Mortal Kombat is a franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias and developed by Midway Games in 1992. Most of the series consists of fighting games, but because of its great success, it expanded into other media such as films, TV series, and comic books. Mortal Kombat was and remains a milestone in the history of fighting games and a very popular, well-received franchise in the gaming world, both for its unique way of handling violence and for its story, myths, and secrets. Here are 10 facts you probably did not know about Mortal Kombat.
10. Jean-Claude Van Damme Would Have Had His Own Game Instead of MK
You could say that the first character created for Mortal Kombat was Jean-Claude Van Damme, even before the game was called Mortal Kombat. The creators wanted to make a game based on the film Bloodsport, starring martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. The actor even agreed to take part in the game, but ultimately left the project to participate in another game that was never released. Without Van Damme, the developers invited Ed Boon to join the team, where they then created the character Johnny Cage and a new story for the game, thus giving birth to Mortal Kombat and its entire mythology. Notice that both have the same initials: Jean Claude / Johnny Cage.
9. The Gore Was Not a Problem for SEGA
When Mortal Kombat was released in arcades in 1992, the game became so popular that it was converted for the home consoles of the time, SEGA's Mega Drive and the Super Nintendo. Nintendo did not approve of all the gore in the game and removed all the blood from its conversion, while SEGA delighted fans with a code that enabled blood onscreen. As some fans already know, the code was ABACABB. What many do not know is that the code is the name of an album by the English band Genesis. Coincidence or not, the Mega Drive is called the SEGA Genesis in the United States.
8. A Fighter Who Was Also a Playboy Model
One of the trademarks of the early Mortal Kombat games is the use of digitized actors to portray the game's characters. What many people do not know is that in Mortal Kombat 3, Sonya Blade was played by Kerri Hoskins, a popular model from the Playboy catalog. Sindel was played by Lia Montelongo, an actress who had participated in several bodybuilding competitions. Sub-Zero was played by John Turk, an actor who appeared in the TV series Prison Break and the film The Dark Knight.
7. Animality Was a Rumor That Became Real
When Mortal Kombat II was released, a rumor invented by fans began circulating around the world: MK II supposedly contained a secret Fatality that was very difficult to perform, in which the fighter destroyed the opponent after transforming into an animal. The rumor grew so widespread that it eventually reached the franchise's developers, and they ended up creating the famous Animality in Mortal Kombat 3.
6. The Crow Almost Played Johnny Cage
Mortal Kombat received a film adaptation from New Line Cinema in 1995. The film was actually enjoyable, with good action scenes. Some actors who were popular at the time contributed to its success: Christopher Lambert played Raiden, and Bridget Wilson played Sonya Blade. What many people do not know is that the role of Johnny Cage had been reserved for Brandon Lee, who was filming the cult classic The Crow in 1994. However, a terrible accident occurred on the set of The Crow, and Brandon Lee died after being shot with a real bullet. Following the actor's death, Linden Ashby ultimately took the role of Johnny Cage.
5. A Ninja, a Prince, and a Tribute
The purple ninja from the MK franchise, known as Rain, made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat 3. What many do not know is that he is actually a tribute to the film Purple Rain by the singer Prince. Rain is a prince in his realm, Edenia.
4. Er Mac Was Another Major Rumor That Became Real
The Mortal Kombat ninjas are the franchise's most popular characters, but one ninja in particular was never supposed to exist. During development, to cut costs, the developers dressed the actor in red fabric and then colored it digitally (green for Reptile, blue for Sub-Zero, and so on). But a bug in the game caused the ninjas to revert to their original red color, and a message also appeared onscreen: Er Mac (meaning Error Macro). Thus arose the globally known rumor that Er Mac was a secret character in the game. Once again, the developers liked the rumor and turned the bug into a real character in 1995.
3. The Characters' Names Underwent Changes
Based on actor Bruce Lee, Liu Kang would have been called Yoshitsune Minamoto. Johnny Cage would have been Michael Grimm, Sub-Zero would have been Tundra, Shang Tsung would have been Shang Lao, and Jax would have been Curtis Stryker. In Japanese, Raiden means "lightning" and is associated with a demon god who uses drums to create thunder, according to Japanese mythology. His design in the game is based on a character from the film Big Trouble in Little China.
2. Probably the First Secret Character in Gaming History
Reptile is considered by many to be the first secret character in gaming history. To face him, you must fulfill a series of conditions in The Pit stage. In Mortal Kombat, he does not have the name Reptile, since he generally appears as Scorpion or Sub-Zero, but he has the powers of both, which makes him very difficult to defeat.
1. Mortal Kombat Was Partly Responsible for the Creation of the ESRB
As already mentioned, the first Mortal Kombat featured digitized graphics of real actors, which made the game very realistic for its time, unlike its main competitor, Street Fighter II. What some people do not know is that because of this realism, together with the excessive violence in the game, MK was one of the main factors behind the creation of the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board), the leading organization that assigns recommended age ratings for playing a particular game.
Did you enjoy these Mortal Kombat facts via Papel Nerd? And some people still say video games are not art! To leave you with even more nostalgia, below is a very cool bonus video showing the making of the first Mortal Kombat. Watch:
