Of all the guest characters in Mortal Kombat, John Rambo might be the least interesting. That is not to say Rambo is a bad character, so much as his competition is simply pretty stiff. As a survivalist, Rambo really doesn’t stand out among the crowd of other MK characters. He’s a soldier? Great. So are tons of other figures. Other than Sylvestor Stallone’s performance, little stands out.

Kratos is an undeniably great character with a long, storied history. Ergo, it might seem strange to argue that Kratos isn’t one of the best Mortal Kombat guest characters. However, what holds him back is, strangely, he might be too obvious of a guest character. Being another gaming figure, one almost expects Kratos to show up. He’s fun to play as, but nothing special. On top of that, none of his fatalities are particularly memorable, either.

The Alien from Alien is not typically someone you would expect to trade blows with fighters. The race is stealthy by nature, surviving by invading and attacking their prey. However, in-game, the Alien is surprisingly fun to play. In terms of design, they might feel a little out of place among the rest of the roster, but they are such iconic figures in the world of horror it’s hard not to kinda respect the fact they were programmed in as fighters. That said, the fatality where the Queen Alien impales you from behind, a’la Aliens, is something truly nightmarish.

The Terminator is one of the most iconic figures in sci-fi history. He is a fun, exciting character to see in this game and is especially fun to play. However, the Terminator in-game is more stylized after his Terminator: Dark Fate form, which isn’t the original versions from either the first or second Terminator films. This factor is enough to bump the Terminator down a bit. Another downside? Unlike Rambo, Schwarzenegger didn’t reprise the role.

Robocop stands as a man who has been ripped to shreds and put back together as a cyborg. Naturally, Officer Murphy is a perfect candidate for Mortal Kombat, alongside guys like Sektor. Robocop stylistically is cool, plays fine, and his fatalities are great. He is the perfect sort of fun, unexpected guest character. Completing the package? Peter Weller’s iconic voice.

Joker has appeared twice in the Mortal Kombat series. His first appearance in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was a little underwhelming. However, his full sadistic glory is unfurled in his following appearance, Mortal Kombat 11. However, the Joker has had so many appearances in video games over the years that the novelty of him showing up in Mortal Kombat is somewhat lessened, especially considering his role in the Injustice series. Also, no Mark Hamil. Still, Joker is Joker, and Joker is awesome.

Leatherface is one of the original slasher villains. Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn’t a gory film, but Leatherface justifiably earned a reputation for being brutal. This hulking figure is a perfect guest character in Mortal Kombat, despite being an erratic, untrained fighter. The franchise is controversial, so it makes sense to incorporate one of the most controversial horror characters in cinematic history into its fold. Also, chainsaws.

Jason Voorhees is known for being a brutal force of power. If any character fits in the brutal world of Mortal Kombat, it’s him. Everything, from his intro to his violent moves to his fatalities, complements the world of MK perfectly. On top of that, as a character whose rights have been in limbo for so many years, it was a joy seeing Jason appear in some form again.

Spawn ranks as one of the titanic edgy figures of the 90s. It seems a match in Hell that he should cross paths with Mortal Kombat. One element that makes Spawn so great as a guest character is Keith David’s vocal performance. Of all the vocal performances of all the guest characters – even compared to Stallone and Weller – David’s voice feels right at home in this world of monsters and carnage. For many, it was a return to form for Spawn.

Freddy Krueger was one of the first huge guest characters in Mortal Kombat. Years later, he remains one of the best. Sure, Krueger isn’t as polished as many of the later guests. His character doesn’t play as smoothly, and his design is based on remake Freddy, not the original one (even if the OG Krueger Robert Englund provides the voice). But one thing this Freddy brings in spades is style and dread. He is one of the most intimidating horror villain guests, as well as one of the most gruesome. On top of that, his fatalities are both fairly nightmarish. Not as flashy, but certainly worthy of this icon of terror.

Predator is the best guest character. The Predator race came to Earth to hunt the mightiest prey, so it stands to reason that, out of all the characters to guest stars in this franchise, the Predators are the best suited for the standards of this tournament. On top of that, their gigantic figures and mighty attacks make them pretty good fighters in this franchise. They just work in a way that none of the other guest fighters really do. That is not to say any of the guest fighters are bad. They’re all great. But the Predator is simply a cut above the rest.