Ahead of the launch of Mortal Kombat 1, many are sharing their dream picks to join the roster. One Marvel Comics artist did so with an updated Reptile design, which series creator Ed Boon noticed.
Mortal Kombat 1 is launching soon, and all eyes are on the final roster of the legendary fighting franchise. Though many mainstays like Scorpion, Liu Kang, and Johnny Cage have been confirmed, there’s still a number of characters who remain on wish lists.
Chief among those is Reptile, the green, lizard-like ninja who first appeared as an unlockable fighter in the original Mortal Kombat. Fans are eagerly waiting for him to be announced, as he’s not been playable since 2015’s Mortal Kombat X.
One fan, Marvel Comics artist Iban Coello, took things into his own hands. He shared his redesign of Reptile on social media, something that caught the eye of Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon.
Mortal Kombat’s Ed Boon loves Iban Coello’s Reptile
Iban Coello is the current artist for Marvel’s Fantastic Four comic, but he’s a prolific artist. He’s worked on books like Captain America & the Mighty Avengers and Venom. Coello is also a Mortal Kombat fan, and he shared an updated Reptile design in anticipation of the new game.
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Can’t wait to play #MortalKombat1 ! This is a Reptile concept design I did for fun. He was my main in #mortalkombat2 and I miss his human/ninja style. I tried to do homage to that without forgetting that he is a lizard ! Hope you like it! #MortalKombat pic.twitter.com/tPtSIEwOA6
— Iban Coello (@IbanCoello) July 28, 2023
“This is a Reptile concept design I did for fun.” Coello explains, “He was my main in Mortal Kombat 2…I miss his human/ninja style. I tried to do homage to that without forgetting that he is a lizard!”
Coello’s redesign drew excited reactions from the fan community, with many calling Coello’s design good enough to be an actual NRS design. He responded with a slightly polished version of the redesign, which is the one that caught the eye of Ed Boon.
Oh wow! Check out this Reptile illustration by @IbanCoelloSoria 👍🏻👍🏻pic.twitter.com/EC0krVSoxc
— Ed Boon (@noobde) August 1, 2023
“Oh wow!” Boon said in his own post, which included numerous positive fan responses itself. Many fans liked that Coello had depicted the more traditional, ninja-like Reptile. Starting with Mortal Kombat 4, Reptile began to drift away from his original appearance as a green ninja, something many fans still aren’t fond of.
It’s not known yet if Reptile will make the cut for Netherrealm Studios’ latest fighter, but with several unannounced slots, there’s still time. Mortal Kombat 1 releases September 19 for PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and is available for preorder now.