Was Ermac Planned For M1K's Base Roster? | Kombat Theory

Script - www.deviantart.com/the4thsnak...
Patreon - / the4thsnake
Twitter - / 4thsnake
Discord - / discord
Fan Fiction - www.fanfiction.net/u/6871790/
Archive of Our Own - archiveofourown.org/users/The...
DeviantArt - the4thsnake.deviantart.com/
itch.io - the4thsnake.itch.io
00:00 - Intro
00:08 - Character Select
01:24 - Jank CGI
01:56 - Arcade Endings
02:46 - Season 4 Mesa Boss
03:21 - Chapter 15 Data
03:43 - Rushed Release
04:44 - Why?
05:16 - Conclusion
#MortalKombat #MortalMay #Ermac

[@SonicHaXD]

Despite the rushed schedule. It's weirdly a blessing in disguise that Ermac got delayed, so that they can make him the best version yet XD

[@InfiniteThinking-qw1on]

""Best"" version.

[@mantraki]

@@InfiniteThinking-qw1on The only one i can give you that is the mkx version, but the other ermacs versions are doo do compared with the mk1 version

[@InfiniteThinking-qw1on]

@@mantraki In terms of gameplay, Ermac from MKX and MK1 are the best. But in terms of character design, at least in my opinion, MK9 and Deception are much better. But yes, the gameplay he has in MK1 is the best he's ever had.

[@tomjames9681]

Then charge extra for him. Wtf is this take?^

[@InfiniteThinking-qw1on]

@@tomjames9681 What do you mean?

[@blockayethe2nd220]

WB rly are the worst offender when it comes to ruining their own products. Imagine how much better the reception to this game would’ve been if they waited until April to release it.

[@darkzeroprojects4245]

People here buy it anyways knowing. I don't think people here can complain when it's so obvious after several times. Don't like to be rude, or trying to be but still.

[@DonYoGi8331]

It's strange how it feels like what we should've had at launch since Ermac dropped. It definitely should've came out after Tekken 8

[@AnonymousC2218]

"Hara-Kiri Squad" 🤣 LMFAO good one The4thSnake 👍

[@theblocksays]

Well knowing crueltube, he'd probably get demonetized for saying the title of a game.

[@AnonymousC2218]

@@theblocksays I'm well aware of that.

[@TheDigitalApple]

Ahh Warner Bros, delaying disasters while canceling masterpieces. Snake is right wouldn’t seem unlikely for MK1 to be rushed along Ermac and Quan Chin being made DLC and not base roster to delay KTJL. R* did a similar thing with the enhanced editions of GTA 5 being delayed to March so they forced the devs of the Definitive Editions to rush that disaster out.

[@multiverseguy1239]

I think it was leaked that either Ermac or Quan-Chi were meant to be base roster but the game got rushed to september instead of march meaning they had no time.

[@thenedsmmachannel8970]

Yeah I think either Quan Chi or Ermac was meant to be on the base roster

[@DonYoGi8331]

​@@thenedsmmachannel8970both were meant to be since they appear multiple times in the story.

[@thesilentsociety3252]

I believe we’re in original leaks of the base roster

[@ottooctavius9552]

I genuinely wouldn’t have minded waiting till 2024 to get a completed game

[@DonYoGi8331]

When Ermac was released is when the game should've dropped.

[@ottooctavius9552]

@@DonYoGi8331 Tekken took their time and because they came last they were able to steal SF and MK fans because it’s fresh and complete

[@DonYoGi8331]

@@ottooctavius9552 I feel MK will steal the show again once Takeda and the story expansion drop

[@ottooctavius9552]

@@DonYoGi8331 Takeda is the least popular character of of dlc pack. It doesn’t make sense to add him now

[@DonYoGi8331]

@@ottooctavius9552 according to you

[@aidanfedorochko3728]

I think likely he was plan along with Shang, but they wanted one as a preorder and didn’t have Ermac ready. Ermac being a preorder would have made more sense since he was a sub boss like MK 11 with Shao Kahn.

[@omarxperez]

Also the fact that Shang is not listed as a dlc character in the files even though he is a pre-order character would probably mean that Shang was always base roster and Ermac was the original intended pre-order but had to be moved to kombat pack and Shang was moved to pre-order since he was finished by then

[@codytoeung5089]

⁠@@omarxperezCurious, was Shao Kahn in 11 considered dlc in the files?

[@gechoman44iwantahippo]

I still think it’s weird that Geras, who had no story mode fights at all, was a base roster character, while Ermac and Quan Chi, who both had multiple story mode fights, were not. I feel like their priorities might’ve been a bit off with when each character should be put in the game.

[@GuyontheInternet525]

I think the DLC character that got replaced by Ermac was Sareena seeing how she's the only Kameo fighter who has a voice actor (as far as I know) and she plays a part in Ashrah's Arcade Ending

[@The4thSnake]

Goro speaks one line as well.

[@Sjaybby]

Bozo Goro has a line too

[@rockycuro7737]

Janet speaks

[@charlesthompson5645]

So does Jax he says coke here

[@kzakulenga5138]

The MK1 Kritique is going to be brutal 😅😂😅😂😅😂😅

[@RIPCrazyFrog]

I remember Bruce Campbell speaking about the cancelled Ash dlc. He said along the lines of "they want Evil Dead to be it's own thing. No big crossovers." and something about the copyright. Can't really remember or can find the video. The point is that NRS probably was prepering to make Ashley as a fighter, but either early in development there went something wrong with the deal, or Bruce and Sam just said no.

[@IESUproductions]

I think he was probably referring to "Evil Dead: The Game", which had yet to come out when he made those comments. With that games failure, maybe Ash can be in MK1.

[@Saber501]

No big crossovers, then they tossed Ash into Call of Duty for last Halloween.

[@MegaDarkness5000]

Looks over to Poker Night 2

[@HabitsRabbits]

Ash is in DBD, and Evil Dead has made a fair number of guest appearances.

[@blok--head7472]

"They Want Evil Dead as its own thing" Oh, but we can put Ash in Fortnite apperently...a game that's heavily marketed towards children. Because that makes sense.

[@michaelfinklea9295]

Not just Ermac, but Khameleon and Quan Chi should have also been base roster. It's sad to see characters that shouldve been base as dlc. 😢

[@mark-anthonyharris4659]

I said it ONCE and I’ll KEEP repeating it! Had they simply grabbed that usb somewhere in their office…: -MKX and 11 skins and fatalities (skins and cutscenes mind you) for main roster and Kameos -Let the Pyramid random fighters be secret fights/secret boss battles -Skins and Kameos that were in STORY MODE be purchaseable instead of concept art -Pulled a Tekken Devil Jin/SF Evil Ryu and utilized the scrapped variation system to give us Evil Raiden and Evil Sindel as playable fighters -AND for THE LOVE OF ALL ELDER GODS REDUCE MASTERY GRINDING!!! Whatever lil sleight of hand they had to pull w/ Ermac would have okay cause there would have been so much more to unlock and fun busy-work to distract us in between DLC drops smh

[@ApocalypticCrocodile]

Funny how all the issues the game has, gifted us with the best Ermac has even been

[@milanbeerepoot4260]

I feel like the other dlc fighter who replaced Ermac was probably another kombat kid. (I’d hope for Kung Jin, but Cassie’s probably a better bet). Just kinda off of vibes ig

[@The4thSnake]

Honestly? Same.

[@nickadamski2455]

I could 100% see it being Kung Jin he replaced, since Jin had a different model made for him in the one cutscene he appears in story mode, whereas Jacquie reuses a color swap of one of her MK11 outfits, as does Cassie but with her MKX head

[@The4thSnake]

@@nickadamski2455 Oh, good point.

[@missionofsin3360]

@@nickadamski2455 This was pretty much my exact line of thinking also, since Kung Jin having a new model always struck me as strange, Then again NRS has made new models with seemingly no intention of them ever being playable(Ermac, Sektor, Cyrax, Rain) so it wouldn't be the strangest thing for them to have done I guess.

[@MusicoftheDamned]

​@@missionofsin3360Kung Jin would also make sense as the only who exists in universe and as an adult too since Cassie doesn't exist and both Jacqui and Takeda would be little kids if even they existed. Who knows with NRS though, especially with this ill-thought multiverse stuff?

[@polnareffsaaadventure5657]

Another thing I noticed watching footage from when the game released, right before the Sub-Zero story mode fight starts with Ermac, he goes into his current, very relaxed idle stance, before switching to a more generic idle stance right as the fight begins. Just with Sub-Zero's fight, oddly enough. This doesn't happen with any of the other characters who later came out as DLC, so it's further evidence that he was a more complete character before being removed from the base game.

[@PizzaMan879]

We getting a Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Wasted Plotential at some point?

[@The4thSnake]

Maybe.

[@PizzaMan879]

@@The4thSnake Hope so

[@theblocksays]

Wasted plotential being were it NOT written (I'm sorry "consulted") by SBI who had nothing but contempt for the DC universe and its fandom?

[@creepercalvinextra]

bonus piece of evidence: the ermac and quan chi trailers were leaked MONTHS before they released

[@ScorchingProductions1]

I love your Kombat Theories. Hope you do more of them. Could you do a theory on who is the red hooded woman in Quan Chi's ending is???

[@OGP2293]

The leakes are there buddy

[@ScorchingProductions1]

@@OGP2293 You're right, I changed it.

[@JH-fw5xm]

There's another form of evidence Ermac and Quan Chi were meant to be base roster characters. Usually DLC in the franchise only have four intro lines for each character they fight. Omniman and Peacemaker are prime examples as well as past DLC in earlier NRS games. Yet Quan Chi and Ermac have more intros exceeding the 4 line limit.

[@KingOfDarknessAndEvil]

Not gonna lie, i completely believe this. You did an amazing job of supporting your argumeny

[@Zay_862]

Glad someone had the same "Blame Suicide Squad Delay" Theory

[@DoihaDX]

It makes so much sense tbh. I think he would have had Jerrod's personality too if he had been in the game at launch. Maybe that's why they delayed him? To not spoil that part of the story in versus mode? As to who that replaced fighter was, I think it could have been someone from the previous timeline or a classic one from an alternate timeline

[@theretrogamingnerd3316]

Quan Chi & Ermac were both meant to be on the base game. The fact you can fight them in story mode tells me that. I know they both use old assets from Mortal Kombat 11, but I don't think that was intended. The devs just didn't have time finish the characters before release. I also think Ermac was supposed to be maskless by default. He was maskless in the reveal trailer. He was maskless in the story mode. He was also maskless in the old character roster. The backlash caused the devs to put a mask on him by default when released as DLC.

[@justsomeguy6336]

M1K: New Er, same company

[@kapkant6197]

You're upset that Ermac is DLC cause you have to pay extra for him. I'm upset because he's been my favourite ninja since I was a kid and him being DLC means he can't get his chance in the spotlight and be the fighter who canonically beat the Deadly Alliance in story mode. We are not the same.

[@KuWota2k]

I agree with the theory that the DLC he replaced probably was another Kombat Kid (Probably Kung Jin as others said too). Might as well have two of them on the Pack to match with 2 super-zeroes and Quan (of which they shared a game with)

[@CrazyGamingYT56]

Love your content keep up the great work

[@Terminated_Account]

Him being delayed for dlc was worth it just because of the mask, but appart of that... man is nrs rushing everything in this game.

[@ultra_magikarp3880]

Part of me feels like Ermac would've been an unlockable character to avoid story mode spoilers

[@MrPaws54]

I’m just happy they were able to make the launch version ok I hope some day in the future cause ermac looks fun as hell

[@EarthRealm]

Excellent discovery. I'd say youre spot on.

[@leoneandonlytony]

Another piece of evidence was that the mk1 soundtrack on vinyl reveals the original select screen and it showed ermac and shang tsung apart of the list

[@harveysidhu7030]

I was gonna say Countess Jade was replaced, but honestly, I thought she would be base roster given the intro dialogue references so I can only speculate. However, given how complete he feels I wish every single character got the Ermac treatment as I wished Sindel had more screaming/banshee moves which would look so good/flashy. I can't wait to see how Jade looks if they are able to do so well with Ermac.

[@theclown2257]

Silver lining; with him being delayed, they had plenty of time to make this arguably the coolest ermac has ever been. But this having to rush everything out and having all of the developers work with this crunch time can't be healthy for the devs metal state. Having to rush out the base game months early and now the dlc; there's no way that isn't stressful as hell

[@aeric_]

lots of valid and important information here. i like how you brought up Ash from MK11 being axed because that does line up with what happened here with Ermac. Also great shoutout to SHAAR, dudes been doing the Elder God's work for a while now his stuff is great 👌

[@legionbeast]

It's not unlike the MKX posters that had "Salazar" on them before he was changed to Erron Black.

[@DonYoGi8331]

I remember that😂

[@pacperson]

Yup! Makes sense to me

[@DemonKingHiei]

The more I dive into this game, the more I realize it should have been released it 1 yr later

[@redmii69]

I honestly thought Quan Chi was the one meant to be released with the game, but I think you've made a compelling argument for it being Ermac. Honestly, as much as I dislike games being rushed, I think it was a good call to delay Ermac and make him better than how he would've been.

[@puncherofbread]

Ngl what you said about the hype for MK1 definitely feels true for me. I don't follow MK as much as I did a few years back around 11s release but it really felt like this game was just something that happened and then people moved on. Like I didn't even know until you said so that Quan Chi was even released because I barely remember anything surrounding his release unike Ermac, Omniman, or Peacemaker who I at least watched the trailers for when they came out.

[@AndrewCARNBORN]

Still pisses me off we never got Ash Williams...

[@ghostlyowl2302]

ngl it'd make sense that shang tsung would've been the unlockable and ermac the pre order bounus, since shang is technically dlc, but he has gotten pallets and is playable in the final chapter

[@seudoquia3558]

The Kombat Kids (Cassie/Kung Jin) got replaced with Ermac/Quan.

[@thewatcher1888]

Do you think if mortal kombat defenders of the realm was a bigger success that mortal kombat would have taken a direction towards more kid friendly material. Kinda like dc has a bunch of dark stuff like the suicide squad and peacemaker yet also teen titans go at the same time

[@ToonGrin]

I just realized... would Quan-Chi have his ink at this point? I thought those were tied to like Shinok or Onaga or something.

[@jsf3799]

seems like Ermac and Shang were orignally base roster, Quan chi was gonna be the pre order DLC(so 24+1 base roster like mk11). WB exec bullshit is most likely why everything got shuffled.

[@THENIGHTMAREINC]

I've always been on the side of DLC is stuff they intentionally cut to sell you later. 6 characters with 6 assists is kinda wild if you consider they charged more than half the game's full price for it.

[@osirisjojo6876]

I heard that Stryker was on the main roster and had lines but was removed

[@jazzlaugh6578]

Whaaaaat????? WB CUTTING characters out of the game to SELL back to you? That's ridiculous and honestly kinda dystopian.

[@ultimateaquiles]

Honestly, characters that have a role in the story should NEVER be DLC unless they appear in an expansion of the story like in MK11 Aftermath. Ermac, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung should have all been in the fucking base game

[@Grunch_Morrisonx123]

Making BOTH of your main antagonists DLC is just completely insane

[@Terminated_Account]

Yes, its pretty obvious

[@spiketheguy7091]

Personally, I think Jade was meant to originally appear in the Kombat Pack over Ermac. Khameleon's inclusion gives me a feeling that Jade had at least been considered at one point, and whether she was intended to be in the pack or got pushed to a potential future update is up in the air right now (also, I dunno how much water this theory holds, if any, but the previous Kombat packs for X and 11 had featured at least one female character included, whilst with M1K, we get Khameleon, Janet and Ferra in the Kameos but no female character for the main roster)

[@user-kl1mn3rr1t]

Do you think that the final kameo fighter was supposed to be Quan Chi, given how he's Shang Tsung's kameo at the top of the pyramid, and the fact he's been used as a kameo fighter so many times in the story mode?

[@DemonKingHiei]

I think maybe Sareena was replaced

[@DB-bq6zc]

We finally got the 24th character but not in the way we expected.

[@megadoomboy5412]

I think we were supposed to get kung Jin as dlc. If you look at the kombat kids Cassie and jaqui were just reskins of their mk11 versions with the only difference being that Cassie had her mkx hair while takeda and Jin had all new original outfits but when they couldn’t finish ermac in time they had to cut someone and nrs are definitely not gonna cut a guest so Jin drew the short straw

[@soupermoviecritic8511]

Here’s an idea I don’t understand with companies. Create an unrealistic deadline, delay, procrastinate, half ass it, delay again, release it even more half assed, try fixing it, screw up, try fixing again only to create more problems, and the vicious cycle continues.

[@carlossandez6672]

They should’ve had Ermac and Shang Tsung as base roster and have Quan chi or Havik as pre order bonus Then we could’ve maybe gotten Kung Jin as dlc to go along with Takeda

[@InTheKitchenWristStirFry]

we need more well made characters like Johnny, Ermac and raiden. some characters in the roster rely too heavy on kameos when kameo should instead amplify the experience.

[@TheGraveKnight]

Meanwhile I'm liking the sort of Reboot Dante look they gave Mavado, it oddly suits him.

[@honoursplace3291]

3:53 Good joke

[@adias_D]

the4thsnake talking about M1K without saying "NRS Sucks, midway better" how odd

[@rymreaper]

Harakiri Squad lmao

[@cynicalfella]

I JUST Fuckin noticed that Homelander is NOT in the game yet

[@DonYoGi8331]

Lol he's not supposed to be. He'll drop either June 4th when the season ends or June 13th with the new season of The Boys.

[@BiktorVlagoev]

One thing I'm wondering is if the game released in april how would this work for the omni man dlc. After all, ut was released to coincide with the new season, but it mk12 came out in april, it wouldn't

[@The4thSnake]

Maybe that working out was just a fun coincidence.

[@marianolago8949]

When video of mk is really ban on japan or not

[@kadhoodie3735]

"Mortal 1 Kombat"

[@kyokugenryudisciple9349]

I know I’m gonna be very casual with my picks if they had enough time and made Ermac a part of the base roster as posited…here are my pick Liu Kang could have put in his new era from each entry…and a guest as a Pre-Order Bonus to possibly satisfy WB and Rocksteady: MK1 (‘90s): Sonya & Kano MK2: Jade MK3: Kabal & Sheeva MK4: Kai & Fujin MKDA: Hsu Hao (If Boon was not petty) MKD: Hotaru MKvDC: Harley Quinn (Pre-Order Bonus) MK9: Skarlet MKX: Erron Black And yeah….Harumi or Jade does make sense in Ermac’s Slot. But yeah…when you think about it…it’s totally obvious.

[@DGISALWAYS]

In my opinion this is the best ermac and i'm glad the game is improving

[@florianmotao3165]

Instead of his Mask look the empty spot of his amulet lol !

[@mannygomez3577]

The4thShill

[@tommydevito4105]

Yeah I honestly think that both Quan Chi and Ermac were meant to be on the base roster. Even if they were delayed I still find it ridiculous we have to pay to play as them

[@ykwtfgo]

Ofcourse he was. Every player in the story you play against pretty much is aside from the random tarkatans that you fight as baracka and aside from the multiverse hybrid characters at the end

[@MysticEle]

Hrm. For the booted character, given how many characters mention either Jade or Harumi, my vote goes to either. Possibly a bit more towards Jade.

[@ajmolhussain7025]

Lol Harakiri squad

[@suddenllybah]

Ermac is a Piranha Plant?

[@seantaylor424]

I'm wondering why wouldn't they put Ermac's mask in his ending after they delayed him? If they kan put dummied-out fighters into Story Mode and swap kharacters around for release trailers, they kan surely draw a mask onto what is mostly still images in the Tower endings. Something else I wonder about this kurrent Ermac is why most of the souls inside in it look Medieval European. Outworld has always been East Asian in aesthetics and still draws on Asia abroad in MK 1 and there's no European influence in its kurrent design or kharacters. Is this to imply that Outworld was more Medieval than Asian in the past that Ermac's souls kome from? I guess it's possible, since Reiko is now fashioned after a gladiator despite his mentor not resembling one; Outworld's history may be subject to drastic style changes in different time periods, with Ermac's generation being Medieval, the Outworld of MK1 being Ancient Asia and Reiko being a trendsetting hipster foreshadowing that the next generation will have Roman aesthetics. I joke about it going this far, but I do wonder why Ermac's souls look the way they do.

[@gril_cheese]

same reason why skarlet didnt have her updated default costume in her mk11 ending, simply takes too much time, endings are likely done wayyyy in advance compared to plucking out a pre-existing character and replacing them with a version of them with an mk11 moveset

[@seantaylor424]

@gril_cheese Really? I would have thought the endings would be easier to change than adding a kharacter from an older game and changing them to match how the new game plays and add Fatalities and Brutalities. Though, if MK11 is more similar to MK1 than I thought, then I guess it wouldn't be too big of a job.

[@adonisfarhat8905]

1:33 Everyone knows that NetherRealm plagiarized Mike Matei to create This design!

[@SaintMarianne]

I think the character Ermac replaced was more than likely a woman. This is the first Kombat pack that doesn’t have one which seems odd to me.

[@RandomBitterMan]

Idk why Ermac was DLC

[@pajamapantsjack5874]

A rushed ermac is never good, a delayed ermac has the best animations his character ever had in the franchise

[@firestarsantos7467]

Ermac, makes the most sense to be the one to be moved over everyone else in the rooster. Let's start by eliminating the characters with chapters and MK 1and 2 reps in the game has they had to stay for obvious reasons.Smoke was the second most requested character to be added has DLC in the previous game so him being the base rooster makes sense, the whole push of this game was to give new versions of MK 4 to deception characters the spotlight after years of absences in the series so Havik, Reiko and Nitara stay due to being part of that push. Ermac was just the perfect one to be pushed has DLC, he didn't have a story chapter, he was not part of the 3d era cast so the original vision to give these character the spotlight would not be compromised and well he is extremely popular so having him has DLC is a safe bet sales wise.

[@DonYoGi8331]

Until Noob comes along with the expansion lol.

[@firestarsantos7467]

​@@DonYoGi8331Indeed, in about 5 years if the updates keep going at this pace.

[@DonYoGi8331]

@@firestarsantos7467 nah Noob comes in September or October.

[@myuk5427]

why are you trying to replace matpat

[@Nov-5062]

It's just a parody to his obnoxious thumbnails

[@jackbaccarat4084]

Don't know who's worse (or better) at screwing over their audience with a beloved ip. Todd Coward or Ed Boondoggle.

[@The4thSnake]

I don't think this was Ed's fault.

[@jackbaccarat4084]

no but he is an arse, thanks for the reply@@The4thSnake

[@TheDigitalApple]

Replace Todd want Randy. Todd may be incompetent yet Randy is just plain evil (especially when you remember what was caught on his hard drive once).

[@jackbaccarat4084]

true@@TheDigitalApple

[@micah459]

It's sad that WB rushed out MK1 for a trash game like Suicide Squad

[@saloz9483]

yup more proof of how rushed this game was and ermac should've been free if he was meant to be base.

[@DrAwoken]

Mk continues to disappoint me, so glad i refunded it

[@jordinfarraj2359]

Mk1 really was a rushed mess. And i know this isnt really a part of the problem at hand but the fact the dlc characters come out at a certain set date and not at launch all together is absolute bull. I wish i bought a physical copy so i coulda sold it to get my money back, now im stuck with the worst mk game on my playstation

[@darkzeroprojects4245]

Sounds to me this game is a mess. Like every other release NRS has done....

[@wizarddefiler420]

Shang Tsung as an unlockable character would have been a cool decision. Watching the reveal trailer made me feel like you'd be playing Shang Tsung as an alternate-world Shujinko killing all the best fighters as a twist on MK:A but I knew it was folly to put that much faith in netherrealm. Ermac does look cooler than he did before though. 🫨🥶

[@DoihaDX]

It makes so much sense tbh. I think he would have had Jerrod's personality too if he had been in the game at launch. Maybe that's why they delayed him? To not spoil that part of the story in versus mode? As to who that replaced fighter was, I think it could have been someone from the previous timeline or a classic one from an alternate timeline