Highlights
- Mortal Kombat 1 is introducing a diverse range of characters, including ones that haven't been in the spotlight for a while, adding to the game's fan appeal.
- Many fighters in Mortal Kombat are considered "less important" and have undergone reboots to provide them with more depth and relevance in the game's universe.
- Darrius, a character with a limited presence in previous Mortal Kombat games, has been reintroduced as a Kameo Fighter due to his lack of distinct theme and moveset, making him a suitable fit in the game.
Mortal Kombat 1 draws ever closer to release, and with it, more and more characters are being revealed. Thanks to the roster split between playable and Kameo Fighters, the game is building up an impressive slew of faces for fans to take into battle. Among their number are quite a few combatants who haven't shared the spotlight for some time, including reinvented versions of characters introduced back in the 3D era of Mortal Kombat. In this way, Mortal Kombat 1 should provide plenty of fanservice without compromising its story with less important characters.
"Less important" describes an unfortunate number of Mortal Kombat fighters, necessitating a lot of the changes in Mortal Kombat 1's rebooted universe. A strong case is Baraka, who went from a villainous henchman to a sympathetic Tarkatan in Mortal Kombat 1. Li Mei is another, being a generic character from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance whose last role was as a minor NPC in Mortal Kombat X's story mode. Baraka had the benefit of being part of the classic 2D MK's rosters, but too many fighters don't have that luxury. For most 3D-era characters, the Kameo system will be their best chance to return in a semi-playable fashion, with Darrius being an early example.
Mortal Kombat Never Gave Darrius A Moment To Shine
The tale of Darius is brief and obscure, even to Mortal Kombat veterans. Having been introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception, Darrius' only other playable appearance was in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, where his story was essentially the same. Darrius is the leader of the Seidan Resistance in Orderrealm, a growing faction fed up with an increasingly oppressive government regime. It's telling that a people naturally inclined toward order would act more like Chaosrealm citizens in the face of the law, but that doesn't make Darrius an entirely heroic figure.
Rather, to ensure his faction's victory, Darrius secretly blackmails powerful Seidans into his group. This is implied to have happened to Dairou, an Orderrealm mercenary collaborating with Darrius, who was imprisoned while avenging his family. Lining up their backstories, Darrius may have hired the responsible assassin to ultimately recruit Dairou by liberating him. Unfortunately, nothing ever comes of this, and Darrius dies in MK: Armageddon without accomplishing anything. His last appearance was a minor cameo in Mortal Kombat 11's arcade Towers, so Darrius' appearance in Mortal Kombat 1 comes as a surprise.
Being A Kameo Is Just Right For Darrius
With Darrius' low importance to Mortal Kombat's lore, it makes sense that he would be brought back as a Kameo Fighter. Darrius fell into the trap a lot of 3D MK characters did by lacking a distinct theme in his appearance and moveset, which is why Li Mei had to be almost entirely reinvented for her playable Mortal Kombat 1 return. Apart from a body-rearranging Fatality, Darrius does not have enough interesting attacks to smoothly transition into a modern fighting game, so a Kameo Fighter is his best fit for now.
Being in the Kameo roster also means that Darrius does not need a place in Mortal Kombat 1's new universe yet. Since his old Orderrealm side plot went nowhere, this isn't a major loss. This state of MK's realms is much different now, with elements of Orderrealm and Edenia being rolled into Outworld. A militant enemy faction has already been implied in marketing materials, and if fans are right about General Shao leading it, there's no room for Darrius' Seidan Resistance. Darrius, and other forgotten Mortal Kombat characters like him, may have another chance one day thanks to MK1's Kameo system, but it's better if they stay on the sidelines for now.
Mortal Kombat 1 will be released on September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
