservicey than I remember. Comparing the Legends design with the MKX design proper, there were a handful of liberties taken. Since this is a cartoon where fabric flow is far easier to depict, her pants look even more ill-fitting here than they did in the game; also her "leotard" is far tighter looking than it was in the game, to the point where she looks like she's got a wedgie. Her wooden "belt" is also shrunk down compared to the game, though she's actually exposing less cleavage than before due to the tube top being expanded. Minor changes can, well, change a design in noticeable ways when you compare them head-to-head.
Jax...
Jax dresses in a green version of his MKX garb of vest and pants. Guess who rips his arms off this time?
Baraka...
This movie commits so hard to the MKX aesthetic that even PC/console version NPK Baraka uses his outfit from that game here. The production crew even retained the rope straps for his armor.
Shao Kahn...
Shao Kahn appears at the end of the film to chide Shang Tsung for his failures and vows to set up the next phase of his plan to take over Earthrealm. He dresses in a mostly faithful reinterpretation of his MK9 attire, the most notable difference being the lack of a black stripe across his loincloth.
Motaro...
The sole kharacter from MK3 in this film, Motaro appears as part of a horde of Outworld monsters Johnny and Sonya have to fight to get to Kano. He has...I don't know what they are, actually. Really short shoulder pads? Whatever he has, he's got 'em.
Quan Chi...
Quan Chi looks about the same as we last saw him in the games: Hyper-edgy and one moment away from getting his teeth kicked in by Scorpion. Though his chest belts -- really, the whole lower half of his outfit -- aren't as ornate as they are in the games. Also, his shoulder blades actually look more decorative instead of deathly sharp, so points for practicality there.
Nitara...
Making her first appearance in the series since Armageddon over 13 years prior, Nitara shows up in the movie as another invited kombatant who gets a cameo at the banquet scene. Her design is quite similar to her Deadly Alliance default, though with her jacket lengthened and the non-sleeves portion turned black. Her bra also lacks the gold studs it had previously and her wings have no tattoos on them at all. Credit goes to YouTuber RebelTaxi for getting this (mostly) full-body shot that I could isolate.
Moloch...
Moloch, simply referred to as "Demon Torturer" by the film's credits, appears as Scorpion's designated tormentor when he awakens in the Netherrealm. He dons spiked shoulder pads and a skull belt befitting his evil orc from Hell cosplay. You know what he doesn't have? The ball and chain. Though really, Moloch's body shape is more of a departure than anything else. He's far stouter and doesn't crouch anymore.
The Great Kung Lao...
Old Kung Lao appears in the aforementioned flashback alongside Shang Tsung, looking as he did in MK9 and the early comics.
Kana and Jubei...Harumi and Satoshi...
Hanzo's wife and son make their animated debut, foregoing their color schemes from Legacy and settling on earthier tones.
Scorpion's Revenge seems to have been a success, garnering the highest Rotten Tomatoes score to date for the movie franchise. It embraces the over-the-top violence and colorful designs of the universe rather well, though hewing so closely to the games' outfits didn't give me much to talk about. I'd say next up is this film's sequel, but the new live-action film (after having been in the works on and off for about 10 years) finally clawed its way out of development hell and released in between the animated entries.
HEY, YOU! YES, YOU, PERSON SCROLLING UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE! ABOVE BE SPOILERS FOR THE FILM SCORPION'S REVENGE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrASFAjHTrk
Below are images of the opposing sides before they properly square off in the Outworld tournament.
Look at them, they're friends.
Fire God Liu Kang...
Liu Kang endures a lot to fulfill his destiny as the chosen one in this film. Like, a lot. But once he defeats Shao Kahn, he's given a power boost so that he can go toe to toe with the One Being after Shinnok's machinations make everything go pear-shaped. As I said, he goes through a lot. While he's not explicitly referred to as "Fire God," he is empowered by the Elder Gods and gains a fiery aura, so close enough? It's just Scorpion's Revenge Liu Kang going full-Human Torch...which means it's MKX Liu Kang going full-Human Torch.
Raiden...
Raiden participates directly in the tournament shenanigans this time around, but to do so he has to relinquish his godhood entirely. It seems he lost more than the pupilless eyes in the transition, going for something slightly closer to his MK9 default (or one of his MK11 alternates) in his fully mortal state. It's less detailed than the already-streamlined Thunder God robes of the last movie, but I kind of prefer it because of that. Maybe would've gone for a brighter shade of blue, though.
Johnny Cage...
Johnny, now taking this whole interdimensional war thing seriously, decks himself out in military wear akin to his MKX default kostume. Again, these movies' color palettes definitely make the outfits pop. Look at that blue. He retains the gold necklace from the prior film, but this is an otherwise near-1:1 recreation.
Sub-Zero (Kuai Liang)...
The younger Sub-Zero shares a subplot with Scorpion, understandably feeling a little cold on the Shirai Ryu due to him killing his brother. For his appearance in this film, he wears his MK9 outfit, with the faded blue complexion that was only seen in the 3D era. Bi-Han also had that complexion for some reason, despite presumably neither being in close proximity to the Dragon Medallion in these films. I neglected to properly expound on this earlier, but most of the designs in these films, while in the spirit of the games, do sand away a lot of elements. I presume any streamlining is done for the convenience of the animators. Having to draw all of MK9 Kuai Liang's loose tassels sounds like a pain, so I'm not sobbing much over their absence.
Jade...
Jade shows up with a handful of lines wearing her MK9 default, sans corset straps. Her mask is also missing the gold trim and any gold chains on her game kostume have been either removed or replaced with solid yellow tassels. I suppose that last part makes her look less like Princess Leia on Tatooine at least.
Jax...
Jax is basically the same, just with metal arms. Though his military vest actually does look a little different, featuring a new pocket on his left side and frocked armholes. And the U.S. flag wrapped around his arm is now larger and actually has visible stars on it.
Kung Lao...
Kung Lao makes his animated debut with a design not too dissimilar from his appearance in MK9 thus making it a reference to the outfit in Shaolin Monks which is a remix of the alt in Deadly Alliance which is a remix of the kostume in MKII. The artists definitely sized up the red rings around the caged bracelets, which are almost fingerless gloves now, the latter of which is an interesting choice. A lot of the more ornate silver detailing on the uniform has been removed, which is a shame, but again, understandable given how much of a mess it would likely look in motion.
Smoke...
Smoke appears alongside Kuai Liang early on before the former goes through his roboticization. He's basically wearing his MK9 alternate kostume with the shiny parts made a duller gray. His cowl has some gray streaks applied to it and his under-armor has more black, but those are probably the most notable deviations. I do have to say that the bulkier builds of the male kharacters in these movies make Smoke look like more of an action figure than usual. Look at those shoulders.
Kintaro...
Kintaro loses his cool cat's eye chest gem but gains a red belt in return.
Shao Kahn...
Shao Kahn still looks as he did in the last film. It's MK9-inspired, though lacking the hip guards and the black stripe on the loincloth. The crest on his helmet is also no longer gold.
Stryker...
Stryker looks about the same as he has for the last decade, just with a logoless hat.
Cyber Lin Kuei...
The cyborgs appear and Smoke is properly turned into one for the first time in a while. Cyrax and Sektor are reminiscent of how they were depicted in MK9, though slightly more streamlined. They're all lacking most of the blinking lights down below. Also, the yellow and black on Cryax's armor don't bleed into each other quite as much (which I think is an improvement), but the design is still built off the bones of MK9 Cyrax at its core. Sektor deviates a lot more from his modern game counterpart(s), his shoulder pads protruding less than they did in MK9 while his arms look to have more plating than before. Smoke is largely borrowing from Triborg's LK-7T2 Variation, though the grays contrast each other better here than they did in the game thanks to the movie's more saturated palette. There's not much else for me to say. These are pretty nice reworkings of the Cyber Lin Kuei. Sometimes, more is less.
Lin Kuei Grandmaster...
Sektor's dad also makes his animated debut, dressing in a way far more akin to his Mythologies: Sub-Zero design than the MK9 design, though the exposed face and white beard were retained from the latter. He definitely looks more like a Lin Kuei than a palette-swapped Shinnok here, which I appreciate. Though something about his design reminds me of Aku from Samurai Jack and I don't entirely know why.
Shinnok...
Shinnok is largely adhering to his MKX design, with the prerequisite detail removal. Pictured with him above are the Kamidogu, still looking like the
Reiko...
Reiko appears as one of Shao Kahn's minions and not Shinnok's for some reason, and he's already wearing the Shao Kahn-inspired armor because that's kind of Reiko's backstory in a nutshell once you divorce him from the Brotherhood of Shadow. It's Armageddon Reiko but with a less pronounced collar and smaller spikes.
Li Mei...
Li Mei is one of the few kharacters to get a wholly new design in this movie, sort of. It's a weird take on her alternate kostume from Deception, which was a suit of armor that was actually pretty conservative relative to the average female outfit in that game. Here, it's had its sides cut out and the pants aren't actually pants, they're really long stockings with a loincloth and metal hip guards. I'd say this is Li Mei if she got to be playable in MK9, but this still probably wouldn't be far enough for that game. Nevertheless, I'm not sure how I feel about basically redesigning an old outfit by carving pieces out of it.
D'Vorah...
And to round things out, we have D'Vorah getting to be the sole representative of the reboot trilogy in these movies. Her "clothing" isn't too different from what it was in MKX, just with more solid black armor. Her cloak is also far more encompassing, as seen in the group picture above.
And there you have it. These movies are alright in the kostuming department. The deviations are generally minor enough that I didn't notice them the first time around and in some cases even improved some designs that were maybe a little drab (Sonya's uniform) or busy (Scorpion and his belts) beforehand. I'm not sure if we'll get a third Legends film, but I hope we do if only so we can see how other fighters would be reinterpreted by the art team.
Now this is probably where I'd do a wrap-up to provide some illusion of narrative cohesion so you all can justify the inevitably high number of hours you've spent reading this thread. But I don't have anything particularly pertinent to say yet. We're not done, because I'm going to just do a lightning round covering some of the various guest appearances of the kharacters. And we're doing that because much like the fighters in this series, I seem to enjoy pain. So please, bear with me a little longer.
SCROLL UP AT YOUR OWN RISK! SPOILERS AHOY FOR MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: BATTLE OF THE REALMS AND ITS PREDECESSOR!
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Misc. guest appearances post
OP
OP
Mortal Kombat, like any franchise worth its salt, knew how to cross-promote. Midway loved adding the kombatants to their other games, usually sports games with the company's standard arcadey flavor. Let's go over a few, shall we?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f-tum6yLXI
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
Featured kharacter(s): Raiden, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile
Raiden and the three playable male palette swaps of MKII made what may be the first official guest appearance of kharacters from the franchise in Midway's NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, an update of the original NBA Jam. Since NBA Jam also utilized digitized graphics, the MK crew made the transition rather seamlessly. They all appear as regular players wearing color-coded basketball jerseys and retain their hats and cowls. These should all be alternate skins in the next game.
NFL Blitz
Featured kharacter(s): Raiden, Shinnok
The (U.S.) football game NFL Blitz was released in the late 90s as Mortal Kombat 4 was picking up steam. As such, Raiden and (Corrupted) Shinnok could be made playable as headswaps for the football players via special codes. The images seen above are the two with the game's big head mode enabled for readability purposes.
The Grid
Featured kharacter(s): Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot
The Grid was a 2000 arcade-exclusive shooter that would be the final arcade title from Midway. It was a spiritual successor of sorts to fellow Midway title Smash TV, being kind of a send-up of reality television. Three kharacters from Mortal Kombat would appear, all wearing kostumes reminiscent of MK4 because that was still the most recent mainline game released at the time. This actually may be the final Mortal Kombat-adjacent project that wasn't a rerelease to feature the Tobias designs as they were and not as a deliberate throwback. Okay, I maybe shouldn't say "as they were" without a caveat. Scorpion and Sub-Zero look like they leaped from MK4, but Noob is wearing a recolored version of Scorpion's outfit instead of Sub-Zero's this time. Scorpion also seems to be missing his skull belt.
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Featured kharacter(s): Scorpion
Psi-Ops was an ambitious shooter from Midway in the sixth generation. While it did not go on to spawn a franchise, it did gain a cult following. It probably helped that Scorpion was featured as an alternate skin for the game's protagonist. For this appearance, Scorpion looks largely as he did in Deadly Alliance.
MLB Slugfest: Loaded
Featured kharacter(s): Scorpion, Sub-Zero
Yet another one of Midway's sports games, Loaded was the third in the company's MLB Slugfest series of baseball games. Scorpion and Sub-Zero appear as guest players, respectively using their default and alternate kostumes from Deadly Alliance. I'm not sure if the images I got were from emulated screenshots, but the colors really do pop for Sub-Zero's uniform. Give me that saturation of colors again in modern games.
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict
Featured kharacter(s): Raiden (and the announcer)
Midway published the console port of Unreal Championship 2, so the company tossed in one of its own as a bonus. Here, the one chosen was Raiden, garbed in his Deadly Alliance uniform as it was the last design he had that wasn't Dark Raiden. Despite this game releasing post-Deception, Raiden's overtunic is still sea green rather than the deeper blue it was depicted as in Deception's intro and promotional renders. He's also capeless in The Liandri Conflict proper and in its promotional renders.
Batman: Arkham City Lockdown
Featured kharacter(s): Kano
In what I believe to be the first cameo appearance by an MK fighter in a game under WB Games, we have Kano showing up as an opponent of Batman in a mobile entry of the Arkham series. He's dressed in his MK9 alternate kostume, which hewed closer to Deadly Alliance Kano than MK3 Kano.
WWE Immortals
Featured kharacter(s): Johnny Cage
In one of the most recent guest stints for the MK universe's denizens, Johnny was featured as a wrestler in the mobile title WWE Immortals, which was developed by NetherRealm Studios itself. His default appearance in this game draws from his Tournament kostume in MKX, which was a modified take on the MK9 default. His "A-List" kostume in Immortals is a recolor, giving him black arm bandages and red stripes and shinguards on his pants, which I believe was the Player 2 variant of the aforementioned Tournament kostume in MKX (and just a frequent Player 2 color for Johnny in general).
So that covers most but not all of the franchise's excursions into other games. I kind of miss when company characters could jump around fairly freely without having to rely on DLC for everything.
Now let's address the Krypton-sized elephant in the room. Once NRS was formed, the team would alternate between its Mortal Kombat games and a new licensed franchise. The latter set of games featured fighters from Mortal Kombat as guests. Will I cover those guest appearances? No, I will not. I'm going to cover them and the DC heroes and villains who have prior fighting game appearances. Tune in to this thread, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f-tum6yLXI
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
Featured kharacter(s): Raiden, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile
Raiden and the three playable male palette swaps of MKII made what may be the first official guest appearance of kharacters from the franchise in Midway's NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, an update of the original NBA Jam. Since NBA Jam also utilized digitized graphics, the MK crew made the transition rather seamlessly. They all appear as regular players wearing color-coded basketball jerseys and retain their hats and cowls. These should all be alternate skins in the next game.
NFL Blitz
Featured kharacter(s): Raiden, Shinnok
The (U.S.) football game NFL Blitz was released in the late 90s as Mortal Kombat 4 was picking up steam. As such, Raiden and (Corrupted) Shinnok could be made playable as headswaps for the football players via special codes. The images seen above are the two with the game's big head mode enabled for readability purposes.
The Grid
Featured kharacter(s): Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot
The Grid was a 2000 arcade-exclusive shooter that would be the final arcade title from Midway. It was a spiritual successor of sorts to fellow Midway title Smash TV, being kind of a send-up of reality television. Three kharacters from Mortal Kombat would appear, all wearing kostumes reminiscent of MK4 because that was still the most recent mainline game released at the time. This actually may be the final Mortal Kombat-adjacent project that wasn't a rerelease to feature the Tobias designs as they were and not as a deliberate throwback. Okay, I maybe shouldn't say "as they were" without a caveat. Scorpion and Sub-Zero look like they leaped from MK4, but Noob is wearing a recolored version of Scorpion's outfit instead of Sub-Zero's this time. Scorpion also seems to be missing his skull belt.
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Featured kharacter(s): Scorpion
Psi-Ops was an ambitious shooter from Midway in the sixth generation. While it did not go on to spawn a franchise, it did gain a cult following. It probably helped that Scorpion was featured as an alternate skin for the game's protagonist. For this appearance, Scorpion looks largely as he did in Deadly Alliance.
MLB Slugfest: Loaded
Featured kharacter(s): Scorpion, Sub-Zero
Yet another one of Midway's sports games, Loaded was the third in the company's MLB Slugfest series of baseball games. Scorpion and Sub-Zero appear as guest players, respectively using their default and alternate kostumes from Deadly Alliance. I'm not sure if the images I got were from emulated screenshots, but the colors really do pop for Sub-Zero's uniform. Give me that saturation of colors again in modern games.
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict
Featured kharacter(s): Raiden (and the announcer)
Midway published the console port of Unreal Championship 2, so the company tossed in one of its own as a bonus. Here, the one chosen was Raiden, garbed in his Deadly Alliance uniform as it was the last design he had that wasn't Dark Raiden. Despite this game releasing post-Deception, Raiden's overtunic is still sea green rather than the deeper blue it was depicted as in Deception's intro and promotional renders. He's also capeless in The Liandri Conflict proper and in its promotional renders.
Batman: Arkham City Lockdown
Featured kharacter(s): Kano
In what I believe to be the first cameo appearance by an MK fighter in a game under WB Games, we have Kano showing up as an opponent of Batman in a mobile entry of the Arkham series. He's dressed in his MK9 alternate kostume, which hewed closer to Deadly Alliance Kano than MK3 Kano.
WWE Immortals
Featured kharacter(s): Johnny Cage
In one of the most recent guest stints for the MK universe's denizens, Johnny was featured as a wrestler in the mobile title WWE Immortals, which was developed by NetherRealm Studios itself. His default appearance in this game draws from his Tournament kostume in MKX, which was a modified take on the MK9 default. His "A-List" kostume in Immortals is a recolor, giving him black arm bandages and red stripes and shinguards on his pants, which I believe was the Player 2 variant of the aforementioned Tournament kostume in MKX (and just a frequent Player 2 color for Johnny in general).
So that covers most but not all of the franchise's excursions into other games. I kind of miss when company characters could jump around fairly freely without having to rely on DLC for everything.
Now let's address the Krypton-sized elephant in the room. Once NRS was formed, the team would alternate between its Mortal Kombat games and a new licensed franchise. The latter set of games featured fighters from Mortal Kombat as guests. Will I cover those guest appearances? No, I will not. I'm going to cover them and the DC heroes and villains who have prior fighting game appearances. Tune in to this thread, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
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Injustice: Gods Among Us post
OP
OP
As far as I know, Gold Scorpion was a collector's edition bonus, so I guess the artists just had fun with a "What if?" concept. I'm sure one of the NRS people on Twitter could provide a better answer.Is there a story behind these alternate costumes in MKX?
Krimson Ermac
Blue Steel Sub Zero
Gold Scorpion
I really like them. Krimson Ermac looks sick
Did you all miss me talking about fighting games? I kind of did. Our subject for today is Injustice: Gods Among Us, the inaugural installment of NetherRealm's gritty comic-inspired series. Released after Mortal Kombat 9, the game offered a multiversal take on the venerable DC Universe, primarily focusing on the Justice League as they came in contact with their alternate counterparts, including a grieving Superman who had become increasingly authoritarian in the name of "peace." It was a commercial and critical success, owing in part to the story mode building off of the format of the story modes of Mortal Kombat 9 and both games' shared predecessor Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, whose character images I will be primarily using for the "before" columns. Anyone who's played the original Injustice knows that pretty much every character had a "Prime" version -- i.e., the garden variety depiction as interpreted by NRS, the vanilla variant, the original flavor, "Earth-One", etc. -- and the secondary version, coming in either "Regime" (pro-Superman) or "Insurgency" (anti-Superman) flavors. For the sake of my sanity, I will compare the default versions only. I may do a head-to-head comparison of the Prime and SupermanIsEvilVerse costumes someday, but that would likely be in its own thread. Getting full-body renders was an unusual task; several of these are actually from promotional stands meant for parties. Hope you like hearing comic book lore recited by a guy who only knows most of this stuff secondhand.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv3pKXZpY58
Superman...
For a refresher, Injustice released in early 2013. DC had changed much in the less-than-five years since MKvsDCU arrived on the scene; the Dark Knight trilogy had concluded but was still fresh in the memories of the public, the first full-stop Superman movie reboot was coming in the form of Man of Steel, and the comics' own continuity had been rebooted with the New 52 back in 2011. While Mortal Kombat the Eighth was content to use classic designs for the DC characters, this game took far more liberties to reflect the outside media's evolution and the designers' own sensibilities. Gone are the red trunks and bright blue. We have a dark blue suit and a belt symbol resembling Superman's House of El. The suit in general is more armored, just to provide you all with a taste of what Injustice aesthetics are all about. This is Prime Superman (but not Superman Prime), a happy mix of New 52 and Man of Steel with the patented Jim Lee collar. Gods Among Us is among the visually darkest games NRS or Midway have ever developed, and as you can imagine, blue is always the first victim.
Batman...
Batman also went through his own grim armor phase, but most people probably didn't cry foul because he's Batman. Injustice would release in the middle of Batman's Arkham quadrilogy, which would drop the Caped Crusader into a grittier world with an armored Batsuit. His Injustice counterpart would follow suit, looking like a grayer take on the Arkham depiction (or Christian Bale's similarly armored Batman), and even featuring some gray on the mask. The frocks at the end of his cape seem to have been downplayed if not removed completely, which is a shame. On the plus side, the Bat symbol seems to have been enlargened.
Wonder Woman...
Every hero character in this game is so armored that even Wonder Woman's swimsuit of power wouldn't cut it. Or maybe she's just adhering to where her comic counterpart was going at this point. Regardless of the reason, the stars on the front of the leotard have been retired and she gets actual pants, and they look quite nice. Her design is largely unchanged otherwise beyond a few alterations here and there. Her boots' heels are higher now and they feature white trim instead of gold trim. The eagle on the bustier is more of a raised textured armor and her bracelets are far more weathered, but Wonder Woman is Wonder Woman.
The Flash (Barry Allen)...
Admittedly, when I think of Flash, I don't think of armor. He's the thief, not the knight, to borrow an RPG analogy. Nevertheless, Barry's got red plating on top of darker red spandex and plenty of gold lining all around the suit. Presumably, that gold lining is to make up for the loss of gold on the boots, which look like full-on cleats. The lightning bolts on the sides of the shoes call to mind Icarus, which is inspired if nothing else. This is alright, though my neophyte self just keeps thinking of the DCEU Flash, which makes me think of the Power Rangers from the 2017 film.
Green Lantern...
Hal Jordan gets a bulkier suit as well, even though the Lantern Ring is supposed to create a suit that conforms to his figure. Maybe he was wearing the armor before he activated the Ring. I actually dig the glowing green lighting all around, the lines coalescing around the Lantern chest emblem as if they themselves are powering it is a nice touch. I actually like the cross-stitch texture around the legs as well.
Aquaman...
Aquaman was another hero featured in Justice League Task Force, wearing a costume that most would associate with a traditional Aquaman. In Gods Among Us, he embraces the benefits of advanced graphical rendering and dons a more detailed set of armor that can more clearly depict the fish scale chainmail top he's had in the comics for years now. His pants are a darker shade of green than usual, and befitting a king, they have gold trim. Of all the default costumes I've covered so far, this is by far the one I would most say is "Mortal Kombat-esque." His promotional render also looks to me like something that wouldn't be too out of place among Deadly Alliance's renders. Make of that what you will.
Green Arrow...
Oliver Queen, philanthropist, archery aficionado, and all-around cool dresser. He makes bad guys quiver with his quiver of arrows that he usually stores in his lair, the Quiver. "Classic" Green Arrow is usually more open to wearing his Robin Hood inspiration on his sleeve, donning the stereotypical medieval archer's hat. Both of his fighting game appearances on the other hand opt for the hooded marksman approach, Injustice's rendition foregoing the long sleeves and brighter greens of his Task Force design. Injustice Green Arrow also has dark yellow stripes lining his shinguards and wristguards. Both designs are good, though the Injustice Oliver Queen seems slightly more ready for a fight as a guy with no actual superpowers.
Billy Batson A.K.A. Shazam, formerly Captain Marvel of the Marvel family*, goes for broke. His powers are strictly magical and not quasi-magical like the Lantern Corps' Power Rings are sometimes depicted as, so the high-tech armor looks a little weirder on him than it would some others. The armor almost looks like it's organic and trying to wrap its tendrils around him, what with all the lining. Not sure how to feel about that. Shazam also loses most of the ancillary cloth around his suit, everything getting replaced by a harder material. Everything except for his white cape, which while losing the gold rope gets upgraded into a cloak. It better sets him apart from Superman if nothing else. Honorable mention to the new lightning insignia, which is either reflective or functioning like an LED screen to have lightning within it. That's dope.
*Marvel family as in that was the shared name of the group of heroes, not created or owned by Marvel Comics, but actually owned by Fawcett Comics, whose assets would be purchased by DC Comics. Enjoy.
Catwoman...
Before I say anything else, I would just like to thank Midway for burning money on the nice renders of MKvsDCU. Despite the game releasing in 2008, that level of attention to detail for background modeling for fighting game art almost felt like a relic even back then. The MK side of the roster generally just did standard martial arts stances, but the DC side got far more dynamic poses. The Injustice cast largely didn't, and that may have just been down to lack of interest or promotional stand-ins necessitating less finicky stances...what were we talking about again?
Catwoman returns in this game, finally having zipped up her suit. Her suits in the comics have largely avoided purple since the 90s, and this game followed suit. But I'm not interested in that, the raised goggles, the leather corset, the fake tail, or the two-tone suit cleavage. Let's talk about those metal prosthetics. Look at them. I guess the devs wanted to provide a reason as to how Selina Kyle could go pull off her acrobatic heists without breaking her legs, or go toe-to-toe with the likes of Cyborg. I haven't played these games or followed their story modes with any serious interest, so I wouldn't know the real reason -- didn't I warn you all that such things would screw me over when covering franchises outside of my lane? Whatever the reason, they're there, and they're weird, and I kind of love them. They're not just leg augments, they're leg augments meant to evoke cat claws. That's just silly enough for me to appreciate.
Deathstroke...
Deathstroke the Terminator, real name Slade Wilson, is a mercenary/criminal mastermind/proud father and frequent adversary of Batman and Robin. He likes chainmail or materials that look like chainmail. He likes the color orange and masks that are half-orange. Both the MKvsDCU and Gods Among Us designs have these visual elements in spades. The latter design also drops the orange trunks and gives us big shoulder pads and spiked boots and gauntlets in return. Like, he is a bulky son of a gun, almost making his already armed to the teeth Mortal Kombat design look modest. There isn't much else to say here. Deathstroke looks like a borderline parody whether you add more armor or not, but Injustice's rendition could pass for an escapee of the Lin Kuei's Cyber Initiative.
Lex Luthor...
Holy mechanical steroids, Batman! Lex went from Marvel vs. Capcom Iron Man to Hulkbuster Iron Man. He kept the green and purple color scheme, though the latter color has been downplayed around the lower leg area. The new armor isn't bad, though it seems more generic. Maybe it's the loss of the oh-so-modest "L" insignia from the MKvsDCU design. With the new armor, I just think of a mass-produced suit from Titanfall. Or Van Roekel from Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects of all things. I bet half of you just aged 15 years right now by thinking about that game.
The Joker...
The Arkham series feels like it really left a bit of a mark on NRS' design choices. Joker here looks far more faithful to his usual self in the facial department than his MK11 rendition, though his suit is far more faded and worn out. His suspenders are down and his bowtie is orange instead of black. The coattails are also longer, please pretend that that's a sign of the character's increased insanity. This Joker looks like he's at his wit's end, if such a thing is even possible.
Harley Quinn...
For Harley and several other characters, I will be using images from 2011's Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, a mobile title developed by NetherRealm itself that served as a prologue to the console version of Arkham City. According to Wikipedia, it's a fighting game, so I get to count it by my arbitrary standards. Harley is sexy clown jester with face paint in both fighting games, though at least the Arkham version has pants. I appreciate the Injustice design for dyeing her hair to more closely resemble her old harlequin hat, though she looks like the Wendy's girl now. The diamond patterning on the stockings is also a nice touch, but seriously, pants.
Solomon Grundy...
Grundy the undead zombie Revenant thing is another Lockdown transplant, not looking too different in Gods Among Us. He's got a noose necktie and purple pants now, as well as (tattered) shoes and some blades sticking out of his back, but he's largely the same.
That's all for the base roster, but NetherRealm would release characters via DLC, some exclusive to the title's mobile companion game.
Downloadable and/or mobile-exclusive playable characters
Scorpion...
Scorpion...gets over here. Making his first guest appearance in an actual fighting game, the hellspawn gets to join in on the action figure armor fun, with a design devised by Jim Lee. It's a metallic get-up with enough blades and pointy angles to make Jean-Paul Valley's incarnation of Batman blush. The cowl has evolved into more of a reaper hood and we see the return of the visibly metallic mask after its heyday in Deception. I like this design, it's befitting of the universe the character was dropped into and it makes me wish more crossovers really leaned into the aesthetic merger.
Darkseid...
Darkseid made his playable debut in Injustice: Gods Among Us Mobile in 2014, wearing new duds. He's lost the shoulder pads and donned a darker blue suit with silver plating and a visible Omega symbol adorned up top. It's very Darkseid in the best ways possible.
The Flash (Wally West)...
In late 2016, Barry's nephew would appear as a playable character in the mobile game, wearing a composite of his Kid Flash uniform with the open cowl and his own adult Flash uniform. I like the silver adornments he's got to complement his uncle's gold. I also appreciate that he's not armored from head to toe.
Non-playable characters
Robin...
The Tim Drake incarnation of Robin appeared in both Lockdown and Injustice Mobile as an NPC. The latter game's depiction gave him a look closer to the comics in color scheme if nothing else, with a big black orb in the center of the suit. Something about Drake's mask looks almost Schumacher-esque. Like, Batman Forever's Dick Grayson would absolutely wear this mask.
Two-Face...
Two-Face is really not that different from his Lockdown design, though Injustice's version lacks the cool two-toned tie.
Sub-Zero and Shao Kahn...
And finally, we have Sub-Zero and Shao Kahn, featured in Scorpion's announcement trailer before he gets whisked away to punch Kryptonians. Their appearances are unchanged from Mortal Kombat 9.
So ends our wrap-up of the first Injustice game. It's certainly an interesting take on the DC Universe and I imagine the devs were happy to be able to stretch their art sensibilities on something that didn't primarily involve ninjas and martial arts movie archetypes for once. Really, I'd say these designs are more let down by this game's color palette than any excess of detail. Even Mortal Kombat X feels more saturated than this game. But I digress, we'll next cover this title's sequel, which kept the focus on the Regime and Insurgency side of the multiverse. Stay tuned, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
Also, be sure to check out the MK3 post again. I had to update it because I will literally always be revising this thread until I'm 40.
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Injustice 2 post (part one)
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NetherRealm Studios' latest non-Mortal Kombat game gets its turn in the spotlight. Injustice 2 was yet another story-heavy title, this time keeping the majority of its focus on the moodier Earth of the Regime and the Insurgency. This universe, which I will colloquially refer to as Earth-NRS (or Earth Twenty-Two to match the film), has gotten a bit of a makeover. The developers, having learned of the magical Lantern Corps technique called color saturation, opted to bring a brighter palette to this world's finest. The act is appreciated and I send my regards to the person(s) on the team that gave the green light for it.
Anyways, the plot of this game is that Batman, having spent some time trying to rebuild the world after the imprisonment of Superman and the dissolution of his Regime, must gather forces to combat the oncoming threat of Krypton's destroyer Brainiac. Former enemies must put aside their differences to save the planet so they can fight over it later. You know, 'cause that's what superfriends do. The game had a tie-in comic series that explained the rise of the Regime and the events in the interim of the two games, so I will be pulling from them for a few comparisons. Pack your Oceanic Repellent Batspray, glowing green rock candy, and invisible airplane food, this is going to take a while.
Oh, and we're using the alternate costumes for most of the returning Gods Among Us cast since this game focuses on them over their more traditional "Earth-One" counterparts.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTJw58inAO4
Superman...
This Superman, former tyrant that he is, dresses more like himself in the sequel. At least for versus matches anyways. Promotional renders and his primary appearance in the story mode give him a completely different uniform that's more evil authoritarian Supermensch. His actual default is just the Big Blue Boy Scout, though. Regime Superman actually has a belt now and he's lost the New 52 Nehru collar. I do like that even though this is an armored Superman, his suit can still pass for spandex. A good start for this rundown.
Batman...
Batman's new suit opts for shinier armor plating, making his cowl and various other accessories take on more of a gray hue. I'm all for Batman not dressing exclusively in black for everything, but the plating may be a little too segmented here. I also lament the loss of the larger Bat symbol. Arkham knock-off it may have been, the Insurgency costume from the first game still looked a little more distinguishable.
Wonder Woman...
Regime Wonder Woman went from gladiatorial attire with a tasseled skirt to something a bit more like Earth-One's Wonder Woman from the first game. It's a brightly colored ensemble with prominent gold lining on the chestplate. It's a very colorful design and I like it a lot. It reminds me of a Wonder Woman who isn't a violence addict with delusions of grandeur, which is probably why it's not her story mode costume.
The Flash (Barry Allen)...
Earth Twenty-Two's Barry reformed partway through the first Injustice's story mode and for his assistance in taking down Superman, he was seemingly offered a pardon by the Earth's governments. It seems Earth's governments also offered him a less armored suit. It's still two-toned, but the material is closer to that patented MCU "spandex" than the costume seen in Gods Among Us. The new duds also sport a lightning bolt insignia sans white background, gold plating on the shoulders, gold lining across the suit to possibly evoke the New 52 design, and far, far, far less prominent wings on the sides of the cowl. It's a nice suit and feels appropriate for a Barry Allen who's trying to get back to his roots as a superhero.
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)...
Speaking of getting back to roots, we have the case of Hal Jordan. On Earth Twenty-Two, he succumbed to fear in the wake of the Regime establishing dominion and became a Yellow Lantern of the Sinestro Corps. Both the green and yellow variants of the Regime suit offer slick LED lining, an element that would be retired when Hal regained his green ring in Injustice 2. His suit is armored per the NRS standard, in some respects even surpassing the levels of his Prime counterpart from the first game. But, and this may just be superior graphical fidelity at work, the suit looks more organic now. Maybe it's the lack of cross-stitching on the pants and the aforementioned LED light loss. In terms of color mapping, I'd say Injustice 2's suit wins, if only because the green isn't enveloping Hal's entire crotch now.
Aquaman...
Some time has passed between the events of the two games, so I guess Aquaman decided to shave, taking away the design element that most visually distinguished him from his Prime equivalent. He's also ditched the orange scaled armor completely, showing off his chest tattoos. Thankfully, the loss of color up top is mitigated by the blue scaling on the pants and boots. That blue pops. The Atlantean insignia is adorned proudly on his probably-way-too-high belt buckle, completing a look that feels like DCEU Aquaman and comics Aquaman did an underwater Fusion Dance.
Green Arrow(s)...
Alright, so most of these guys belong to either the Regime, the Insurgency, or Gorilla Grodd's Society. This guy? Technically, he belongs to none of the above. The Green Arrow of Injustice 2 is not the one seen in the prior game's story mode (who's back on his Earth), nor is he the one from Earth Twenty-Two (who's long dead). He's an Oliver Queen from a wholly different Earth brought to Earth Twenty-Two's Black Canary by Doctor Fate because they're both grieving bachelors who need human companionship very badly. That is as clear as I can state it without going (further) into comic book multiverse nonsense, so I hope I'm not confusing you.
Green Arrow here adheres to the tradition of flashy athleisurewear that the character will veer into every so often in the comics and expanded media. You know what most Green Arrows of any media lack? Hard, shiny metal shoulder pads. I don't hate them, mind you. In fact, Oliver Queen is probably the person who needs armor the most out of anyone because he's just a rich guy with above-average physical dexterity. I appreciate that the upper armor is actually a dark green as opposed to black, but after seeing toy merchandise with the design, I would've opted for more of a forest green. Really embrace that urban Robin Hood of Sherwood look. It's a fine design, helped along by the multiversal savior gold trim, which features prominently on the armor and gauntlets.
Cyborg...
Regime Cyborg is generally adhering to the same template in both games, white on gray armor to match his design in the comics. Injustice 2 Cyborg is just less bulky and lacks the red tubing. An addition through subtraction.
Catwoman...
Batman's on-again, off-again lover in multiple continuities returns to deliver all the kinky cat innuendos the writers could think of. Regime Catwoman of the first game is not all that loyal to the cause, only siding with Superman under the belief that she could better protect Batman from a distance. She notably avoided the more armored outfits of her peers, going for a classic-inspired look with a goggle-free cowl and purple highlights all over. Aside from the cutouts on the sides and back (and boobsocks), this is a fun design. Catwoman opts for more modern catsuit gear in the sequel, losing the mask and having the suit evoke a leotard with lighter gray leggings. It's like a retooled variant of the Arkham City design, which works for her. It should be noted that she usually does have goggles still in-game, as a Gear piece. All the images you see here are basically the cast "naked."
The Joker...
The Joker who killed Lois Lane and pushed Superman off the slippery slope is long dead on Earth Twenty-Two. But NRS wasn't going to let a little thing called the laws of nature keep them from having one of DC's most popular characters in the roster. Enter Scarecrow's fear toxin, which makes Harley hallucinate that her ex-boyfriend is back to drag her into a life of crime again. This Joker is a weird one. He's ditched a shirt and is donning the longest longcoat I've ever seen him in, obscuring the "HAA" written in blood on his chest. At least he kept the flower pinned to his lapel.
Harley Quinn...
Harley, now done fraternizing with Jokers of any Earth, has taken the interim between games to practice some self-care. She's wearing a retooled variant of her Insurgency attire from the first game, but with the corset more commonly seen in the modern comics. She's also lost the domino mask, going for segmented eyeliner over her face paint to make up for it. I really do like how shiny the corset is; it's like a sample of how nice the fabric would be rendered in Mortal Kombat 11. I've admittedly always been on and off with any designs for Harley that aren't the standard jester suit, but I like this one. I like it a lot. The red and black motif is maintained, and she even keeps a few nods to her clown days via the diamond pattern on the pants. And to demonstrate her loyalty to Batman, she has the Bat insignia on her jacket. That's sweet. My only gripe with this design is that the image I chose doesn't show her goggles. They complete the look.
Bane...
Regime Bane is now covered from head to toe, with the piping for his chemical supplement glowing a sickly green. Bane's frame also looks like it's been shrunk ever so slightly. He's still buff, just more top-heavy with thinner legs.
Black Adam...
The Regime's Black Adam goes for a more traditional look in the sequel, proudly brandishing the lightning bolt on his chest once more. The shinguards looking like gold-plated cloth wrappings are a nice touch as well. I don't think I have much to say here. It's Black Adam, and he looks cool.
Robin(s)...
Damian Wayne is the Robin of Injustice 2, and was featured prominently in both the Year One comics and the game's prologue which detail the growing rift between him and Batman. Damian's Robin suit was always more armored than most of his predecessors to begin with, so he fits right in. I think I'm marginally more in favor of the Robin suit featured in the game proper because of the hood, more noticeable splashes of green, and classic Robin chest-stitching. With that said, comic Robin's quilted interior pattern for the cape is weird and I'm all for it.
Nightwing...
As stated before, Damian was Robin in the prologue to Injustice 2, which took place before the Regime had completely ensnared the world's governments. As such, he only became Nightwing later after his brother Dick Grayson died. His suit in the first game is not too different from the usual Nightwing suit, just with red instead of blue. Damian's hair had also grown out, which makes me want to call him the Crow. For the sequel, Damian is still using the Nightwing identity, with a more armored suit. The red has also gotten far brighter and has been extended throughout the costume. For a revision on an alternate universe "What if?" take, it works. If we ever get an Injustice 3 and Damian returns, I wouldn't be surprised if he winds up integrating green and yellow into the costume to come full circle and restore his "true" self as a way of redemption.
Deadshot(s)...
Deadshot's traveled the ultimate journeyman's road. He started as a stage cameo in the home version of Gods Among Us, became a player character in the mobile version of the first game, and is now finally a launch character in the sequel's home version. He's wearing far more red on the torso area than he did before, with segmented pectoral armor plating. His mask also has venting, which makes me think of a Mortal Kombat ninja. Though when you've been doing this as long as I have, everything looks like a Mortal Kombat ninja. So, yeah, Deadshot. Love the color balance, the silvery black is a good choice. Moving on? Moving on.
Supergirl...
Supergirl was a character card featured in Gods Among Us Mobile before getting promoted to a playable role in Injustice 2. She's like an inversion of her mobile counterpart. Instead of sleeves, no gloves, and no pants, she's got no sleeves, bright red gloves, and blue pants. Her House of El emblem's colors have also been inverted, featuring a nice gold finish on the "S." The two-toned boots are an interesting choice. I don't think I've seen any Superperson outside of Eradicator go for that design element in a default costume. It's a nice refresh for Kara to help her stand out from her cousin without going full-on sexy Halloween costume.
Black Canary...
Black Canary was prominent in the Injustice comics released between games one and two, where her background with Batman was explored. Arriving in the games proper, she's traded in the arm plating for her more familiar leather jacket and gotten a pair of pants. And to honor her comic self's traditional penchant for fishnet stockings, Canary's pants have vented mesh cutouts on the sides. Black Canary always had one of the more interesting juxtapositions between costume and character alignment. She's not particularly moody, but dresses like a gothic Vegas showgirl because she likes what she likes. She's always stood out among her more brightly dressed heroic cohorts that aren't from Gotham, and her biker chic sensibilities have been retained for Injustice 2.
Swamp Thing...
Swamp Thing is a mossy man made miraculously from "the Green." I don't know what that is, but it sounds ominous. Between Gods Among Us Mobile and Injustice 2, he's gained...some brown armor. Might be wood, probably fungi. Gear pieces, y'all.
Doctor Fate...
Doctor Fate hasn't changed too much beyond his armor and cape taking on a more muted shade of gold. Also, he has visible armor beyond the helmet, complete with an ankh symbol adorned on his chest like a medallion. There's also some black segmenting on the undersuit to break up the blue. Despite having minimal affinity for the character, I feel like Doctor Fate is one of those heroes you don't really need to mess with too much. I don't imagine the mortal vessel for an omniscient being who seems situationally bound by tradition would mess with their costume frequently anyway.
Scarecrow...
Scarecrow was a stage cameo/hazard in the first game, more or less carrying over his design from the Arkham games wholesale. For Injustice 2, he's dropped the gas mask and hood for a slightly more traditional bag cowl. I like that he seems to have some kind of hellish flame glowing from inside the mask to evoke a jack-o'-lantern. He also spends much of his screentime in story mode wearing a tattered but otherwise mundane doctor's uniform over his suit that he throws off before battles. It's a freaky-looking redesign for one of Batman's freakier adversaries, and the noose necktie has been retained.
Poison Ivy...
Poison Ivy was a major villain in Arkham City Lockdown, with all the visual trappings that entailed. For her appearance in the Injustice comics, she dressed in a more traditional Poison Ivy way, green leaf swimsuit included. Her Injustice 2 incarnation takes more from the latter than the former, though changes the fashion foliage so the art team can flex. She's got multi-layered leaves adorning her body, with equally leafy stockings. I like that her outfit even has some maroon thrown around here and there to more closely resemble the leaves of her namesake.
Cheetah...
In between her two fighting game appearances, Cheetah went from stark naked to jungle warrior gear. How do you compare someone who didn't have a costume beforehand?
Gorilla Grodd(s)...
Earth-One's Gorilla Grodd appeared as a stage cameo in the first game, adorned with gold armor. His Earth Twenty-Two version gets far more detailed armor in the sequel, with silver and red galore. His helmet/headdress also has a single horn at the front.
Captain Cold...
Captain Cold is a character predominantly known for dressing like an evil Mt. Everest explorer. His comic incarnation knew the drill and put him in a blue parka with a few frills and a hood that screamed "Santa's diabolical helper." When he made the jump to the games, he bulked up. Protective armor around the torso and shoulders, and a helmet in place of the Arctic Green Goblin hood. I think both work, but it would've been funny to see the former design carried over more faithfully.
Atrocitus...
Atrocitus goes from a more traditional red and black ensemble for his stage cameo in the first game to a molten exterior in the second game. Pictured with him in the two images above are Kilowog and Dex-Starr, respectively.
Brainiac...
And now, the final boss of the game. Brainiac first appeared as a brain in a jar in one of the first game's stages. People apparently assumed that he was the Brain from the DC Universe, but NRS stated that it was Brainiac. He later appeared as a card in the mobile game, but it's just a headshot so all we can really see is a black collar and those red diodes on his head. We get a full-body, full-bodied Brainiac to serve as the sequel's main antagonist. He's maintained his general green/purple/something else color scheme, and is decked out in a metallic bodysuit with purple lights all around. In addition, he features prehensile tentacles to assist him in combat. I'll be upfront and say that my exposure to Brainiac generally begins and ends at his appearances in the DCAU, which made him look bluer and stockier compared to the one seen here. But he works too.
And that...is not all. We'll cover the DLC fighters, additional alternate skins, and NPCs next time. In the meantime, I'd like to hear from you all. Tell me what your favorite Injustice 2 redesign is.
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Injustice 2 post (part two, now w/Speedsters, Lobo, Lucius Fox, Lucy Quinzel, Connor, Hawkman, Etrigan, & Deadman)
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We're back to discuss the downloadable fighters, special alternate skins, and non-playable characters.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVBcMMH_8GY
Downloadable characters
Darkseid...
Serving as the pre-order bonus character, Darkseid has gone for a more armored appearance. And by that, I mean he got pants. The armor itself is a less glossy shade of blue and the Omega symbol is more angular.
Sub-Zero...
Following up on Scorpion's guest appearance in the last game, Kuai Liang showed up as part of Fighter Pack 1. And he's also gotten a snazzy new design courtesy of Jim Lee. It's a suitably "superhero" design for the Lin Kuei, boasting a long cape, a hood, and goshdarn icicle shoulder pads. I appreciate that his old-school design layout is kept consistent even with all of the added bells and whistles. And that blue absolutely pops. I'm not used to any Sub-Zero having sleeves outside of alternate skins and live-action material, but this is a fun redesign that gives us a look at what Kuai Liang could be if he were running around the DC Universe on the regular. Just a shame he didn't also get his Batman-styled costume from his MKvsDCU ending via unlockable Gear pieces.
Starfire...
Starfire appears in Cyborg's Injustice 2 ending, wearing something reminiscent of her DC Rebirth costume. For her playable appearance as part of Fighter Pack 1, NRS said no and went for something different. We're back to the two-piece armored swimsuit, complete with the obligatory New 52-styled collar. The lavender lining on the bodice is an interesting design choice, though it winds up evoking weird alien veins and I don't know how I feel about that. Honestly, I would maybe take the shoulder pad sleeves away. They feel kind of extraneous. And while I appreciate the designers for not defaulting to an abundance of the usual standby metallic colors, I think there should've been more silver to make the purples stick out better.
Black Manta...
Black Manta was a support card in Gods Among Us Mobile and showed up as a stage cameo in the second game before becoming a player character in Fighter Pack 2. His design is pretty standard Black Manta, flat helmet of doom included. His Injustice 2 design has a multi-toned costume and "fins" on the back. Take away the helmet and this could be a Black Panther design. There's not much else to say, nice detailing all around.
Raiden...
The second Mortal Kombat guest fighter in this game, Raiden gets his own comic book-inspired makeover. And for the first time in nearly a decade, he gets to wear a cape by default. In spite of the more covered-up appearances given to Sub-Zero and Scorpion before him, Raiden bares his chest for all the realms to see. Again, like with Starfire's collar, it's a little weird and maybe demonstrates why cleavage windows are very hard to get right when designing costumes. Looking at the outfit more closely, it does feel like a retool of the MKvsDCU design, if only due to the fact that said title and Injustice 2 are the only times where Raiden goes sleeveless for his primary outfit. The big shoulder pads of Mortal Kombat games past also make their return, alongside a plethora of metal adornments. Even his cowl is a metal domino mask now. His tunic seems to be hard metal as well. It feels fitting of stereotypical shogun armor, just with the usual "V" cut that we associate with Raiden. This design is more interesting the longer I look at it. I didn't even mention the cloud carvings on the gauntlets or the animal motif of the boots until now. This feels like a dry run for MK11's Dark Raiden in all the best possible ways.
Atom(s)...
"Atom" is the superhero name of multiple individuals in the DCU. Above on the left and in the middle is Ray Palmer, featured in the first game (as a stage cameo) and the comics which detail his untimely death. Above on the right is his successor Ryan Choi, who became playable as the first character of Fighter Pack 3. His suit is far more armored, comparable to the Arrowverse's Ray Palmer's suit if not the comic designs. It's interesting that the red parts of his suit seem to be a thicker material than the usual spandex, but not quite the usual Injustice armor either. The red lining around the cowl is a nice touch.
Enchantress...
Enchantress showed up in the comic series briefly before getting a full appearance in Injustice 2. Her design retained the hood, but lost the cape. While she still has a leathery costume, it's not quite as ornate as the other characters in the game. I suppose that's fitting given she's a sorceress, not a technomancer. Also pictured above is her new headpiece, which seems to be in the shape of an eye.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
And finally, we have our last DLC fighter(s). Before NRS got a hold of them, the Turtles made their last fighting game appearance in their franchise's 25th anniversary title TMNT: Smash-Up, a platform fighter that took aesthetic cues from the 2007 CGI film. For their "realistic" appearance under NetherRealm, the Turtles are closer in looks to the live-action trilogy of films that 2007's TMNT served as a loose sequel to. Straps across the chest, circular belts (though missing the letters, which makes them look rather plain), and color-coded kneepads/limb wrappings galore, though the latter accessories are only featured in the Fighter Pack 3 reveal trailer.
Premier skins and mobile-exclusive playable characters
The first Injustice took advantage of the vast amount of legacy characters in the DCU and would occasionally feature multiple iterations of the same superhero identity as alternate costumes. The sequel took this a step further and expanded the reach of this initiative to include characters who weren't just legacy characters but had enough of a similar powerset to their respective parent fighter. Hence, Premier skins.
Power Girl...
Premier skin of Supergirl - The alternate universe (sort of) equivalent to Supergirl makes her playable fighting game debut here after appearing as a support card in Gods Among Us Mobile. She's abandoned the "P" insignia on her suit for the old cleavage window and has less gold on the gloves, among other changes. It's a surprisingly low-key design in a game that usually went for broke for costume revisions. Admittedly, Power Girl with actual pants will never not be surreal.
The Flash (Jay Garrick)...
Premier skin of the Flash - The Golden Age Flash appeared in the first game as an alt skin for Barry, as part of the "Earth 2" costume pack. In the second game, he's the classic Jay Garrick with the metal wings of Icarus helmet. He's still got some added NRS flourishes like the black patches on the pants, but this is a rather faithful recreation of one of DC's longest-running heroes.
Green Lantern (John Stewart)...
Premier skin of Green Lantern - Hal's fellow Lantern of Earth was also seen as an alt skin in the first game. He returns in the sequel, now cleanshaven and featuring a lot more green around the suit. His Lantern Corps emblem is also bigger and lacks the circular border. It's a strange layering of armor for Injustice 2 John Stewart, though I kind of dig the glowing green lights on the gloves and boots.
Bizarro...
Premier skin of Superman - Clark Kent's evil-ish doppelganger appeared in the comic tie-in, wearing his usual attire with the reversed House of El logo. For his appearance in the games proper, he ditches the red trunks and wears far darker colors to match Bizarro's usual palette. If anything, it's weird that comic Bizarro has brighter colors than Superman proper. With that said, in this continuity he's a creation of the "good" Lex Luthor of Earth Twenty-Two who was meant to serve as a moderating force to Superman, so I suppose he can have a less faded color scheme.
Mr. Freeze...
Premier skin of Captain Cold - Dr. Victor Fries initially appeared as a launch day skin wearing dark protective gear. However, he was missing his most important protective gear, the helmet that keeps him alive due to his health condition. A newly created helmet would be added down the line, looking more like a modern hazard suit mask than the clock protector helmet he's traditionally known for (and wearing in the comic tie-in).
Reverse-Flash...
Premier skin of the Flash - Eobard Thawne, formerly Prof. Zoom, generally Reverse-Flash, perpetually douchebag extraordinaire. He was a player character in the first game's mobile counterpart and wore a layered yellow suit that wouldn't look too out of place in the Arrowverse. When he returned, his suit gained extensive red lining, serving as an inverted complement to Barry's own suit. The lightning insignia is also far larger and the shoulder pads are gray instead of yellow. Not bad for a glorified recolor.
Black Lightning...
Premier skin of Raiden - Jefferson Pierce showed up in the comic series as a domino mask-wearing member of Batman's Insurgency before getting the distinction of being the only DC character to be a skin for a guest character. For his playable appearance (his first-ever playable appearance?), he switches out the mask for goggles and wears a costume with two lightning bolts on the chest, bordering a lighter blue patch of armor. The latter part is a welcome change, as it helps him stand out from Black Adam. The gold plating lining the sides of his uniform is nice as well.
Shazam...
Premier skin of Black Adam - Speaking of Black Adam, let's talk about Shazam. He returned to a playable role only in Injustice 2 Mobile, where he took on the appearance of Zachary Levi's Shazam from the then-upcoming live-action 2019 film.
Raven...
Raven was added to Injustice 2 Mobile in 2020 by popular demand, and she's apparently a Premier skin of someone, not that I know who. She takes on a marginally brighter color palette, wearing a more distinct purple with black patterning over the leotard. Or maybe that's just the lighting. Her costume seems like it was taken wholesale from her Prime version from the first game. She also appears in Starfire's ending, wearing robes in her more traditional indigo color.
Deathstroke...
Deathstroke returns, wearing a less armored and more traditional take on his costume.
Martian Manhunter...
The Martian Manhunter was one of the DLC fighters of the original console game, but he died in the comics so he couldn't be in the sequel without multiverse screwery getting involved. He returned in Injustice 2 Mobile, wearing a capeless variant of his Gods Among Us costume. It's the Martian Manhunter through and through.
Batwoman...
And finally, we have Kate Kane, the modern Batwoman. She first appeared in the comic tie-in yadda yadda, and later appeared in Injustice 2 Mobile etcetera etcetera. Her comic rendition seems to possess a far more armored Batsuit, while the game version hews closer to the tried-and-true spandex. The game version also has a red belt to break up the black, which is appreciated. I also prefer game Batwoman's more traditional cowl, though the comic version's red trim was a nice touch.
And that's all for the DC blokes and assorted riffraff who got to be playable.
Non-playable characters
Speedsters...
Meet the Flash Family. They're various Speedsters from across the multiverse, whom this game's Barry Allen meets in his ladder ending. Among them are versions of both Wally Wests, Jay Garrick, and Jesse Quick, one of the few female Speedsters. Take note of Jay and Jesse's more classic costumes in the ending picture.
Solomon Grundy and Two-Face...
Our two villains here returned in the second game as stage cameos, both dressed in prison garb.
Lobo...
The Main Man was a main-adjacent character in Gods Among Us, being the first of six downloadable characters. In the sequel, however, our irascible anti-hero is a mere cameo in Superman's ending where the Kryptonian recruits alternate-universe variants of other characters. This Lobo sports a less spiky vest and white skull kneepads.
Zatanna and the Constantines...
In one corner, we have stage magician Zatanna Zatara. In another, we have John Constantine and his daughter Rose, the latter of whom is a creation of the Injustice universe. In Dr. Fate's ending, they all make a cameo appearance. Zatanna's GAU design is retained sans corsage and fishnet stockings. Constantine the elder now has darker pants and Rose is wearing a T-shirt and shorts as opposed to her overalls (though the former outfit also appeared in the comics).
Killer Croc...
Killer Croc appeared in Gods Among Us Mobile as a playable fighter, with a design not too different from how he looked in Arkham City. He returns as a stage hazard in the sequel, mostly submerged in the water to attack the player. Imagine my surprise that not only did someone go through the effort of isolating and extracting his Injustice 2 model, but that there was actually a full model made for him to begin with. For his latter appearance, he's decked in a loincloth and lots of rope. Also, he has a visible tail now.
Superboy...
Superboy is Superman's younger clone and usually has a street clothes look for his hero attire, which is retained for the comics and the game (though comics Superboy has blue trim around his shirt collar). At some point in the comics, he also takes over as Superman proper, 'cause Clark is in the best state of mind to serve as the world's symbol of hope.
Alura In-Ze...
Supergirl's mother and a scientist like her brother-in-law Jor-El, Alura gets to have drastically different takes on the same alien color scheme. It's perhaps taken for granted that Krypton and its surrounding regions are treated as posthumous locations in the mainline comics and their various adaptations so often that it rarely even registers to me that these highly advanced humanoids could possess more than one article of clothing. I do wish Alura got to keep her jacket from the comics for Injustice 2 the game.
Red Robin...
Tim Drake's other alter ego, Red Robin shows up from time to time in the Injustice continuity. In the comics, he looks like he traditionally does in the main DCU. For his appearance in Cyborg's ending, he wears a more classic Robin costume with a new insignia to make clear that this is a new identity. I prefer Tim Drake sans cowl, but I admit it helps him stand out more.
Lucius Fox...
Lucius Fox is one of Batman's most trusted associates in multiple continuities, including this one. He first appears in the comics wearing one of his usual business suits before appearing in the prologue of Injustice 2's story mode. His bowtie is a darker color in the latter.
Lucy Quinzel...
Lucy's Injustice 2 image taken from this video.
Meet Lucy, Harley's daughter whom she had with the Joker before the events of Gods Among Us. Harley leaves her in the care of her sister Delia (seen alongside Lucy in the middle picture above) and assumes the role of "her crazy Aunt Harleen" until she finds the time to tell her the truth. In the comics, Lucy is a redhead wearing a denim jacket. In Harley's Injustice 2 ending, she wears pinks and purples and sports blonde hair.
Wonder Girl...
Cassandra Sandsmark, the Wonder Girl of the 90s, also appears sporadically in Injustice, wearing more Themysciran armor in the comics and athleisurewear for her appearance in Cyborg's ending.
Connor...
Connor Lance-Queen, known as Connor Hawke in other continuities, is the son of Green Arrow and Black Canary in this game. This incarnation first appears in the comics as an older child wearing overalls. His game counterpart is stated to be three years old and goes in a simple T-shirt and pants.
Hawkman...
Hawkman's Injustice 2 image taken from this video.
Carter Hall, while never playable in the games, has made a few appearances. A more classic-looking version of him appears in the comics, while a more armored AU incarnation shows up in Superman's ending. Comic Hawkman's chestpiece is looking very Thundercats from my vantage point.
Isis...
Adrianna Tomaz, Black Adam's wife and a superhero in her own right, is only seen from the back in her husband's endings. She has a longer skirt in the first ending. That's all I got.
Etrigan and Deadman...
Etrigan and Deadman's Injustice 2 image taken from this video.
Jason Blood, AKA Etrigan the Demon, is a chainmailed fellow for his appearance in the comics, though hews to a more traditional design when appearing in Raiden's ending. Flanking Raiden and Constantine is Etrigan's fellow Justice League Dark member, Boston Brand, AKA Deadman. He has fewer visual discrepancies from medium to medium, though the "D" insignia usually located around his waist in the comics is migrated to his chest area, making me think of Marvel's Daredevil.
Ra's al Ghul...
Ra's al Ghul is yet another of Batman's enemies and Damian's maternal grandfather. He shows up in the aforementioned second game ending of Black Adam, offering to revive Isis in exchange for his services. He wears green robes and an elaborate cape in both appearances, though his game version is definitely lacking the layered cloths of the comic's Ra's.
Victor Zsasz...
Zsasz is a convicted serial killer, which puts him on Superman's hit list very soon. He goes shirtless for most of his appearances in this continuity (as is the case for most depictions of him), wearing only orange pants from his prison jumpsuit. Though his game counterpart lacks the visible drawstrings on the pants. Makes me wonder if Arkham Asylum is suffering from budget cuts.
Kidd Thunder...
Kidd Thunder, after about 21 years of absence from Mortal Kombat games, makes a surprise cameo alongside Raiden as an Easter egg. His appearance is largely the same as it was when we last saw him in 1996, just with dark wrappings around the legs.
Krang...
One of the Ninja Turtles' most recurring extraterrestrial adversaries, Krang is an Utrom, a species that gets around in mech suits for combat and espionage purposes. His appearance in Smash-Up, referred to as the Utrominator, looked far more like a battle mech with visible Gatling guns and the like. For his brief appearance in the Turtles' Injustice 2 ending, Krang is wearing a far more humanoid suit, with an actual protective screen for him. I like the longcoat they added, it gives the suit personality.
The Shredder...
The Shredder of Smash-Up took most of his visual cues from the 2003 Ninja Turtles series, which is one of my favorite Shredder designs ever. For his appearance in Injustice 2, Shredder's design looks like it was drawn from the IDW comics, which itself looks to be a composite of the aforementioned 2003 design and the more brightly-colored Shredder of the 1987 cartoon and first two live-action movies. It's a suitably metal Shredder.
And so ends the cosmic costume commentary of Injustice 2. While a bit overdesigned in some areas, I kind of adore the unabashed 90s environmental variant action figure energy going on with a lot of the costumes. With that said, though the litany of detachable clothing articles was an inevitability for the game's Gear system, I believe they could have gone easier on the armor for a lot of these heroes. But I suppose they ultimately did (on average) compared to the first game, which is appreciated. And the color being more saturated helps these comic book characters feel vibrant in a way Gods Among Us or MKvsDCU couldn't quite convey.
I again must also tip my hat to NRS for the neat little tweaks done to the various guest characters. Adapting Sub-Zero and Raiden to this series' aesthetic is fun in a way most fighting game guest appearances don't quite attempt in the name of authenticity. But, the devs were more than capable of faithfully reinterpreting old designs into this game's art style as well. The Turtles are perfectly rendered for the "real world" this game posits itself taking place in, and I feel this game is where NRS really started to "get" guest characters.
This is a pretty little title, and I'm happy to have gotten the chance to talk about this series at length. Now with the existence of the Injustice movie, we have. One. More. Comparison. Post. We're almost there.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVBcMMH_8GY
Downloadable characters
Darkseid...
Serving as the pre-order bonus character, Darkseid has gone for a more armored appearance. And by that, I mean he got pants. The armor itself is a less glossy shade of blue and the Omega symbol is more angular.
Sub-Zero...
Following up on Scorpion's guest appearance in the last game, Kuai Liang showed up as part of Fighter Pack 1. And he's also gotten a snazzy new design courtesy of Jim Lee. It's a suitably "superhero" design for the Lin Kuei, boasting a long cape, a hood, and goshdarn icicle shoulder pads. I appreciate that his old-school design layout is kept consistent even with all of the added bells and whistles. And that blue absolutely pops. I'm not used to any Sub-Zero having sleeves outside of alternate skins and live-action material, but this is a fun redesign that gives us a look at what Kuai Liang could be if he were running around the DC Universe on the regular. Just a shame he didn't also get his Batman-styled costume from his MKvsDCU ending via unlockable Gear pieces.
Starfire...
Starfire appears in Cyborg's Injustice 2 ending, wearing something reminiscent of her DC Rebirth costume. For her playable appearance as part of Fighter Pack 1, NRS said no and went for something different. We're back to the two-piece armored swimsuit, complete with the obligatory New 52-styled collar. The lavender lining on the bodice is an interesting design choice, though it winds up evoking weird alien veins and I don't know how I feel about that. Honestly, I would maybe take the shoulder pad sleeves away. They feel kind of extraneous. And while I appreciate the designers for not defaulting to an abundance of the usual standby metallic colors, I think there should've been more silver to make the purples stick out better.
Black Manta...
Black Manta was a support card in Gods Among Us Mobile and showed up as a stage cameo in the second game before becoming a player character in Fighter Pack 2. His design is pretty standard Black Manta, flat helmet of doom included. His Injustice 2 design has a multi-toned costume and "fins" on the back. Take away the helmet and this could be a Black Panther design. There's not much else to say, nice detailing all around.
Raiden...
The second Mortal Kombat guest fighter in this game, Raiden gets his own comic book-inspired makeover. And for the first time in nearly a decade, he gets to wear a cape by default. In spite of the more covered-up appearances given to Sub-Zero and Scorpion before him, Raiden bares his chest for all the realms to see. Again, like with Starfire's collar, it's a little weird and maybe demonstrates why cleavage windows are very hard to get right when designing costumes. Looking at the outfit more closely, it does feel like a retool of the MKvsDCU design, if only due to the fact that said title and Injustice 2 are the only times where Raiden goes sleeveless for his primary outfit. The big shoulder pads of Mortal Kombat games past also make their return, alongside a plethora of metal adornments. Even his cowl is a metal domino mask now. His tunic seems to be hard metal as well. It feels fitting of stereotypical shogun armor, just with the usual "V" cut that we associate with Raiden. This design is more interesting the longer I look at it. I didn't even mention the cloud carvings on the gauntlets or the animal motif of the boots until now. This feels like a dry run for MK11's Dark Raiden in all the best possible ways.
Atom(s)...
"Atom" is the superhero name of multiple individuals in the DCU. Above on the left and in the middle is Ray Palmer, featured in the first game (as a stage cameo) and the comics which detail his untimely death. Above on the right is his successor Ryan Choi, who became playable as the first character of Fighter Pack 3. His suit is far more armored, comparable to the Arrowverse's Ray Palmer's suit if not the comic designs. It's interesting that the red parts of his suit seem to be a thicker material than the usual spandex, but not quite the usual Injustice armor either. The red lining around the cowl is a nice touch.
Enchantress...
Enchantress showed up in the comic series briefly before getting a full appearance in Injustice 2. Her design retained the hood, but lost the cape. While she still has a leathery costume, it's not quite as ornate as the other characters in the game. I suppose that's fitting given she's a sorceress, not a technomancer. Also pictured above is her new headpiece, which seems to be in the shape of an eye.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
Leonardo
| Donatello
| The team in their next mutation, err, iteration
|
Raphael
| Michelangelo
| Your heroes in a half-shell say "Support trans rights!" |
Premier skins and mobile-exclusive playable characters
The first Injustice took advantage of the vast amount of legacy characters in the DCU and would occasionally feature multiple iterations of the same superhero identity as alternate costumes. The sequel took this a step further and expanded the reach of this initiative to include characters who weren't just legacy characters but had enough of a similar powerset to their respective parent fighter. Hence, Premier skins.
Power Girl...
Premier skin of Supergirl - The alternate universe (sort of) equivalent to Supergirl makes her playable fighting game debut here after appearing as a support card in Gods Among Us Mobile. She's abandoned the "P" insignia on her suit for the old cleavage window and has less gold on the gloves, among other changes. It's a surprisingly low-key design in a game that usually went for broke for costume revisions. Admittedly, Power Girl with actual pants will never not be surreal.
The Flash (Jay Garrick)...
Premier skin of the Flash - The Golden Age Flash appeared in the first game as an alt skin for Barry, as part of the "Earth 2" costume pack. In the second game, he's the classic Jay Garrick with the metal wings of Icarus helmet. He's still got some added NRS flourishes like the black patches on the pants, but this is a rather faithful recreation of one of DC's longest-running heroes.
Green Lantern (John Stewart)...
Premier skin of Green Lantern - Hal's fellow Lantern of Earth was also seen as an alt skin in the first game. He returns in the sequel, now cleanshaven and featuring a lot more green around the suit. His Lantern Corps emblem is also bigger and lacks the circular border. It's a strange layering of armor for Injustice 2 John Stewart, though I kind of dig the glowing green lights on the gloves and boots.
Bizarro...
Premier skin of Superman - Clark Kent's evil-ish doppelganger appeared in the comic tie-in, wearing his usual attire with the reversed House of El logo. For his appearance in the games proper, he ditches the red trunks and wears far darker colors to match Bizarro's usual palette. If anything, it's weird that comic Bizarro has brighter colors than Superman proper. With that said, in this continuity he's a creation of the "good" Lex Luthor of Earth Twenty-Two who was meant to serve as a moderating force to Superman, so I suppose he can have a less faded color scheme.
Mr. Freeze...
Premier skin of Captain Cold - Dr. Victor Fries initially appeared as a launch day skin wearing dark protective gear. However, he was missing his most important protective gear, the helmet that keeps him alive due to his health condition. A newly created helmet would be added down the line, looking more like a modern hazard suit mask than the clock protector helmet he's traditionally known for (and wearing in the comic tie-in).
Reverse-Flash...
Premier skin of the Flash - Eobard Thawne, formerly Prof. Zoom, generally Reverse-Flash, perpetually douchebag extraordinaire. He was a player character in the first game's mobile counterpart and wore a layered yellow suit that wouldn't look too out of place in the Arrowverse. When he returned, his suit gained extensive red lining, serving as an inverted complement to Barry's own suit. The lightning insignia is also far larger and the shoulder pads are gray instead of yellow. Not bad for a glorified recolor.
Black Lightning...
Premier skin of Raiden - Jefferson Pierce showed up in the comic series as a domino mask-wearing member of Batman's Insurgency before getting the distinction of being the only DC character to be a skin for a guest character. For his playable appearance (his first-ever playable appearance?), he switches out the mask for goggles and wears a costume with two lightning bolts on the chest, bordering a lighter blue patch of armor. The latter part is a welcome change, as it helps him stand out from Black Adam. The gold plating lining the sides of his uniform is nice as well.
Shazam...
Premier skin of Black Adam - Speaking of Black Adam, let's talk about Shazam. He returned to a playable role only in Injustice 2 Mobile, where he took on the appearance of Zachary Levi's Shazam from the then-upcoming live-action 2019 film.
Raven...
Raven was added to Injustice 2 Mobile in 2020 by popular demand, and she's apparently a Premier skin of someone, not that I know who. She takes on a marginally brighter color palette, wearing a more distinct purple with black patterning over the leotard. Or maybe that's just the lighting. Her costume seems like it was taken wholesale from her Prime version from the first game. She also appears in Starfire's ending, wearing robes in her more traditional indigo color.
Deathstroke...
Deathstroke returns, wearing a less armored and more traditional take on his costume.
Martian Manhunter...
The Martian Manhunter was one of the DLC fighters of the original console game, but he died in the comics so he couldn't be in the sequel without multiverse screwery getting involved. He returned in Injustice 2 Mobile, wearing a capeless variant of his Gods Among Us costume. It's the Martian Manhunter through and through.
Batwoman...
And finally, we have Kate Kane, the modern Batwoman. She first appeared in the comic tie-in yadda yadda, and later appeared in Injustice 2 Mobile etcetera etcetera. Her comic rendition seems to possess a far more armored Batsuit, while the game version hews closer to the tried-and-true spandex. The game version also has a red belt to break up the black, which is appreciated. I also prefer game Batwoman's more traditional cowl, though the comic version's red trim was a nice touch.
And that's all for the DC blokes and assorted riffraff who got to be playable.
Non-playable characters
Speedsters...
Meet the Flash Family. They're various Speedsters from across the multiverse, whom this game's Barry Allen meets in his ladder ending. Among them are versions of both Wally Wests, Jay Garrick, and Jesse Quick, one of the few female Speedsters. Take note of Jay and Jesse's more classic costumes in the ending picture.
Solomon Grundy and Two-Face...
Our two villains here returned in the second game as stage cameos, both dressed in prison garb.
Lobo...
The Main Man was a main-adjacent character in Gods Among Us, being the first of six downloadable characters. In the sequel, however, our irascible anti-hero is a mere cameo in Superman's ending where the Kryptonian recruits alternate-universe variants of other characters. This Lobo sports a less spiky vest and white skull kneepads.
Zatanna and the Constantines...
In one corner, we have stage magician Zatanna Zatara. In another, we have John Constantine and his daughter Rose, the latter of whom is a creation of the Injustice universe. In Dr. Fate's ending, they all make a cameo appearance. Zatanna's GAU design is retained sans corsage and fishnet stockings. Constantine the elder now has darker pants and Rose is wearing a T-shirt and shorts as opposed to her overalls (though the former outfit also appeared in the comics).
Killer Croc...
Killer Croc appeared in Gods Among Us Mobile as a playable fighter, with a design not too different from how he looked in Arkham City. He returns as a stage hazard in the sequel, mostly submerged in the water to attack the player. Imagine my surprise that not only did someone go through the effort of isolating and extracting his Injustice 2 model, but that there was actually a full model made for him to begin with. For his latter appearance, he's decked in a loincloth and lots of rope. Also, he has a visible tail now.
Superboy...
Superboy is Superman's younger clone and usually has a street clothes look for his hero attire, which is retained for the comics and the game (though comics Superboy has blue trim around his shirt collar). At some point in the comics, he also takes over as Superman proper, 'cause Clark is in the best state of mind to serve as the world's symbol of hope.
Alura In-Ze...
Supergirl's mother and a scientist like her brother-in-law Jor-El, Alura gets to have drastically different takes on the same alien color scheme. It's perhaps taken for granted that Krypton and its surrounding regions are treated as posthumous locations in the mainline comics and their various adaptations so often that it rarely even registers to me that these highly advanced humanoids could possess more than one article of clothing. I do wish Alura got to keep her jacket from the comics for Injustice 2 the game.
Red Robin...
Tim Drake's other alter ego, Red Robin shows up from time to time in the Injustice continuity. In the comics, he looks like he traditionally does in the main DCU. For his appearance in Cyborg's ending, he wears a more classic Robin costume with a new insignia to make clear that this is a new identity. I prefer Tim Drake sans cowl, but I admit it helps him stand out more.
Lucius Fox...
Lucius Fox is one of Batman's most trusted associates in multiple continuities, including this one. He first appears in the comics wearing one of his usual business suits before appearing in the prologue of Injustice 2's story mode. His bowtie is a darker color in the latter.
Lucy Quinzel...
Lucy's Injustice 2 image taken from this video.
Meet Lucy, Harley's daughter whom she had with the Joker before the events of Gods Among Us. Harley leaves her in the care of her sister Delia (seen alongside Lucy in the middle picture above) and assumes the role of "her crazy Aunt Harleen" until she finds the time to tell her the truth. In the comics, Lucy is a redhead wearing a denim jacket. In Harley's Injustice 2 ending, she wears pinks and purples and sports blonde hair.
Wonder Girl...
Cassandra Sandsmark, the Wonder Girl of the 90s, also appears sporadically in Injustice, wearing more Themysciran armor in the comics and athleisurewear for her appearance in Cyborg's ending.
Connor...
Connor Lance-Queen, known as Connor Hawke in other continuities, is the son of Green Arrow and Black Canary in this game. This incarnation first appears in the comics as an older child wearing overalls. His game counterpart is stated to be three years old and goes in a simple T-shirt and pants.
Hawkman...
Hawkman's Injustice 2 image taken from this video.
Carter Hall, while never playable in the games, has made a few appearances. A more classic-looking version of him appears in the comics, while a more armored AU incarnation shows up in Superman's ending. Comic Hawkman's chestpiece is looking very Thundercats from my vantage point.
Isis...
Adrianna Tomaz, Black Adam's wife and a superhero in her own right, is only seen from the back in her husband's endings. She has a longer skirt in the first ending. That's all I got.
Etrigan and Deadman...
Etrigan and Deadman's Injustice 2 image taken from this video.
Jason Blood, AKA Etrigan the Demon, is a chainmailed fellow for his appearance in the comics, though hews to a more traditional design when appearing in Raiden's ending. Flanking Raiden and Constantine is Etrigan's fellow Justice League Dark member, Boston Brand, AKA Deadman. He has fewer visual discrepancies from medium to medium, though the "D" insignia usually located around his waist in the comics is migrated to his chest area, making me think of Marvel's Daredevil.
Ra's al Ghul...
Ra's al Ghul is yet another of Batman's enemies and Damian's maternal grandfather. He shows up in the aforementioned second game ending of Black Adam, offering to revive Isis in exchange for his services. He wears green robes and an elaborate cape in both appearances, though his game version is definitely lacking the layered cloths of the comic's Ra's.
Victor Zsasz...
Zsasz is a convicted serial killer, which puts him on Superman's hit list very soon. He goes shirtless for most of his appearances in this continuity (as is the case for most depictions of him), wearing only orange pants from his prison jumpsuit. Though his game counterpart lacks the visible drawstrings on the pants. Makes me wonder if Arkham Asylum is suffering from budget cuts.
Kidd Thunder...
Kidd Thunder, after about 21 years of absence from Mortal Kombat games, makes a surprise cameo alongside Raiden as an Easter egg. His appearance is largely the same as it was when we last saw him in 1996, just with dark wrappings around the legs.
Krang...
One of the Ninja Turtles' most recurring extraterrestrial adversaries, Krang is an Utrom, a species that gets around in mech suits for combat and espionage purposes. His appearance in Smash-Up, referred to as the Utrominator, looked far more like a battle mech with visible Gatling guns and the like. For his brief appearance in the Turtles' Injustice 2 ending, Krang is wearing a far more humanoid suit, with an actual protective screen for him. I like the longcoat they added, it gives the suit personality.
The Shredder...
The Shredder of Smash-Up took most of his visual cues from the 2003 Ninja Turtles series, which is one of my favorite Shredder designs ever. For his appearance in Injustice 2, Shredder's design looks like it was drawn from the IDW comics, which itself looks to be a composite of the aforementioned 2003 design and the more brightly-colored Shredder of the 1987 cartoon and first two live-action movies. It's a suitably metal Shredder.
And so ends the cosmic costume commentary of Injustice 2. While a bit overdesigned in some areas, I kind of adore the unabashed 90s environmental variant action figure energy going on with a lot of the costumes. With that said, though the litany of detachable clothing articles was an inevitability for the game's Gear system, I believe they could have gone easier on the armor for a lot of these heroes. But I suppose they ultimately did (on average) compared to the first game, which is appreciated. And the color being more saturated helps these comic book characters feel vibrant in a way Gods Among Us or MKvsDCU couldn't quite convey.
I again must also tip my hat to NRS for the neat little tweaks done to the various guest characters. Adapting Sub-Zero and Raiden to this series' aesthetic is fun in a way most fighting game guest appearances don't quite attempt in the name of authenticity. But, the devs were more than capable of faithfully reinterpreting old designs into this game's art style as well. The Turtles are perfectly rendered for the "real world" this game posits itself taking place in, and I feel this game is where NRS really started to "get" guest characters.
This is a pretty little title, and I'm happy to have gotten the chance to talk about this series at length. Now with the existence of the Injustice movie, we have. One. More. Comparison. Post. We're almost there.
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Injustice (2021) post
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OPEN SPOILERS FOR THIS FILM, BOTH INJUSTICE GAMES, AND THEIR COMIC BOOK TIE-INS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
It's all led to this. We end our final comparison post not with a bang, but a whimpering half-lucid post-5 AM scrawl by a man who spent more time gathering images than actually thinking of commentary for design changes. The Injustice film focused near-exclusively on the tyrant Superman half of the multiverse, but mostly used the "Prime" designs of the first game's cast. As such, I'm not going to bother with expositing the differences in heavy detail. The film loosely adapted the first game and the tie-in comics, sometimes lifting dialogue and scenes directly from the latter. Its art style also seemed to be closer to the 2020s Mortal Kombat films as opposed to the usual DC Universe Animated Original Movie look. The cast listed below were all featured in the games and comics, though I admit I could not find any images of Deadshot or Bane (05/03/2024 EDIT: Found! They're only in prison garb in this film, as are several other villains). I apologize in advance.
And for posterity, here are the results of the first poll as of 3:54 AM Eastern Time yesterday.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFcM7BntI0M
Characters...
And here are many, many, many shots from the film.
I find it amusing that the Prime Superman finally gets to wear his red trunks.
And that is it for the Injustice universe. For now, anyway. I will be back to provide my general final thoughts on its sister series' design ethos (ethea?) and bring up some random tidbits to amuse myself. You're not rid of me yet. I should have another poll up within 24 hours if the site allows that.
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, SCROLL UP AT YOUR OWN RISK! OPEN SPOILERS FOR THIS FILM, BOTH INJUSTICE GAMES, AND THEIR COMIC BOOK TIE-INS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
It's all led to this. We end our final comparison post not with a bang, but a whimpering half-lucid post-5 AM scrawl by a man who spent more time gathering images than actually thinking of commentary for design changes. The Injustice film focused near-exclusively on the tyrant Superman half of the multiverse, but mostly used the "Prime" designs of the first game's cast. As such, I'm not going to bother with expositing the differences in heavy detail. The film loosely adapted the first game and the tie-in comics, sometimes lifting dialogue and scenes directly from the latter. Its art style also seemed to be closer to the 2020s Mortal Kombat films as opposed to the usual DC Universe Animated Original Movie look. The cast listed below were all featured in the games and comics, though I admit I could not find any images of Deadshot or Bane (05/03/2024 EDIT: Found! They're only in prison garb in this film, as are several other villains). I apologize in advance.
And for posterity, here are the results of the first poll as of 3:54 AM Eastern Time yesterday.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFcM7BntI0M
Characters...
Superman
| Superman (Prime)
| Batman
| Nightwing
| Deadwing 
|
Wonder Woman
| The Flash
| Green Lantern
| Aquaman
| Green Arrow 
|
Shazam 
| Cyborg
| Raven 
| Catwoman
| The Joker
|
Harley Quinn
| Bane
| Solomon Grundy
| Killer Frost 
| Robin
|
Deadshot
| Scarecrow
| Poison Ivy
| Cheetah
| Captain Cold
|
Reverse-Flash
| Atom
| Lois Lane 
| Jimmy Olsen 
| Jonathan Kent 
|
Huntress 
| Hawkman
| Captain Atom 
| Plastic Man 
| Mr. Terrific 
|
Rama Kushna 
| Riddler 
| Ra's al Ghul
| Killer Croc
| Victor Zsasz
|
Calendar Man 
| Giganta 
| Trickster 
| Captain Boomerang 
| Weather Wizard 
|
Mirror Master 
| Plastique 
| Amazo 
| Mantis 
| Lois Lane (comic) 
|
And here are many, many, many shots from the film.
I find it amusing that the Prime Superman finally gets to wear his red trunks.
And that is it for the Injustice universe. For now, anyway. I will be back to provide my general final thoughts on its sister series' design ethos (ethea?) and bring up some random tidbits to amuse myself. You're not rid of me yet. I should have another poll up within 24 hours if the site allows that.
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, SCROLL UP AT YOUR OWN RISK! OPEN SPOILERS FOR THIS FILM, BOTH INJUSTICE GAMES, AND THEIR COMIC BOOK TIE-INS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
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Final wrap-up (part one) and announcements for future plans
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No, no, no. Reptile drools, you know, 'cause of the acid spit.
And yeah, the new poll is up. My thanks to the staff for their help.
Well, I think we've reached the twilight stage of this thread. It's been nearly a year, and I cannot thank you all enough for your support. I again extend my thanks to L Thammy for helping with image sizing, CommandThrower for supplying the images for the MK11 posts, Osu 16 Bit and emperor bohe for helping inspire me to make this thread, and every last one of you who tossed in a kind word. Y'all know who you are.
The current poll covers who among the original kast got the most consistent string of redesigns. If I may throw my hat in the ring, I'll offer my single favorite (default) redesign period for each of them and the non-playable fighters.
Which redesigns for any of the fighters did you like the most? And while we're here, I've got a completely separate third poll prepared. This one concerns possible future attempts at doing comparison threads for other fighting game franchises. I have a few ideas of my own, but I'd like to hear from you lot and the lurkers reading this thread as well: https://strawpoll.com/polls/1Mnwvr1zKy7
And yeah, the new poll is up. My thanks to the staff for their help.
Well, I think we've reached the twilight stage of this thread. It's been nearly a year, and I cannot thank you all enough for your support. I again extend my thanks to L Thammy for helping with image sizing, CommandThrower for supplying the images for the MK11 posts, Osu 16 Bit and emperor bohe for helping inspire me to make this thread, and every last one of you who tossed in a kind word. Y'all know who you are.
The current poll covers who among the original kast got the most consistent string of redesigns. If I may throw my hat in the ring, I'll offer my single favorite (default) redesign period for each of them and the non-playable fighters.
Liu Kang...
Winner: MK4 design
It's the OG design with a red shirt. Simple and to the point. For every game in the Tobias era, Liu Kang got a new article of clothing. If Tobias stuck around for an MK5, Liu Kang would've had a funny hat.
Raiden...
Winner: MKvsDCU design
Ornate without being quite as bogged down in fabric as the otherwise good Deadly Alliance default. Raiden needs a cape. This is probably the first kostume to really make the white pop due to the gold trim around said cape.
Sonya...
Winner: MK11 design
If she's going to be in military wear (and she should be), then it should at least be colorful military wear.
Johnny Cage...
Winner: MK4 design
I waffled between choosing this or MK9 Johnny, but MK4's brighter and more prominent blue accessories took the crown. Bally Total Fitness gear at its best. Though the true best Johnny is MK11's younger variant. I love that jacket more than I love chocolate.
Scorpion...
Winner: Armageddon design (formerly Deception's alternate)
This is really a win for UMK3 and MK4 as well, I just prefer the slight tweaks done for its final appearance as a primary outfit in 3D. Skull mask for life.
Sub-Zero...
Winner: MKX design
The bubble vest is a little weird and people have noted the sideboob (not that this is the first instance of such a thing happening in this franchise), but neither of those is enough to deter my love for this kostume.
Reptile...
Winner: Deadly Alliance design
Yeah, I'm still going to bat for edgelord Aeon Calcos. Sue me, the black on green with gold armor is a good look.
Kano...
Winner: MK9 design
Again, this is technically a win for the MK3 design, but MK9's rendition just looks better to me.
Goro...
Winner: MK9 design
Literally not much competition due to how few times Goro has gotten any substantial visual overhauls, but I think his first look from the reboot timeline is his best overall.
Shang Tsung...
Winner: MK9 design
I was this close to choosing the old man wizard look before remembering that it wasn't eligible. Thankfully, the next best thing offers plenty to like as well. The outfit leans into the snake motif, and this is a case where doing so works for me.
Winner: MK4 design
It's the OG design with a red shirt. Simple and to the point. For every game in the Tobias era, Liu Kang got a new article of clothing. If Tobias stuck around for an MK5, Liu Kang would've had a funny hat.
Raiden...
Winner: MKvsDCU design
Ornate without being quite as bogged down in fabric as the otherwise good Deadly Alliance default. Raiden needs a cape. This is probably the first kostume to really make the white pop due to the gold trim around said cape.
Sonya...
Winner: MK11 design
If she's going to be in military wear (and she should be), then it should at least be colorful military wear.
Johnny Cage...
Winner: MK4 design
I waffled between choosing this or MK9 Johnny, but MK4's brighter and more prominent blue accessories took the crown. Bally Total Fitness gear at its best. Though the true best Johnny is MK11's younger variant. I love that jacket more than I love chocolate.
Scorpion...
Winner: Armageddon design (formerly Deception's alternate)
This is really a win for UMK3 and MK4 as well, I just prefer the slight tweaks done for its final appearance as a primary outfit in 3D. Skull mask for life.
Sub-Zero...
Winner: MKX design
The bubble vest is a little weird and people have noted the sideboob (not that this is the first instance of such a thing happening in this franchise), but neither of those is enough to deter my love for this kostume.
Reptile...
Winner: Deadly Alliance design
Yeah, I'm still going to bat for edgelord Aeon Calcos. Sue me, the black on green with gold armor is a good look.
Kano...
Winner: MK9 design
Again, this is technically a win for the MK3 design, but MK9's rendition just looks better to me.
Goro...
Winner: MK9 design
Literally not much competition due to how few times Goro has gotten any substantial visual overhauls, but I think his first look from the reboot timeline is his best overall.
Shang Tsung...
Winner: MK9 design
I was this close to choosing the old man wizard look before remembering that it wasn't eligible. Thankfully, the next best thing offers plenty to like as well. The outfit leans into the snake motif, and this is a case where doing so works for me.
Which redesigns for any of the fighters did you like the most? And while we're here, I've got a completely separate third poll prepared. This one concerns possible future attempts at doing comparison threads for other fighting game franchises. I have a few ideas of my own, but I'd like to hear from you lot and the lurkers reading this thread as well: https://strawpoll.com/polls/1Mnwvr1zKy7
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Best redesign - or the first awesome one in mind - has to be Ermac, going from a palette swap to a super cool legion Mummy ninja. Dude actually got an identity.
I'm not particularly a fan of Mortal Kombat but I've been checking out this thread whenever it gets bumped. Lots of respect for how thorough Scrappy's breakdown of the character design history has been.
It makes me realize that fans attach a great deal of weight to details that others might miss; you show me two Scorpions and I'll just think "yep, that's Scorpion", but for someone who is into Mortal Kombat they're both kompeting against the mental image of what Scorpion's supposed to be.
It makes me realize that fans attach a great deal of weight to details that others might miss; you show me two Scorpions and I'll just think "yep, that's Scorpion", but for someone who is into Mortal Kombat they're both kompeting against the mental image of what Scorpion's supposed to be.
Final wrap-up (part two)
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No, just a konsummate fanboy with a knack for theme-lettering.
Thank you. Mortal Kombat's one of the few fighting game series to update the wardrobes of the fighters on a regular basis, which meant there was a lot to talk about. I'm personally surprised at how well a lot of these designs actually hold up. John Tobias' stuff is classic, obviously, but a lot of the modern games are still benefitting off of the back of the visual divergences and detailing promoted in the 3D era. And I suppose that leads me to the second part of my wrap-up.
I had ideas for this thread as far back as early 2017. My love for the series' aesthetic and lore meant that this was as good an IP as any to pretend I was a qualified expert on. In the nine and a half months I've been updating this thread, a few lessons have been learned or reinforced.
Lesson 1: Having a signature color is often a boon
Before 
| Forever After 
|
Lesson 2: Ninjas are awesome
Look at these edgy mothertruckers. They were born to sell action figures. I likened Mortal Kombat to Power Rangers in my opening post, and I stand by that firmly because of these guys. You pick a favorite ninja like you pick your favorite Ranger. While I do believe fans overstate the appeal of these guys relative to everyone else in the roster, they're the soul of Mortal Kombat.
Lesson 3: You can evolve former palette swaps
A good base design need not be duplicated in perpetuity. Much as Luigi and Ken Masters have been allowed to evolve from their indistinguishable Player 2 status, so too can the various masked offspring of Scorpion and Bi-Han do so. Some (Reptile, Ermac) have deviated from the mold more than others (Smoke, Noob Saibot), but they're all part of the family. And again, there are rewards to innovation. Mummy Ermac and reaper Noob are iconic designs in their own right. One day, they might get their own knock-offs based on their contemporary looks.
Lesson 4: Details are generally more palatable if a certain template is upheld
Relating to lesson 1, you can make good designs that aren't just 1:1 recreations if you just honor the past template. Coordinate the colors similarly, retain the kostume with new bells and whistles, or some other third thing. There's more than one way to skin a Tigrar, and I will give credit to Midway and NRS for practicing this idea for 29 years and counting.
Lesson 5: Simplicity is good
The reason Scorpion and Sub-Zero pretty much always look like Scorpion and Sub-Zero is that they had good foundations set for them from the start. Limitations can breed creativity if you're willing to work with what you have. The early games were done with real actors wearing the outfits for shoots, and Tobias was an accomplished artist who designed kharacters with that in mind. The outfits were about as elaborate as anything from a budgeted game emulating a death metal album could be, but Tobias is a comic book artist at heart. He made sure outfits were readable, with colors that popped. We laugh at the aerobics gear of a lot of kharacters, but said gear at least avoided a lot of the excesses of the post-90s 3D era (or even Tobias' own Tao Feng). Johnny's old designs weren't particularly special, but someone on the team had the foresight to give him the shades, which may have saved him from just being another martial artist in a series that has several. Tiny touches can make all the difference.
Lesson 6: ...But gold trim is better
I waxed on about the beauty of restrained kharacter design, and I stand by that. With that said, as I went further into the rundown between games, I realized that a lot of these designs really do get enhanced with additional accessories, even if some in-game depictions didn't always do justice to the talents of the art team. They're warriors locked in battle over the fate of the realms, some armor is okay every once in a while. And it'd be unfair to expect the devs to design with real people in mind on everything when they're not digitizing the mo-cap actors anymore. Making kostumes look cool instead of needlessly sexualized? That's fine, forces them to get creative with things. "Practicality" is a broad term and thus a slightly different matter, especially when you're designing for a medium that isn't wholly grounded in reality. I'd say MK11 found a decent balance. Realistic people wearing hilariously over-the-top kostumes with just enough stylization to keep it from looking like glorified cosplay. Or maybe it is glorified cosplay. That's basically what the old games were, so MK11 could be seen as the series coming full circle. To make a long story short, I'm willing to flout "realism" if it at least looks cool.
I thank you all for taking this journey with me. I certainly couldn't have made it this far without your support. I again ask you to answer this poll to gauge future interest in threads such as these. Until then, go in peace, my friends. Your souls are free.
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Props again to this amazing thread! Look forward to reading more if you choose to continue this with another franchise.
Thanks for all your hard work, Scrappy! I have loads of gaming mags from the mid-90s. I might dig some out and see if there's any interesting early art/screenshots from MK games.
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If you go through with that, I hope your search is fruitful.
I've been following the separate poll on future franchises to cover and I'm somewhat surprised at the results. Much to think about, much to think about indeed.
What's next?
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Hello, hello. I've been looking into the poll results so far and I'm both pleasantly surprised and horrified at the ranking.
I really shouldn't be shocked. Bandai Namco's Soulcalibur changes its playable characters' default costumes about as frequently as Mortal Kombat does, so I can understand why people would want to see comparison posts. Admittedly, I didn't want to do a series where I'd be phoning in my commentary about the designs of what is currently its most recent entry. I don't have the energy to devise enough distinct ways to say "This character looks like a revised version of their 90s incarnation, but with a more detailed/fanservicey outfit." Maybe later, but not now.
As such, we're not covering that series next. Instead, we'll do something a bit easier.
It's one of the current runners-up, so good for me. Two sequels, 15 veteran characters to cover. Stay tuned.
I really shouldn't be shocked. Bandai Namco's Soulcalibur changes its playable characters' default costumes about as frequently as Mortal Kombat does, so I can understand why people would want to see comparison posts. Admittedly, I didn't want to do a series where I'd be phoning in my commentary about the designs of what is currently its most recent entry. I don't have the energy to devise enough distinct ways to say "This character looks like a revised version of their 90s incarnation, but with a more detailed/fanservicey outfit." Maybe later, but not now.
As such, we're not covering that series next. Instead, we'll do something a bit easier.
It's one of the current runners-up, so good for me. Two sequels, 15 veteran characters to cover. Stay tuned.
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Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind post
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WARNING! OPEN SPOILERS FOR MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND AND ITS TWO PREQUEL FILMS BELOW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
We're baaaaack. Did you miss me discussing loincloths and gold trim with the dedication of a college student writing their thesis? It's time I revisit this franchise, and what better way than with the movie that saw release in the month of Mortal Kombat's 30th anniversary?
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is the third entry of the Legends series, and marks a shift in the films' art direction. Facial features are still angular, but with some of the heavier shading seen in the prior two films toned down significantly. This adventure focuses on the adventures of Mortal Kombat's beloved Kenshi Takahashi, who must shed his arrogant nature under the tutelage of Sub-Zero if he's to stop the Black Dragon from laying waste to, well, the wastelands. This is the first Mortal Kombat movie to not have Liu Kang, Raiden, Sonya, or Jax present in any significant way.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIbHmItRsSw
www.youtube.com
Scorpion...
It wouldn't be an MK project without the yellow-clad one always showing his skeletal face at some point. Scorpion is still a denizen of the Netherrealm despite some unspecified amount of time passing since Battle of the Realms, and it seems he's gone from an involuntary minion of Quan Chi to a full-on emissary of hell who can enforce blood oaths. Kuai Liang summons him for the final battle and Scorpion emerges from the flames like a gold-armored horseman of the apocalypse. The heavy amounts of metal remind me of Scorpion's design from the first Injustice. To complete the look, the team for this movie opted to drape Scorpion in a spiked cloak, as if he wasn't looking like Spawn enough. This kostume's the right kind of edge for this iteration of the kharacter, and I would gladly welcome its inclusion into a game.
Sub-Zero...
The younger Sub-Zero has lived long enough to be an old man, and suffers a recurring nightmare of a horrible incident that necessitates us to see him wake up, get out of bed, and get dressed with what looks like the exact same animation multiple times. Kuai Liang is long retired from the Lin Kuei life by this point, but keeps his signature color hidden underneath dark robes as he tries to keep a low profile. When things reach a point where his direct assistance is needed, he suits up in Lin Kuei attire again. His uniform looks to have a more patchwork design to it, which could imply it's either fallen into disrepair due to repeated usage or become discolored due to lack of maintenance. Or it's just ramshackle because it was made from whatever Kuai Liang had on hand just in case he ever needed to go out into the field again. His cowl is worn more like a hood, much like the Jim Lee-designed Sub-Zero suit from Injustice 2. You can see just how rough Sub-Zero looks next to the surprisingly pristine armor of Scorpion in the leftmost image above. I guess the Oni do a good spitshine.
And seen below is an image from very late in the movie.
Yes, that is an animated recreation of the gathering of heroes in Mortal Kombat 11, as viewed by King Kano through Kronika's Hourglass. The unmasked Kuai Liang sports a white headband for whatever reason.
Kano...
Despite suffering a very violent death in Scorpion's Revenge, Kano is back and nastier than ever. After a Revenant invasion of Earthrealm, he's taken over pretty much all of what's left of the planet as its ruler. "King" Kano is pretty much what you'd expect an already rough-and-tumble mercenary to look like if he was plopped into Mortal Kombat's interpretation of Mad Max. His cybernetics are even more pronounced, with virtually all of his body being mechanical. One could theorize this development as a one-time upgrade of the Black Dragon leader due to the heroes thrashing him in the first Legends film, but given Kano's had extended access to Kronika's magic, he's seemingly been giving himself prosthetics every time something goes south for him. That would potentially explain the lack of consistent coloration on the limbs. It's unknown if the Lin Kuei had any hand in helping Kano access his new tech, but I wouldn't be surprised given how closely he resembles the clan's Cyber Initiative units. Of course, Kano's still a crime boss so he has to have some style. As such, he wears a sleeveless, fur-trimmed longcoat that would work as well on Kabal as it would on Kano. This whole look feels like a logical visual evolution for what I think might be the most interesting Kano we've seen to date.
Shang Tsung...
The proud, regal Shang Tsung gets to spend his days licking Kano's boots for a good majority of his screentime in this film. The power of Kronika's magic and alternate timelines, y'all. He wears a worn-out brown tunic that evokes his MK9 default, though with a comparably higher neckline. After he absorbs the souls of Kenshi's ancestors (as he does in canon), his youth is restored.
You know, has young Shang Tsung ever been depicted with the Fu Manchu mustache?
Nightwolf...
Yeah, I mentioned a Revenant invasion earlier. Where these Revenants came from is left unexplained until the very end of the film, but we see a few attacking a city during a flashback. And it seems Nightwolf was one of the victims. His design seems to just be a more tattered version of his usual gear, plus the volcanic veins associated with the species.
Kabal...
We've seen old man Sub-Zero, old man Kano, and old man Shang Tsung, so now it's time to talk about old man Kabal. His design is rather traditional outside of the gray locs. Kabal wears an outfit pretty close to his non-Revenant design in MK11, just with the colors swapped around. His gloves are longer and lack the light brown cuffs and he wears a mask that evokes the default Kabal of the same game, even keeping the glowing red eyes. His chest armor from the default design is retained for this movie, making Snow Blind's Kabal a neat composite.
Jarek...
Jarek's Snow Blind images come from this video.
Instead of running off of cliffs, Jarek's making a name for himself by running directly into Kenshi's sword. Pictured above in the center and on the right are images of Jarek after and before he's bisected. His design looks like it draws inspiration from his MK4 and Armageddon looks, taking the heavier armoring of the latter and the facial features of the former. This might be my favorite design for Jarek, it's fitting for a low-level grunt who thinks himself the coolest guy on the planet. Like, it's the right amount of edge for this guy while still making him look recognizable. Maybe it helps that Kano is so mechanized that Jarek serves as a better contrast to his boss.
Tremor...
Tremor makes his animated debut here and pretty much wipes the floor with everyone. Keeping in line with the Legends movies' art direction, he has bulked up considerably, but otherwise retains most of his design elements from Mortal Kombat X. He has his internal volcanic "blood" coursing through his craggy flesh pretty much perpetually during Snow Blind's runtime.
No Face...
Also returning from Special Forces is Kano's pyro specialist, No Face. He was notably the only new Black Dragon member from that spin-off to never make any notable appearance after, not even in the MKX comics where Jarek and Tasia showed up from time to time. But now he has arrived as one of Kano's enforcers in this movie, meaning just about every nominally important creation from John Tobias' tenure has made at least two appearances. No Face is likely named as such due to his burnt skin, though in his debut it was only noticeable on his face due to the bodysuit he was wearing. He opts to go shirtless in Snow Blind, showing off more of his complexion and his various injuries. Now I'm no weapons expert, but I don't think having a live flamethrower attached to your bare back is a good idea for a number of reasons.
Kenshi...
Kenshi has come far. Being one Deadly Alliance newcomer out of several, he broke out and rose through the ranks, guaranteeing him a level of attendance that few kharacters introduced after MKII can boast. Now, he gets to headline his own movie. Kenshi has been recast as a younger warrior wandering between outposts looking for a challenge to entertain himself. He wears a sleeveless red and black bodysuit with a brown cloak, contributing to a very archetypal vagabond design. I'm used to Kenshi being a more even-keeled, deadpan warrior, but it is canonical that he was an arrogant fighter before Shang Tsung hoodwinked him into losing his sight. His visual look is consistent with how he's generally portrayed in the games, it's just his age and arguably personality that diverge. This Kenshi works for the dusty wanderer Snow Blind depicts him as, though that is with the caveat that Snow Blind takes some timeline liberties in general.
Drahmin...
We saw Moloch in the first Legends film, and now his masked buddy appears for a fight sequence. Drahmin is a member of Kano's army for some reason, and his appearance is more or less the same as it is in the games. His skinless flesh is a comparatively deeper shade of red, which pops more in night scenes. And his mask doesn't look as overdesigned in animated form, which is a plus.
Dairou...
Also appearing for a glorified cameo during the film's big fight sequence is Dairou. His design appears to be a simplified retool of his default outfit from Deception.
Kobra...
This movie had a rather eclectic selection of kharacters. It feels like the Deception of the Legends line. If you're going to have the Black Dragon as the main villain faction, then you may as well staff its ranks with faces that fans will recognize. With that said, I'm not sure Kobra's all that recognizable in this movie. His street punk background is never mentioned and his Cobra Kai design influences are completely expunged, taking away pretty much all resemblance to Ken Masters. But with the longer hair, he now looks like Andy Bogard, the other blond second banana fighting game protagonist that fans like to dunk on. Outside of his rapport with Kira and Kabal, the only other real pre-existing trait that remains is his penchant for violence, and the latter is pretty much a requirement to be a Black Dragon.
I'd argue this is more substance Kobra's been given since, ever, but I do wonder if there's a point where you can say that a superior adaptation is not necessarily a good adaptation. Mind you, if his vest had stayed white, I probably would be typing far less right now. It's just about a kharacter losing what few visual indicators they could call their own. Kobra was an obvious lift of a more famous fictional fighter, but within the context of Mortal Kombat, Kobra could at least be unique in his shameless unoriginality. Now he doesn't even have that. He has a stronger silhouette thanks to the shoulder pad, and he does look more like a typical Black Dragon member, but the latter might be the problem. He has little to set himself apart even next to his Johnny Lawrence cosplay design, which at least stuck out next to Jarek and Kano back in the day. With that said, Kobra being the least "rugged" of the Black Dragons does offer a potential venue for future designs. Ken Masters is considered to be one of the most handsome Street Fighter characters in-universe, so maybe badass wannabe Kobra wants to make a name for himself in the criminal underworld despite his baby face. That, or he keeps looking like a different fighting game franchise's blonde every time he appears. I await his turn toward Paul Phoenix's highrise hairdo.
Kira...
The design team also took some notable liberties with Kira, but I would say she's a bit more recognizable at first glance. She's retained her red and black color scheme, and her torn jeans and myriad belts evoke the old pants while not looking as strange. Her double ponytails are merged into a single voluminous tied-up mane of red hair, with a streak of white added for good measure. Her complexion seems noticeably paler, making me think of Aurra Sing from Star Wars, who also sports black eyeshadow and a ponytail on a mostly bald head. Kira's looking as Mad Max as anyone else in this movie, and I think she pulls it off a bit better than some of her contemporaries.
Erron Black...
Erron's Snow Blind image comes from this video.
Erron Black returns to his home realm to lay down the law as another recruit of Kano. His design looks like a simplified take on his MK11 default, though with the vest removed or downplayed.
Ferra/Torr...
Meet Ferra and Torr. These Outworld denizens are a symbiotic race where a small childlike rider (Ferra) bonds with a large mount (Torr). They were a joint team kharacter in Mortal Kombat X, with Torr taking the brunt of physical abuse from opponents. In the games, they serve as bodyguards to Kotal Kahn, but in this movie, they are minions of Kano despite neither Ferra nor Torr showing any personal interest in Earthrealm. Given these two were inspired by the Mad Max duo Master Blaster, I suppose it's thematically appropriate to have them in a post-apocalyptic locale such as this. Torr looks about the same as he usually does, though with notably fewer spikes on his gauntlets. Ferra maintains her usual look, though she sports wild white hair. Ferra is not a fully mature member of her species in the games, but she is not actually a child so to speak, even if NRS went out of its way to have her flee the scene whenever a Fatality was about to be performed on Torr. I imagine the more overt signs of aging for her in this movie were an easy way to show the passage of time since Liu Kang's triumph over Shao Kahn and allow Ferra to get more involved in the thick of things with fewer concerns from the audience.
And that's all, folks. Sadly, no funny logo jokes in this film. After the prior two films' relatively straightforward adaptations of pre-existing outfits, it was nice to see the team stretch its talents and reinterpret the Mortal Kombat crew in a newish setting. This whole movie feels like an Elseworlds tale, and those are pretty much always fun from a visual perspective if nothing else. I would like to see more movies tackling different periods and eras of the MK universe that we don't see as often.
Yeah, no StrawPoll for this post. However, I am currently working on a redesign discussion thread for Street Fighter, so feel free to check that out.
WARNING! OPEN SPOILERS FOR MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND AND ITS TWO PREQUEL FILMS ABOVE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
We're baaaaack. Did you miss me discussing loincloths and gold trim with the dedication of a college student writing their thesis? It's time I revisit this franchise, and what better way than with the movie that saw release in the month of Mortal Kombat's 30th anniversary?
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is the third entry of the Legends series, and marks a shift in the films' art direction. Facial features are still angular, but with some of the heavier shading seen in the prior two films toned down significantly. This adventure focuses on the adventures of Mortal Kombat's beloved Kenshi Takahashi, who must shed his arrogant nature under the tutelage of Sub-Zero if he's to stop the Black Dragon from laying waste to, well, the wastelands. This is the first Mortal Kombat movie to not have Liu Kang, Raiden, Sonya, or Jax present in any significant way.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIbHmItRsSw
Sub-Zero (Chinese Ninja Warrior)
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupSub-Zero (Chinese Ninja Warrior) · The ImmortalsMortal Kombat: The Album℗ A Capitol Records Release; ℗ 1994 Capit...
www.youtube.com
Scorpion...
It wouldn't be an MK project without the yellow-clad one always showing his skeletal face at some point. Scorpion is still a denizen of the Netherrealm despite some unspecified amount of time passing since Battle of the Realms, and it seems he's gone from an involuntary minion of Quan Chi to a full-on emissary of hell who can enforce blood oaths. Kuai Liang summons him for the final battle and Scorpion emerges from the flames like a gold-armored horseman of the apocalypse. The heavy amounts of metal remind me of Scorpion's design from the first Injustice. To complete the look, the team for this movie opted to drape Scorpion in a spiked cloak, as if he wasn't looking like Spawn enough. This kostume's the right kind of edge for this iteration of the kharacter, and I would gladly welcome its inclusion into a game.
Sub-Zero...
The younger Sub-Zero has lived long enough to be an old man, and suffers a recurring nightmare of a horrible incident that necessitates us to see him wake up, get out of bed, and get dressed with what looks like the exact same animation multiple times. Kuai Liang is long retired from the Lin Kuei life by this point, but keeps his signature color hidden underneath dark robes as he tries to keep a low profile. When things reach a point where his direct assistance is needed, he suits up in Lin Kuei attire again. His uniform looks to have a more patchwork design to it, which could imply it's either fallen into disrepair due to repeated usage or become discolored due to lack of maintenance. Or it's just ramshackle because it was made from whatever Kuai Liang had on hand just in case he ever needed to go out into the field again. His cowl is worn more like a hood, much like the Jim Lee-designed Sub-Zero suit from Injustice 2. You can see just how rough Sub-Zero looks next to the surprisingly pristine armor of Scorpion in the leftmost image above. I guess the Oni do a good spitshine.
And seen below is an image from very late in the movie.
Yes, that is an animated recreation of the gathering of heroes in Mortal Kombat 11, as viewed by King Kano through Kronika's Hourglass. The unmasked Kuai Liang sports a white headband for whatever reason.
Kano...
Despite suffering a very violent death in Scorpion's Revenge, Kano is back and nastier than ever. After a Revenant invasion of Earthrealm, he's taken over pretty much all of what's left of the planet as its ruler. "King" Kano is pretty much what you'd expect an already rough-and-tumble mercenary to look like if he was plopped into Mortal Kombat's interpretation of Mad Max. His cybernetics are even more pronounced, with virtually all of his body being mechanical. One could theorize this development as a one-time upgrade of the Black Dragon leader due to the heroes thrashing him in the first Legends film, but given Kano's had extended access to Kronika's magic, he's seemingly been giving himself prosthetics every time something goes south for him. That would potentially explain the lack of consistent coloration on the limbs. It's unknown if the Lin Kuei had any hand in helping Kano access his new tech, but I wouldn't be surprised given how closely he resembles the clan's Cyber Initiative units. Of course, Kano's still a crime boss so he has to have some style. As such, he wears a sleeveless, fur-trimmed longcoat that would work as well on Kabal as it would on Kano. This whole look feels like a logical visual evolution for what I think might be the most interesting Kano we've seen to date.
Shang Tsung...
The proud, regal Shang Tsung gets to spend his days licking Kano's boots for a good majority of his screentime in this film. The power of Kronika's magic and alternate timelines, y'all. He wears a worn-out brown tunic that evokes his MK9 default, though with a comparably higher neckline. After he absorbs the souls of Kenshi's ancestors (as he does in canon), his youth is restored.
You know, has young Shang Tsung ever been depicted with the Fu Manchu mustache?
Nightwolf...
Yeah, I mentioned a Revenant invasion earlier. Where these Revenants came from is left unexplained until the very end of the film, but we see a few attacking a city during a flashback. And it seems Nightwolf was one of the victims. His design seems to just be a more tattered version of his usual gear, plus the volcanic veins associated with the species.
Kabal...
We've seen old man Sub-Zero, old man Kano, and old man Shang Tsung, so now it's time to talk about old man Kabal. His design is rather traditional outside of the gray locs. Kabal wears an outfit pretty close to his non-Revenant design in MK11, just with the colors swapped around. His gloves are longer and lack the light brown cuffs and he wears a mask that evokes the default Kabal of the same game, even keeping the glowing red eyes. His chest armor from the default design is retained for this movie, making Snow Blind's Kabal a neat composite.
Jarek...
Jarek's Snow Blind images come from this video.
Instead of running off of cliffs, Jarek's making a name for himself by running directly into Kenshi's sword. Pictured above in the center and on the right are images of Jarek after and before he's bisected. His design looks like it draws inspiration from his MK4 and Armageddon looks, taking the heavier armoring of the latter and the facial features of the former. This might be my favorite design for Jarek, it's fitting for a low-level grunt who thinks himself the coolest guy on the planet. Like, it's the right amount of edge for this guy while still making him look recognizable. Maybe it helps that Kano is so mechanized that Jarek serves as a better contrast to his boss.
Tremor...
Tremor makes his animated debut here and pretty much wipes the floor with everyone. Keeping in line with the Legends movies' art direction, he has bulked up considerably, but otherwise retains most of his design elements from Mortal Kombat X. He has his internal volcanic "blood" coursing through his craggy flesh pretty much perpetually during Snow Blind's runtime.
No Face...
Also returning from Special Forces is Kano's pyro specialist, No Face. He was notably the only new Black Dragon member from that spin-off to never make any notable appearance after, not even in the MKX comics where Jarek and Tasia showed up from time to time. But now he has arrived as one of Kano's enforcers in this movie, meaning just about every nominally important creation from John Tobias' tenure has made at least two appearances. No Face is likely named as such due to his burnt skin, though in his debut it was only noticeable on his face due to the bodysuit he was wearing. He opts to go shirtless in Snow Blind, showing off more of his complexion and his various injuries. Now I'm no weapons expert, but I don't think having a live flamethrower attached to your bare back is a good idea for a number of reasons.
Kenshi...
Kenshi has come far. Being one Deadly Alliance newcomer out of several, he broke out and rose through the ranks, guaranteeing him a level of attendance that few kharacters introduced after MKII can boast. Now, he gets to headline his own movie. Kenshi has been recast as a younger warrior wandering between outposts looking for a challenge to entertain himself. He wears a sleeveless red and black bodysuit with a brown cloak, contributing to a very archetypal vagabond design. I'm used to Kenshi being a more even-keeled, deadpan warrior, but it is canonical that he was an arrogant fighter before Shang Tsung hoodwinked him into losing his sight. His visual look is consistent with how he's generally portrayed in the games, it's just his age and arguably personality that diverge. This Kenshi works for the dusty wanderer Snow Blind depicts him as, though that is with the caveat that Snow Blind takes some timeline liberties in general.
Drahmin...
We saw Moloch in the first Legends film, and now his masked buddy appears for a fight sequence. Drahmin is a member of Kano's army for some reason, and his appearance is more or less the same as it is in the games. His skinless flesh is a comparatively deeper shade of red, which pops more in night scenes. And his mask doesn't look as overdesigned in animated form, which is a plus.
Dairou...
Also appearing for a glorified cameo during the film's big fight sequence is Dairou. His design appears to be a simplified retool of his default outfit from Deception.
Kobra...
This movie had a rather eclectic selection of kharacters. It feels like the Deception of the Legends line. If you're going to have the Black Dragon as the main villain faction, then you may as well staff its ranks with faces that fans will recognize. With that said, I'm not sure Kobra's all that recognizable in this movie. His street punk background is never mentioned and his Cobra Kai design influences are completely expunged, taking away pretty much all resemblance to Ken Masters. But with the longer hair, he now looks like Andy Bogard, the other blond second banana fighting game protagonist that fans like to dunk on. Outside of his rapport with Kira and Kabal, the only other real pre-existing trait that remains is his penchant for violence, and the latter is pretty much a requirement to be a Black Dragon.
I'd argue this is more substance Kobra's been given since, ever, but I do wonder if there's a point where you can say that a superior adaptation is not necessarily a good adaptation. Mind you, if his vest had stayed white, I probably would be typing far less right now. It's just about a kharacter losing what few visual indicators they could call their own. Kobra was an obvious lift of a more famous fictional fighter, but within the context of Mortal Kombat, Kobra could at least be unique in his shameless unoriginality. Now he doesn't even have that. He has a stronger silhouette thanks to the shoulder pad, and he does look more like a typical Black Dragon member, but the latter might be the problem. He has little to set himself apart even next to his Johnny Lawrence cosplay design, which at least stuck out next to Jarek and Kano back in the day. With that said, Kobra being the least "rugged" of the Black Dragons does offer a potential venue for future designs. Ken Masters is considered to be one of the most handsome Street Fighter characters in-universe, so maybe badass wannabe Kobra wants to make a name for himself in the criminal underworld despite his baby face. That, or he keeps looking like a different fighting game franchise's blonde every time he appears. I await his turn toward Paul Phoenix's highrise hairdo.
Kira...
The design team also took some notable liberties with Kira, but I would say she's a bit more recognizable at first glance. She's retained her red and black color scheme, and her torn jeans and myriad belts evoke the old pants while not looking as strange. Her double ponytails are merged into a single voluminous tied-up mane of red hair, with a streak of white added for good measure. Her complexion seems noticeably paler, making me think of Aurra Sing from Star Wars, who also sports black eyeshadow and a ponytail on a mostly bald head. Kira's looking as Mad Max as anyone else in this movie, and I think she pulls it off a bit better than some of her contemporaries.
Erron Black...
Erron's Snow Blind image comes from this video.
Erron Black returns to his home realm to lay down the law as another recruit of Kano. His design looks like a simplified take on his MK11 default, though with the vest removed or downplayed.
Ferra/Torr...
Meet Ferra and Torr. These Outworld denizens are a symbiotic race where a small childlike rider (Ferra) bonds with a large mount (Torr). They were a joint team kharacter in Mortal Kombat X, with Torr taking the brunt of physical abuse from opponents. In the games, they serve as bodyguards to Kotal Kahn, but in this movie, they are minions of Kano despite neither Ferra nor Torr showing any personal interest in Earthrealm. Given these two were inspired by the Mad Max duo Master Blaster, I suppose it's thematically appropriate to have them in a post-apocalyptic locale such as this. Torr looks about the same as he usually does, though with notably fewer spikes on his gauntlets. Ferra maintains her usual look, though she sports wild white hair. Ferra is not a fully mature member of her species in the games, but she is not actually a child so to speak, even if NRS went out of its way to have her flee the scene whenever a Fatality was about to be performed on Torr. I imagine the more overt signs of aging for her in this movie were an easy way to show the passage of time since Liu Kang's triumph over Shao Kahn and allow Ferra to get more involved in the thick of things with fewer concerns from the audience.
And that's all, folks. Sadly, no funny logo jokes in this film. After the prior two films' relatively straightforward adaptations of pre-existing outfits, it was nice to see the team stretch its talents and reinterpret the Mortal Kombat crew in a newish setting. This whole movie feels like an Elseworlds tale, and those are pretty much always fun from a visual perspective if nothing else. I would like to see more movies tackling different periods and eras of the MK universe that we don't see as often.
Yeah, no StrawPoll for this post. However, I am currently working on a redesign discussion thread for Street Fighter, so feel free to check that out.
WARNING! OPEN SPOILERS FOR MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND AND ITS TWO PREQUEL FILMS ABOVE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
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What could be next for this thread.
OP
OP
Hello, all. Anyone who's been looking through the thread in the last several weeks likely noticed, but I just wanted to inform you all that I've combed through the thread and updated posts for grammatical and continuity purposes. I've also updated certain images whenever I could find higher-quality versions.
As you all know, Mortal Kombat 1 and Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match are here/on the horizon. There's also the matter of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, a game whose specific date of release I don't even know. I will look into doing a brief primer for Mortal Kombat 1's base roster down the line if I can gather suitable images. If/when I cover it, though, I will likely be using "MK12" as the shorthand acronym, at least within this thread because "MK1" has already been reserved for the 1992 game. If I explicitly say "Mortal Kombat 1" in full, then I'm talking about the 2023 game. If I'm talking about the first game, I'll just say "the first Mortal Kombat" or "the original game" when I'm not abbreviating.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to see you again soon.
As you all know, Mortal Kombat 1 and Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match are here/on the horizon. There's also the matter of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, a game whose specific date of release I don't even know. I will look into doing a brief primer for Mortal Kombat 1's base roster down the line if I can gather suitable images. If/when I cover it, though, I will likely be using "MK12" as the shorthand acronym, at least within this thread because "MK1" has already been reserved for the 1992 game. If I explicitly say "Mortal Kombat 1" in full, then I'm talking about the 2023 game. If I'm talking about the first game, I'll just say "the first Mortal Kombat" or "the original game" when I'm not abbreviating.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to see you again soon.