Rejected Mortal Kombat Character Designs

Ex-Midway artist Vincent Proce went back to the drawing board for a pitched, but ultimately rejected visual reboot of the developer’s venerable Mortal Kombat franchise, posting the results of that back-to-basics design plan on his personal blog.

Proce, who contributed to Midway’s final fighting game before being snapped up by Warner Bros, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, wrote that the re-imagining of the MK franchise proposed “mixing modern muti-player and dismemberment game design with the original fighting mechanic.” The artist’s take on four Mortal Kombat mainstays—Raiden, Kano, Scorpion and Sony Blade—are more dramatic, grittier and certainly a welcome change.

Proce describes his Scorpion as “a wraith wearing the yellow blood of the demon” that resurrected him and his Kano as “half Japanese half US military bad arse.” His Sonya, which will likely draw the most criticism, was redesigned as “the daughter of a Texas Ranger who’s sex appeal weakens her opponents while her Special Forces training kicks their asses.” Finally, his Raiden pitch portrays “a god [whose]feet rarely touch the ground.”

We’re not sure what direction the Mortal Kombat team is taking the series at its new home, but I’m personally hoping it’s more along these lines—a darker, more dramatic, less comic book-like tone with a pared down cast—than what we got with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. I enjoyed that game as much as the next guy, but I like my MK with a little less Wonder Woman.

Here are the never before seen Mortal Kombat characters… [Vincent Proce Art Blog via GameSetWatch/SRK Forums]