After a troubled period in the early-mid 2000s, theMortal Kombatfranchise took a brief hiatus, and returned bigger than ever in 2011 with a critically-acclaimed reboot. Since then, NetherRealm Studios has been knocking it out of the park time after time, withMortal Kombat XandMortal Kombat 11both being monumental hits for the long-running fighting game franchise. Now, NetherRealm is poised to go four for four, withMortal Kombat 1being just a few months away from release.
Acting as another reboot for the franchise,Mortal Kombat 1will probably act as the perfect jumping-on point for newcomers to the series, just as the 2011Mortal Kombatdid before it. But that doesn’t mean thatMortal Kombatshould forget its past entirely. There’s one pastMortal Kombatentry that may have failed upon its initial launch, but certainly deserves another go afterMortal Kombat 1, and that’sMortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
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It’s Time for NetherRealm to Revisit Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
ThefinalMortal Kombatrelease by Midwaybefore it was bought by Warner Bros. and rebranded as NetherRealm Studios,Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universecame out at an awkward time for the fighting game franchise. Suffering from both financial and creative troubles, Midway had spent the 2000s putting outMortal Kombatgames that only garnered mixed reviews. In an attempt to offer something new, Midway turned to a crossover with DC, and thusMortal Kombat vs. DC Universewas born.
Unfortunately,Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universewas yet anotherMortal Kombatentry that received fairly mixed reviews upon its initial launch. While critics unanimously praised the game’s core fighting mechanics, visuals, cast of iconic characters, and its use of the DC license, there were some big flaws that turned off a lot of fans back in the day, leading to the game having a bit of a mixed legacy.
Some ofMortal Kombat vs. DC Universe’s most notable issues were the lack of unlockable content when compared to previous entries in the series, as well as some of the additional game modes feeling a little underwhelming and half-baked. By far the biggest sticking point for fans has always beenMortal Kombat vs. DC Universe’s noticeable lack of gore. If there’s one thingMortal Kombatis known for, it’s the trademark violence and gore, with bloody Fatalities still being a major selling point even today. But crossing over with DC had its price, and Warner Bros. demanded that the game only receive a Teen rating. This led to some infamously awkward Fatalities, with the camera quickly panning away before anything too gnarly can be seen.
Since then, NetherRealm has proven that it knows exactly what it’s doing with both theMortal Kombatand DC franchises. TheMortal Kombatseries only continues to get more popular with each entry, and bothInjusticegames received excellent reviews and strong sales. Another merging of the two franchises seems like an obvious next step for NetherRealm, and it’s something that fans have been pretty vocal about over the last few years.
A newMortal Kombat vs. DC Universegame doesn’t need to be canonical with either universes, which should allow NetherRealm complete freedom to just go wild and have fun with it. The actual concept ofMortal Kombatcharactersphysically merging with DC heroes and villains is an incredibly fun one, and it would be a real shame to not see NetherRealm have another crack at it now that it’s proven itself more than capable of handling both franchises.
Mortal Kombat 1will be released on July 05, 2025 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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