Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is an intriguing upgrade for fans who wanted to know how Kronika's defeat would bring about a new era. As Liu Kang in his Fire God mode aims to reshape the future using Shang Tsung and his deadly alliance as pawns, other iconic faces, such as Fujin and Nightwolf get involved.
The previously released DLC characters don't factor into the story mode at all, but that doesn't mean that they don't have epic endings. In Joker's case, he gets the ultimate Injustice League to wreak havoc across the realms.
After being imbued with Kronika's powers, Joker lays waste to Raiden and Liu Kang and even puts a bullet in the Ninja Mime version of Johnny Cage for laughs. However, after razing Earthrealm, Outworld, and Netherrealm in search of friends, the Clown Prince of Crime uses the Hourglass and Sands of Time to find Havik in the Chaosrealm.
He and the Cleric of Chaos hit it off like two sick people who deserve each other, with Joker humorously ripping Havik's hand off. He even calls Havik his bosom buddy as he spray-paints "HA HA HA!" on the Hourglass, clearly having a party as he plots his next move. Joker then learns about the existence of Orderrealm from Havik, and they head over with other agents of chaos.
Now, Joker doesn't exactly call it the Injustice League, but his new crew performs the same function. He dubs the group the League of Misunderstood Maniacs, and we see Red Dragon operative Hsu Hao joining Havik in killing agents of order. Joker's time-warping also saves Mileena from death at the hands of D'Vorah, and she's seen killing Hotaru, stabbing him with her iconic sai.
They're clearly having a ball as Joker has that wide smile on his face. "We're giving Orderrealm an enema. And when we're done, who knows where we'll crash next," he says. "Maybe we'll come to your house and slip live grenades under your pillow. Maybe we'll gut your favorite pet. Or maybe we'll just...break your TV right now!" Joker then cracks the screen to break the fourth wall as he promises his crew's going to keep destroying any realm where he thinks stability exists.
This is an interesting ending because Mileena makes a perfect replacement for Harley Quinn, not to mention the fact that it's rare to see Joker so happy and playing well with others. Whether it's Lex Luthor's Injustice League, other societies like Young Justice's Light, with sidekicks such as Harley or even with the Jokerz from the Batman Beyond Universe, the clown always finds some reason to turn on his goons.
However, he's in pure ecstasy here and is basking in the bloodshed, leaving fans wondering how the group's conquests will end. Havik's an equally insane maniac, so their banter alone would make exploring this ending worth the while. In Aftermath, Joker hasn't just found an army; he's found his best friends.
Developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Mortal Kombat 11 is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows and Google Stadia. Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is now on sale digitally.