Unlocking the combat towards Reptile within the first Mortal Kombat sport was a badge of honor. Again then there have been no guides, no YouTube movies – simply pure luck, and ability. You needed to get two ‘Flawless victories’ with out blocking and carry out a fatality on the pit stage. Additionally, a silhouette needed to fly throughout the moon – which it did each 50 matches.
The builders had been very respectful to the reptilian humanoid at first. Although he’s among the many final of his form – Zaterran Saurian – Reptile was made Shang Tsung’s private protector in Mortal Kombat 2. They gave him his personal transfer set, which he didn’t have within the first sport, and made him a playable character. His ending within the sport may be very respectable too.
He discovers the sorcerer he was defending had a devious plan to enslave the remainder of the Zaterran Saurians, enters the match, defeats Shao Khan, and activates Shang Tsung so the remainder of his species can stay in peace. To start with, Reptile was a badass bodyguard and secret boss combat whose legend echoed in arcades in all places. Reptile’s story within the second and third video games includes him defeating and killing Shao Khan. The second time was on account of Shao Khan disrespecting and shunning Reptile after he adopted by means of on the emperor’s request to kill Kitana in Final Mortal Kombat 3.
Killing Shao Khan twice ought to give the warrior some correct cred and respect within the subsequent sequels, however it doesn’t. Reptile’s ending in Mortal Kombat 4 undoes all of that and regulates him to be a servant – once more. In his chambers, Reptile takes a knee in entrance of Quan Chi and begs for Shinnok to move him again in time so he can stay together with his clan. He simply defeated Shinnok – the sport’s essential boss. Absolutely that makes him worthy of a greater destiny?
However as a substitute, Reptile is denied the request, turns into indignant, and has his head exploded by Shinnok who reveals up and cancels the deal between them as a result of he views Reptile as somebody who’s in no place to demand something regardless of the very fact he [Reptile] simply kicked his ass in hand-to-hand fight. Different characters do die in their very own endings, however none have the combating historical past of match lore like Reptile does. In Mortal Kombat: Lethal Alliance, Reptile’s ending concerned him changing into a vessel for the Dragon King Onaga. As a substitute of being infused with Onaga’s powers and changing into extra highly effective, Reptile is used as a possessed host and is changed by Onaga.
The mountain of disrespect saved rising in Mortal Kombat 9. Reptile has zero talking traces within the sport’s story and is simply regulated to henchmen as he’s in Mortal Kombat 10. In opposition to all odds, this reptilian humanoid survived extinction and received a number of tournaments solely to not be given a correct place in Outworld. He’s not a basic, he’s not a frontrunner of any form, and in Mortal Kombat 11 he’s not even a playable character within the sport.
He’s as a substitute a personality you kill within the Krypt for foreign money and it solely takes one hit to take action. Reptile went from being a secret boss to a servant-henchman, to an enormous piñata. In the meantime, the ever-generic Liu Kang was killed off in Lethal Alliance however he’s now a god after the occasions of Mortal Kombat 11. The builders ought to have given Reptile a greater standing in Outworld, however as a substitute, they determined to present him the largest fall of any character within the franchise.
So let’s heap some respect on Reptile – essentially the most maltreated, unsung hero in Mortal Kombat historical past.
