MORTAL KOMBAT 1S SEQUEL MUST PICK UP WHERE MK1 LEFT OFF

Mortal Kombat 1 has taken the Mortal Kombat series in a whole new direction with its revamped story elements. Taking advantage of this latest soft reboot, NetherRealm Studios has decided to take this opportunity to make a slew of changes for many of the franchise’s most iconic characters and settings. There is one character that arguably received the biggest glow-up in his characterization: Reptile.

Along with Reptile’s change in allegiance in Mortal Kombat 1 after years of being firmly on the side of evil, his characterization as well has garnered a lot of praise. No longer is he just another beast-like creature whose character in the games serves only to be a minion for the players to defeat during the story mode. NetherRealm Studios has turned a character that was once all snarls and teeth and turned him into a character with a great deal of depth ripe for exploration.

Reptile's Journey From Deadly Secret to Run of The Mill Henchman in MK

Despite being in the series since its inception back in 1992, Reptile as a character never seemed to have the same sense of longevity as his fellow video game ninjas do. Initially, his list of moves was simply a hybrid of Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s iconic abilities, a staple of early Mortal Kombat secret bosses. He is quite possibly the hardest character to beat in Mortal Kombat, but being so tied to Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s character designs and abilities may have cemented Reptile as being a derivative character, the first of many ninja knockoffs of Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

Though his first playable appearance in Mortal Kombat 2 made him more distinctive with his moveset, he never quite shook his status as a clone character off. It isn’t helped that his characterization in those early games relied on Arcade Endings and short biography blurbs, leaving little in the way of backstory to make him stand out on his own merits. This changed for the better with the release of the latest game in the series, and he is now one of the most fun characters to use in Mortal Kombat 1.

Still, due to being the sole representative of his species throughout most of the series, his abilities have always seemed just to be a standard for his race and, unlike with characters such as Cassie Cage and Sub-Zero, didn't have any effect on Reptile's story. That changed, and his powers have gone from being standard among his own people to something much more fluid and unique—serving as a source of immense conflict between him and the other members of his race.

NetherRealm Allows Players to Sympathize with Reptile

Though serving as a quarter-draining obstacle in the arcade circles, Reptile’s character never went beyond that of the typical henchman. He was less of a character and more of an extension of whichever master he served in each game, kept in line with the promise of eventually having his home world of Zaterra restored—one that has routinely proven to be false in more than a few of his endings.

A running trend with the more strikingly designed characters in the series is that they are generally subservient characters who exist at the whims of big bads like Shao Kahn or Kronika. This, unfortunately, has the added detriment of keeping them shallow in the writing department, and his frequent canon losses had him cemented as one of Mortal Kombat's biggest jobbers.

This different direction that NetherRealm Studios is taking Reptile has allowed for more of Reptile’s character to shine through in the story mode, getting his stint in servitude under Shang Tsung out of the way earlier on instead of letting that define him for the entire game. Instead of the usual snarling bestial-like behavior players have grown accustomed to seeing in previous games, Reptile shows himself to not only be a genuinely noble character concerned about his family’s welfare but also charming and empathetic in a way that makes him a character that fans can earnestly root for, making him one of the most likable characters in Mortal Kombat 1.

How Later Games Can Explore the Future of Reptile and Zaterra

Though a sequel for Mortal Kombat 1 hasn’t been announced yet and post-launch content is still being developed, Reptile’s story is one that shouldn’t be dropped. Going from a stereotypical cartoon henchman to a noble outcast working to bring about peace for the people who exiled him is an interesting twist on the character. Not only that but his ending hints at a greater conspiracy among his people to cull shapeshifters from their race. This new plotline could serve as a vehicle to bring in other underused Zaterran characters like Khameleon, who has already returned as a cameo fighter.

Even more promising a return would be Chameleon, Mortal Kombat Trilogy's hidden character who hasn't been seen since 2007's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Due to Chameleon's nature as a jack-of-all-trades fighter with moves pickpocketed from every ninja-type character in the series, he is one of the most secretive characters in the franchise—and one of the hardest Kombatants to bring back into the game. Having Reptile's story regarding the treatment of shapeshifting Zaterrans in his culture could push him to have a significant presence in the sequel’s story, whether it be as a fellow outcast to serve as a rival for him or as a Frankenstein-esque experiment to replicate Reptile’s powers.

Whether the development team decides to follow through on the plot points set up in this latest game or goes ahead with another fresh idea to keep the series from becoming stale, they would be remiss if they let Reptile’s newfound characterization go to waste. Fans will just have to wait and see what the future holds for Reptile and the other Kombatants.

2024-06-20T23:10:11Z dg43tfdfdgfd