Mortal Kombat: 30 Absolute Best Easter Eggs You Need To See

17. Shang Tsung's Clown Fatality Was A Middle Finger To DC Comics (MKVSDC / MK9)

mortal kombat
NetherRealm Studios

When Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe was announced, gamers and comic fans lost their collective minds. Scorpion vs Batman? Sub-Zero vs Superman? Liu Kang vs the Joker? It sounds too good to be true! Sadly, it was.

DC Comics couldn’t show Sub-Zero pulling out Wonder Woman’s spine or Kung Lao decapitating the Flash. As a result, none of the DC heroes perform Fatalities. Instead, they perform Heroic Brutalities, which immobilise their opponent. Sadly, all the MK characters had their Fatalities drastically toned down.

For the Joker’s Fatality, the mad clown shoots his opponent in the head. But in the North American release, the camera cuts away before the victim is shot. Since Mortal Kombat has built its legacy on not censoring its violence, the fans felt like this entry betrayed the series.

Because of this, the company decided to mock DC Comics for censoring their work. In the next MK game, Shang Tsung can perform a Fatality where he transforms into a clown with the exact same animations as the Joker from the previous game.

He commits the same Fatality as the Joker, except this time, it is shown in all its bloody uncensored glory.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows