Original ‘Mortal Kombat’ Game Almost Didn’t Include Fatalities

Mortal Kombat remains one of the most popular fighting game franchises of all time. This is largely due to the great cast of characters and gratuitous violence.

When Mortal Kombat first hit arcades in 1992, it was both beloved and hated for its violence, which was considered brutal at the time. Fatalities were one of the main reasons for that notoriety and it became a staple of the series as well.

According to series creator Ed Boon, the original series almost didn’t have fatalities. During a chat with YouTuber Brian Tong, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon revealed that fatalities weren’t always part of the project. In fact, Shang Tsung, the final boss, was the only one who could perform a fatality.

According to Boon, half the team said “we can’t do that” after seeing Johnny Cage’s fatality for the first time. The other half of the team was excited by the idea, and in the end, they all decided to create fatalities for every character.

We are certainly glad they ultimately decided to stick with Fatalities as the franchise wouldn’t have been the same.