Peacemaker and Homelander could join Mortal Kombat 12 as guest characters, according to recent speculation. Both are controversial anti-heroes from their respective comics who gained new attention thanks to their live-action adaptations. Peacemaker is a character from DC’s The Suicide Squad who had his own HBO Max series, while Homelander is the main antagonist of Amazon's The Boys. Both are known for their brutal methods and sociopathic personalities, fitting with the violent style of Mortal Kombat.
Mortal Kombat has become more focused on guest characters from various franchises, branching from horror icons like Freddy Krueger to action movie figures like Robocop. With the upcoming game, there is already speculation about which new iconic Mortal Kombat guest characters will make the cut, and Peacemaker and Homelander are two characters in recent memory that fit the world. Both Peacemaker and Homelander have violent tendencies and a willingness to kill, which fits with the Mortal Kombat universe. The game is known for its brutal fatalities and intense combat, so they would feel right at home in the series' tournaments.
Peacemaker Shares a Lot of Similarities with a Forgotten Mortal Kombat Fighter
Peacemaker, played by John Cena, made his debut in The Suicide Squad as a vigilante who is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve peace, even if that means brutally killing people. It’s a surprisingly edgy role for Cena that he has made his own, with the character being no stranger to the absurd violence present in Mortal Kombat. With Peacemaker's series on HBO Max receiving a positive reception, he's likely to be well received by Netherrealm fans too. While Peacemaker’s skills alone would make him a formidable opponent in Mortal Kombat 12, he also evokes a largely forgotten character of the series’ past.
The fighter known as Stryker made his last appearance all the way back in 2011’s Mortal Kombat 9. While a solid character in terms of gameplay, Stryker is often seen as a boring cop next to his comparatively outlandish co-stars. With a plethora of ninjas and sorcerers to control, a cop from the city can be a tough sell to fans. Peacemaker has the potential to act as a much more interesting successor to Stryker, including the character’s functionality along with all of his own flair.
Homelander Lets NetherRealm Go All the Way with Superman
Homelander, on the other hand, is the leader of The Seven, a parody of DC’s Justice League who are more concerned with their own interests than the greater good. As a parody of Superman, he has the powers of superhuman strength, flight, and heat vision, making him more than capable of holding his own in Mortal Kombat 12. Not to mention that Homelander's twisted morality allows him to fit right into the entertaining interactions of the huge cast. There’s also another ironic reason that Homelander could fit right into NetherRealm’s next title.
Any fan of the modern Mortal Kombat titles is bound to be familiar with its sister franchise from developer NetherRealm Studios, the DC-based Injustice. Since its inception, the Injustice series has been built upon a core original concept: a dystopian world run by an evil Superman. Due to the more precarious nature of featuring gore in a game with licensed properties, Injustice is also known to have toned down violence when compared to Mortal Kombat. If Homelander were to be adapted into Mortal Kombat 12, however, NetherRealm would no longer have to hold back in its depiction of a demented super-being.
Imagining the Moves for Mortal Kombat 12's Rumored Guest Characters
For potential gameplay, the source material provides a great insight into movesets. Peacemaker is a somewhat deranged vigilante who's willing to use any means necessary to achieve peace. Trained since his youth, he seems proficient in various forms of martial arts, and he's also an expert marksman. In terms of Mortal Kombat gameplay, Peacemaker would function similarly to Stryker with many ranged attacks using his guns to keep opponents at bay. His arsenal of different guns would have various properties and damage outputs. He could also have several melee takedowns that incorporate his police-esque hand-to-hand combat skills.
For Peacemaker's more flashy special moves he could incorporate his helmet made of bulletproof steel that also serves as a useful gadget, with features including force fields and sonic booms. He also has a loyal eagle sidekick, Eagly, who could both serve to assist him in combos or fatalities. It’s even easy to imagine the violent Peacemaker performing a fatality that involves him using multiple guns to shoot his opponent from various angles, with the final shot landing in the head or heart and being followed by a one-liner.
Homelander, as a parody of Superman, is NetherRealm's chance to make a truly dark version of the character. He is written as a narcissistic sociopath who enjoys killing, torturing, and manipulating. This was the direction NetherRealm took Superman, but there is a limit to what can be communicated while adhering to the standards of a T-for-Teen ESRB rating (and equivalent age ratings), along with the creative limitations associated with Superman. Homelander’s personality could be properly reflected in his moveset, with him taunting his opponents and indulging in his sadism. His fatalities have many possibilities, and they could involve him crushing his opponent's skull with his bare hands, or even melting their flesh with his heat vision.
There's no absolute guarantee that Peacemaker or Homelander will ever make it into the next Mortal Kombat game. If they do manage to appear, though, they would add some star power that the series could benefit greatly from. Peacemaker would be a unique ranged fighter, while Homelander would be more of a brutal, well-rounded brawler. Both have loads of potential for fatalities that would be gory and creative. Ultimately, whether these guest characters appear in Mortal Kombat will depend on a lot of factors, including licensing agreements and the creative direction of the title. For now, players will just have to dream about the possibility of these two anti-heroes duking it out in the bloody world of Mortal Kombat.
The next Mortal Kombat is rumored to be in development.