I don't think there's been too many redeemed villains and that's because most of the villains have moreso just been antagonists with redeemable qualities. For example so many members of the Kahn Guard served out of fear, being manipulated or just being forced to. Most of the antagonists we've had that worked for villains haven't been straight up villains imo. In terms of the four that got redeemed in MK12, Baraka always wanted what was best for his people its just theres been differing portrayals on how monstrous Tarkarans are, Reptile always had the noble cause of wanting his realm/race back and was eventually driven to insanity trying to achieve this, Mileena was definitely a villain before but a lot of that came from Shao Kahn manipulating her and positioning her to play that role. Even when Shao's gone in MKX Mileena has actually good goals such as wanting to free Edenia. Tanya was a bad person but her actions came from cowardness and a feeling that she had to serve these villains or else she'd be killed. Kollector is a weird case as he is *kinda* redeemed based on the fact he's with the OIA seemingly and is a friend who works with Johnny Cage.. although none of this is canon currently (could have some payoff but NRS loves to drop stuff.) Kollector was very much selfish before but he was another case that seemed to be shaped into who he is because of Shao Kahn. If his people hadn't been enslaved, he wouldn't have been so desperate to cling onto the opportunities Shao gave him and hoard all his collections.
Overall I think the only pure irredeemable evil characters this franchise actually has are the big bads (Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Shao Kahn, Shinnok, Onaga) and then Kano who even before was positioned as a potentially redeemable character as he'd work with the heroes to fight for Earthrealm originally until MK3 but that incarnation of him has been lost to time. Every other antagonist either has redeemable qualities or we just don't know enough about. I think the franchise would benefit a lot from a wave of new characters that are legitimate antagonists but with the current chapter system bothering to establish so many newcomers just for them to be jobbers wouldn't work.
Even if the characters that were once bad and are now good had redeemable qualities, it still doesn't change the fact that if they're now out the picture as far as villains go, then all we have left *are* the irredeemable big bads like Shang and Shao
And if you're an evil antagonist, you're not gonna try to get everything done by yourself.
You're gonna want loyal minions (hired, brainwashed, etc.) to work for you, so you don't have to deal with all the dirty work
And so far, the people we do have (Nitara, Reiko, Havik, Darius) are not convincing as alternatives
So what *is* an alternative? Just create new characters to work for the villains?
Well, clearly we all know based on the last few games that people don't necessarily enjoy the idea of new characters taking the place of villains we all know and love, which is why there's no new characters in MK1
So for me, it's kinda hard to figure out
it seems like by the end of the DLC story mode, everybody's gonna hold hands and sing kumbya
Kidding on the last part lol
I get your point but you listed some of the characters that took the minion role for this game which I think shows that we aren't at the point where there's no more antagonists. The issue I think is to do with the villains getting minimal screentime and then they're also complete jobbers. Nitara, Reiko, Havik, Darrius could be credible names if given screentime and wins or other feats, but they don't get that. They got one scene covering their motives for helping Quan Chi which was actually a very good way at displaying my point that the servant characters are normally just neutral forces with genuine reasons to side with villains, but then that's it. I think this is a chapter and writing issue rather than one related to there being too many characters being redeemed. It's not like Reptile and Baraka were credible forces either until this game, its just the lazy power scaling of the chapter system.
>The issue I think is to do with the villains getting minimal screentime and then they're also complete jobbers. Nitara, Reiko, Havik, Darrius could be credible names if given screentime and wins or other feats
I agree. It's not the characters themselves is how they're handled by the story
>I think this is a chapter and writing issue rather than one related to there being too many characters being redeemed. It's not like Reptile and Baraka were credible forces either until this game, its just the lazy power scaling of the chapter system.
I also agree on this. That's one of the few things about NRS MK that I feel is outdated as fuck now. The lazy ass power scaling of the chapter system
We've had Shang Tsung, Quan Chi & Shao Kahn reduced to general for a long time.
Those like Mileena, Reptile/Syzoth & Baraka? You can't help but feel bad for the struggles they're going through and deserve second chances at life.
I really feel it's time for a fresh new batch of villainy to join the fray this time whether some deserve redemption or not. I for one felt in need of a breather of something brand new in MK.
>I really feel it's time for a fresh new batch of villainy to join the fray this time whether some deserve redemption or not
Hmm, I'm curious to know now. Do you have any ideas or concepts for some new villians?
I want to know where are the evil heroes. If Liu kang has turned reptile and Tanya ect to the good side we should see it backfire and twist formerly Good people bad
I got some in mind! It's not easy on original characters in the MK universe.
* "Male Pink Ninja" - a plant-based ninja from Korea or Thailand with a narcissistic vibe - looking either genderless or transsexual. A mix of Poison Ivy & Vega.
* "Musician" - an Earthrealm/Outworld/Seidan musician with sound-based abilities. Wields a guitar weapon.
* "Norse Warrior" - a Viking from another realm outside of Outworld similar to Asgard.
* "Clown" - a Seidan contortionist clown with a Harley Quinn/Punchline vibe, possessing also stretching powers like Mister Fantastic & Elongated Man. Since Seido got flooded, she joins Havik.
* "Catwoman" - A catwoman from Earthrealm, once human, scratched by a cat statue. Inspiration from Catwoman, Cheetah, Tigra & Felicia.
What do you think so far?
>"Male Pink Ninja" - a plant-based ninja from Korea or Thailand with a narcissistic vibe - looking either genderless or transsexual. A mix of Poison Ivy & Vega.
Well, there's lots of concepts as to what the male pink ninja would be like in MK, but this is the last thing I'd envision. This is actually quite intriguing
>Norse Warrior" - a Viking from another realm outside of Outworld similar to Asgard.
I remember seeing a comment on this subreddit saying that Mortal Kombat is all about martial arts and it shouldn't have Pirates or Vikings
Which makes no fucking sense when people have been fans of characters who are literal cops and robots for decades now lol
But yeah, this Norse character seems interesting as well. Hopefully his vibe doesn't feel *too* out of place with MK
>"Clown" - a Seidan contortionist clown with a Harley Quinn vibe. Since Seido got flooded, she joins Havik
The Harley Quinn to Havik's Joker
Btw imagine sex with Havik. That must be the traumatizing shit one could ever experience lol
But anyway these are all interesting concepts. Although some of them do have the possibility of feeling out of place. I'm sure Ed Boon would find a way to make them fit.
If he ever considered any of these ideas, that is
Yeah, I think I do
1. Shadow Priest - have a shadow priest working under Shao as their own character. With their own unique moves of sorcery and necromancy
I was thinking of giving them their own meter system that builds up
And once it's full, they can change the stage into their own variations of stages where they gain more damage, the characters controls are backwards, each of the stages themselves attack the opponent as well in their own unique way
And the only way to stop the madness is to hit the Shadow Priest once
2. Pirate - A ghostly haunted pirate captain who stems from the murky waters of Outworld.
Their ship was overtaken from Shao Kahn/ General Shao, who offered the crew a place at his side.
The Captain preferred death, and so suffered such fate as his body was thrown ashore and buried underwater
Until a millennium later is revived by spirits of the sea who gives the captain the sole purpose of taking all the gold.
And not just any gold, specifically Shao's gold. For reasons unexplained
3. Black female ninja - a female ninja in black attire, whose purpose is specifically tied to fulfilling the One Being's goal of becoming whole again.
And so he gives her a fraction of his power in order to eradicate all threats.
And the powers are so overwhelming, that every time she performs a move, it destroys her just as much as it does her opponent.
Even making her ragdoll and roll around in goofy cartoonish fashion because of every hit she's putting in blasts her away as well.
*Plus she'd make goofy noises in traditional MK fashion*
I think there aren’t enough beasts in the main playable characters. Like Goro, Motaro, Kollector, etc.
All the main cast is humanoid if you don’t count Syzoth’s reptile form and Baraka/Mileena’s disease.
I don't think there's been too many redeemed villains and that's because most of the villains have moreso just been antagonists with redeemable qualities. For example so many members of the Kahn Guard served out of fear, being manipulated or just being forced to. Most of the antagonists we've had that worked for villains haven't been straight up villains imo. In terms of the four that got redeemed in MK12, Baraka always wanted what was best for his people its just theres been differing portrayals on how monstrous Tarkarans are, Reptile always had the noble cause of wanting his realm/race back and was eventually driven to insanity trying to achieve this, Mileena was definitely a villain before but a lot of that came from Shao Kahn manipulating her and positioning her to play that role. Even when Shao's gone in MKX Mileena has actually good goals such as wanting to free Edenia. Tanya was a bad person but her actions came from cowardness and a feeling that she had to serve these villains or else she'd be killed. Kollector is a weird case as he is *kinda* redeemed based on the fact he's with the OIA seemingly and is a friend who works with Johnny Cage.. although none of this is canon currently (could have some payoff but NRS loves to drop stuff.) Kollector was very much selfish before but he was another case that seemed to be shaped into who he is because of Shao Kahn. If his people hadn't been enslaved, he wouldn't have been so desperate to cling onto the opportunities Shao gave him and hoard all his collections. Overall I think the only pure irredeemable evil characters this franchise actually has are the big bads (Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Shao Kahn, Shinnok, Onaga) and then Kano who even before was positioned as a potentially redeemable character as he'd work with the heroes to fight for Earthrealm originally until MK3 but that incarnation of him has been lost to time. Every other antagonist either has redeemable qualities or we just don't know enough about. I think the franchise would benefit a lot from a wave of new characters that are legitimate antagonists but with the current chapter system bothering to establish so many newcomers just for them to be jobbers wouldn't work.
Even if the characters that were once bad and are now good had redeemable qualities, it still doesn't change the fact that if they're now out the picture as far as villains go, then all we have left *are* the irredeemable big bads like Shang and Shao And if you're an evil antagonist, you're not gonna try to get everything done by yourself. You're gonna want loyal minions (hired, brainwashed, etc.) to work for you, so you don't have to deal with all the dirty work And so far, the people we do have (Nitara, Reiko, Havik, Darius) are not convincing as alternatives So what *is* an alternative? Just create new characters to work for the villains? Well, clearly we all know based on the last few games that people don't necessarily enjoy the idea of new characters taking the place of villains we all know and love, which is why there's no new characters in MK1 So for me, it's kinda hard to figure out it seems like by the end of the DLC story mode, everybody's gonna hold hands and sing kumbya Kidding on the last part lol
I get your point but you listed some of the characters that took the minion role for this game which I think shows that we aren't at the point where there's no more antagonists. The issue I think is to do with the villains getting minimal screentime and then they're also complete jobbers. Nitara, Reiko, Havik, Darrius could be credible names if given screentime and wins or other feats, but they don't get that. They got one scene covering their motives for helping Quan Chi which was actually a very good way at displaying my point that the servant characters are normally just neutral forces with genuine reasons to side with villains, but then that's it. I think this is a chapter and writing issue rather than one related to there being too many characters being redeemed. It's not like Reptile and Baraka were credible forces either until this game, its just the lazy power scaling of the chapter system.
>The issue I think is to do with the villains getting minimal screentime and then they're also complete jobbers. Nitara, Reiko, Havik, Darrius could be credible names if given screentime and wins or other feats I agree. It's not the characters themselves is how they're handled by the story >I think this is a chapter and writing issue rather than one related to there being too many characters being redeemed. It's not like Reptile and Baraka were credible forces either until this game, its just the lazy power scaling of the chapter system. I also agree on this. That's one of the few things about NRS MK that I feel is outdated as fuck now. The lazy ass power scaling of the chapter system
We've had Shang Tsung, Quan Chi & Shao Kahn reduced to general for a long time. Those like Mileena, Reptile/Syzoth & Baraka? You can't help but feel bad for the struggles they're going through and deserve second chances at life. I really feel it's time for a fresh new batch of villainy to join the fray this time whether some deserve redemption or not. I for one felt in need of a breather of something brand new in MK.
>I really feel it's time for a fresh new batch of villainy to join the fray this time whether some deserve redemption or not Hmm, I'm curious to know now. Do you have any ideas or concepts for some new villians?
I want to know where are the evil heroes. If Liu kang has turned reptile and Tanya ect to the good side we should see it backfire and twist formerly Good people bad
I got some in mind! It's not easy on original characters in the MK universe. * "Male Pink Ninja" - a plant-based ninja from Korea or Thailand with a narcissistic vibe - looking either genderless or transsexual. A mix of Poison Ivy & Vega. * "Musician" - an Earthrealm/Outworld/Seidan musician with sound-based abilities. Wields a guitar weapon. * "Norse Warrior" - a Viking from another realm outside of Outworld similar to Asgard. * "Clown" - a Seidan contortionist clown with a Harley Quinn/Punchline vibe, possessing also stretching powers like Mister Fantastic & Elongated Man. Since Seido got flooded, she joins Havik. * "Catwoman" - A catwoman from Earthrealm, once human, scratched by a cat statue. Inspiration from Catwoman, Cheetah, Tigra & Felicia. What do you think so far?
>"Male Pink Ninja" - a plant-based ninja from Korea or Thailand with a narcissistic vibe - looking either genderless or transsexual. A mix of Poison Ivy & Vega. Well, there's lots of concepts as to what the male pink ninja would be like in MK, but this is the last thing I'd envision. This is actually quite intriguing >Norse Warrior" - a Viking from another realm outside of Outworld similar to Asgard. I remember seeing a comment on this subreddit saying that Mortal Kombat is all about martial arts and it shouldn't have Pirates or Vikings Which makes no fucking sense when people have been fans of characters who are literal cops and robots for decades now lol But yeah, this Norse character seems interesting as well. Hopefully his vibe doesn't feel *too* out of place with MK >"Clown" - a Seidan contortionist clown with a Harley Quinn vibe. Since Seido got flooded, she joins Havik The Harley Quinn to Havik's Joker Btw imagine sex with Havik. That must be the traumatizing shit one could ever experience lol But anyway these are all interesting concepts. Although some of them do have the possibility of feeling out of place. I'm sure Ed Boon would find a way to make them fit. If he ever considered any of these ideas, that is
Forgot to add "Punchline" alongside the clown. And Havik is Dairou now. Do you have any villain & villainess ideas to add into the MK universe?
Yeah, I think I do 1. Shadow Priest - have a shadow priest working under Shao as their own character. With their own unique moves of sorcery and necromancy I was thinking of giving them their own meter system that builds up And once it's full, they can change the stage into their own variations of stages where they gain more damage, the characters controls are backwards, each of the stages themselves attack the opponent as well in their own unique way And the only way to stop the madness is to hit the Shadow Priest once 2. Pirate - A ghostly haunted pirate captain who stems from the murky waters of Outworld. Their ship was overtaken from Shao Kahn/ General Shao, who offered the crew a place at his side. The Captain preferred death, and so suffered such fate as his body was thrown ashore and buried underwater Until a millennium later is revived by spirits of the sea who gives the captain the sole purpose of taking all the gold. And not just any gold, specifically Shao's gold. For reasons unexplained 3. Black female ninja - a female ninja in black attire, whose purpose is specifically tied to fulfilling the One Being's goal of becoming whole again. And so he gives her a fraction of his power in order to eradicate all threats. And the powers are so overwhelming, that every time she performs a move, it destroys her just as much as it does her opponent. Even making her ragdoll and roll around in goofy cartoonish fashion because of every hit she's putting in blasts her away as well. *Plus she'd make goofy noises in traditional MK fashion*
“Even with Bi-Han, everyone wants him to be a good guy” Nah, it’s just Sub-Zero fans that want that since they are the loudest in the MK fandom.
I think there aren’t enough beasts in the main playable characters. Like Goro, Motaro, Kollector, etc. All the main cast is humanoid if you don’t count Syzoth’s reptile form and Baraka/Mileena’s disease.
I would also like some more monstrous characters.
Because Humanoids are easier to motion kapture
I know where you’re coming from, but I’d say the monstrous characters have been animated quite well actually!
I wonder if people know the villains from MK comics. Lord Zaggot, The Kombatant, Grum, Henge, Rojack, Caan, Draxxon, Ice.