NetherRealm has been in a bit of an awkward predicament lately, with its newest game seemingly announced via an earnings call, despite NetherRealm still not offering any sort of confirmation or reveal for it. SupposedlyMortal Kombat 12is in development and the rumors of what game NetherRealm is currently working on can finally be put to rest. This would seem like the most obvious course of action forNetherRealmbased solely on what has been successful for it in the last several years, and it will be interesting to see if it borrows characters likeThe Walking Dead’s Negan.
Mortal KombatandInjusticeare widely known for all the licensed DLC characters that are introduced after each game’s respective launch. Some of these characters have become fan-favorite staples of the games they were brought to, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles inInjustice 2orthe Xenomorph inMortal Kombat X. BecauseMortal Kombatis primarily known for being gory and violent,Mortal Kombat 12would have its hands full trying to top the gratuity expressed inMortal Kombat 11. However, after his role inTekken 7, Negan seems primed for aMortal Kombatrole.
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In what seems like an odd choice for a DLC character in aTekkeninstallment,The Walking Dead’s Negan made his fighting game debut inTekken 7. This Negan is stripped straight from the AMC adaptation using actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s likeness and voice talent. Negan was an exciting get forTekkenbased solely on the fact thatThe Walking Deadwas in its prime at that point with the character offering a polarizing spin on the show’s direction. Unfortunately, Negan is arguably wasted inTekken 7because he is unable to truly commit to any of the heinously gory attacks he is known to dole out.
Negan is hardly what anyone would consider a fighting game character based on his own combat approach, but the same could also be said forMarvel vs. Capcom’s Frank West. In terms of whether Negan would be able to make the leap fromTekkentoMortal Kombat, Spawn was a playable character in the Xbox version ofSoulcalibur 2and would eventually go on to appear as a playable character inMortal Kombat 11, so a licensed character hopping between games is not out of the question.
Negan’s Full Potential Could Be Reflected in Mortal Kombat 12
Now thatMortal Kombathas already had so many iconic licensed characters, Negan would make a lot of sense, considering how much his character was centered around violence as a means of revenge in his original appearance. Further, putting Negan inMortal Kombat 11would give the character full freedom to be as profane and merciless as he was inThe Walking Dead, resulting in some creative Fatalities and Brutalities.
Mortal Kombat 12’s Negan would be remiss not to have a Fatality where he walks around a lineup of NetherRealm characters before selecting the player’s opponent to bludgeon.Tekken 7already does have these sorts of attacks and special moves for the character that adapt the show’s dialogue and imagery, but because they are toned down and non-gory, it takes away all that makes Negan exciting in the first place.Mortal Kombatwould not need to tone the character down at all. If anything, Negan’s barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat would be able to dish out far more excruciating damage than it did in bothThe Walking DeadandTekken 7.
Mortal Kombat 12is in development.
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