Summary
Mortal Kombat 1will soon be adding the twisted superhero Homelander, main antagonist of Amazon TV seriesThe Boys, to its DLC roster. To portray the villain with as much faith as possible,Mortal Kombat 1needs to get his expressions right.
With Peacemaker now available, it’s not long until Homelander joins the fray. He’s slated to arrive inMortal Kombat 1in Spring of 2024. Homelander will be joining another anti-Superman from an Amazon series, beingInvincible’s Omni-Man. BothInvincibleandThe Boysare scheduled for more content in the first half of 2024; the former will release four new episodes this March, whilst the latter is due to finally deliver a fourth season in June. With Homelander’s release looking to land between these dates, it’s important for his portrayal to hit the mark at such a pivotal time.
Homelander’s Expressions Need To Be On-Point In Mortal Kombat 1
Homelander is a tour de force of modern superhero entertainment not only for his writing, which itself is able to blend commentary on the superhero genre and contemporary politics extremely well, but for Antony Starr’s incredible performance. Starr’s harrowing portrayal of the character created an antagonist comparable to a horror monster—balancing unpredictability, dripping malice, and a dash of humor to great effect. WhilstStarr won’t be reprising his role inMortal Kombat 1, his physical performance should be kept in mind with the character’s in-game animation.
Starr’s Facial Expressions Are Key To His Performance
There are many chilling scenes fromThe BoysthatMortal Kombat 1may emulate in Homelander’smoves and fatalities. Starr’s physical performance can be seen on full display in such moments. For instance, the infamous scene where Homelander imagines himself killing a crowd of people with his laser vision shows Starr using incredible subtlety in the buildup to the most. His facial twitches and slight motion portray a barely-contained rage, whilst his subdued expression looks terrifyingly grave—perfectly matching the moment his eyes dim before flashing red. The exaggerated grin Homelander shows while imagining his rampage speaks volumes about his wrath and contempt for human life.
This airtight control of expression and physicality is seen throughout all of Starr’s moments in the show. His ability to combine demonic bloodlust, cold calculation, and punchable smugness needs to berepresented inMortal Kombat 1. Facial capture technology is no stranger to the video game medium, and it would be great to see special attention taken to replicating these motions. In addition, the factMortal Kombat 1is an animated video game will allow for as much fine-tuning as possible, so long as enough time is given to the animators.
Omni-Man’s Animations Are A Good Sign For Homelander
Homelander and Omni-Man are a package deal inMortal Kombat 1, with both characters deriving from the same anti-Superman concept (albeit with very different executions). In this respect, Omni-Man’s the best avenue to see how well Homelander could turn out. Given that the Viltrumite is transitioningto realistic CGI from a style where individual expressions are emphasized and in-betweens are minimal like most anime, he’s been toned down somewhat. This is evident in the animations that emulate moments fromInvincible, where the adapted expressions are more exaggerated.
However, given that the new expressions still serve as a great conversion of those iconic moments, this actually bodes well for Homelander. The character is constrained by his live-action medium so, if anything, he’ll have more leeway in the transition. Fans loveOmni-Man’s representation inMortal Kombat 1, so it’s more than likely that the game’s animations do justice to Homelander and his many iconic scenes.
