Image: NetherRealm Studios
Reptile joins Mortal Kombat 1’s fighting roster as a shapeshifting lizard in a brand-new trailer.
NetherRealm Studios has revealed three returning characters for Mortal Kombat 1’s roster of fighters in a brand-new trailer. Reptile is the star of the show here, returning for the series reboot with a fresh redesign that allows him to embrace his early secret-character roots by being both a lizard and a ninja at the same time.
Watch the trailer below:
Reptile appeared in the very first Mortal Kombat (1992) as a secret character players could qualify to fight by fulfilling very specific conditions. The character has returned time upon time again in the franchise either as a story cameo or a playable fighter, and often in the form of a humanoid lizard or a ninja sporting green garb. Mortal Kombat 1 gives the character another redesign, but one that allows Reptile fans the best of both worlds.
In the upcoming series reboot, Reptile will appear as a shapeshifter who can transform from his original form as a lizard into a human ninja. During gameplay, Reptile will be able to shapeshift between both forms in between combos, presumably with either form having different abilities. It looks like he’ll side with Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Kenshi in the main campaign.
Reptile is joined by two more returning fighters: Ashrah and Havik, both of whom have not been playable in the franchise since 2006’s Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. In this game, Ashrah is a demon from the NetherRealm who has become an angelic force for good by purging all the evil from her soul. She runs afoul of Havik, a pain-loving anarchist from Chaosrealm who seeks to kill, “one realm to free another,” according to Ashrah. She fights with a sword, and he tears off his own arms to use them as weapons.
The sword seems a lot less painful to fight with, to be fair. The trailer also reveals Sareena as a new Kameo fighter who helps out Havik. Sareena also last appeared in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - an era of the franchise NetherRealm seems to be pulling from heavily for this reboot - but here she appears as a blazing red demon. Another roster reveal trailer for the game will likely arrive in two weeks, during Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 22.
Mortal Kombat 1 launches on September 19, 2023. Omni-Man, Peacemaker and Homelander have been announced as DLC fighters for the game.
