pretty much this.

For 3D characters, I really do think the possibilities are pretty limited.

MK4: Tanya, Fujin, Shinnok, Reiko, and maybe Kai have some traction, but I definitely don't think we'll be seeing all of them. Jarek has no chance.

MKDA: Kenshi seems like a lock to me. Bo Rai Cho also has some momentum. Li Mei isn't outside the realm of possibility, but I don't foresee it. I think Frost would be overly optimistic, and everyone else is hopeless.

MKD: Pretty much just Havik is the only one here who might show up. I think it's entirely possible, if not likely, that we'll see Shujinko in story mode, but I have no real expectation that he'll be playable. Same for Onaga. All the other characters that debuted in this game would be cameo at best.

MKA: Sareena is possible, but not likely. Taven and Daegon might certainly have a role in the story, but I'm not putting any money on it. Same with Blaze.

Indeed I did thanks! Fixed:

Shinnok is imprisoned, not dead, via the comics.



I don't think anyone's making the argument that they were popular. What I do think people are arguing for is their untapped potential. Fujin, especially with the bullshit way they've been handling Raiden, could take advantage of that and really shine. Reiko, given the Outworld Civil War as well as the Netherrealm War could come off looking like an absolute genius and one of the great masterminds of the MK universe, and Kai could finally get the hero spot he so rightly deserves now that Liu Kang and Kung Lao were (story-wise) temporarily bumped off during the Netherrealm War era. I think it's more along the lines of people just wanted NRS to bring out the potential we know is there so that they have another shot at becoming popular, as you so well brought up in your post. MK4 was too bland of a game in comparison to the other entries in the franchise to have any "stars" in the roster.



Kenshi, if I may talk in an unbiased fashion for a second, is popular because he had the telekinesis when Ermac wasn't around and his design was new, fresh and gave off that 'cool factor' that not every MK character gets. I have a feeling the same thing is going on with Erron Black at the moment. His look is new, fresh and gives off the 'cool factor' of something we've never seen in an MK game before. I completely get though how some people may not like Kenshi, to each his own.

I personally am attracted to characters that I think stand out (hence the love for Kenshi and the growing admiration towards Erron Black) so I was quite naturally also drawn to Nitara. Vampires in the MK lore was something I was really digging, thought fit well and wanted to see expanded upon. Unfortunately, I don't think thats ever going to be utilized and that sucks but she'll always be a favorite of mine from Deadly Alliance, same can be said of even Drahmin. The Oni Tormentor thing would've been interesting to explore, especially if he had been introduced one game prior with the Netherrealm War and all that jazz. Frost, on the other hand, I feel was a replacement for Tanya; someone we thought was going to be good but ended up becoming a traitor and only out for herself. If she got a re-do and a better (or more in-depth) characterization, I could potentially then get behind her but I understand the appeal to her character.

I can't believe the guy with the faceless Forrest Fox sig and profile picture is also the guy baffled and disheartened by a show of support for Havik...

Raiden warns Scorpion about a powerful demon from another realm (he didn't say Outworld. He didn't say The Netherealm. He said the deliberately vague, "Another Realm")

He went on to say, "Beware the one who walks in silence" which consequently was exactly Havik's M.O. in Deception. His exact words from MKD: "My kind worships entropy. We wander the realms sowing disorder." He pulled the strings of people like Darrius and Kabal from behind the scenes just to stir up chaos.

When the "Demon" (and they refer to it in quotes in the comic too) surfaces, he convinces Fox to cut his own face off, saying things in his head like "The flesh is a lie. The blood code is truth." (WHO do we know who has his face cut off and is real keen on freaky worship and cult-like behavior toward things that seem like madness to the rest of us?)

The demon then uses Fox to slaughter Scorpion's Clan and give Scorpion inaccurate visions of his past, for seemingly no other reason than to goad Scorpion into embracing his inner demon... (Which you'd think most characters would view as a bad thing).

The Demon knows the true power of the Kamidogu, which not even characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero seem to in this story. Granted, this doesn't point directly to Havik, but it does suggest a more tertiary character, who isn't one of the run-of-the-mill kombatants of Earth or Outworld, who likely aren't in the know about such things. I honestly don't remember if Havik was up on this kind of stuff in Deception, but I think he was.

The Demon also acknowledges that he's not Quan Chi, who would likely be the strongest candidate for a mysterious presence messing with Scorpion in most other circumstances.

That said... MOST of us are already of the opinion that the Demon is Havik.

Beyond that some think this suggests he'll have a story cameo, but not much else. Some think it suggest he'll be playable. I for one think he may turn out to be the final boss of the game. But none of us know for sure at this point.

But popular opinion is that faceless Fox was being possessed by Havik. He's at least the strongest candidate.

So I find it deeply confusing that you would support Faceless Fox, but diminish Havik.

I wonder if he gives out a clue like this, Burp guess who this character is.

Well, at least Hotaru will appear soon in MKX Comic, so I won't lost hope for the other 3 to get a bit of shine and respect

At the end of the day, my favourite character Ermac is in the game so that's it for me when it comes to who I desperately want in this game. At this point I simply just hype and speculate about some characters I would like to see. For example, I've never been a die-hard fan of Johnny and Sonya (there have been some games where I down right hate them) but I really want them in the game for multiple reasons, the most prominent being to see if Johnny's ending was cannon and for the two to interact with Cassie. In terms of MK4 characters, Fujin, Reiko and Kai personal favourites of mine for reasons I myself don't quite understand. In Fujin's case, he's simply a different version with powers that interest. That, combined with his name and appearance, have always interested me. Same thing with Reiko and Kai. These characters were downright terrible in both the games they've appeared in, but I feel that NRS and MKX can really make them great. However, I am certainly not holding my breath for ANY of these characters. Johnny and Sonya take priority of the others, yes, but their non-inclusion will neither upset me or affect my purchase of the game. Like I said earlier, Ermac, Sub-Zero, Reptile, Cassie, Kano, Ferra/Torr and Kotal ALL hype me up for this game, and with the news that the roster is probably going to be around 30, I am simply just waiting for April 14 and whatever DLC will come out after to get excited for characters that might not make it. But then again, no matter what ANYBODY says, ALL of these characters have an equal chance of being in the game, comic appearances or not.

TL;DR

I don't really care who's in the game but I'm looking forward to just seeing who is in when the game comes out.

The demoninside Forest Fox being Havik opposes everything Havik stands for... mainly controlling other people.


Havik would sooner kill himself rather than tell or force someone to do things.

How do you know? Source?

Havik should be really pleased with whats going on in Outworld at the moment. Things don't get much more chaotic than a Civil War. Especially one that doesn't have clear cut lines.

Havik is boss don't be hatin'


Hotaru is also pretty good. Never got the hate around him. At least I know that if Havik is in MKX Hotaru won't be far behind.

interesting.. hope you're right.

A) You're acting as if Havik isn't a fictional character. His means and motives are subject to whatever the writers choose they are, ultimately. And it certainly wouldn't be the first time a character in this or any other franchise did something that was arguably out of their established character (and I stress the word arguably) because it suited the new direction the overall story was going in.

B) That's BS anyway, because he clearly told Kabal a whole bunch of crap to do after saving his life, things Kabal's character before that point would arguably not do. Havik was evidently convincing enough to Kabal to sway him back to "evil" recruit him as a semi-devotee to chaos himself, and make him think reforming the Black Dragon (whom he hated) was now a good idea. I won't argue he forced him to do any of it, but he clearly didn't have any qualms giving Kabal a push toward chaos which Kabal would arguably never have otherwise had. Which is much the same push I'd argue the demon is trying to give Scorpion now.

ULTIMATELY...

Trying to apply any kind of "standard" to Havik's methods and motives is a fool's endeavor from the start because the ONE thing we know about him is that NOTHING is beyond him as long as the outcome results in more chaos. Which this absolutely does. We know he has no problem aligning himself with anyone or doing anything just to stir the pot a little more.

If something about Havik in this game doesn't line up with something about Havik in the last game, who's to say that's not just who Havik is?

And this Demon DIDN'T even flat out posses Fox, it just presented itself as an urging voice in he and Scorpion's heads, which I'd argue is completely in line with Havik's methods. Evidently Fox was far more susceptible, as he slaughtered a whole clan, wheras Scorpion saw through the ruse and snuffed it out.

But even if the demon did "control" Fox, to think that Havik wouldn't posses one guy, and urge him toward violence that could mean enraging a vengeance demon and sending him on a rampage across the realms is... ridiculous imo. I absolutely think he'd be fine with manipulating one unremarkable soul as a means of sowing discord amongst countless more (arguably more important ones). As long as the end is chaos, the means would always be justified to Havik.

All the comic book stuff, combined with the fact that civil war is one of the central plot points of MKX, combine with the fact that the Kamidogu are now seemingly daggers and seem to be a significant as-yet-unexplored plot point (to which this Demon is attached), combined with the fact that we've already seen invasions from Chaosrealm mentioned in the Challenge Towers (which suggests... there will be modeled art assets in-game from Chaosrealm), combined with the fact that Boon has already stated the big bad in this game is a "fun" returning character... are all the reasons I think Havik will ultimately be revealed as the master manipulator in this game. And his motive will be nothing more than wanting to cause a complete crapstorm. As is Havik.

Could I be wrong? Sure! There are loads of possibilities. But this is the one that makes my own spider-sense tingle. And I think the idea that it couldn't happen because it's supposedly out of character for Havik to be a master-manipulator is ridiculous. ALL he does is manipulate EVERYTHING TOWARD CHAOS.

It's right there in his Deception bio: "My kind worships entropy. We wander the realms sowing disorder." Thus endeth explanation of his motives.

To say Havik WOULDN'T do anything is to believe Havik has control over himself. Havik can and will ultimately do whatever Havik feels he could/should/would or must do.

Reiko for the fuckin win!

Someone speculated that Kung Jin IS Kai. I Love that idea.

Tremor seemed like a no-brainer from the initial announcement. Will not surprise me at all. Take my money!

I also think Tremor will be in.

Fan demand is known to have an effect on NRS, especially when it comes to the pallet swaps. When someone asked Boon if there would be a new ninja in the game he said, "Define 'new.'" I think that definitely implies that there will be a ninja new to the numbered entries, but not new to the series or its fans, and I can only think of one.

Is it Khrome?

































I'm only joking

Out of anyone that could come from mk4-mkda or whatever, Havik is my most wanted. Mother fuckin prime badass.

I feel like if they want to add more than one Black Dragon, which seems likely what with the factions in this game, Tremor may be the strongest choice for a change...

And I'm not even a huge Tremor fan or someone who's pushed to put him in in the past.

Basically I see it thusly... IF Kano needs a minion...

Jarek is useless and nobody likes him. Plus if you're someone who believes showing up in the comic with your MKA costume is as good as deconfirming him, he's already as good as out.

Kabal has already told Kano to screw off, and I think most of us would rather he didn't go villain again, as we disliked it in Deception.

Kira and Kobra don't necessarily have any ties to the clan in this canon, and while they could easily be recruited, I don't think anyone is clamoring for Kira and Kobra so much they'd need to be re-established.

That leaves the Special Forces characters. Now, I honestly don't know much about them as I've never played the game (I'd actually like to, just for the sake of it, but it's just never found its way to being a high priority) but...

Tasia is likely out on the same basis as Jarek, and if it's down to Tremor or No-Face, Tremor is obviously the one that seems to have the stronger fan support.

Add to that the fact that his vita challenge tower appearance seemed to be very well received by fans, and I'd say he has a shot. And if Kano gets a minion, again, I'd say he's even the smartest choice this time around. Ride that MK9 Vita popularity. Complete the Ninja set for everyone at long last.

IF they want more than one Black Dragon that is. If they don't, Kano could just as easily fly solo.

Faction Wars may or may not mean multiple members of each faction, I honestly don't know. That would also mean they'd have to add another Lin Kuei... and while we have several of those, none of them really feel like a good fit for this chapter if (as speculated) Bi-Han is the one in charge this time around. Though we're not even sure he is.

We shall see, I guess...

This thread combined two threads I was responding in heavily, and now I'm confused and my brain hurts, because my posts are long and ranty as it is... and now they're double-stacked in here...

It's hard to keep track of which conversations were from which thread now.

He was alive and imprisoned as in the comic's prologue, depicting what happened during the Netherrealm Wars, not what happened after, in MKX, that will probably be covered on the story mode, I still stand by my theory.

I would just like to point out that considering what we know, we know the storyline for MKX goes back and forth in time. We know for certain the comic takes place in the middle of the 25 years. The only facts we know about the two at the moment that are concrete is that Shinnok as of the comics is still imprisoned and Quan Chi is a thing of the past. Just because Quan Chi is playable in the game does not necessarily guarantee he's still involved in the plot by the time Cassie Cage and company are adults. It's possible and probably likely, but not 100% proven true, and even if he is still alive that doesn't mean he killed off Shinnok. With the Kamidogu being introduced and the amulet in play, there are many ways for Quan Chi to gain any extra power without having to kill off Shinnok. Plus, we don't even know if it's the REAL Shinnok that is imprisoned for that matter.....he DOES have a thing for clones after all...

Oh no, not more clones, anything but that.

You know Quan Chi's betrayal is just a matter of time, since he's smart, what better time to strike than when Shinnok is defeated and imprisoned? He doesn't need him anymore.

I really think...

The story will start with a basic retelling of MK4. A little different naturally, but the broad strokes still the same. And then... the meat and potatoes of the story is going to be about taking story aspects from the MKDA-MKA era, such as Chaosrealm and the Kamidogu and... Moloch's Severed Head >_> ... and remixing them into an all new tale.

Not a re-telling of any of those games by any means. But a way of tying up the loose ends they leave, while still moving things in an all new direction. A way of keeping the good things from the 3D era, while eliminating many of the regrettable aspects.

We've seen little hints, little bits and little bobs of it in the stuff we've seen thus far, and even a few of those cameos and deaths already. But I'd presume and guess they'd rightfully want to keep most of it hidden from us before the game is released.

I mean Deadly Alliance is easily removed from the new timeline, but the plots of Armageddon and Deception are things that began before MK1 even started... and they're stories that will need to be addressed. Where are Taven and Daegon? Is Taven still asleep? Did he wake up? Will he wake up? Where is Blaze? Where is Shujinko? Was Onaga awakened? If so who defeated him? If not, what became of his plot and his body? Why are the damn Kamidogu knives now? (I assume the answer lies in the same territory as many of the other questions) If these stories aren't being re-told, like MK4 (which is very likely) then they'll need to be re-routed in new directions.

This likely means death for the characters of that era they deem useless. Playable appearances for the cream of the crop. The rest cameos somewhere in-between (perhaps mentioned and fleshed out a bit for potential DLC). And that basically goes for all characters from MK4-MKA

All that said, if MK4 goes more or less the same as it did in the old canon, I presume quite heavily Quan Chi will live, and I also presume quite heavily he will have a large hand to play in the later events of the story. I mean that's just what he DOES. He's kind of arguably become the master villain of the series in a lot of ways... even if not always the final boss. His machinations always seem to be working a step above Shangs, Kahns or even Shinnoks. He always has a plan behind the plan. He manipulates the baddest of the bad guys. Onaga seemed to be the only one who didn't fall under his games, which is why I kind of respect Onaga as a villain. He really came in and laid his power down. No nonsense. He doesn't get enough credit, and I hope he doesn't just get written out in backstory and forgotten in the new canon. (Blaze, despite being a boss, wasn't really a villain).

But I do definitely think it's a given that Quan Chi will persist throughout the modern day plot, not just the MK4 one. His role is too significant not to. He's always at the core of the plot, even if he's not the Alpha bad guy. If nothing else, we know he's carrying Moloch's head around, and Moloch is a post MK4 character? lol...

Who IS the Alpha bad guy... is the real question.

Reiko's playing a pretty important role in the story right now, as long as he isn't killed off in the comics I don't see how he doesn't make the roster.