Summary
Mortal Kombat 1will have a plethora of returning characters, as there are some that fans simply would not accept being erased. Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Kitana, and Kung Lao will all feature as normal, as well as a few surprises. The series has never shied away from including a handful of fan-service fighters from other properties, as in the past it has used Predator, Leatherface, and the Joker to good effect and give players more diversity in the game’s offerings. This time, the news is that Homelander fromThe BoysandOmni-Man fromInvincibleare coming to the new entry, which is a very welcome addition.
Omni-Man has become a superhero fan-favorite since he graced the TV screen in Amazon’s adaptation of Robert Kirkman beloved comic. He’s an interesting man, but asMortal Kombat 1will be a solo release, there’s not a lot of room for new characters to grow. This presents the fundamental problem that Omni-Man is currently seen by most as a decisively evil character, but in order forMortal Kombat 1’s take on the character to be true, he has to show some righteous characteristics. At his core, Nolan Grayson is a good, but immensely flawed man.
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Omni-Man is Brutal, but Complex
Though the modern consensus is that Omni-Man is a brutal, betraying villain who cannot be saved nor redeemed, the reality is a lot different, as the Amazon series has shown just a piece of Nolan Grayson’s complexity. Over the course of the comic’s run, he goes through a compelling arc that goes a long way to redeeming him. His self-imposed isolation from Earth sends him to Thraxa, whereby he has another mate, Andressa, continuing his Viltrumite duties. Oliver, who is the result of that relationship, quickly becomes a major character intheInvinciblestory.
There are far worse Viltrumites than Omni-Man, as the likes of Conquest and Thragg show their faces later on. The storyline in Thraxa causesOmni-Man’s allegiances to shift somewhat, changing his moral compass and making Nolan a less prototypical villain. As time goes on, his heroism shows signs of returning. Most people won’t know this until later seasons ofInvincible, so showing this side of him inMortal Kombat 1through his short lines of dialogue or character animations could be treading on thin ice when it comes to eventual spoilers for the TV show.
Mortal Kombat Needs to Temper His Abilities
Though there are plenty of tough characters in theMortal Kombatuniverse, Omni-Man also presents the same problem that Superman did inInjustice. Raining in a guy who’s that fast, strong, and seasoned can be tough to make work, especially as the first season of the show presented him in a way that looked unbeatable. It’s likely that a lot of people looking forward toOmni-Man inMortal Kombat 1will know him exclusively from the TV screen rather than the pages of the comics, where he exhibits a sense of stoic and immovable power.
Also, he’s an all-around brawler, so finding any specificity in his moveset could be a tough challenge for Neatherrealm to overcome. Whereas Raiden has his lightning abilities and Sub-Zero ice-centric attacks,Omni-Man is just an old-fashioned brutewho beats his opponents with intellect and a lot of force. Omni-Man is a very complex character, both physically and emotionally, which can be seen as the story goes on, so while his evil nature and all-out villainy are on display for the masses now,Mortal Kombat 1would do well to show his more heroic side, too, because it’s as prevalent as his Viltrumite brutality.
Mortal Kombat 1launches September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
