With every new Mortal Kombat game, comes a bout of new violent and grotesque Fatalities. Fatalities in Mortal Kombat are integral to the DNA of the game. They encapsulate the raw violence, whilst remaining gruesome and over-the-top for a bout of fun. There's no better way to flex on an opponent in Mortal Kombat than committing to a Fatality.
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With the impending release of Mortal Kombat 1, players are expecting an entirely new narrative, as Mortal Kombat 1 is a reboot of the franchise's deep lore. However, what fans want to expect, is the return of some iconic Fatalities that have featured across the Mortal Komabt series.
For over 3 decades, Shang Tsung has made it his goal to steal and consume as many souls as possible to become the most powerful sorcerer in Mortal Kombat. Shang Tsung's soul-stealing Fatality may not be the most gruesome and gory but it certainly is horrifying. Shang Tsung's greed and lust for power see him drain the literal life force from his enemies.
As the green light dissipates from the victim, Shang Tsung consumes the soul, leaving the victim as a husk of their former selves. Dried, dead, and soulless. It's a Fatality fitting for Shang Tsung and one that should feature prominently in Mortal Kombat 1.
When one wears a hat, it's usually for fashion or sun protection, and not to secretly have a buzz saw at the ready. Kung Lao's iconic hat is a devastatingly sharp weapon, and he proves that on several occasions. One of Kung Lao's most brutal and wincing Fatalities has him place his hat on the ground, which rotates at a devastatingly quick speed, hungrily waiting for its victim.
Kung Lao will then drag the victim through the hat as if he is cutting wood, but the worst part of all is that he cuts from the groin first. This means that the victim feels an immense bit of pain before the hat rips through their head, cutting them in half.
Johnny Cage is a performer, and what better way to boast of a powerful and Academy Award-worthy performance than by decapitating an enemy with a deadly uppercut? Johnny Cage's iconic Fatality has been featured many times in the franchise, but perhaps its best is when Johnny brings a film crew to attempt multiple takes of the Deadly Uppercut.
Johnny will send his fist into his foe's chin, attempting to take the head clean off while the camera crew films multiple takes. When Johnny finally achieves the head rip he desires, he throws it at the camera and sticks up his middle finger, the ultimate display of disrespect.
Kano is entirely vulgar and violent, and he proves just that with his iconic heart rip Fatality. It may not be as extravagant and campy as other Fatalities, but it perfectly shows just the kind of person Kano is. He goes straight for the heart, ripping it out while it's beating helplessly.
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Although Kano has impressive feats, thanks to his laser eye, there's just something so inherently wrong about ripping someone's heart out of their chest with ease. It's a brutal move that would benefit Mortal Kombat 1.
The original Sub-Zero, now turned Noob Saibot, utilizes a shadow clone to commit one of the most famous and brutal Fatalities in Mortal Kombat history. This infamous move titled "Make a Wish" sees Noob Saibot and a shadow clone go either side of the victim, each taking a leg before violently pulling.
The strength of Noob Saibot's pull is so strong that he can split the victim in two, from the groin to the top of the skull. Each Noob Saibot then brandishes their trophy by showing off half of the victim to the victory screen.
Liu Kang's earliest Fatalities have seen him turn into a scaley dragon to eat and burn at his opponents. This Fatality has been a reoccurring theme, in which a dragon-shifting Liu Kang gets a delicious and meaty snack from the top half of his foes. Liu Kang is iconic, and just one of the many playable characters with a brilliant Fatality.
Considering Liu Kang is now a fire god, and the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer features Liu Kang using both a blue and red dragon fire spirit, it would be great to see the emergence of an actual dragon, and for Liu Kang to enjoy a hearty meal.
Part of the joy of the Mortal Kombat Fatalities is in how inherently ridiculous they are. One of Mileena's most famous Fatalities sees her take off her mask to reveal that half of her face is just teeth upon teeth. Using this sharp mouth, Mileena will often bite the head of her opponent clean off, or sometimes the entire body.
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Mileena enjoys a nice meal by eating her opponent, although she regurgitates all of the bones. Seeing Mileena swallow someone whole, only to then throw up a flurry of bones, is a ridiculous thing that only works in Mortal Kombat, and should return for the Mortal Kombat reboot.
Few sorcerers are as savage as Quan Chi. This famed Mortal Kombat villain has one of the funniest Fatalities in Mortal Kombat, and it would be great to see it appear once more for Mortal Kombat 1. In Quan Chi's Fatality, the sinister villain will rip the leg off of his opponent.
The violence does not end there, as Quan Chi will then use this severed limb to beat the ever-loving snot out of his opponent. Quan Chi will repeatedly hit his victim with their leg, and he seems to enjoy every moment of it, even when he beats their head into a bloody pulp.
Like the feared Predator, Sub-Zero's most iconic Fatality sees him take the opponent's head and spine like a trophy. This Fatality would benefit greatly from the next-gen graphics of Mortal Kombat 1, as to see Sub-Zero take out the spine of his opponent while it's still attached to the intact head would be grandiose and brutal.
Sub-Zero brandishes the head and spine like a trophy, the ultimate disrespect to his opponent as he severed their head from their shoulders. This Fatality has appeared in many of the Mortal Kombat games, so it would be an injustice to not have it in some capacity for Mortal Kombat 1.
In almost every instance of Scorpion's appearances, the masked combatant will take off his cowl to reveal that he is just a skull from underneath. That's not the scariest part, as this skeletal head warrior will then breathe fire all over his victim, encapsulating them in a prison of flame where their flesh will melt away, reducing them to the bone.
In some Mortal Kombat games, Scorpion will even win his Fatality with an iconic "Toasty!" voice line. It's grotesque to even think about the charring flesh and gory potential of this Fatality for the impressive graphics of Mortal Kombat 1, but Scorpion's Toasty deserves to evolve with the series.
Mortal Kombat 1 will release on September 19 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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