At long last, Mortal Kombat 11 fans who invested in the fighting game’s character-packed Kombat Pack early know exactly what they’re paying for. Up until now, developer NetherRealm Studios has been frustratingly cagey about showing its hand too soon, only going so far as to confirm that the aforementioned DLC bundle would include three returning Mortal Kombat mainstays and a further three guest appearances.
Thanks to a teaser trailer released earlier this year, we’ve known for some time that Shang Tsung, Nightwolf (both of which are now available) and undead Edenian Queen Sindel would round out the first half, with Todd McFarlane’s Spawn being the only confirmed guest character. In light of yesterday’s reveal though, the final two roster additions – barring the announcement of a Kombat Pack 2, of course – are confirmed to be T-800 and DC’s Joker. The first of this pair features Arnold Schwarzenegger’s likeness and is clearly based on the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate film. Where Batman’s nemesis is concerned, however, the inspiration for his design isn’t so clear-cut.
Seemingly an amalgamation of multiple different Jokers, early impressions from some fans have taken issue with the Clown Prince’s visage and there’s certainly some uncanny valley shenanigans afoot. Check out the design, as well as some reactions, below:
Why does Mortal Kombat 11 Joker look like a cosplayer? pic.twitter.com/tuHnNKns80
— AlphaOmegaSin (@AlphaOmegaSin) August 21, 2019
Everyone looks great…but Joker looks like bad cosplay.
— The_HOWL_Comics (@The_Howl_Comics) August 21, 2019
https://twitter.com/MrCaptain__/status/1164332099156893697
Spawn and Joker look a little off. But Arnold's Terminator looks fucking bad ass! Is this coz he is much further into development compared to Spawn 'n Joker?
— Riley Schulz (@RileySchulz2) August 22, 2019
https://twitter.com/PremiumSponges/status/1164524238511988736
Loving this, "YouTuber dressed as The Joker" skin for Mortal Kombat 11
Ready for the "We live in a society" taunts pic.twitter.com/jHCzkIYtuM— Spencer Campbell π°π·πΊπΈ (@Scambl) August 21, 2019
Strangely, the final design NetherRealm has settled on is a far cry from that used for his appearance in Injustice 2, where Joker looked considerably more menacing. With that said, recent comments provided by Ed Boon suggest to us that appearances can be very deceiving. Responding to one fan on Twitter, the Mortal Kombat 11 director simply teased that “Joker will be VICIOUS,” when he eventually joins the roster early next year, so we’ll reserve final judgement until then.
In the meantime, we want to hear what you think. Are you in love with Joker’s new design, or would you rather NetherRealm returned to the drawing board? Sound off in the comments below.