Unsurprisingly Terminator is yet again in the spotlight with a new movie titled ‘Dark Fate’ set to release in the coming months. Marketing for the film has gone underway, even going so far to spew into gaming with recent cross-over announcements for Gears 5 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint. And although Mortal Kombat 11 Terminator DLC isn’t 100 percent confirmed, Ed Boon has been teasing or perhaps trolling his fan base ever since it was leaked for Mortal Kombat 11 from the Nintendo Switch’s game files. With Terminator’s long history of films, many new iterations have come after the classic T-800 model, whom of which is portrayed by Hollywood’s most famous action movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He makes the obviously choice, but is he the right one?
With over three decades of material to pull from, the Terminator franchise is definitely not in a short supply of unique machines that Netherrealm Studios can select from. With five films currently released, a sixth coming this year, and several comics and video games, we decided to round up a short list of the top picks we think could fit in the Mortal Kombat universe. For this list we will mostly focus solely around the ones seen in the films, though we will make some memorable mentions to others that many may not even know exist.
You Can’t Go Wrong With the Classic
While other Terminators have shared the spotlight with Arnold, his portrayal of the classic T-800 is the most known out of any today. Simply put it, you can’t have a Terminator film without some form of a involvement or cameo from Arnie’s T-800. It’s become a staple of the series, no matter how badly the movies have gotten in recent years. At the start of the franchise Arnold was originally planned to play as John Connor’s father, Kyle Reece. His role was however changed when he approached James Cameron with ideas of how the Terminator should move and act. It was then decided that there could only be one person who could play the role, and that was Arnold Schwarzenegger. When Terminator released back in the ’80s, Arnold’s portrayal was an instant hit, giving us a ruthless, emotionless, unstoppable killing machine living up to its Terminator name. It struck true horror in the eyes of viewers and drew out a dark and bleak future for mankind.
Fast-forward to Terminator 2, and we have the same ruthless killing machine, the T-800 back as a main character, only this time we are rooting for it rather than against it. While Terminator 1 was a masterpiece of its own, Terminator 2 is in a whole other ballpark. It took everything we thought we knew about the killing machine from the first and turned it into a hero that we could all relate with, which is why it’s the obvious choice. Whenever anyone thinks about Terminator they can’t help but picture Arnold’s portrayal of the machine despite there being several other Terminators out there from the films, to the TV shows, and even the expanded universe from the comics. Without Arnold, there arguably would be no Terminator due to his crucial input to James Cameron on how the robotic cyber-organism should behave.
How Would He Play In Mortal Kombat 11?
The T-800 would most likely be based on the play-style of heavier characters, such as Cyrax and/or Sektor. While these two characters currently aren’t playable in Mortal Kombat 11 they are at the very least NPCs that the player can fight. The T-800 isn’t known to be remarkably fast as it was never designed for speed, but as your standard mass produced combat/infiltrator unit. The mod , and all to follow it afterwards are highly efficient killing machines programmed with knowledge to use every known weaponry known to man, though it should be noted that the models that are used by Skynet as ground units during it’s war on the resistance do come packed with a Plasma Rifle.
We expect it to be based solely on brute force, with basic combos. An ability it could potentially have is some form of vulnerability to attacks, since we’ve seen them take large amount of damage in the movie without flinching. We expect to see some range moves performed by using whatever gun they decide to put in.
Fatalities
A cool and more so Easter egg nod we expect to see is the classic Terminator HUD to appear. We’ll leave the killing of the opponent to your imagination, but it would be done from a first-person perspective of the Terminator with the classic red HUD.
Another Fatality that we could potentially like to see is some form of time-travel. Now the Terminator could take the other player into the future where they get annihilated by a swarm of T-800s, but I think the more logical one would be a cut-scene showing Skynet sending another Terminator before the match even begins, having both Terminators rip the player character apart. It’s a perfect fit that matches the time traveling theme the Terminator movies of going back in time to eliminate a threat.
T-Infinity
This one I’m not suggesting in anyway to actually be a full-on playable character. No, instead I purpose this be an exclusive skin that you fight during the Terminator Tower Story. For those who don’t know what the T-infinity is (and we don’t blame you) the T-Infinity made its debut in the comic book, Terminator 2: Infinity, which took place after the events of Terminator 3 despite what the title may suggest. Essentially the best way to put it is it’s a time cop built by Skynet to ensure the timeline doesn’t get unbalanced, which does happen during the comic. There’s only one known model of this Terminator and it doesn’t appear in any of the films, though the concept is somewhat used during Genisys.
By far this is probably the most overpowered and unfair Terminator in the entire franchise since it has the ability to freely move through time and even shift objects through it. My only suggestion here is to make it as a skin for Kronika despite her not being a playable character. It would be a great nod to the comics its based on considering that a version of the T-800 battles it in the future and it makes even more sense to see it as a skin for Kronika since she is the Keeper of Time. A very fitting match if you ask me and gives NetherRealm the opportunity to tell a different story during the classic Tower mode.
T-X Series
This version of the Terminator takes the T-1000 and merges it with the T-900 endoskeleton design. It made its debut in Terminator 3 and in nearly every way is far deadlier than the previous models, although it should be noted that its morphing abilities are limited. Like the T-1000 (Terminator 2,) the T-X can morph into any human by a simple touch, however it lacks the ability to shape-shift into other objects such as a flat floor surface. The liquid metal however is only used for the purpose of infiltration and some healing factor, though its endoskeleton can be prone to damage.
A big difference is that this is the first T unit to feature on-board weaponry located in the arms. These weapons range from flamethrowers, lasers, plasma gun and many more making it a major threat to not only humans, but to rogue Terminators. The T-X also marks the first Terminator we see on screen that’s a female, although the T-1000 does morph into one a few times. As much as I disliked T3 and everything else after it, the T-X model would be a perfect fit for Mortal Kombat 11 due to the wide variety of weaponry it can produce and the sheer speed and flexibility it has. Though I’ll say its still not my top pick, but is definitely worthy of being in the top three.
Due to it’s on-board weaponry we expect this version of the Terminator to be more so of a range fighter and even possibly have access to remote drones as seen towards the end of Terminator 3. Can’t really think what kind of fatalities it’ll have, though we bet they’ll most likely revolve around all the weapons it has access to.
T-3000
Terminator Genisys left a pretty nasty black eye for the Terminator series. I won’t go into a lengthy discussion about everything wrong with it, but I will at least include the T-3000 Terminator model for the sake of options. The T-3000 is essentially a human transformed by the T-5000 (Skynet) Terminator. We didn’t list the T-5000 model mostly because little is known about it other than its embodies Skynet conscious that for whatever reason looks like a human and is able to infect its victims with a form of machine-matter that alters DNA, changing them into billions of nanobots. John Connor is the only known subject to survive the process of being converted into a Terminator. This model is by far superior in physical strength than any of its predecessor and shares a lot of abilities to that of the T-1000. Its able to phase through objects and heal at an astonishing rate, although isn’t capable of splitting itself apart. It also can shape-shift into different people when it needs to.
While previous Terminators combat abilities have never been much an issue, the difference here is that because at one point this machine was a human it still retains the experiences and memories of John Connor, giving it decades of unique training in hand-to-hand combat. It’s definitely a worthy opponent to make it into Mortal Kombat 11, but it certainly isn’t one that many would want due to its ties to the Genisys movie.
The Rev-9
It’s only fitting to include this on the list since it would tie it directly to the newer movie. Little is known about the Rev-9 as of writing this though we do know from the trailer that it has the ability to make a replica of itself, though it isn’t explicitly stated how. I can only theorize that the Rev 9 is actually two Terminators formed to make one. The endoskeleton version is an offspring of the classic T-800, with the liquid form being that of the T-1000. One could say it’s very similar to the T-X model, although as stated the liquid skin is capable of splitting off from the main body, allowing it to be independent from the metallic endoskeleton. I can only assume it has the same shape shifting capability that the T-1000 has.
One thing I especially like about the Rev-9 skeleton design is that it maintains that classic look, while at the same time upgrading it. The skull retains the shape of an actual human skull giving it a terrifying look that many could fear, and its body is more slim than the classic Terminator. Just from seeing it in action in the trailer, I honestly wouldn’t mind if this did end up being the DLC character. Sure fans may not resonate with it since its an entirely new model that isn’t played by Arnold, but at the very least it could offer a huge amount of gameplay opportunity since its two character put into one. It could somewhat play similar to Noob Saibot in terms of unique move-sets.
And Finally, The T-1000
We mentioned just a some of the Terminators that Skynet ended up creating and there are countless other ones out there, most that could easily be fitted for Mortal Kombat, but if there’s one for sure version of the Terminator that we would rather see over Arnold’s (we still love him) it would have to be the T-1000 that we keep mentioning.
The T-1000 is as popular as Arnold’s T-800 model although it doesn’t quiet share the same spotlight as the T-800 due to it only mostly being in one film (unless you count Genisys, which no one liked anyway.) It’s portrayed by legendary actor Robert Patrick and made its debut in Terminator 2. Unlike the previous and future models, the T-1000 is fully composed of liquid metal allowing it to almost take the shape and form of anything it touches. While the T-X model features liquid metal, it is only on the outside serving as the layer of skin whereas with the 1000 model doesn’t feature an endoskeleton. This allows it to squeeze through any opening and imitate any type of surface as seen in the movies.
Like any other Terminators, the T-1000 has full knowledge of every weapon created although its most common use of weapon is its own hands. The T-1000 has the ability to morph its body into sharp objects, mostly seen with the arms in the film. It’s also possible for it to break pieces of those sharp points and use them as projectile(seen in Genisys).
One thing I should point out is that this Terminator seems to be the most sinister of the bunch. Maybe it’s due to the facial expression (more so lack of) that Robert Patrick was able to convey, despite Terminators being emotionless, but there is without a question something horrifying when you stare at it. Let’s not forget that it also decided to kill John Connors foster mother and then immediately replace her and played the role up until the point John contacted them, in which case it decided to finish the job by killing the foster father. There are countless scenes throughout the film where the T-1000 is clearly toying around with its prey. Anything to get closer to it’s target.
The whole shape shifting abilities gives this possible DLC a wide variety of moves as the character could potentially transform into any fighter, similar to how Shang Tsung could (though selected). Mortal Kombat in general as a game series doesn’t have a whole lot of characters that can shape shift. I’m not saying there aren’t any, just not a lot and adding another one as just a guest character could be pretty cool. Although this would simply have to be for cosmetic reasons since the Terminator wouldn’t just magically get said character’s ability.
The character would most likely be extremely fast and agile with a lot of the main combos being centered around its razor sharp hand blades. We do expect some form of “teleportation” such as dissolving into its liquid state to move on the opposite side of its opponent. Fatalities can get pretty ridiculous with some of the above mentioned from the T-800 included, but with its ability to become a liquid or solid we expect the team at NetherRealm to get rather creative with that.
If Netherrealms does decide to go through with any of them I firmly believe it should be the T-1000, although the T-800 is clearly the obvious choice. Regardless there’s plenty of opportunity for the team here and could very well offer different versions via skin unlocks. It’ll be even more so interesting though if they can secure the rights to use any of the Terminators Human portrayals. Though we wouldn’t be to disappointed if they had to opted for just their standard, skinless versions.
The only major issue we foresee is that fatalities would need to be reworked, considering that the T-1000 is nothing but liquid metal it wouldn’t make sense if it had its heart ripped out or spine, since you know it doesn’t have one.
Bonus: New Stage
Mortal Kombat 11 could use a new stage, and what a perfect match it would be if they included the stage from final battle with Skynet from the Universal Studio attraction ride in Orlando Florida
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It’s hard to tell whats going on here, and we suggest you go watch the video but this stage just screams Mortal Kombat. With machinery moving on the left and right, they offer a good amount of environments that can be used for attacks. However, the coolest part of this stage is that large silver structure around that cone in the center of the image. That is, oddly enough, another Terminator known as the T-1000000. Yep you read right, and it’s sole purpose is to protect Skynet itself. It’s composed of the same liquid medal that the T-1000 has and takes the form of a spider like creature.
It seriously would be a major environmental hazard, and could even give us a brand new stage fatality.
Now that you have seen some of the available choices, are you still dead set on seeing Arnold’s version of the Terminator or perhaps one of the other ones we’ve detailed above?
