Shack Chat: What character do you want to see return in Mortal Kombat 1?

It's been a great year for fighting games so far and there are still more on the way. Mortal Kombat 1 is set to arrive in just a few short months and its road to release continued this week with an all-new Kombatkast. Viewers got to see the game's next two characters, Smoke and Rain, as well as a few new Kameo Fighters.

But who should be added to the MK1 roster? Who should Fire God Liu Kang include in his new timeline? The Shacknews staff is here to weigh in.

Question: What character do you want to see return in Mortal Kombat 1?

Erron Black - Ozzie Mejia, No 'K' in Senior Editor

First of all, credit to NetherRealm for upping the degree of difficulty on this question for me, because I was getting ready to type a few paragraphs on why Rain rules and why he should graduate from a DLC fighter to the main playable roster. And, look at that, there he is!

With Rain, Smoke, and Kenshi all making the cut and with Noob Saibot potentially out of the running since Bi-Han is still Sub-Zero in this new timeline, that leaves Erron Black as my choice. I don't know where this random cowboy came from, but once he showed up in Mortal Kombat X and MK11, I quickly grew to love him. He's one of those bad hombres who would throw dudes through tables for cheating at poker and... it just feels so out of place in this fighting tournament from a violent alternate dimension that I appreciate what he has to offer. Plus, I loved seeing him pull out some neat-o gun tricks for his Fatalities, so I want to see how inventive the NetherRealm team can get for his next round of finishers.

Goro or Sheeva - TJ Denzer, Shokan Fan

Honestly, I’m a big fan of Mortal Kombat’s multi-armed monsters. Goro was always the daunting challenge before Shang Tseung and Sheeva was also cool. I know they’ve never been competitively viable, but I still just like their monstrous and brutal designs, especially when we can get it in the main roster. Heck, I would also be okay with Kollector coming back since he was my main in Mortal Kombat 11. Either way, give me a multi-armed powerhouse. If they end up being strong fighters in the meta, that’s a bonus.

Reptile - Asif Khan, Shacknews CEO/EIC/EIEIO

This week’s Kombat Kast announced a whole host of characters coming to MK1, but I was left wanting more. Reptile being the more I want. If MK1 is going to include Smoke, we better get Reptile. Perhaps Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2023 would be a good place to drop that announcement trailer.

Jacqui Briggs - Bill Lavoy, Not a Kickboxer

You know, I can get behind a badass kickboxer any day. I’m not overly familiar with Mortal Kombat as a series, but when I have played in the past I’ve certainly gravitated towards characters with a style that suits my interests. Just as I’m a big fan of killer kickboxers in MMA, I’d love to see Jacqui appear in Mortal Kombat 1.

Nitara - Dennis White Jr., Social Media Guru

I’m already pretty happy since my #1 choice was Kenshi and he’s already in the game and Jade is probably a sure choice for this one as well and she was my #2. So I figured at this point, why not put some hopeful energy into another Deadly Alliance character returning? That character is Nitara.

Sure, we’ve got monster-mouthed fighters like Reptile and Mileena but who doesn’t like a vampire that can kick ass? I think she would make a fun addition to the game, especially since the developers seem to really be focusing on character choice and making each character unique as far as what they can do gimmick-wise that other characters can’t. A blood-sucking command throw of some kind would also be a pretty fun Kameo ability. I think the dev team could make her appearance more memorable than the one in the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie. At least she helped give Kung Lao a cool moment in the movie by being on the receiving end of his Fatality I guess. With wings and plenty of unique combat options, I think she’d be a great choice for this game.

Jason Vorhees - Donovan Erskine, Camp Crystal Lake Counselor

Mortal Kombat X was a banger for a symphony of reasons, and a kickass line-up of DLC characters is among them. I love it when MK crosses over with horror IP, and having Jason join the fight was hilariously awesome. NetherRealm also nailed the look, feel, and vibe of the character in a way that honestly deserves more credit. The Friday The 13th franchise is currently in legal hell, so I’m not even sure who would have to say yes to this, but I’d go nuts if a portal just opened up MCU-style and Jason effing Vorhees walked out of it.

Mokap - Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo Show host, Finish Him!

What character do I want to see return for Mortal Kombat 1? Every time a new Mortal Kombat game comes out, I always have to go with my all-time favorite fighter, Kung Lao. Lucky for me that Kung Lao is in this Mortal Kombat from the start so it looks like I have to go with another answer. Stryker was always another one of my favorite fighters, but he’s there too. I had to dig deep for this one, and with Mortal Kombat 1 covering all the MK games, it got me thinking about a character that is such a deep cut that it has no chance of getting in. If this fighter makes it in some capacity, it will show that Mortal Kombat cares about its history, no matter how dumb the character is. My response to this question is Mokap, the secret fighter from Deadly Alliance. This used to be the type of secret character that was silly and over the top the classic Mortal Kombat games were known for. He probably has no chance to make it in but it would be fun to see Mokap as a fighter or a Kameo fighter.

Those are our picks for who should jump into the Mortal Kombat 1 roster. Do you have some choices of your own? Join the conversation and let us know in the comments.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.