Summary
Finishing off an opponent with a devastating finishing move in aMortal Kombatgame is part and parcel of the series, which is famously known for its attempts at pushing the boundaries of virtual gore. Of course, any seasonedMortal Kombatfan would know that the environment can be put to good use in order to end the life of the loser of the match.
Crushers, spikes, grinders, man-eating trees, and gravity itself can become a devastating weapon, offering a finisher that may very well be even nastier and morehumiliating to watch. This list is made up of some of the most gruesome Stage Fatalities in the series.
10Into The Void (Mortal Kombat: Deception)
InMortal Kombat: Deception, Stage Fatalities were replaced with Death Traps, where a strike on an opponent who is teetering on the edge of a very dangerous location would instantly deplete their health and have them promptly killed.
The Nexus, which acts as a hub in between the six different realms, is suspended in an infinite void. Should a fighter be knocked into the wall, they will be ejected from the stage and into said void. Just imagine being carried into an endless fog, never to be seen again, and only to die an agonizingly slow death. It’s a chilling thought and doesn’t even need to showcase a single drop of blood.
9Unleash The Kraken! (Mortal Kombat 10)
In one of the new stages ofMortal Kombat 10, a certain moist mollusk can be used to decimate a fighter in a very unpleasant way. The Kove (a lot of words are deliberately spelled with a ‘K’ in this series, it’s like a running gag) is home to some kind of giant squid or octopus, whichinvades the stageto slam a victim into the docks repeatedly before being dragged to a watery grave.
The punishment doesn’t stop there. They are tangled up in even more tentacles as they are drowning and are pulled apart with devastating force, leaving little behind.
8One Big Fall (Mortal Kombat 2)
The Pit 2 isn’t just a new stage in itself. Instead of being suspended over a pit of spikes, this version is set hundreds of meters above the ground. There are no nasty surprises waiting at the bottom of the bridge thatfighters duke it outon, just a thick layer of rock and concrete.
And that’s exactly why it’s so horrible. Receiving an uppercut and plummeting downward at terminal velocity, eventually hitting the ground and breaking every bone in one’s body, is an awful way to go. Seeing the loser flail their arms helplessly in a brief animation is the icing on this blood-splattered cake.
7Triple Threat (Mortal Kombat 2011 - PS3 Version)
To coincide with Kratos from theGod of Warseries appearing as a guest fighter for PS3 versions of the 2011 reboot ofMortal Kombat, anadditional stage was includedalongside. Set in the location that houses Pandora’s Box inGod of War 3, the Chamber of The Flame is the only stage in the entire series that offers players the chance to inflict one of three different Stage Fatalities on an opponent.
While flamethrowers and spears are nasty enough, the winner goes to the spike pillars that crush the victim’s legs, before they fall into a second pair of pillars that splatter the torso, and finally, the remaining head is squished with the remaining pillars. Gnarly stuff, indeed.
6Mind The Gap (Mortal Kombat 2011)
The Stage Fatalities in the Subway only got better and better with each reappearance it made in the series. What better way to rub it in a loser’s face than literally letting their mug get erased by pressing it against a moving train in the 2011 reboot?
To top it all off, and as if the victim hasn’t suffered enough already, they are tossed aside into an opposite train track, whereby another speeding train splatters their body before they even hit the ground.Not even a grisly murderwill stop these New York-based locomotives!
5It’s A Trap! (Mortal Kombat 11)
The Shaolin Trap Dungeon ofMortal Kombat 11will deliver more than just a nasty blow from one of its spiked pillars. One can only imagine why the Shaolin monks even constructed such a nasty set of lethal traps in this room in the first place. It’d be a nightmare to train in.
A dizzied fighter will be smacked upward to the ceiling before detaching and falling. Moments before impact, a set of spikes jut out of the floor, impaling and mangling the unlucky soul. It’s very cruel and ever-so-nasty.Too badMK1doesn’t have anything like it.
4Bing Bong (Mortal Kombat: Armageddon)
Another Death Trap awaits in the Bell Tower, which originally featured inMortal Kombat 3and was re-imagined with a more painful spiky surprise than before inMortal Kombat: Armageddon. In its debut, a losing fighter could be knocked through many floors before landing in a bed of spikes.
Here, it’s even worse! Smacking a foe upward will send their body hurtling into the basement of spikes, where they slowly descend into a pair of blades that slice off the arms and legs. To add insult to injury, nearby rats greedily nab the detached limbs as the victim wriggles in pain and inevitably perishes.Imagine the surprise a new player would getfrom flinging a defeated opponent down there by chance.
3Do Not Feed The Trees (Mortal Kombat 2011)
Fighting among sentient trees with nasty faces was a highlight inMortal Kombat II, yet it was the spin-off adventure gameMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monksthat turned the Living Forest into a Stage Fatality, where a defeated player is chomped on by the surrounding trees. It originated from anMKII-era rumor thatimplied it was an Easter egg, but it was just a load of rubbish until Midway made it become a reality.
The 2011 reboot takes things a step further by offering fighters a chance to toss the loser into one of the trees to be mangled with a few vicious bites, and eventually separated from their legs with a final massive crunch. Tasty.
2Meat Grinder (Mortal Kombat: Deception)
The Slaughterhouse was one of the more gory stages that was introduced inMortal Kombat: Deception, and washome to a wince-inducing Stage Fatality.
Anyone foolish enough to be standing near the giant meat grinders may end up being pelted into them, which will momentarily jam the machinery as it attempts to dig its metal blades into their flesh. Jolting and snapping bones in the process, eventually, it resumes spinning rapidly, spraying chunks and blood of what once remained of the victim against the wall and into the surrounding vats of red.
1Acid Bath (Mortal Kombat 11)
Ah, the Dead Pool. This nasty stage has appeared in so many different entries in the series, and its Stage Fatality has beennothing short of iconic. Being launched into a pool of skin-dissolving acid is one of the worst ways to go, and has been recreated numerous times.
Mortal Kombat 11really ramped up the violence by making the victim get detached on a hook through the throat before being slowly lowered into the acid below, completely helpless and unable to free themselves. The blood-strewn corpse is revealed to the camera shortly after being raised from the pool of green liquid. That’s got to sting…
