Mortal Kombat 11 features an extensive cast of classic and modern characters, but fan favorite Mileena remains a glaring exception. And while she’s finally set to make a brief appearance in the upcoming Aftermath expansion, something tells me her vocal fanbase won’t be satisfied with this small concession.
In addition to expanding the Mortal Kombat 11 story and introducing even more playable characters, Aftermath marks the return of the series’ “Friendships,” match-ending celebrations similar to Fatalities but with balloons and hugs instead of blood and guts. Mileena will finally make her Mortal Kombat 11 debut thanks to these finishers, resigned to playing “patty cake” with her sister Kitana despite being a major antagonist in Mortal Kombat X.
This is truly some monkey’s paw shit from developer NetherRealm Studios. “You asked for Mileena to be in the game,” I can imagine Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon cackling. “You didn’t specify as a playable character!” She’s even wearing her classic Mortal Kombat II outfit, without any of the added bells and whistles from her subsequent appearances. As a stan for the half-Tarkatan queen myself, I can’t help but see this as a subtle dig at Mileena fans being stuck in the past. You wound me, NetherRealm.
Friendships are meant to add some much-needed levity to what is often a very violent part of the game. Sure, it’s weird that Mileena isn’t in the game along with the rest of her family, but it’s always fun when developers take a chance to mess with the fanbase a little bit. And hey, now that a Mileena model exists in Mortal Kombat 11, it won’t be long until modders do their thing and make her playable themselves.