NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice: Gods Among Us was born out of the idea of the Joker dying a gruesome death. What better brand synergy than tossing him into the Mortal Kombat universe? We’ve known for a while that Joker would be part of the first Kombat Pack as the last of Mortal Kombat 11’s initial wave of DLC. He’ll be joining the likes of Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, the Terminator, Sindel, and eventually Spawn.
At The Game Awards, the Joker got his moment to shine in his very own Mortal Kombat 11 teaser trailer, facing down Cassie Cage in her Harley Quinn cosplay skin and boasting a tweaked design.
The new look is a bit of a relief. In the initial reveal trailer for the Kombat Pack, Joker appeared as…some guy dressed as Joker. He had the skin, hair, lips, and clothes, but looked way off otherwise. It appears Netherrealm has fixed his design since then.
Joker has a long history with Mortal Kombat. He first appeared in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe in 2008, where he was known for a Fatality that was a bit too violent for the game’s Teen rating and had to be cropped. In Mortal Kombat 9, Shang Tsung reused the same Fatality in its full glory while morphing into a sinister-but-different clown. Then, of course, there’s the Injustice series, where Joker has taken on guest characters Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden.
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Joker will be available on January 28.
Gavin Jasper writes for Den of Geek and honestly would rather have had Pennywise. Read more of Gavin’s articles here and follow him on Twitter @Gavin4L