Earlier in January, we got to see Mortal Kombat 11 in action. With all the guts, blood and fatalities that we have come to expect from the series. We saw tons of footage of the gameplay itself from trailer demonstrations to actual esport contenders fighting it out. What has intrigued many however, is what we did not see. The overwhelming curiosity behind the game's roster has led many to speculate just who is in the game. Now here is who we have so far, returning characters, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Raiden, Baraka and Skarlet. As well as newcomer, Geras, who wields the powers of time and can summon different weapons and items using the earth's matter. What has gotten many wondering is how many of the game's roster are going to be newcomers and how many old favourites will return. In this article, we will discuss a handful of those who may be returning to kombat.
kabal
An old fan favourite, Kabal made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat 3 back in 1995. Since then he has become loved by fans for his mysterious aura and his twin deadly swords.
His last playable appearance was in Mortal Kombat 9, yet at the end of that game (spoilers) he dies. He came back in Mortal Kombat X but just as a background character in some of the story mode cutscenes. Kabal returning would not be overly shocking as fans have requested his inclusion. The main hint at his return was during the main reveal of the gameplay earlier in January. During one of the transitions to a trailer at the press conference, we saw a figure dash by the screen in a way that was very similar to Kabal and his trademark move. This is fairly heavy confirmation that he will be in the game in some way, hopefully, as a fully fleshed out character.
Noob saibot
A character that definitely has a certain level of popularity in the fanbase. Noob first appeared as a secret boss in Mortal Kombat 2 and was unplayable, becoming playable in Mortal Kombat 3 instead.
Noob was last seen in Mortal Kombat 9, in which he got sucked into a soul-tornado (or something to that effect) and was never seen again. Now in most this would mean that he is most likely not returning. Yet given Mortal Kombat 11's new focus on time travelling means that it is certainly possible that he will return. Noob can also be seen as an image on one of the games countdown timers. Of course, this could be a non-descript ninja template, but knowing this series, it is probably a bit more than that
Spawn
For what feels like a very long time now, people have wanted Spawn to be in a Mortal Kombat game. The anti-hero has already been featured in a different fighting game, Soul Calibur 2, so we know that it can work.
In recent times the series has been renowned for its inclusion of guest characters that come from all sorts of places. We had Freddy Krueger in Mortal Kombat 9 and Leatherface, The Predator, a Xenomorph and Jason Voorhees in Mortal Kombat X. So it is not a far fetched idea to think that Spawn could be making his way into the roster. This is strengthened by Spawn's creator Todd Mcfarlane who stated that "I believe he is on his way" when asked about the character's inclusion to the game. We will have to wait and see what becomes of this down the road.
Honorable mentions to Cassie Cage, Kitana, Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Johnny Cage who were all seen during the press conference but were not specifically shown participating in a match. I think it is fair to say that we will be seeing these characters very soon in future events held by the developer. As for the characters that we have discussed in this article, we will need to keep an eye on the game and hope that they are playable.
