It looks like Hollywood is taking another crack at the Mortal Kombat franchise in 2021. Joe Taslim is already set to portray Sub Zero and James Wan’s attached as a producer! The film’s Screenwriter Greg Russo even promises that the movie will be rated R! But none of that will matter if Fatalities don’t receive their proper dues.
MK’s main claim to fame is the franchise’s over-the-top gore and violence. If this movie’s going to become a huge success, we’ll need to see somebody get their spine ripped out before the credits roll! Here are ten of the top MK Fatalities that we hope make it into the 2021 reboot. Even if these finishers don’t make it into the film, anything’s better than Quan Chi’s ‘Neck Stretch’ Fatality!
To The Choppa
One of Sonya’s newer Fatalities in MK11 pays homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character from the first Predator film!
After battering her opponent to a pulp, Sonya knocks them into the air. General Blade then calls in air support before going prone firing at her foe. Sonya’s shots push her enemy closer and closer to the spinning blades of a helicopter.
Blade keeps firing until she turns her foe into MK style carne asada! Sonya has other, more iconic Fatalities (such as her infamous Fire Kiss). However, Blade’s older finishers might not play out too well on the big screen. To the Choppa, on the other hand, is brutal and less random - narratively speaking.
Face Feast
Much like the Incredible Hulk, Mileena isn’t afraid to bite or even eat an opponent during a battle! Many of Mileena’s Fatalities involve her taking chunks out of her enemies in gruesome fashion. Man Eater is undoubtedly her most famous finisher. But much like Sonya, Mileena’s old school Fatality might not work too well on film.
That’s where Face Feast could come in; Millie stabs her sais in her foe’s head, tears it off, and then bites off her enemy’s face! Man Eater could work onscreen if this new MK film will a slapstick comedy. But if Wan and crew are going for a slightly more serious tone, Face Feast is the way to go.
Gore-Nado
Kitana makes the act of killing look like an art form. She’s like a female Jonh Wick with wind powers! Mileena’s genetic template and older sister, Kitana is just as lethal without being anywhere near as crazy. Kitana’s most famous Fatality is Kiss of Death. As hilarious as this finisher is, we just can’t see it working well on film.
Gore-nado, on the other hand, looks great and sets up Kitana as a force of nature! Kit cuts open her foe’s chest with her fans, vacuums out their innards, and then flings them away with gale force winds. Gore-nado isn’t as funny as Kitana blowing up an enemy with a kiss, but it’s much more stylish.
Headed Nowhere
Kung Lao looks (and fights) like someone straight out of a classic Kung Fu flick. Lao’s fighting skills and iconic Razor-Rimmed hat would’ve made him a great addition to the Master of the Flying Guillotine! We could imagine Kung Lao finishing his foes off with any of his iconic Fatalities!
That’s what’s so awesome about Headed Nowhere - it combines many of Lao’s finishers into one Fatality! Here, Kung Lao cuts his enemy’s head clean off before kicking them and then teleporting. Lao then slices their body in half before tossing his hat and scalping his opponent! Stylish, gory, and over-the-top, Headed Nowhere would look great on the big screen.
Dragon Bite
We couldn’t talk about Kung Lao without honoring the Champion of Earthrealm himself - Liu Kang! This walking, ‘ATATATA’ - ing Bruce Lee homage has kicked major butt since the very first Mortal Kombat game! Over the years, Liu’s finished his enemies off in a slew of creative ways.
Save for the Aracde Drop, none of Liu’s other Fatalities are anywhere near as iconic as his Dragon Bite finisher. Through mystical means, Liu transforms into a massive dragon - devouring his foes before they can react! The second MK film already featured a scene in which Liu Kang turns into a dragon. The reboot could also make this Fatality a part of the plot, or revamp it to suit the film’s needs.
Head Up
Hate him or love him, Johhny Cage is also a Mortal Kombat veteran - just like Sonya Blade or Liu Kang. A Hollywood actor by day and a Kombatant by night, Cage’s feats speak for themselves. He’s also got some of the funniest Fatalities in the MK franchise - killing his enemies with style and panache.
Heads Up is a fusion of two of Cage’s classic finishers - Head Pop and Torso Rip. Johhny uppercuts his foe’s head off then tears off their torso and slams it down - catching his enemy’s skull like a basketball! We could see Cage doing this in an attempt to one-up the others - adding some comedic relief to the film.
Soultaker
The main villain and final boss of the first MK game, Shang Tsung’s dark magic makes him a deadly and deceptive foe. In a series filled with so much death, Tsung uses the excess carnage to fuel his powers and twisted experiments. Shang Tsung also uses his sorcery in most of his Fatalities.
Soultaker is Tsung’s most iconic finishing move; after beating the will out of an enemy, he sucks out their soul - leaving a brittle husk behind! The first MK featured a variation of this move, so we’re almost certain the new movie will do the same. Bonus points if Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprises his classic role!
Bug Eyes
Shang Tsung led the forces of evil in the first MK game, but Raiden galvanized the good guys! Earthrealm’s stalwart protector has electrocuted his enemies for decades - struggling against deadly alliances and deceptions on his own, more often than not. If Raiden plays a big role in Simon McQuoid’s film, we fear for anyone foolish enough to anger him!
MK’s God of Thunder has a bevy of awesome Fatalities in his arsenal. Bug Eyes merges a few of his older finishers and adds a new spin on things. Raiden grabs his opponent’s head and shocks until their eyes pop out! Raiden continues his assault until his foe’s head flies off. With pinpoint accuracy, Raiden obliterates it with a lightning bolt!
Frozen In Time
We don’t know much about this upcoming MK film, but we do know that Joe Taslim will star as Sub-Zero! A trained martial artist, Taslim is perfect for the role - as proven by his work in The Raid and Warrior. Sub-Zero’s most infamous Fatality is his Spine Rip - it virtually created the ESRB rating system!
Since the first MK game, we’ve seen several iterations of the Iceman’s most famous finisher. Frozen in Time is one of Sub-Zero’s newer Fatalities from MK11. The Lin Kuei Grandmaster makes an icy, spear-wielding clone of himself. He then knocks his foe into the spear, tears out their head and spine, and implies it on his sculpture.
Toasty!
The first Mortal Kombat movie has plenty of charm in its own right. But one of the things that held it back from greatness was its PG-13 rating. Hardly any of the games’ iconic Fatalities could make it into the film. During Cage’s battle with Scorpion, the filmmakers paid homage to this classic finishing move. But we want the real thing!
That’s where Simon McQuoid’s film can surpass its predecessors; it can deliver the gore that Mortal Kombat fans want. This movie can properly depict Fatalities in all their gruesome glory. We might finally see Scorpion melt an enemy to ash - and hear somebody shout “Toasty!”
