Fighting games are nothing without a memorable final boss and Mortal Kombat has seen its share. Series co-creator and ultimate big boss Ed Boon used his powers to find out which of four major menaces fans think is the biggest bad of them all. Read on for the contenders:

An overwhelming 56.6% majority of Twitter voters chose Shao Kahn: the final boss of Mortal Kombat II and MK3, who recently made his return as a time displaced pre-order download in Mortal Kombat 11, and sent the realms into turmoil in the newly released animated adaptation Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms.

Losing to Outworld's Emperor with 24.5% was original final boss Shang Tsung, who also shared boss duties in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and returned as MK11 DLC. Single game final threat Onaga, The Dragon King earned a respectable 13.2% for his nostalgically remembered MK: Deception appearance. The fallen Elder God from MK4 and Mortal Kombat X remained a tougher sell with only around 2,072 out of 36,357 votes. Shinnok also has the infamous distinction of having been final boss of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero -- inspiration for MKX's Corrupt Shinnok.

Mortal Kombat’s best boss ever…

— Ed Boon (@noobde) August 30, 2021

Shao Kahn has been an evergreen favourite for the franchise, making frequent return appearances despite his apparent destruction. Fans voted the conquering emperor runner-up of MK Online's 2021 Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion tournament from 64 potential winners.

Ed Boon has a history of polling fans on specific subjects, sometimes leading to interesting examples of long term correlation. In 2016 he quizzed fans on MKX's missing men and women -- all of whom eventually turned up as playable returns in Mortal Kombat 11.

Most recently, Boon got Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks trending globally when he asked fans about remastered re-releases. The adventure game spin-off was a popular pick when he polled fans on the developer's next project in 2016.

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms Trailer]

There have been one or two other bosses in the series' history. Which was your favourite? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or discuss the origins of the polled antagonists in the 2D Kombat Klassics and 3D Kombat Klassics forums. Or debate your own fantasy match-ups in the Fan Koliseum!

The eagerly anticipated release of Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms has brought with it an unexpected animated crossover! This time Scorpion has met his match as the ninja spectre finds himself in the clutches of a popular meme before the main feature. Watch and learn:

In the first Mortal Kombat Legends it was Scorpion who sprung forth from the Warner Bros logo to drag Daffy Duck to Hell in a humorous crossover between the Scorpion's Revenge star and a WB icon. This time it's Scooby-Doo's Shaggy Rogers who emerges to turn the tables on the acrobatic martial artist.

Blazing with green energy and glowing eyes: this super-powered Shaggy is a reference to the "Ultra Instinct Shaggy" meme from 2017 that crossed over the beatnik amateur sleuth with the ki-powered fighting of Dragon Ball Super. The joke led fans to start a petition to include Shaggy in Mortal Kombat 11.

Series co-creator Ed Boon reacted to the animated encounter that will inevitably haunt his feed for years to come via Twitter: "HOLY KRAP! You people were right all along! ???? #ShaggyKonfirmed" He also joked about the topic trending in the United States.

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms Red Band Trailer]

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is out now on streaming platforms, blu-ray and DVD. Watch an electrically charged preview and catch-up with the official trailer. Find and discuss more in the Media & Merchandise forum.

The Mortal Kombat feature film has made its way from theatres to home media, but its success on the HBO Max streaming platform continues to be a focus as analysts examine viewership data for other major releases on the service. A new examination of the opening three weeks for six streaming blockbusters has put MK on top. Take a closer look:

Third-party ratings analyst Samba TV has shared a breakdown of estimated United States viewership for six of HBO Max's recent streaming juggernauts, putting Mortal Kombat on top of an 18 day stream window with 5.5 million households. That's slightly ahead of theatrical titan Godzilla vs King Kong at 5.1 million, which also conceded its record premier to the fighting game adaptation.

This month's DC cinematic soft-reboot The Suicide Squad stands strong at third, having also enjoyed the streaming service's second strongest premier. WarnerMedia doesn't release exact viewer numbers, but HBO Max chief Andy Forssell recently told The Hollywood Reporter that Mortal Kombat still holds the biggest opening.

Mortal Kombat exceeded WarnerMedia expectations with its successful release, despite recent success of games. The movie found broad audience interest, even as it received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. Talk of a sequel quickly followed.

[Related Article: Review: Mortal Kombat Hacks Into Franchise Reboot]

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms brings another new movie experience to HBO Max starting today! Watch the official trailer and find & discuss more in the Media & Merchandise forum!

A new Mortal Kombat video game could be in development according to a report from Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb. The gaming pundit sparked a rumor wildfire with his "GrubbSnax" webcast, claiming NetherRealm Studios will bypass a sequel to the last Injustice in favor of staying closer to home. Read on for full details:

Grubb couched the claims in heavy supposition, speculating that on-going instability within WarnerMedia Discovery is a driving factor for NetherRealm Studios to begin development on a twelfth installment of the Mortal Kombat series. He notes, "I wouldn't say this is like... for sure, but it lines up with the reality, and it lines up with what I've heard."

The crux of Grubb's argument revolves around the potential sale of the video game developer, and the safety of avoiding entangling their current development slate with unaffiliated licenses, such as the DC Comics characters of the Injustice franchise. His comments can be heard in the embedded video below, with more details to follow.

Warner Brothers secured outright ownership of Mortal Kombat from the sale of Midway Games in 2009, adding its related licenses and trademarks to a stable of multimedia intellectual properties that includes the afforementioned DC Comics characters.

The rumor implies any sale of NetherRealm Studios could be sweetened with a package deal inclusion of the MK franchise itself, and a prospective sequel ready to be published. A July press release touted the success -- and value -- of Mortal Kombat 11, which sold a reported 12 million units, making it one of the most successful installments in the series' three decade history, just behind Mortal Kombat X.

A potential sale of WB Games and related assets was first reported in June 2020, but was taken off the table a few months later. To date, only WB Games mobile developer Playdemic has been offloaded, sold to Electronic Arts in June for $1.4 billion dollars. Last month WB spokesperson Remi Sklar reportedly told website, TheGamer, "I can confirm NetherRealm Studios and TT Games will continue to remain a part of Warner Bros. Games, and all are included in the Warner Media Discovery merger."

While the cogs of the corporate machine creaked and groaned overhead, business has otherwise continued. NetherRealm has been hiring to fill key technical positions, and returned to the motion capture studio in January, resuming work on "the next show" in the midst of a global pandemic. The developer further confirmed it would be focusing on their next project while announcing an end to downloadable content for Mortal Kombat 11.

[Related Article: Editorial: What's Next for Injustice: Gods Among Us?]

Even if the rumors prove true, Injustice fans needn't be despondent just yet. The franchise is set to receive its first animated adaptation, becoming the third direct-to-video animated feature based on a NetherRealm Studios fighting game after this month's new release Mortal Kombat: Battle of the Realms!

What do you think is next in video games? Vote in the MK Online User Poll and share your thoughts about the rumors in the comments below. Join the speculation in the Future Mortal Kombat forum!

Because of the unique circumstances of this year's Evo World Championship there were actually three champions to take the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate crown! The title was spread across three different regions as top players around the world went online to battle it out for glory and gold!

The global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic forced Evo online this year, spreading the championship and latency between North America, Europe, and Latin America. Unique circumstances that theoretically evened the playing field by giving every competitor a homeground advantage!

Mortal Kombat Online was an official co-stream of the North American finals and you watched along with us as Ninjakilla212 took top honors! He joined European Champ Disarted and Latin America's Konqueror249 at the top of the Evo 2021 pile! Read on for the final Top 16 rankings from each region:

North American Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Final Standings:

European Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Final Standings:

Latin America Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Final Standings:

This year's tournament was a first for new owners Sony PlayStation, who acquired the organization after controversy struck Evo last year and forced the cancellation of Evo Online 2020. Evo has announced that the tournament will return to Las Vegas next year on August 5-7, 2022!

What'd you think of this year's tournament? Watch the North American finals archive while you can and share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Will Evo's return to Vegas be a triumph for MK? Find and discuss more competition in the Strategy & Gameplay forum and join the speculation about the future in the Mortal Kombat Future forum!