Highlights

  • Homelander is set to join Mortal Kombat 1's DLC roster in Spring 2024, aiming to capture his villainous essence faithfully.
  • The game needs to nail Homelander's expressions to match Antony Starr's performance and intense portrayal on The Boys.
  • Omni-Man's animations in the game give hope that Homelander's transitions will be well-represented and stay true to his character.

Mortal Kombat 1 will soon be adding the twisted superhero Homelander, main antagonist of Amazon TV series The Boys, to its DLC roster. To portray the villain with as much faith as possible, Mortal Kombat 1 needs to get his expressions right.

With Peacemaker now available, it's not long until Homelander joins the fray. He's slated to arrive in Mortal Kombat 1 in Spring of 2024. Homelander will be joining another anti-Superman from an Amazon series, being Invincible's Omni-Man. Both Invincible and The Boys are scheduled for more content in the first half of 2024; the former will release four new episodes this March, whilst the latter is due to finally deliver a fourth season in June. With Homelander's release looking to land between these dates, it's important for his portrayal to hit the mark at such a pivotal time.

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Homelander's Expressions Need To Be On-Point In Mortal Kombat 1

Homelander is a tour de force of modern superhero entertainment not only for his writing, which itself is able to blend commentary on the superhero genre and contemporary politics extremely well, but for Antony Starr's incredible performance. Starr's harrowing portrayal of the character created an antagonist comparable to a horror monster—balancing unpredictability, dripping malice, and a dash of humor to great effect. Whilst Starr won't be reprising his role in Mortal Kombat 1, his physical performance should be kept in mind with the character's in-game animation.

Starr's Facial Expressions Are Key To His Performance

There are many chilling scenes from The Boys that Mortal Kombat 1 may emulate in Homelander's moves and fatalities. Starr's physical performance can be seen on full display in such moments. For instance, the infamous scene where Homelander imagines himself killing a crowd of people with his laser vision shows Starr using incredible subtlety in the buildup to the most. His facial twitches and slight motion portray a barely-contained rage, whilst his subdued expression looks terrifyingly grave—perfectly matching the moment his eyes dim before flashing red. The exaggerated grin Homelander shows while imagining his rampage speaks volumes about his wrath and contempt for human life.

This airtight control of expression and physicality is seen throughout all of Starr's moments in the show. His ability to combine demonic bloodlust, cold calculation, and punchable smugness needs to be represented in Mortal Kombat 1. Facial capture technology is no stranger to the video game medium, and it would be great to see special attention taken to replicating these motions. In addition, the fact Mortal Kombat 1 is an animated video game will allow for as much fine-tuning as possible, so long as enough time is given to the animators.

Omni-Man's Animations Are A Good Sign For Homelander

Homelander and Omni-Man are a package deal in Mortal Kombat 1, with both characters deriving from the same anti-Superman concept (albeit with very different executions). In this respect, Omni-Man's the best avenue to see how well Homelander could turn out. Given that the Viltrumite is transitioningto realistic CGI from a style where individual expressions are emphasized and in-betweens are minimal like most anime, he's been toned down somewhat. This is evident in the animations that emulate moments from Invincible, where the adapted expressions are more exaggerated.

However, given that the new expressions still serve as a great conversion of those iconic moments, this actually bodes well for Homelander. The character is constrained by his live-action medium so, if anything, he'll have more leeway in the transition. Fans love Omni-Man's representation in Mortal Kombat 1, so it's more than likely that the game's animations do justice to Homelander and his many iconic scenes.