Mortal Kombat is celebrating its 30-year anniversary today, October 8, 2022. For a series known for its gruesome fatalities, we take a look back at the ten best and worst ones in series history.
Everyone remembers that first time they saw it. The screen goes dim, the music sting hits, and something terrible and cool happens to one’s opponent. While Mortal Kombat would’ve been impressive in 1992 just from the sheer contrast of real actors fighting it out on screen compared to Street Fighter II’s colorful cartoons, the blood is what got really got people talking. The pints spilled during your average match were once thing, but that was nothing compared to the gallons at the end. The Fatality has always been Mortal Kombat’s calling card–the cherry on top, the chaser. It’s the brutal, bloody release that has added insult to injury to many a match for 30 years, and it’s a trip to remember the days when Johnny Cage casually punching a head off a body or Kano ripping out a heart were the the stuff of nightmares, while seeing people disemboweled, ripped to shreds, and melted into puddles of viscous goo are some of the most milquetoast finishers available to players in the 21st century.
As one might expect, it is certainly not easy to come up with new ways to shock players moving in for the big fat kill for 30 years, but it’s certainly possible. It’s also very possible, especially now that we seemingly have seen everything, to fail. Let’s face it: they haven’t all been flawless victories. And so, choose your destiny, dear reader, as we take you through the portal of time to look at the 10 best and 10 worst Fatalities from 30 years of Mortal Kombat.
