Mortal Kombat X - The Shacknews character wishlist

Last week was a big week for NetherRealm Studios, revealing not one, but two new Mortal Kombat X characters. Fans observed that even with the two new reveals, there are still about a dozen empty slots for potential new characters. Even when accounting for a chunk of the spots holding DLC characters, that still means that NetherRealm has a number of reveals to get through.

So today, Shacknews would like to look at some of those empty slots and think about who could fill them over the coming months before Mortal Kombat X ultimately releases in April. Of course, some of these characters might wind up being DLC characters, so keep that in mind as we take a look at the follow kombatants:

Smoke

Smoke has had quite a legacy in the Mortal Kombat series, dating back to his first apperance as a hidden character in Mortal Kombat II. Smoke returned to his human form in the Mortal Kombat reboot for the first time in over 10 years, bringing his unique smoke-based abilities to the battlefield.

While Smoke's look shouldn't be expected to differ drastically from the last time fans saw him, it'll be fun to see what new Fatalities he unleashes. His finishers were some of the most brutal, but also the most creative, utilizing his smoke abilities to dispatch his foes in interesting ways. Undoubtedly, one of the best uses of the MK retcon was to keep Smoke as a part of the human race.

Noob Saibot

Speaking of Mortal Kombat hidden characters, Noob Saibot also carries that history on his shoulders. Though he started out as simply the new form of the original Sub-Zero, Noob has grown into far more than that. His shadow powers have matured to the point that they've become a defining part of his arsenal and one that looks distinctly different from other fighters.

The idea of entering an MK tournament without shadow powers to play with sounds disappointing, so Noob is near the top of the MKX wishlist. His 'wish bone' Fatality was a memorable part of MK9 and with MKX turning the violence up to 11, NetherRealm has the opportunity to show off even more ultraviolent creativity.

Rain

Rain was a pleasant surprise, entering the Mortal Kombat arena as a DLC fighter in the most recent reboot. While he was inserted into Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, and Mortal Kombat Armageddon almost as an afterthought, the latest Mortal Kombat showed just how deadly a fighter Rain could be. Those that didn't remember his lightning powers and super roundhouse kicks were quickly reminded of their combo and juggling potential.

Rain's story is also largely unexplored, as he was written to be one of Edenia's greatest betrayers. Previous MK stories have barely scratched the surface of Rain's tale, but a formal inclusion in Mortal Kombat X may just give fans a chance to witness the villain's personal ambition for themselves.

Lobo (Injustice: Gods Among Us)

Before anyone starts clamoring about peanut butter getting in their chocolate, keep in mind that this wouldn't be the first instance of NetherRealm cross-promoting their fighting franchises. Since Scorpion made the jump into the Injustice world, it's only fair that DC's comics-based fighter throw a combatant to the MK world. And really, why not have it be one of the most vicious characters in their library?

Lobo is a cigar-chomping, motorcycle-riding mercenary and one of the few beings banished from both heaven and hell for his destructive ways. The only reason he's the last remaining member of his species is because he personally killed all of the other ones. His violent ways make him a natural fit for Mortal Kombat, where he'll finally be able to take off the censorship leash and dispatch his foes in true Lobo fashion. A Fatality that uses his sweet hog sounds pretty epic.

Freddy Krueger

Let's return to 2011, where Mortal Kombat shocked fans everywhere by introducing the classic horror movie villain Freddy Krueger as the game's final DLC character. On the surface, he didn't belong and it felt like a shallow marketing ploy to further push the re-booted Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.

Four years later and there's no sign that the Elm Street reboot will continue, but Freddy's stint in Mortal Kombat wasn't entirely unsuccessful. As odd as it sounds, he actually fit into the Mortal Kombat landscape pretty well, with his razor claws and sleep-inducing abilities offering a uniquely different fighting style. The storyline behind bringing Freddy into the game was preposterous, but there's no reason that he couldn't make an encore appearance as one of Mortal Kombat X's DLC characters. Even if it isn't the classic Robert Englund version of the character, he still has a way of growing on you after enough playthroughs.

Did we miss anyone? Let us know who you're hoping to see make the Mortal Kombat X cut in the comments below.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?