Just when we thought Mortal Kombat 11 couldn’t get any crazier with its lineup of characters from across the timeline of the franchise, it seems that NetherRealm still has plenty in store to make it one of the biggest fighting games, possibly ever.
A recent leak suggests the formerly unfathomable idea that a Street Fighter character might be added to Mortal Kombat 11’s ever-expanding roster… but, there’s a catch. According to the leak, it sounds like Guile will be making his way to battle against the likes of Scorpion and Shao Kahn, but the version of Guile that fans will be “treated” to will be based on 1995’s Street Fighter: The Movie, starring Jean Claude Van Damme.
This would be the same Guile that also saw action in a video game version of the movie, which was released in arcades, as well as on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Neither the movie nor the game saw much success, so how did NetherRealm even get to this point?
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For those who missed out on the roaring 90s, arguably the biggest video game rivalry besides Sonic versus Mario was Mortal Kombat versus Street Fighter. Both games were out to take the fighting genre crown, and it got ugly. At one point, a magazine advertisement for the home version of Mortal Kombat 2 used a quote that stated, “Street Fighter WHO?” as a slam against its rival.
Things eventually cooled down as both franchises found their footing and audiences. Then, in 2017, Mortal Kombat co-creator, Ed Boon, actually said that although it would be difficult, the idea of a potential Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter crossover would have to be entertained.
Fast forward to 2019, and it seems that the olive branch has been extended, bringing the two iconic fighting franchises together. But why use a character based on the movie, instead of one from a more popular title in the Street Fighter franchise? It kind of makes more sense that you might think.
The Street Fighter: The Movie game utilized the same graphics as the early Mortal Kombat games, using digitized versions of the film’s actors. The Mortal Kombat movie came out a mere two months after Street Fighter: The Movie (quite the blockbuster summer, right?). With Mortal Kombat 11’s story based around time travel and different versions of each character, why not add a Guile from when both franchises were hitting it big on consoles and in Hollywood?
No word yet as to whether Jean Claude Van Damme will be reprising his role as Guile for Mortal Kombat 11. We just hope Guile’s winning stance is as magnificent as it was in the original game (pictured above).
(Note: If you are reading this after April 1st, please be aware that the above article is an April Fools’ Day joke.)
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