I think that by now there are certain characters that they simply won't take out of any of the games:

Scorpion (a new role and he's Ed Boon's favorite)

Sub-Zero (He's been in every MK in some form or another)


I also think that there are characters that the fans want back enough to the point that the MK team will listen and include them:

Sektor (Most fans expected to see him in MK:D)

Sareena (A rather large cult following among MK fans)

Shao Khan (Fans always seem to want to play as the boss)


Then there are the characters that simply make the most sense to include:

Rayden (Always a large part of the story plus he has a new twist)

Kung Lao (MK needs a champion, he sat out for one game, and I doubt we'll see Liu Kang in MK7)


There are also the characters that went over well in MK:D

Ermac (A great new look and good moves, he was received well)

Noob (Very interesting character with arguably the best ending of all)

Smoke (Fans love him and want to see him stand alone again)


Also, there are characters from MK:D that the MK team won't abandon yet:

Hotaru (One of the first new characters revealed in MK:D, he had his own storyline that I doubt they'd just close)

Ashrah (The other first new character revealed in MK:D, I have a feeling that the MK team liked her)

Kira (I think the MK team will want to take another crack at her before letting her go)


And a few last guesses to go completely out on a limb here:

Fujin (I think they'll bring him back as a foil for Rayden)

Kai (I think that the MK team will want to try and take another crack at him)


But this is obviously all speculation. I don't expect to see all of these characters. I just think that they make the most sense to include. I can also tell you who I don't expect to see:

Liu Kang (fans simply want him to stay dead)

Jade (She always seems like a one time deal. Not enough story to justify keeping her around)

Nightwolf (I think the MK team brought him back for MK:D to appease the classic fans)

Sindel (I think her deal is the same as Nightwolf's)

Cyrax (I think the MK team will stick with one cyber ninja, and I think it'll be Ketchup)

There are some other obvious ones (Sheeva, Motaro, Mokap, etc) but I'm not going to go through every game here.

Good thread man!

I originally posted this in a similar thread. But here's my thoughts on each MK character's chances of a comeback, for both the next game and the long term of MK. I don't claim to know the answers, but I am going on fan popularity, importance to the plot, and in certain cases, the MK teams comments on fighters. I am not going to simply do the list in order of my favourites. So, much as I want Stryker back, it's hard to see him making it .

I'm going to assume that Mokap, Meat, Chameleon (male in PS), and the MKT "classic" Sub Zero (who is not the MK1 Sub Zero/Noob) do not count, as they were non canon extras.

Certain.

Scorpion- Most popular character, and Boon's favourite.
Sub Zero- Most popular along with Scorpion, plus he's had a lot of build up over recent games.
Raiden- Another MK icon. And the Dark Raiden plot has a lot of potential.

Very Likely.

Liu Kang- Sadly. It looks like turkey boy's here to stay again.
Sonya- Boon confirmed she'd be back for more, and is an MK veteran.
Johnny Cage- Love him or hate him, he's an MK veteran who lightens the dark mood.
Kitana- Too important and well loved to not come back for more. Quite literally MK royalty.
Kung Lao- Another veteran hero, and one of the most popular characters.
Reptile- He's made his mark somehow in every part of MK's storyline, and evolved a lot.
Noob- Come on, we've just found out who he really is. There's no way he isn't gonna return.
Quan Chi- Has now been built up to become one of MK's main villains, and it doesn't look like he's done yet.
Goro- He's a recognisable MK trademark, and the only sub boss to really come back for more.
Shao Kahn- Arguably MK's best villain. Even after "killing" him in MKDA, they hinted he'd return.
Ermac- MK's most improved character, and had a lot of build up in MKD.

Likely.

Ashrah- MKD's most popular newcomer. Will at least be in the next game.
Baraka- A fan favourite, but he's been more in and out than others.
Mileena- Like Baraka, a well liked character who comes and goes.
Jax- Boon seems to really like him, but many of us don't.
Kenshi- MKDA's most popular newcomer. May miss a game, but he'll be around for the long term.
Li Mei- Defied the odds and came back to MKD. She's got more popular, and still has potential.
Kano- In and out of MK quite a lot, I think this MK classic will return one day.
Mavado- Connected deeply to many characters, and Boon said that he liked him.
Jade- I think she's here to stay. Popular, and was chosen for the stupid "sexiest game babes" contest thingie.
Bo Rai Cho- Unfortunately, the MK team seem to find him funny. Damn!
Shang Tsung- An MK veteran and classic villain. But without morphs, he isn't the same.
Nitara- Reasonably popular, and MKDA hints that the sexy vampire ain't finished yet.
Havik- After Ashrah, another popular MK newbie, with more potential, imo.

Fifty Fifty.

Smoke- Popular with fans, but really needs to become his own character.
Sindel- I think it's more likely Kitana comes back and Sindel sits out.
Kabal- His MKD comeback was considered weak. But the Black Dragon are important again.
Shujinko- Boon said he'd be the new hero. But fan response has been negative.
Kira- Black Dragon have a big role, and she's fairly popular for a newbie. Needs original moves
Frost- I like her, but MK fans are divided on her. Would need different moves to Sub Zero.
Hotaru- Killed in two endings, but enough people seem to like him for a comeback chance.
Fujin- Imo boring, but enough people have been calling for his return.
Cyrax- Many found him disappointing in MKDA, but he's become a veteran.
Sektor- Was announced for MKD, and had storyline build up in MKTE.
Kai- Was going to make it for MKDA at one stage, we could see Kai again.
Sareena- Like Sektor, she got new developments in MKTE, and enough people want her.
Onaga- Bosses don't have great survival records. But Onaga could be more than a one game wonder.

Unlikely.

Rain- Has his fans, but others see him as a pallete swap too far.
Sheeva- Dead, and never too popular anyway.
Nightwolf- Came back against all odds, but I don't think he did enough to make him a keeper.
Tanya- Served little real purpose with her comeback, except as Jade's whipping girl.
Drahmin- I like him, but not many other people do. Sadly.
Blaze- I think he was just a one off "rumour come true" creation.
Motaro- Sub bosses generally don't come back, and he wasn't as popular as Goro.
Dairou- Kinda lost in the crowd. Easy to see him just slipping away.
Darrius- Didn't make much impact, although I like him. Another who''ll probably drift away.

Very Unlikely.

Stryker- One of my favourites, but most MK fans despise the riot cop.
Kintaro- I think Boon admitted that he doesn't like this guy.
Reiko- Unpopular within the MK team, and I don't think they'll risk any more controversy.
Jarek- Was just Kano Junior really. Will probably stay dead for good.
Shinnok- Most people saw him as a joke in MK4/MKG. Bye bye.
Hsu Hao- I like him, but everything about him screamed "cannon fodder".
Kobra- Another who has "dead meat" written all over him. Plus the fact he's basically Ken.
Moloch- Least popular sub boss, and they don't have great comeback records anyway.
Khameleon- Has a small scrap of storyline, but it's hard to tell if she's even canon.

Feel free to agree or disagree. If you think there's something I'm missing, tell me, but I'm not interested in stuff like "Jarek will come back! He has to! He ruled!". As I said, I'm not doing this on favourites.

Lets not forget other characters that are likely to cause a stir in the MK Universe. The question obviously lies in the matter of the

Deadly alliance:
Quan chi: Is he gonna be pissed he lost the amulet to the dragon king?
Shang tsung: Will he portray any new horrors as he has in MK1 and past mk games?

Another character that is contreversial is Sektor....will he have his new cyborg crew in Japan ready for battle in the next MK? We shall all find out when the next MK game hits stores ofcourse...

These are the characters I expect to be in the new MK game:

Rain
Jade
Sindel
Kitana
Sub-Zero(younger)
Sonya
Kenshi
Raiden
Nightwolf
Bo' Rai Cho
Liu Kang
Stryker
Johnny Cage
Jax
Cyrax
Kung Lao
Noob Saibot
Kabal
Sektor
Shao Kahn
Reptile
Shang Tsung
Quan Chi
Mileena
Kano
Baraka
Kintaro
Onaga
Smoke(human)
Scorpion
Ermac
Smoke(cyborg)
Sub-Zero(older)

Scorpion and Sub-Zero. For everyone else, who knows?

As long as Raiden, Kung Lao, and Noob Saibot are in im fine.

And subzero2 i beleive noob and older sub are one in the same, i dont think its been confirmed but i dont see why it wouldent be true.

I know i said i want all the cyborgs but i would also like to see ,noob saibot,return of reptile in his regular form smoke cyborg and human smoke either one it doesn't matter

oh yeah Noob Saibot and Smoke need to be as Single Characters

Baraka- The Tarkatans played a huge role in MKD. I want to see a fued evolve with him going against Shao Kahn and Goro.

Ermac- His ending leads into MK7, and he has now become an important character in MK, especially after his revamp. He's a must.

Reptile- I hope he's in MK7 but I wonder what his story would be. I'm thinking he'll probably side with Shao Kahn again, or maybe he'll try to seek Khameleon and plot to over throw the boss of MK7.

Scorpion- Story has gotten interesting. I wonder if he'll still work for the Elder Gods, but hopefully he still tries to put an end to Quan Chi.

Sub-Zero- Sub-Zero is one of the characters with so many possibilities. His story is one of the best IMO. I'm hoping to see that the Tekunin will pose a major threat to him in MK7. He also has to worry about his brother which makes me wonder if Smoke will be on his side to help him stop these threats. I also want to see Sareena get involved in his story.

Noob Saibot- I want to see his army of cybernetic demons rise. Perhaps he could form an alliance with Sektor to destroy Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei. Hopefully Ashrah is still after him, I thought that was pretty interesting.

Smoke- Non-cyborg nor human. I want him to look like a soul, but instead of being green he's grey. Along with his soul look, he would have smoke floating around him making him look alot better. I hope to see him fight along side with Sub-Zero in MK7.

Rain- Revamped with a samurai/knight look. I want him to be the general of edenias army, fighting along side with Kitana and Sindel. Shao Kahn should be his main reason to return.......revenge.

Kung Lao- An important hero who must be in MK7 no matter what! Kung Lao is a must.

Raiden- I like both Dark Raiden and normal Raiden. IMO it would be sweet if there was both a Dark and normal Raiden. Perhaps Raiden could feel the negative energy of darkness transforming him into the "Dark Raiden" who has no tolerence and just wants to cause chaos and destruction for the sake of being a god. Raiden would fight off the negative energy and unleash it from himself, and that negative energy would become Dark Raiden. I would want them to be different though. While normal Raiden uses and has blue eletricity around him, Dark Raiden would have purple. Dark Raiden would also have pink eyes and his face would be more sinister looking (he could have a mouth like a skeleton, or maybe something similar to Yoshimitsu). Normal Raiden has blue on his outfit, Dark Raiden would have black or dark purple. His hat would be black and would be tilted a bit more down his face to cover it up a bit, making him more mysterious. Dark Raiden could be a huge deception to the good characters in MK7, and normal Raiden would have to try and stop him. This is just a story idea, but one of the Raidens must return in MK7.

Fujin- Being the protector of Earth, I would expect him to assist the Earth warriors in fighting off any threats that threatened there realm. I hope Fujin will help Raiden to stop evil, but if Raiden does end up having a dark clone and Fujin doesn't know about it, there would be a problem and Fujin would get decieved.

Shang Tsung- Another great character. If he returns in MK7, I want to see him as an old man again. Maybe Raidens blast was so powerful that it unleashed all the souls in him, thus turning him old again. He would have to struggle, and somehow find a way to return his youth.

Quan Chi- A favourite villian of mine. I'm probably thinking he'll go to Baraka for help and protection against the Oni's, Scorpion, and Shao Kahn. Like Shang Tsung, I also see him being someone who will struggle for power in MK7.

Havik- Despite his moveset and fighting styles being horrible in MKD, IMO Havik is one of the new characters that has an awesome look and alot of potential for a better story. I hope to see him in MK7, being the type of character that uses trickery and brains over brauns to get what he wants.

Kabal- If Mavado is dead, I want Kabal to either go after another Red Dragon member, or be on the run from Sonya and Jax since he's a criminal. IMO it would be cool if Kano somehow miraculously survived his encounter with Mavado, and wants to reform the Black Dragon again with him being the leader, only to find out that Kabal is now incharge of it. This would be a fight to the death between Kabal and Kano, and the winner would lead the Black Dragon.

Drahmin- If he's in MK7 i'm thinking he'll still want to kill Quan Chi. I do think he has other possibilities for a great story though. Perhaps he can return to the Netherealm with plans to rule it with Moloch, only to find out Noob Saibot created an army of cybernetic demons with the same intentions. This would be the next war in the netherealm........Noob Saibot and his cybernetic demons VS Drahmin and his race of Oni's. This is just an idea i thought of before.

Blaze- His story and origins is still unknown. I want to find out what his quest is about. Hopefully he's in MK7 so we know.

Sektor- Another MUST in MK7. With his Tekunin clan now ready for destruction, I hope to see him unleash a full out attack on Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei. Noob Saibot might side with him too for the same reason. I want the fued between Sektor and Sub-Zero to evolve, I've waited for this a long time ago.

Goro- Sent by Shao Kahn, he, alongside with his father King Gorbak, Gather up there shokan army in preperation for war with the Tarkatans. Baraka, knowing that the Shokans have a rivalry with the Centaurs, forms an alliance with the Centaurs to help put an end to the Shokans race once in for all. IMO this would be a good demise for either King Gorbak or Goro.

Shao Kahn- Hell-bent on destroying Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, as well as putting an end to his arch-nemesis Onaga whom has an army of Tarkatans on his side. With Goro and the Shokans allegiance, Shao Kahn prepares for war against his long-time adversary and Baraka. This would only happen if Onaga is the boss in MK7 though.

Kitana- Knowing that Shao Kahn is still alive, she gathers her edenian army to finally put an end to his evil. With the help of Rain as the edenian general, she gets ready for war, knowing that it won't be easy since Shao Kahn has the help of Goro and the Shokans.

Sindel- I see her assisting Kitana in destroying Shao Kahn/Onaga.

Jade- Same as Sindel. And please.........Kill TANYA. I pray that her ending is canon.

Ashrah- Still on the loose to terminate Noob Saibot. I think Ashrah was one of the best new characters, I hope she makes it in MK7.

Sareena- Once in love with Noob Saibot, she gets brain-washed by him, telling her to join his side and kill the younger Sub-Zero. Noob Saibot also offers her Power and eternal life if she joins him. For Noob Saibot, she could take care of Ashrah while Noob takes care of Sub-Zero. She's someone Sub-Zero needs to look out for.

Nitara- I want to see her or another vampire in MK7. The vampire race seems like a race that would pose a threat to earth realm. Perhaps she has plans of dominating Earth, but before she could do that she must kill Shao Kahn whom trapped her race, and has the same intentions of conquering earth.

Mileena- She's also a must IMO. I hope either her or Jade kills Tanya in MK7. I'm thinking she'll still be after Kitana, wanting to conquer her realm. Maybe she'll get help from Tanya and use her, then at the end dispose of her. Mileena is one of those evil characters that are smart and tricky, especially after fooling Bo Rai Cho and edenias people in MKD. I'm thinking there will be some more deception like that in MK7.

Khameleon- She has potential, and actually had a story. If she's in MK7, I want her to find Reptile and talk him into destroying Shao Kahn, after what he did to there race.


The One Being- If Onaga is dead and he's the boss of MK7, I want to see him in the form of a human, kind of like how Raiden looks like a human but is a god.


My ideas and such.

DID everyone forget about Lui Kang he is a good fighter. I think well I know he is going to be on because he played a big role in mksm plus he been there since it started. HE is a must.

You must really be bored, aren't you? Jerrod

The Super Seven

Noob Saibot "Original Subzero"
Scorpion
Light Raiden
Liu Kang
Sonya
Kano
Johnny Cage

ADDED

Subzero

Stryker. I hate the guy, but something tells me he's comming back.

I expect: Nitara, Frost, Sareena, Havik, etc. To return in MK7.

I don't want: Li Mei, Bo'Rai Cho, Shujinko, and some others to return.