Spawn, the final DLC fighter in Mortal Kombat 11's Kombat Pack 1, is set to make his first appearance in a gameplay trailer debuting on March 8 at Final Kombat 2020, the game's official e-sports tournament. Spawn will mark the third guest fighter making an appearance in Mortal Kombat 11 following the additions of The Joker and The Terminator over the past year. While little is known yet about what Spawn will bring to the table as a combatant, his long-standing legacy in comics and films provides much to speculate on regarding what will be revealed in his premiere trailer.
People have been clamoring for Spawn to make a cameo in Mortal Kombat for a long time, and a look at his bio shows why. Created by Image Comics in 1992, Spawn is the alter ego of former U.S. soldier and assassin Al Simmons. After being slain during a mission, Simmons was sent to Hell, where he struck a deal with the devil Malebolgia to return him to Earth so that he could see his wife one last time in exchange for serving as the demon's personal soldier. Simmons was reincarnated on Earth as a Hellspawn, whereupon he quickly realized that Malebolgia had tricked him, reviving him five years later and leaving his face horribly burned as it had been at the time of his death. Learning that his loved ones had moved on, Spawn instead devoted himself to staying on Earth and fighting evil wherever he found it, including his former master.
It's unknown how or why Spawn ends up in the universe of Mortal Kombat, but it's safe to assume he's either been stranded by Malebolgia's powers or journeyed there himself to deal with the less reputable members of the MK 11 roster and perhaps overthrow Kronika as ruler of time while he's at it. Whether he's trying to get home or looking to control time for his own gain, either would explain why he'd be gunning for the game's final boss.
While Spawn obviously has no history with any of the Mortal Kombat characters, fans can expect his gameplay trailer to highlight some of his similarities with certain fighters. Like series mainstays Scorpion and Noob Saibot, Spawn is a fallen warrior brought back from the realm of the dead with demonic powers to serve as an assassin for the ruler of Hell. In addition, MK11's story sees many of its warriors as similarly corrupted revenants, notably the present-day versions of Liu Kang and Kitana, who rule over the Netherrealm. While it's unlikely this common ground will prevent Spawn and his new acquaintances from trying to kill each other, it would be a huge missed opportunity for the trailer to not at least acknowledge it.
It may come as a surprise to some that Spawn does have a tangential personal connection to one of the Mortal Kombat 11 fighters. Despite being from separate publishers, Spawn and Batman have fought together in the past as part of the one-off crossover comic Spawn/Batman. While Spawn never met the Joker personally during his brief team-up with the Dark Knight, it would be remiss if Batman hadn't warned Spawn of his greatest foe. A brief acknowledgement between Joker and Spawn about their mutual "friend" before beating the tar out of each other would be an excellent way to start the trailer.
When it comes to combat, fans can expect to see Spawn holding his own against the hand-to-hand skills of the other competitors in MK11. Heavily trained in martial arts in life, he's is a force to be reckoned with even without his powers, and it even seems like Spawn will be bringing a sword as well to help do his dirty work. While he prefers to avoid tapping into his demonic abilities whenever he can, Spawn has several supernatural contingencies in the form of necroplasmic blasts, teleportation, and even shapeshifting.
In addition to that, Spawn's "suit" is actually a living parasitic organism that he can utilize at will during battle, using his cape to ensnare his foes or sending his chains out to lash at his enemies. Given the size of his arsenal, players can surely get their hopes up that most, if not all, of these abilities will be showcased in the gameplay trailer.
Finally, it wouldn't be a Mortal Kombat 11 trailer without a look at one of Spawn's gruesome fatalities. It's anyone's guess as to what that could be, but Spawn has been known to not hold back when it comes to brutality. Despite being a force for good, Spawn has mutilated, decapitated, and otherwise pulverized evildoers in countless ways, so any players hoping for a heaping helping of gore can rest assured: Spawn knows how to get creative.
Mortal Kombat 11 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.