A new image shared online shows all five cast members of the original Mortal Kombat together again and recreating their characters’ iconic victory poses. The original Mortal Kombat influenced decades of fighting games that followed in its footsteps, so seeing the cast reunited is sure to give many fans of the fighting game franchise a thrill.
Released for arcades in 1992 by developer and publisher Midway, Mortal Kombat was the first entry in the fighting game franchise that continues to be a heavy hitter in the gaming industry to this day. Following a team of fighters who enter a tournament held by the wizard Shang Tsung to determine the fate of Earthrealm, Mortal Kombat quickly became beloved by many gamers and reviled by politicians and media figures due to its graphic content. Featuring digitized characters made from footage of real actors, the game’s realistic visual style combined with its over the top violence set it apart from rival fighting game Street Fighter which featured more cartoonish visuals.
In the picture shared to /gaming by Reddit user Far_Barnacle_4581, all five cast members of the original Mortal Kombat recreate their victory poses in a photo taken at Level Up ICT Con. The celebrity convention held in Kansas in early October featured the cast of the classic fighting game as guests, along with cast members from many of the Mortal Kombat sequels. Thanks to some clever photo editing martial artist Daniel Pesina appears in three of his many roles from the 1992 arcade classic, stepping back into the shoes of the egotistical actor Johnny Cage and the menacing masked warriors Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
Following the release of the original Mortal Kombat many of the performers from the game went on to work on other games or feature films, while others preferred to remain focused on their original careers after their brief foray into gaming. Ho Sung Pak, who played Liu Kang in the first two Mortal Kombat games and Shang Tsung in the first title, later appeared in films including Legend of the Drunken Master with Jackie Chan. Some cast members actually had no background in martial arts before appearing in the game, including Elizabeth Malecki who took a break from her job teaching aerobics to lend some acrobatic flair to special forces fighter Sonya Blade.
In the three decades since its release Mortal Kombat has gone from being the target of parental and political outrage to taking its rightful place as one of the premier fighting titles of all time. While the franchise has seen its ups and downs over the years, gamers can’t seem to get enough of its iconic characters. While fans wait to hear confirmation that the rumored Mortal Kombat 12 is in development, this nostalgic picture can help fans of the franchise think back to when it all began.