Like most games,Mortal Kombat 11has its own fair share of Easter eggs, ranging from the connection between Frost and Disney’s Elsa toJohnny Cage having aToy StoryEaster egg.Now, it appears to be Baraka’s turn, as he has a clear nod to Marvel’sBlack Pantherand perhaps his most iconic phrase “Wakanda Forever.”
As seen above, Black Panther is known to give the “Wakanda Forever” salute after crossing his arms in a show of solidarity. It quickly became a meme of its own, as several people would give this salute following their victories, but this trend has tapered off since the release of the 2018 film. Yet this doesn’t stopMortal Kombat 11’s Baraka from giving the same salute.
Mortal Kombat 11players can unlock the “Tarkata Forever” cinematic after clearing Baraka’s third tower in the Towers of Time. This cinematic sees Baraka cross his arms in victory, not unlike Black Panther’s iconic stance, and while many may consider this a dead meme, it seems likely that it’ll be revived whenever Black Panther 2 hits theaters.
This Marvel Easter egg should come as a surprise to no one for a variety of reasons. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently at its height, withAvengers: Endgamerecently passingTitanicin the Box Office. More than that, theMortal Kombat 11franchise’s co-creator, Ed Boon, has expressed interest in creating aMarvel fighting game. He’s apparently even talked to Marvel about creating one, but it’s unclear how much he could say, if anything, on the matter. This wouldn’t mean that it was in development, either, but it would likely be well-received.
It remains to be seen ifMortal Kombat 11will hide any more Marvel Easter eggs in its forthcoming DLC selection of characters. It’s currently not even known who will be featured as DLC, except for the confirmed Shang Tsung, but there is a wide variety ofMortal Kombatcharacters thatMK11DLCcould use to expand its current roster, with fans calling for Ermac, Reptile, or Mileena, among others.
Mortal Kombat 11is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
