Who should RETURN in Mortal Kombat 12?

#mortalkombat #mk12 #tierlist
Max discusses the lingering question we all have about Mortal Kombat 12...what is the roster going to look like? With help from the community, Max puts together a list of the people who should definitely come back, as well as the ones who should stay dead for good!
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[@PierceArner]

Thank you for instantly starting with Reptile & Ermac after Sub-Zero & Scorpion. 100% agreed.

[@norik434]

Yes, it's absolutely criminal that they were absent in MK11.

[@ekosandvic7598]

My brother hated MK11 for not having Reptile and Ermac in it and I absolutely understand him.

[@GameThot]

Yes they’ve been completely shitting on reptile over the years turning him into some brain dead lackey smh

[@USSCrazybat]

The MK11 Ermac design MUST be followed up on. The perfect balance of unique elements and callbacks to the classic ninja

[@PierceArner]

Reptile's been my favourite character since I very first played an MK game when I was 6, and I have _one_ other IRL friend who plays MK games… and his favourite character has always been Ermac. MK11 felt like a *_huge_* letdown for both of us, so the opening echoes EXACTLY how we feel right now. Even while I'll just be glad if they both make it into the roster - they're also both characters where the design can get REALLY weird for them and make them less enjoyable. Here's to hoping that they not only JUST make it in, but also look badass after having been snubbed in the last game.

[@talamantez4886]

watching this again now knowing the full roster is 8x more entertaining. the reference to peacemaker and john cena blew my mind.

[@smokey3504]

Unironically, having Meat come back as an unplayable sub-boss that plays like Double from Skullgirls would be sick. Imagine fighting this monster made of gore in the flesh pits that shapeshifts into other characters and grabs you with meat-tentacles

[@kayokango]

Ironically enough, a Skullgirls character named Ms. Fortune completely ripped off Meat's moveset.

[@smokey3504]

@@kayokango I mean... kind of? He rolls his head like a bowling ball in one of his specials in Armageddon but I think that's all she copied

[@kayokango]

@@smokey3504 Sorry about that. I think I meant to say his gimmick.

[@babytricep437]

A composite character, that’s a cool idra

[@neevko267]

@@kayokango Ms. Fortune is a puppet character who plays with 2 different fighters controlled at the same time (Head + Body) in a 2d fighting game Meat is a joke character who barely has any moves and was created just because it was funny, in a 3d fighting game I cannot fucking see any similarities other than "takes head off"

[@Blaven45]

I really think that we need to start seeing more from the members of various realms, not just Earthrealm and Outworld (which includes Edenia). Havik and Hotaru need to return as the big-name leaders of factions within their realms with a new character accompanying them each. Show us more about these other realms that have been sitting on the backburner for almost two decades. Chaosrealm and Orderrealm are due their time in the spotlight!

[@peytonalexander5300]

I like this idea. Chaosrealm in particular just has so much potential for wacky ass character concepts. Imagine we get a guy who can fly because he refuses to be confined to the ground. A total anarchist who has achieved true freedom. Maybe he can fight from a distance by launching his fists as boomerang projectiles that come back and reattach after hitting. There really is no limit with these guys, as the less sense their powers make, the more chaotic they are, which is what they are all about. For Orderrealm, perhaps we could get a proper lawful samurai warrior character, who serves Hotaru as his daimyo. He could fight with a style that is both beautiful and deadly, with every cut being surgical in its precision. As for his magic, perhaps he could have a degree of mind control, something like Gorilla Grodd from Injustice 2.

[@High-LordHarza]

I agree. The potential of the two characters and their realms is insane. Havik is one of my favorite character concepts in the series, his impossible undead body is perfect for all kinds of weird stuff. And why does he die to fatalities if he can survive decapitating himself? He's from the chaos realm, it isn't suppose to make sense! And maybe he does survive them? Have his eyes blink and look around when he's been killed! Hotaru as his orderly counterpart is amazing too, proper military samurai aesthetic, let's go!

[@CTembo]

Ashrah

[@calypso4882]

Idk I think Max's take on Liu Kang would have made sense after MK10 but after the story of MK11 they would have to be nuts to leave him out. He's the super powered "go get shit done piece" of the story now. Edit: have to say, after the trailer, Max's take on Liu Kang looking even sillier. Dudes literally front and center.

[@firmlygraspit9821]

I don’t think Max likes Liu Kang much, so that’s probably why he put him there. It really looks weird when most of the mk1-2 characters are in “must be in” but Liu Kang of all characters isn’t. I think it’s just his personal bias factoring in, which is fine since it’s his list, but it’s a very odd take.

[@dougtheghoul2845]

And speaking of story, of they keep it as the prequel as teased in aftermath post credits than that means the characters would end up being ancestors version. Another character named Nightwolf with the mantle. Scorpion and subzero having prequel versions is easy

[@shawziiz5031]

Ikr. I'm hoping MK12 will truly give us an actual Fire God Liu Kang as playable with original new moveset. They can make two slot for Liu Kang - Base Liu Kang with modernize classic moves and Fire God Liu Kang with crazy fire and lightning moves. Kinda like Ryu/Evil Ryu and Jin/Devil Jin. They already done Sub-Zero and Cyber Sub-Zero in MK9, so it can be done for Liu Kang and Fire God Liu Kang

[@shadowflame68]

@@shawziiz5031 I would be severely disappointed if two character slots are taken up by Liu Kang.

[@shabberplasm32]

@@firmlygraspit9821 Shit I don't even like Liu Kang but he's a mainstay lol

[@timothyalexander7006]

Lui Kang doesnt have to be the main character but he HAS to be playable in main roster. Thats like not having Chun Li or Ken in SF6. For a lot of people Lui Kang is the face of MK just as much as Scorpion and SubZero. He even mentions Lui Kang being the poster boy. I like Kung Lao but to put him in and not Lui Kang absolutely cannot happen!

[@simpleclonetrooper2740]

I agree he has done too much to not be in the main roster so he HAS to be in the game.

[@TheObicobiHD]

He must be in!-err win

[@banjo9158]

Idk if he is a Must Be In, but he deserves to be in the game more than Kano, Johnny Cage and Sonya. Either they all go lower, or Liu Kang gets up.

[@Sp3llmen]

Lui kang technically becomes the new God at the end of MK11, so I'm not sure how he would fit into the story anymore unless its an old version of him just for nostalgic sake alone

[@untitled6427]

@@banjo9158 Johnnys more popular from the movie and personality. It’s why he got the anniversary skin

[@ashistoxic8447]

The disrespect towards Baraka is crazy. Such an iconic and beloved character deserves to be in almost every MK game.

[@spinningkarma]

Yeah, also, they BUTCHERED him in mk11

[@swig_gigolo]

Made me sad that his only experience with him was on that game

[@spinningkarma]

@@swig_gigolo the true essence of Baraka is in mk9

[@RogerPrescott]

@@spinningkarma what? Mk11 was his PEAK

[@PolarEXP]

Baraka was THE jobber though

[@herrbauman]

The huge characters like ferra/torr and Goro should return, more variety in body sizes would be awesome

[@TBE7021]

For sure not Torr but I want to see Goro again

[@-RandomStranger-]

I wanna see Ferra as a brute and with a new rider

[@AwesomeMooseSmile]

I don't get the ferra torr hate, one of the coolest and most unique characters in MK. Bring them back!

[@-RandomStranger-]

@@AwesomeMooseSmile yeah!

[@jrobi501]

@@AwesomeMooseSmileikr I loved them!!! Imagine

[@7760jackjack]

Lui Kang was definitely a hot take, especially after him becoming the creator of the new timeline and a thunder god

[@simpleclonetrooper2740]

One take I absolutely disagree with.

[@_SUPERN0VA_]

​​@@simpleclonetrooper2740 most of the takes are trash

[@adamricecracker7128]

because liu Kang is a god he could be a story char now, but i still think he will be in ^^

[@simpleclonetrooper2740]

@@_SUPERN0VA_ I agree with you there.

[@Doralga]

He needs a break from MK dude already been a sideline villain for 3 games now him being a mentor role would already be done by Fujin or human Raiden. And just for context how can you villains if you have Liu Kang there as an elder god yeah he can sit this out.

[@SlySuavity]

Havik was absolutely one of THE stand-out characters from the 3D era, who deserves to see his modern debut. What's even better is that you don't even have to redesign him all much lol.

[@0Aberration]

He was mentioned so much in MK11, I'd be really surprised if he's not in the new game.

[@jeremyroberts8822]

Agreed. Also I low key wanna see nitara come back as well. I think they could do some really cool stuff with her move set

[@kontankarite]

Just make him fricken spooky. I mean just screaming bloody murder and being an ungodly terror.

[@GoB1996]

@@kontankariteright? I remember he would rip his head off and roll it as a low hit😂 I can see them doing some comedy there and have his head screaming while that happens

[@Necromagenvi0n]

Guy casually breaks his own neck, and several of his bones, mid-fight and makes a funny comment while he's kicked out from the Sky Temple. I say, he should be in.

[@nickfrigillana2645]

Hotaru could actually be really cool with a redesign. If Havik gets in Hotaru definitely should get in as a counterpart

[@stressedrex]

I really want Kurtis Stryker to return. He's always been a cool character to me. I like how he's just a normal man who protects his city even when these crazy monsters and sorcerers show up. MK9 did a good job of making him cool, hopefully MK12 makes him an even cooler character with more screentime

[@itzchris6300]

Completely agree sad we never got him after MK9

[@frankmalditx]

Op behavior 🤨

[@stressedrex]

@@frankmalditx NPC take 🤖

[@SomeoneThatIsHappy]

Your wish was attended... kinda

[@braxbro7602]

Well he returned and became my favorite Kameo so I’d call this a win

[@ThorgisArcade]

MK12 is going to be an interesting game when it gets revealed, because either they're going to play it safe with the time reset and everything is mostly the same and all the old favorites can be back, or they're going to lean heavily into the rebooted timeline idea and we get Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and then everyone else is a brand new character or a totally different version of their old selves.

[@landonhulett2119]

Enjoyed your retrospectives and Build the Roster series! Will you make your own MK 12 prediction video?

[@kR-qj7rw]

Playing safe for nostalgia

[@dr.stronk9857]

I like the second choice

[@sheriffdraws8789]

Unfortunately... they know the sillly fanbase will rage once they don't see their MK1-3 favourites smh

[@mysticmind4563]

I would like the latter, seeing ancestors of many characters and seeing characters who can live for many centuries to millennia could be unique.

[@REDunofficial]

I’m personally hoping Tremor gets in, even if as DLC, because in regards to Max’s other choices, at least Khameleon was in more than one game.

[@wowthatsbrutal]

I feel tremor was so dope, the sand ninja , he was also the most jacked mf of all of them not to mention probably the most broken character in MK 2015

[@travisstarks9802]

Right, wtf was he talking about?

[@joserios9047]

Yo you right tremorhad a dope look to him

[@KingRinzy]

Yes, I love Tremor. Definitely needs to come back

[@MassGradingTeacher]

I'm really hoping he's back. He was my main. Loved his combos and moveset.

[@SeanBjerke]

One week before the game, characters who are confirmed in some way via main roster/kameo/story/invasion: Must Be In: 16/16 Can Be In: 8/11 Could be In: 11/23 No Way Mang: 3/13 Deletus Yeetus: 2/15 (Kollector is technically in Invasions!)

[@frankbauerful]

I love the daddy-daughter chemistry between Cassie and her dad. Cassie is easily my favorite kid character across all franchises ever.

[@divinitygaming8673]

Even over Pyrrha ? 🤔

[@frankbauerful]

@@divinitygaming8673 Don't know her. What franchise is she from?

[@Incel_81]

I’m a first generation mk player. Johnny Cage was my original main. Mk11 was Cassie and Skarlet. Those three in the game and I’m happy.

[@ragnarthered6459]

Soul caliber

[@reql4689]

Cassie cage is the most annoying character ever I hate her fucking voiceliens every single one of her stupid moves where she goes fucking “nutcracker!!” And has a weird obsession with nuts it’s so corny and pisses me off

[@ziadahmed4930]

we need havik. i love his design 💀

[@blackwings211]

Agree, he's one of my favorite character in MK: Deception and MK: Armageddon.

[@ziadahmed4930]

@@blackwings211 same

[@MitchJustChill]

Havik has the most creepy design and most fucked up looking gameplay but that's Why we love him.

[@llamabadgergaming173]

Ever since he appeared in the MKX tie in comics I don’t know why but it’s starting to make me feel like Havik could play a much bigger role in MK 13 because I have a wired feeling that Shao Kahn or Onaga will be the main villain of MK12

[@kdcj800]

YES , he’s one my my fav ps2 era characters

[@itsyaboijordan415]

Yes we need Cyrax and Sektor back in MK12. It was so disappointing to see them in MK11 story mode and have them not be playable.

[@aryelrosa4829]

If Sektor and Cyrax come back, they need to come back with their own character slots .

[@travismartin8155]

@@aryelrosa4829agreed, Sektor is my favorite character and I like cyrax as well

[@banjo9158]

Cyrax design was so good, and he got wasted.

[@lorenwest6305]

NRS dropped the ball there

[@Ngatikuripup29]

Yeah they were cool in mk3 and mk9

[@Skarlet_Sun]

I've never played Quan Chi outside of arcade mode in any game, but still want him back if only to redeem himself. He was such a menacing villain in the overall story for a good while and then he inexplicably becomes everyone's punching bag

[@nitolinilo9034]

Man I really hope they don’t cuck all the villains like they did in X lol

[@lukejones7164]

Nitara definitely has to come back, she has one of the largest fanbases of any 3D era character.

[@johnnyestrada6993]

I really want Jade and Smoke to be in

[@sirknight_4447]

I'd love to see nitara come back with a redesign. Her story was super interesting. Plus I can just imagine her playing like a hybrid of Ermac, Scarlet, and Mileena.

[@cammyshill3099]

Nitara doesn't eve need a redesign, she's one of the new characters from the PS2 era to actually have an interesting design.

[@rockydelone3042]

Agreed. She had magnificent tiddies

[@lordzhuge]

Skarlet's redesign and vocal performance was such a revelation that she deserves to come back.

[@peytonalexander5300]

It’s also a testament to the fact that you can always take a bland, lazily designed character and breathe some real life into them if you’re willing to put in the effort. Really, almost any of these characters could come back if NR could find a cool way to spin their redesigns.

[@lordzhuge]

@@peytonalexander5300 True, especially the ones from the PS2 era.

[@JuleZz__z]

I liked her better in mk9

[@lordzhuge]

@@JuleZz__z I wonder why...

[@THEmeepmopmoop]

@@lordzhuge I mean yeah, obviously. we need to bring the horny back to the MK franchise

[@tumultoustortellini]

If so many of the characters in mk11 were dry, that's because mk11 is dry, not because the characters are bad. Nightwolf, the kollector, are incredibly cool concepts, native rep based around native theology and a swiss army knife magical armory with four arms. Mk11 just did them wrong. Kenshi and Baraka are also must haves.

[@jackkawf4449]

Yeah he definitely has some hot takes here, collector has 6 arms btw, four he fights with the other two hold the backpack

[@christianvazquez1835]

I agree with Kenshi, he of all the cool 3D era characters like Havik, was the first one they had in mind to bring back in the Reboot of the franchise. He's a character with a great story, a great design and a gameplay that can be so creative (especially after his incarnation in MKX) he simply should be in the base roster being one of the faces of the 3D era, he doesn't represent a legacy as big as the ninjas but he represents a legacy of an era that despite being questionable, had its good things.

[@Jiren261]

@@christianvazquez1835 If they bring back Kenshi I'd love to see a costume of Donnie Yen from John Wick 4

[@glockboyspazz5534]

Not baraka he’s forgettable imo

[@KaleRylan]

Id be fine with kenshi being the protagonist frankly. He has the right energy.

[@ForlornLich]

If Havik is there we need Hotaru as well, they are perfect opposites of each other. One is an Orderrealm Zealot and the other a Chaosrealm Cleric, even sounds awesome

[@banjo9158]

Or they can make a new orderrealm leader, but they can also heavely rework Hotaru to be more intersting. so, he is more of a maybe than a need.

[@TheLangster]

They’ve been teasing order/chaosrealm so much I’d be shocked if they’re not both in. Hotaru will need some new tricks though, maybe some cool orderrealm magic

[@CesarGameBoy.]

Holy crap! Finally someone who also understands this! I was just about to comment how if you’re gonna have Havik, you’re gonna need Hotaru. Since they both represent Chaos and Order, you can’t have one without the other, otherwise Chaos becomes Order and Order becomes Chaos. It would also be really interesting seeing the two actually interact with each other and how their ideals are exact opposites of one another. Imagine they’re forced to team up thanks to some greater force, and all the inner conflicts that can ensue between the group.

[@Doralga]

Hotaru armor is super sick I'm surprised max dropped him so fast but kept Darius weird

[@craigynos7147]

CLERIC!?? oooo don't tell Patches, he'll somehow make his way into Mortal Kombat otherwise 🤣🤣

[@lrdpxll8309]

Unpopular opinion, Ferra Tohr was actually a pretty unique character

[@versatilelord8893]

Yes I agree too Never understood the hate

[@borklazer]

Because it’s a weird lesser version of Master Blaster. I was always a fan, but I understand the hate.

[@nickdavid1846]

Watching this back to see how right he is. Edit: wow him talking about John Cena voicing Stryker and John cena is just in the game is so funny

[@JazzAdam]

I like Drahmin as like a representative from the Netherrealm kind of like how Baraka is for Outworld. We ger some good world building/lore for the series by showing what kind of creatures or societies can form from those crazy places and what they may fight like.

[@scottyj8655]

Drahmin's lore was pretty cool but he definitely needs a bettee design.

[@kayokango]

We can't have him back because Ed Boon is an absolutely visionless tool when it comes to most of the 3D era characters.

[@austinmonroe9994]

Loved Tremor in Mortal Kombat X to be honest. Was a solid dlc option

[@FriedSpicyChicken26]

I would have no problem at all if they made Takeda the main protagonist. He is such a good character and I was surprised to not see him make the roster in MK11.

[@splinter4161]

Eron Black and Ferra Tor are two of my fave new gen characters. I'd love to see them back in some way.

[@kylenguyen7371]

15:36 To be fair, Max, Midway did design Kai in MK4 on the idea of "what if we took Liu Kang, but made all his special moves travel vertically instead of horizontally?"

[@Martynde]

When I think of bad characters from old crappy games, I like to think of how they could be updated. I don’t believe in “once a crappy character, always a crappy character”. I like to think almost every crappy character can be redeemed if the developers cared enough to do so.

[@MetallicMadness85]

I agree with that....I thought the new Mortal Kombat Snowblind animated movie did just that with Kobra and Kira who had visual redesigns in that film which made them look so much better.

[@DA_AUTOCRAT]

Aran Ryan's reimagining from Super Punch Out to Punch Out Wii comes to mind.

[@pieck5460]

Yep I can see nrs completely revamping characters like Kobra and Darrius to fit the aesthetic more closely and there's a bunch of potential there I'd rather them do that than introduce new characters

[@codyman5540]

Except Hsu Hao. Even NRS admits he was a mistake sooo, yeah. I don't see a revamp ever happening with him

[@pieck5460]

​@@codyman5540 I think everyone unanimously agrees we don't want or care about Hsu Hao I'd take someone like Mavado over him anyday

[@Metacred]

This aged very well

[@Flubolaplays]

The overwhelming nostalgia after seeing all of these characters is awesome

[@Lunaria.Praesentia]

Havik is the one from the 3D era that people are YEARNING for, he is "body horror": the character, and fits MK so well, he must return

[@SeventhheavenDK]

People or YOU?

[@Lunaria.Praesentia]

@@SeventhheavenDK Guilty as charged, but a lot of people besides me as well

[@kayokango]

@@Lunaria.Praesentia A lot of people still labor under the delusion that the 3D era was bad, and that it has no fans. Netherrealm Studios moronically treating most of the characters from that era as canon fodder that's easier to defeat than no name grunts hasn't helped any.

[@darrelladams4886]

I was shocked that ermac, reptile, kenshi, kung Jin and takeda never made it into mk11. And part of me thinks that if they kept supporting the game for as long as they promised or stopped worrying about guest characters, they woulda been. Quan chi and shinnok too. 11 coulda had an epic mk roster but I think corporate interference pulled the plug on what initial plans were

[@LegITWoIF]

Those are definitely some solid picks. I feel most people would agree that those are a shock picks to not come back, they definitely would’ve made the roster SUPER tough like I can really see those characters in the game. Kung Jin & Takeda would’ve shined if they were put in mk11. Roster would’ve been “Just Right”

[@darrelladams4886]

@@LegITWoIF I feel like mk11 was meant to go on longer than it did but got the plug pulled on it 1 dlc too early. I feel like we woulda got some of those characters

[@LegITWoIF]

@@darrelladams4886 ermac I know for sure no doubt ‼️ His character model was fire 🔥

[@derekfreiley7980]

I want Havik, Nitara, Motaro, Shujinko, and Omaha to come back. I also wouldn’t be upset if Rain finally made it to a base roster for the first time since Armageddon

[@lemonconsumption]

you sorta got what you want?

[@anthoniemccay]

God i would love to see what a modern MK game could do with Onaga

[@MajoraZ]

I really think Kotal and Erron should be promoted to "almost in every game" status like most of the MK1-3 cast: A Mesoamerican warlord and immortal cowboy are PERFECT fits for MK as a series and people being salty about Erron's gameplay style aside, the only criticism i've seen with them as characters is just that NRS doesn't utilize them enough: People seem to love them thematically.

[@michaelthatoker7125]

I’d rather have takeda over kotal. They don’t ever do anything with kotal

[@MajoraZ]

@@michaelthatoker7125 I mean they never did anything with Takeda after MKX, at least Kotal is in MK11.... and them not using them enough is sort of my point

[@jeremyroberts8822]

@@MajoraZI still find it shocking they didn’t put takeda in 11. He was one of the most popular of the new characters in X and totally should’ve returned. It will literally blow my mind if he isn’t in the base roster of 12 I think he’s forsure gonna be in it at the very least as dlc. Not sure about kotal I like him but he was in the last 2 games so idk if he’ll return but I want him to

[@Dusty-Lynx]

One thing I hope is that we have at least 2 heavy characters. Whether that be grapplers or just someone that feels like they hit hard. Ferra/Torr was such a joy to MKX and I relish for something like that to happen again.

[@KamiKoroshi_]

Smoke... Human Smoke needs to come back. That's all i have to say.

[@Aodhan_Raith]

Wouldn't make much sense given his arcade ending in X. He turned into Eninra. But it would haveto be a costume for human smoke.

[@KamiKoroshi_]

@Aodhan Raith I'm good with that. Just make him play like human smoke from MK9 except better.

[@The_Local_Carrot]

Who else here after it released to see if he was correct

[@luxerhusku2609]

I want Reptile to come back with both of his Reptilian and Human forms. Both fans of him will be happy.

[@ssgss03]

Absolute must!

[@theendboss4849]

@Diomedes just like the real life reptilians in the world

[@francismanancis4186]

@Diomedes LOLOLOL no he looked generic as a fucking ninja palette swap. Nothing generic about Reptiles MKSM, MK 2011 or MKX designs.

[@bongchoof]

Just make it a skin from the start. It is really very simple besides the rigging work. They can have his story appearance based on whichever skin you last used defaulting to lizard (because that is the one NRS uses).

[@dropout818]

If reptile is back i want his MK 4 half reptile half ninja costume! I'm in the minority who liked it.

[@dasnurk]

I want Nitara and Ashrah back, because I remember seeing some hints that they were thought of as a bridge to open up the story to more dimensions, and since MK11 went with time, this time we can expand into Vaeternus, specially with the sword Datusha, and create some form of story driven faction rivalries.

[@hjblacdes61]

Same, been waiting on those two specifically

[@yorhano.9types68]

me too, especially the two of them

[@shaqace615]

I loved Onaga his intro in deception was so amazing he seemed so cool. In the comics If I remember right they referenced him which would be cool having this crazy of a boss character

[@Cacany99]

I think you focused allot on the gameplay when the main thing and the most interesting part is the story...which characters are gonna be in the story and whats their role gonna be

[@kaneblood3531]

Shang Tsung resurrects and serves Onaga, Shao Kahn protector of Outworld instead conquerer, Raiden is the new "Chosen one".

[@SirGrimly]

I have a feeling that Max is not taking into account the ending of Aftermath considering Lui Kang and Kung Lao would play very differently (and Kung Lao would be a completely different character) given the how much has changed in the timeline... I imagine if they were to bring back the two monks and Raiden, the three of them would have pretty heavy role alterations (With Lui Kang being the god character and Raiden likely returning as an AU version of himself that was born mortal. I imagine Raiden would take up the same role Kung Lao took in MK 9 and 11 as the cocky foil to the much more humble AU version of Kung Lao that Aftermath teased us with).

[@dougtheghoul2845]

Yeah. MK12 being more focused on Ancestors would work. Like a new Nightwolf as another character using the mantle is easy.

[@SirGrimly]

@@dougtheghoul2845 I'm personally more likely to believe that MK12 is gonna drastically reinvent a ton of characters since we are going to be working under an entirely new timeline... we might even see a similar start to MK9 (redoing the first tournament) but with everything being entirely different due to the role and story changes that are possible with the new timeline. It would actually be interesting to see things like Johnny being a soldier pre-MK or Jax having is lore reverted to his arms being a cybernetic experiment/upgrade rather than an emergency surgery to keep him in the field. There is a ton of potential they could take with this new timeline since, unlike with the MK9 reboot, they don't need to follow the original story at all.

[@tobykassulke2385]

I think shang tsungs ending is gonna be canon

[@SirGrimly]

@@tobykassulke2385 Bull fucking shit they would make the BAD ENDING canon lol

[@Honestlynothingelse]

​@@SirGrimly eh. If so then we would just have big tsungus

[@SonicHaXD]

I approve Reptile and Ermac being in S tier XD

[@YellowJeff94]

Give them new abilities like toxic claws for Reptile and soul projection from one of the warriors inside of Ermac.

[@SergalCheeseHead]

I know what you've commissioned, it's no shock you want Reptile

[@SonicHaXD]

@@SergalCheeseHead It's for the videos!!! XD

[@SergalCheeseHead]

@@SonicHaXD The use in the videos is just a bonus and you know it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@SonicHaXD]

@@SergalCheeseHead ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@Its_PizzaTime]

Kinda insane seeing that this video is only 5 months old and MK1 was announced, and released in that time

[@staycold682]

Honestly more games need to do this! Square Enix over here announcing games a decade before they release them lol

[@Its_PizzaTime]

@@staycold682 Elder Scrolls 6 was announced like 5 years before development even began lol

[@rats-ssbm9178]

absolutely mental hearing max talk about John Cena and peacemaker after the recent kombat pack announcement

[@thetruej7872]

I'd like some 3D Era characters to come back. Kenshi, Nitara, Shujinko, Onaga, and Taven are the main ones I wanna see return.

[@kenshington95]

Don't forget Havik and Li Mei 👍

[@ajakks6551]

Nitara and Mavado just to see what their move list would look like

[@Josh-W]

Also Reiko

[@aphelion4616]

You reversed the games... Deadly Alliance and then Deception lol Interesting list though!! Also, Ashra was always one I wanted to see a deep background on. The fact she was a demon who purified herself in the Neatherealm and stayed there to then kill the demons there to keep them at bay, was always fascinating to me. I always really wanted to know her motivations behind it. (Edited for spelling and grammar errors)

[@sheriffdraws8789]

Fantastic character! Also, Konquest needs to return lol

[@xOmniCloudx]

Agreed. She is such an interesting character and it's criminal that she has yet to return.

[@musicis22life]

The way that you called takeda returning as an older version is wild lol, are you an oracle?

[@drewblackmatter6669]

honestly, it would be cool if Taven returned. I know people don't care about him bc he was created as a blank slate type character but then was discarded as soon as the next MK game after Armaggedon launched, but to me, he and many of the 3D era characters have a lot of potential for a comeback. Imagine if he returned as like an Elder god's champion with a cool-ass armor set and had a fighting style focused around his great sword. YK, like a paladin. With all the ninjas, cyborgs, sorcerers, samurai, and Shao lin monks, a Soul Calibur-esque paladin dude would stand out greatly. all his special moves could be preserved but modernized to focus on the sword. The fireball could be a charge move that you either launch out like a projectile or use to imbue your sword with fire for a brief period to increase combo damage. His earthquake slam could be changed to be like a ground impale move that he could use to either impale you to the ground or crash down with the sword and do a shockwave of fire as he did in Konquest mode. The dash and punch move could be changed to a dash, stab, and throw move. His first Fatality could be him knocking you up with a knee kick in the jaw, followed up with a sword swing to chop off your legs, then as he lifts you up he then shoves the blade down your heart and pins you to the ground as blood splatters in the air, and covers his armor. The second fatality could be him chopping down your shoulders and then piercing through your neck before ripping off your head with the spine attached to it as the rest of the body falls down (X-ray could just be him dropping his sword to do the dash and punch move, but instead of just 4 regular-ass fire punches, he uses 1 punch to shatter one of your arms, two punches to both sides of your ribcage, then a bigass fire punch that sends you flying and shatters your jaw.) GOD, just thinking about it makes me wish Neatherealm did anything like this to their old 3D-era cast of characters!

[@PrincessMatrix]

Shujinko could have a lot of options to return. As a reference to his ability to copy moves, I was thinking maybe he could be akin to the Avatar, with elemental attacks (And Sub-Zero's ice ball). That paired with his martial arts mastery would be really neat.

[@codyman5540]

Make him like a mythical hero similar to Pai Mei from Kill Bill. 😅

[@404Kirk]

Well technically he may be in the game cause . Deception took place BEFORE mortal kombat actually started so him n the onaga story fits well with what’s going on no

[@liammech6694]

Kira has no story, she sold guns in Afghanistan and Kabal recruited her some some reason. Sareena is a demon assassin for Quan Chi, who gets free'd by (and falls in love with) older Sub Zero before he dies. then after he dies and came back as Noob, Sareena would have to fight beside this zombie thing that she loved, but now has none of the characteristics that she fell in love with. She also would have fought along side Scoripion. In the GBA MKDA, she escaped hell and was taken in by younger Sub Zero, and she could have told him about his brothers enslavement. So she is probably the only character in all of Mortal Kombat to have been allied with Bi-Han, Noob Saibot, Kuai Liang AND Scorpion.

[@SuperMetalmeltdown]

Yes. Sareena could actually be made to have a really interesting arc of trying to redeem Bi Han. Of course, I don't have faith in NRS writting team to pull it off, but she definitely has a place. Kira and the rest of the Black Dragon goons, I'd be fine seeing them as cutscene characters or "premier skins" but I don't think most of them can really be made super interesting even if redesigned.

[@liammech6694]

@@SuperMetalmeltdown I really like Kira's look in Deception. But I think both her and Kobra just make Kabal seem incompetent. Kabal went all the way from New York to Afgahnistan, and all he found was a Karate kid that killed a guy and then got arrested. And a chick that sells guns.

[@jaidora]

Think Kira was selected because Kabal wanted pupils so he picked her and Kobra. Sadly the only memorable thing I remember about them are being a couple and backstabbing each other in their Armageddon ladder ending.

[@MkKira]

Kira disguised herself as a man in Afghanistan selling weapons. I believe kabal set her up for some reason to see if she was worthy recruiting by indirectly revealing her disguise in which case, she fended off the people she was fighting with relatively ease. I personally like her story since it’s so outrageous and unique. If I were to choose between her and Kobra, Kira gets my vote. I literally forgot what Kobra’s backstory even was..lol

[@SuperMetalmeltdown]

@@MkKira Oh, that is true. Kobra is far less interesting. My main gripe with Kira is that she's just Kano+Sonya. If redesigned she needs an entirely brand new moveset.

[@bigloc3442]

I didn't rock with the kollector at first ,but later on down the line ,he became dope to me in my own opinion.. takeda is must for me.

[@versatilelord8893]

Yeah man he’s not that bad But yes takeda is definitely a must as well as Kung Jin and tremor for me

[@EchanteDante]

ALSO WOULD LOVE TAKEDA AND KUNG JIN!!! Not likely but would love to see it

[@noahhildebrandt4335]

My guess is that this MK is going to take place during the Great Kung Lao era. Would allow for Scorpion and Sub-Zero depending on how they do the storylines (I always figured they had normal human lifespans, but other media is constantly putting them in feudal Japan/ancient China times), but everyone else, save for Liu Kang (as the new Raiden analog) will be new.

[@banjo9158]

Nah, most outworld and edenia people are like, 1000 years old, or close to that. we don't know anything about orderrealm and chaosrealm in that regard, but it could be the case. The only characters that could be heavely affected by the game being in the past would be the ones from netherrealm and earthrealm. so most characters can return.

[@Wiki1184]

@@seanrydell112 You could probably make “Scorpion” Takeda if you wanted to have him represented like the Sub Zeroes. Edit: Not the combat kid Takeda, but the founder of the Shirai Ryu.

[@CristianBherez]

You know nothing

[@sheriffdraws8789]

That's extremely risky. I'll be personally down for it, but knowing the fanbase all they'll do is Komplain and want a MK1-3 roster as usual smh

[@codyman5540]

I'd buy into it, IF and only if Asgaarth makes an appearance at least. He's been the most intriguing older guard character I've wanted to see make a comeback in that setting if they want to go THAT ballsy.

[@bjt0056]

I'd love to see pre match trash talk between Nitara and Skarlet.

[@dragoonkirby2333]

Personally i would love a rewritten Cetrion, the idea of the goddess of nature kicking your ass with the four elements is a great idea, but her execution in-game as a zoner + blind follower of Kronika ruins her completely. Making her independent or at least not a total wuss would be a great start

[@versatilelord8893]

Yes 100% agree

[@Itsnoahscott]

Scorpion, Sub-Zero, & Raiden have to be in. They’re like the top 3 characters in the game. Also, I’d like to see Reptile make a return.

[@ark5074]

Maybe it’s just the inner scorpion fan in me. But I wanna see more of Scorpion as his human self in the next game instead of going back to Revenant again. Feel like with a big reset there’s a good amount of potential to do some interesting things with his past in the old Shirai Ryu clan.

[@El-Gato69]

Hanzo is so close to surpassing Revenant scorpion. Really enjoyed MK11's Human form.

[@jamesmason7979]

Liu Kang is the new Raiden. They've already set the stage for someone else to be the new main character.

[@shawziiz5031]

Hoping for Liu Kang and Kitana son. Imagine how powerful that character is being the hybrid of Human + Edenian + God and potentially.... + Dragon King race (because Cetrion state that Liu Kang actually will Onaga's fire)

[@williamdiamant457]

What happened to Raiden. Also why wasn't he on this list?

[@murillomesmo8189]

I think Ferra/Torr deserves a "could be in" 'cause where else would a character who can beat others with a kid would be viable if not in Mortal Kombat? For the sake of using kids as weapons, throwing and swinging them, they should try redesign Ferra/Torr and give them a chance

[@xaradisex1119]

Cetrion is underrated to be honest, just wish her whole theme wasn't revolved around her mom 😢

[@wakandanlad3310]

What I think would be an awesome way to bring back Shujinko would be to bring back conquest and let everyone develop they're own shujinko throughout a storyline, learn moves from certain characters and make a create a fighter so to speak. I think that would be really interesting.

[@peytonalexander5300]

This is what Street Fighter’s new story mode is doing and I’m really interested to see how it pans out.

[@philllllllll]

More than anything, I want Havik to be back. If he's on the launch roster he will be my main.

[@NabaniSaa]

I still hope that Hotaru, Drahmin, Moloch and Mavaado could get redesigned in some way that makes their gameplay fun and unique for a new MK game. Imagine Mavado using his grappling hooks in UMvC3-Spencer-esque way to just zip across the screen and what not. I feel there is a potential for a lot of surprises, it's just up to NRS to do something with the vast Kast of Kharacters they have instead of bringing in a big pool of new characters that don't really matter.

[@drewsky1121]

I feel like Havik & Sareena are the 2 3d era characters they should prioritize next on bringing back. Sareena was teased in mkX’s story and then teased again in Kabal’s mk11 latter ending. We could always use another NetherRealm demon other than QuanChi.

[@versatilelord8893]

Sareena eh but havik absolutely

[@jinpei05]

At this point, I want this game to simply confirm its existence 😅

[@dougtheghoul2845]

It already did a few months ago

[@jinpei05]

@@dougtheghoul2845 oh really? Got screenshots or video?

[@PandaKnightsFightingDragons]

I think with the current variation system, both Chameleon and Khameleon would be really cool. We kinda got a taste of Chameleon with Shang Tsung in MK11 but Idk how good or how popular the ninja's moves were

[@CB0Otz]

Tbh if C/Khameleon return, I kinda hope that they'd do something more substantial with Shang than just being the "can copy everyone's moves" character. Otherwise I kinda feel like you'd have to take the female Chameleon so you don't have 2 ninjas that just do everything

[@jeremyroberts8822]

I think they actually confirmed that they were done with the variations which IMO is great. I think it was a cool idea on paper but it ended up just leaving the characters so limited because some of their move set was locked to certain variations. Just give all the characters their fully move set

[@camosworld5232]

It’s so cool to see the MK hype slowly come back

[@rashardreacts3933]

Would luv to see Ashra. Haven’t seen her since Deception. Oh and Li Mei.

[@fishyboi98]

Out of all of the mk x/11 characters, I personally think De'vora is the closest to a MUST. She is such a great MK character that it makes you wonder why it took them so long to make a bug-themed MK character. She's had the best fatalities in the last two games, no question. I don't think she's a must, but I'd be disappointed if she isn't in MK12.

[@SoullessKuriboh]

Nah she needs to be deleted. She's the worst new character.

[@KeySlam]

@@SoullessKuribohhow come?

[@thealphatheomega2348]

Onaga, Havok, Mavado, Dramain, Shujinko, Li Mei, Hotaru, Reiko, Motaro, and Sareena are the characters of the ps2 era that I would like to see come back. Also having John Cena motion cap and voice Stryker would be perfect. And I actually prefer Nitara over Skarlet (who is essentially just a reskin of Nitara) , but I could see why they wouldn't bring her back mainly because the world is too PC nowadays. :/

[@bigredradish]

i think nitara could be fun to have back :( a character with big old wings offers a lot in the way of unique mobility and her being a vampire (i think???) also lends itself well to interesting gameplay mechanics wrt lifesteal and such. basically she'd be mira from KI3 with less killing herself

[@ghost245353]

Here after the MK1 announcement trailer.

[@mentalcow]

Idk if the story will continue on from where it was but for Dvorah even if people dont like her (I really do) I think she just seems to be a solid "secondary bad guy goon" for the story modes they are telling she might end up in the can to must tiers.. and im all for it.

[@NiiRubra]

D'vorah is great for the intrigue. She is mortal kombat's biggest back-stabbing, self-serving rat, even more so than Kano because she actually plays with the big boys. She has _presence,_ people are actually afraid/upset when she shows up in the story because she totally can just kill a fan-favorite character just like that, and that makes her a good drama piece. I think she has a solid place in Mortal Kombat as a villain.

[@tomashudibe]

All I need is Ermac, Mileena, Smoke and Reptile

[@Luke.S2099]

I would just love to see Kenshi and Smoke come back and maybe the cyborgs.

[@nikkoanthony1342]

Kenshi is confirmed I thought?

[@versatilelord8893]

Kenshi and smoke are coming back

[@mannyheffley4599]

Do we really need the entire mk1-mk3 roster to be in every game? Having like ten characters always showing up in every game feels like its holding the story back and we could get some really slept on characters instead of mileena or kitana

[@MkKira]

I agree with Kira’s placement. I think she was a character with a cool design in the game along with an insane backstory. Still tho, she needs a completely NEW move set, and not just steal sonya and kano’s moves like they did in Deception. Maybe keep her backstory still and make her like a grappler /footies type of character that’s aerobic like Tanya?

[@KJShinra]

I’m really hoping 12 follows the timeline reset from 11 and we just get a bunch of new characters and some spins on classic characters

[@adamricecracker7128]

im really curious what the new characters will look like. maybe the main char from the new Movie will be one char.

[@marcosdheleno]

i would love to see stryker return, i know he is far from being fan favorite but the idea of a normal dude being forced into this world destroying event is just perfect.

[@shokurt1]

That pretty close to MK1 Kharacters

[@Qysmuth]

Not gonna lie, Meat as a fighter now could be interesting. Imagine they made transform his body into weapons

[@neph6098]

Eron Black, Kotal and D'vorah could have their own little story, I really like those characters, I'll also miss The Kollector, love that dude!

[@crissy4346]

I know I'm going to catch hell, but I hope Bo Rai Cho's brought back. He, and Onaga were definitely my favorite PS2 era characters. I think Bo is hilarious, and I love his drunken kung-fu style. Another thing from the 3D era I would like to see is characters having several fighting styles that can be switched around to make combos

[@versatilelord8893]

Nah you’re not the only one I’ve always liked bo rai cho since I saw him in deception

[@glitch6183]

@@versatilelord8893 if he comes back, i would be very suprised, much like stryker, but i just hope he gets more love in his fatalities and xray

[@versatilelord8893]

@@glitch6183 me too but if he doesn’t show up in any fashion I’d also love to see shujinko, taven, and Kai somehow as well since they’ve never appeared at all in any new era mk game. Bo rai cho was at least playable in mk x

[@Im_The_Meh]

So when it comes to Liu Kang, I feel that he NEEDS to be in the game. I don't care if he's playable or not or if he's not the hero, but based off the ending of mk11 he absolutely needs to be in it and have a role similar to Raiden.

[@georgealvarez1195]

Baraka feels like Mortal Kombats Yoshimitsu. He just has to be on the base roster of every game or something feels off.

[@kaigen999]

MKX? Haha

[@HORROR-vt1gm]

@@kaigen999 he was in mkx,not playble,but he was,so no haha

[@kaigen999]

@@HORROR-vt1gm being an NPC doesn't count. He said being in the base roster which Baraka was not

[@eem2wavy133]

Nah not really. He barely noticeable in most mk games

[@SonicSnail95]

I know it's a long shot but let's get Ferra/Torr back

[@rygoedits2141]

I like kollector☹️ he’s my main and a super good lackey to Shao khan. He operates on his own motives and can be a mysterious and interesting character at times. I wouldn’t mind him coming back and getting a move set change

[@xowidow5709]

Drahmin, Meat, Moloch, Blaze, all the weird meme characters would make a crazy assist roster

[@mrcwillis6970]

Think I mostly agree with this list especially with the must be in. Hope Ermac and Reptile come back and the cyborg characters.

[@themancalledben2731]

Mortal Kombat without Liu Kang is Street Fighter without Ryu. They tried it, it didn't go over very well...

[@simpleclonetrooper2740]

Thats what im saying! People can like Lao more but Liu put in that work to solidify his spot!

[@NiiRubra]

That's why I really like their decision to make him a god, that feels like a natural evolution for Liu Kang. Even if they disregard the prequel idea, I hope Liu Kang continues to be the mentor character in MK12.

[@VialofNMTears]

Sheeva is definitely not a delete character - she was in the movies, one of the main staples in the first game… just because one meta was ruined by her doesn’t mean you delete one of the original characters…

[@gaigeriel]

Agreed. I really enjoy her as a character in the story aswell

[@dougtheghoul2845]

I look forward to seeing what mortal Kombat 1 does with her

[@John34bruh]

It’s his opinion

[@inkdragoon4547]

...you mean the third game?

[@versatilelord8893]

She can be in the story sure. Just not in the playable roster. Especially not over goro Edit: having changed my mind due to playing her and seeing her chapter run on mk aftermath I ended up really liking her and now she’s my favorite in mk11 and hope she comes back for more installments Man was I wrong lol

[@brys.3131]

I'm high while watching this and to me it feels like Max is high too lol? Beyond amazing video to watch while high, thanks Max! :D

[@h-b9790]

My first choice is reptile, and I want to see the cyborg ninjas return. Also, I would love to see some of the PS2 era characters return as they did an amazing job with frost. I hope to see them make new ninjas or cyborgs. In a dream situation I would love an MK11 style with everyone being included.