Who is the next DLC character addition to the Mortal Kombat roster? Would you believe Freddy Krueger?
That’s no punchline, folks. The next pugilist in line to catch a taste of Scorpion’s spear whip is none other than Elm Street’s most famous nocturnal serial killer.
As Johnny “Blood Geyser” Depp will remind you, Krueger is a character that debuted in 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street. The “bastard son of 100 maniacs,” Krueger grew into a sadistic child killer whose homicide spree was eventually ended when a group of concerned parents burned him alive.
This being a Wes Craven film, Krueger died but given that his soul was so twisted, he found a way to strike back at his killers through dreams. Specifically, he would come for their kids in their dreams, and in a flurry of knife fingers and hilarious puns, Krueger would spend eight films murdering sleepy teens in increasingly memorable fashion.
Then, last year, someone at Warner Bros. saw fit to remake the film, replacing iconic Krueger actor Robert Englund with Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen). Though I’m no fan of the Hollywood remake machine, this is a crucial point, as the Mortal Kombat character is based on Haley’s Krueger, and not the far more beloved original version.
The modern iteration of Krueger still features the character’s fiery origins and his propensity for wearing the bladed glove, but as with most recent horror film rehashes, the character has been made “dark and gritty” (because a horrifically mutilated child killer wasn’t gritty enough, apparently).
There’s no telling how the choice to go with latter-day Freddy versus his Robert Englund iteration will affect gameplay, though I fear it almost guarantees that the character we’re given won’t be full of witty quips about the Super Nintendo, Dan Quayle or Crystal Pepsi.
Freddy Krueger joins the fight on August 9, and the download will feature a $5 price tag.
