Mortal Kombat has crossed nearly every boundary in entertainment. It’s had movies, animated series, mobile spin-offs, and guest fighters like the T-800, Rambo, Joker, and Omni-Man. But despite this versatility, one major crossover remains missing: an official first-person shooter appearance. Leaked assets in late 2023 hinted at a Call of Duty collaboration. Activision never confirmed anything, but the high-quality designs, and the fact that the leak came just three months after Mortal Kombat 1 launched, made it seem believable. In the end, nothing came out of it, and that crossover opportunity remains unexplored by the franchise.
It’s especially strange because Mortal Kombat is already halfway there. Characters like Erron Black are built for FPS settings, as the cowboy sniper seen in Mortal Kombat X and 11 wields a rifle, trap, and trick shots just like a typical CoD player. Jax uses ground pounds and charge attacks, which feel like a Call of Duty Field Upgrade waiting to happen. Even their X-rays and Fatalities lean into the style of Call of Duty finishers. Mortal Kombat is one of the few franchises with a strong visual identity, lore, and mechanics that can be slotted cleanly into an FPS without feeling forced, meaning it wouldn’t be criticized harshly like the Beavis and Butthead collab.
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The supposed cancelation has fans justifiably upset, but a well-timed crossover could still provide some levity for the community.
The 2023 Scorpion Emblem Leak
Back in December 2023, a leaker named @ForwardLeaks posted an image on Twitter that sparked widespread speculation. The image was supposedly datamined from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and showed an unreleased emblem called “Fist O’ Fire.” The emblem featured Mortal Kombat‘s Scorpion, arm extended, with his hand wrapped in bright red flame. Plus, it came out just weeks before Call of Duty‘s “Supe’d Up” limited-time mode was scheduled to drop.
Naturally, fans immediately began theorizing that a full-on Mortal Kombat x Call of Duty collaboration was coming up. Many expected new operator skins, themed weapons, voice lines, and finishing moves inspired by Mortal Kombat’s Fatalities. But despite all the excitement, nothing ever came out of it. If the 2023 leak was real, then Warner Bros. and Activision probably did explore the idea. Maybe there were design hurdles, or perhaps licensing talks fell through. Whatever the reason, it quietly faded away.
Mortal Kombat’s Fortnite Collaboration Makes Call of Duty Crossover More Likely
In March 2025, Fortnite teamed up with Mortal Kombat in a crossover event that brought some of the series’ biggest names to the game. Scorpion, Kitana, Raiden, and Sub-Zero were all added as playable skins. Players could even take on boss versions of some of these fighters in PvE-style encounters and earn Mythic abilities based on their signature powers. Three classic Mortal Kombat stages were also reimagined as new POIs on the Battle Royale map: The Pit, The Living Forest, and The Dead Pool. This showed that Warner Bros. is open to placing Mortal Kombat fighters in other IPs, and NetherRealm doesn’t mind seeing its characters adapted outside the traditional fighter format.
What Could a Call of Duty x Mortal Kombat Crossover Actually Look Like?
Even though the crossover didn’t happen back in 2023, that doesn’t mean it’s off the table for good. Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters on October 24, 2025, and it’s possible the event was held back to line up with the movie’s release. If such a crossover ever does go live, Scorpion’s kunai could easily replace a throwing knife through a special collab skin. Sub-Zero’s slide could work as a modified finishing move. Nightwolf’s tomahawk or Cassie Cage’s drone could slot in as Field Upgrades. A limited-time Warzone event could introduce Mortal Kombat-themed mechanics like hellfire storms, Tarkatan AI enemies, and portal-based extractions.
The crossover could also go in the other direction. Captain Price or Ghost could show up in a Mortal Kombat game as guest fighters. They’d bring their flashbangs, guns, riot shields, and military-style finishers, similar to Cassie Cage or Sonya Blade. But more specifically, they’d play like sharpshooters with tactical gadgets and ranged combos, more in line with Deadshot, Deathstroke, and Red Hood from the Injustice games. Mortal Kombat has already handled grounded, human characters like Rambo and Joker, so adding Price or Ghost wouldn’t be a stretch at all. With so many possibilities, hopefully this is a crossover that is explored again one day, and this time fully realized within one (or both) of the games.
Mortal Kombat 1
8/10
- Released
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September 19, 2023
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Publisher(s)
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Warner Brothers Games
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 4