“It really is Iron Man armor”: Mortal Kombat May Be out of Ideas as the Resemblance to Early Robert Downey Jr MCU Is Crazy
NetherRealm Studios needs to get back to the drawing board in order to retain the originality that put Mortal Kombat on the map in the first place.
- Mortal Kombat 1 players were quick to notice an uncanny similarity between Sektor and one of Marvel's Avengers.
- With moves and a shot from her fatality that's an exact copy of Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man, many fans believe that NetherRealm is unable to come up with new ideas.
- The studio needs to pull up its socks in order to keep its players interested in its offerings.
Mortal Kombat 1 is currently proving to be both a blessing and a curse for NetherRealm Studios and Ed Boon. While its narrative revamp of the established universe it has built over many years has allowed for a fresh new take on many beloved characters, the game’s latest announcements and content have garnered only a lackluster response from long-term fans in a worrying state of affairs for the studio.
With its Khaos Reigns expansion adding characters new and old into the fray, Mortal Kombat 1 is set to add a fresh chapter to its narrative while bringing in familiar faces in new avatars that come with a lot of potential but are currently coming under fire for their similarities to characters from other popular media.
NetherRealm’s New Sektor Brings the Party to Mortal Kombat 1
A recent story and gameplay trailer for NetherRealm’s fresh new take on Sektor – a beloved character from Mortal Kombat’s early days – has not gone the way the studio would have hoped.
One of the Lin Kuei’s most formidable warriors equaled only by Cyrax, Sektor’s unique blend of martial prowess and explosive weaponry is on display in the trailer below.
While Sektor certainly looks like she can take the fight to the best of Mortal Kombat 1’s cast, many players have taken to channels like Reddit to discuss similarities she shares with one of Marvel’s best Avengers.
Is NetherRealm Running Low on Creativity?
Sektor’s red and gold-themed armor seems uncannily similar to Iron Man’s look in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the similarities don’t stop there, as many of her moves seem like they were taken straight from Robert Downey Jr’s playbook while her fatality showcases a shot that is a direct callback to his appearance in the films.
While one could be forgiven for thinking that Sektor’s new look and move set is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a beloved franchise on NetherRealm’s part, a look at the bigger picture showcases a worrying trend of derivative storytelling that points to a lack of innovation on the studio’s part – a sentiment that is showcased by the Reddit post below.
While Marvel’s cinematic representation of the Avengers has certainly been an inspiration to many, Mortal Kombat 1 players remain unimpressed by the lack of creativity that NetherRealm is currently demonstrating in its work alongside a host of other issues with its games.
Another player pointed out that NetherRealm is a studio that was founded by literal fanboys of pop culture and comic books, a detail that sheds further light on how Mortal Kombat titles are heavily inspired by other forms of entertainment.
Another player laments the new direction that NetherRealm is taking for the Mortal Kombat universe as a whole, believing that it deserves to retain its originality which was what made it special in the first place.
NetherRealm clearly needs to pull a few rabbits out of its creative hat in order to earn back the goodwill of its players and put Mortal Kombat 1 and its future projects back on the map.
