Despite problems early on with the leveling system and microtransactions, Mortal Kombat 11 has continued to find success since its release in May, being one of the best selling games of 2019. Following the release of T-800 Terminator last month and the upcoming release of Sindel, Mortal Kombat 11's first DLC Kombat Pack is well underway.
NetherRealm has a long history of introducing guest characters as DLC for their fighting games whether it's the Xenomorph from Alien in Mortal Kombat X, Kratos from God of War in MK9, or even Sub-Zero from the Mortal Kombat franchise in Injustice 2. The next major guest character for MK11 is none other than Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker. Here’s everything we know about MK11’s next big DLC fighter!
Who is the Joker?
The Joker is a DC comics villain best known for being the arch-nemesis of Batman and quickly rose to fame as a fan-favorite due to his chaotic nature and lack of an origin story. While there have been a number of variations of the Joker and multiple attempts at creating an origin story, including the new Joker film in theatres right now, no particular story is considered to be "canon."
The Joker is a crime lord in Gotham City that visually represents a clown with a purple suit, white makeup, green hair, and red lips extended into a large smile. While his overall appearance resembles the character well, NetherRealm has redesigned the Joker for Mortal Kombat 11 compared to his appearances in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and Injustice 2.
Joker has been famously portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989), Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and Mark Hamill in Batman: The Animated Series and the Batman: Arkham trilogy. Some of the character's most famous storylines include A Death in the Family where the Joker kills Jason Todd, the second Robin that would eventually become the Red Hood, The Killing Joke where the Joker paralyzes Barbara Gordon/Bat-Girl, the original origin story told in The Man Who Laughs, and perhaps Batman's most famous and influential storyline, The Dark Knight Returns. In other words, there's a lot of history to the character that many fans want to see get its due.
Gameplay and Known Moves
Based on previous DLC characters including Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, and Terminator T-800, fans can expect a full gameplay trailer to release within roughly two weeks of the Joker’s release date - meaning sometime toward the middle of January. Until then, none of the Joker’s MK11 Movesets, Fatalities, Brutalities, or Kombos are currently known, although Ed Boon has teased an intense Fatal Blow!
Having previously appeared in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Joker has two key fatalities called The Killing Joke and Card Trick. The Killing Joke had the Joker take out a gun and shoot confetti and a flag with the word "Bang" on it as a distraction, before pulling out a real gun and shooting the opponent in the head. For Card Trick, the Joker would take out four cards, throwing three at the opponent's body and the fourth at the opponent's head.
Release Date
Joker is the fifth character in the MK11 Kombat Pack 1 and will be released on January 28. To date, Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, Terminator T-800, and Sindel have all been released from Kombat Pack 1, with the final character, Spawn releasing on March 17. Kombat Pack 2 and its characters have yet to be officially revealed by Warner Bros. or NetherRealm.
Unfortunately, the beloved pop-culture villain from DC comics has received significant backlash from fans since being revealed in the Kombat Pack 1 trailer back in August. Specifically, the design of the new Joker, which has been described as “bad cosplay,” rather than the character's inclusion in the DLC. As far as guest characters go, the Joker makes a lot of sense. NetherRealm is also the developer of Injustice, the popular DC comics fighting games, giving the developer a long history with the character, and Mortal Kombat characters have already crossed over with Scorpion added as DLC for Injustice and Sub-Zero for Injustice 2.
The success or failure of NetherRealm’s new Joker in Mortal Kombat 11 will ultimately come down to gameplay and whether or not the character feels unique, rewarding, and like a faithful adaptation of the Joker. Mortal Kombat 11’s first Kombat Pack is available now for $39.99 and will give owners instant access to Joker when he releases on January 28.
Mortal Kombat 11 is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.