One of the most eagerly anticipated additions to Mortal Kombat 11's growing roster of guest fighters is the Image Comics superhero Spawn, created by Todd McFarlane. Since he became a Kombatant, though, fans have noticed that, while Spawn still wields his hellish chains, his usual array of guns have been swapped out for a large sword.
Now, game director and franchise co-creator Ed Boon has revealed this change was likely developed while the character's appearance was being conceived by concept artists and designers.
"The idea to have Spawn use a sword in our game probably came from our design group," Boon told IGN. "They often request props and weapons while trying to define how a fighter will play. Part of the challenge of introducing a guest character in a game that already has 25 or 30 existing characters is introducing something new to the mix. Everybody knows that Spawn has his signature chains, but we felt that adding the swords as well would make him that much more interesting to play."
Debuting in 1992's Spawn #1 by McFarlane, Spawn is a former black-ops soldier named Al Simmons, who was reborn from Hell with supernatural powers. Drawing from his past military experience, Simmons blended his new abilities with conventional combat and armaments to become a devastating figure in the war between Heaven and Hell. In Mortal Kombat 11, the character brings his no-holds-barred action to the game, leaving the blood of his opponents in his wake.
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.