The dead walk as Ermac comes to Mortal Kombat 1 this month

Swathed in necrotic energy, Ermac was a fairly big part of Mortal Kombat 1’s campaign. And finally, he’s about to hit playable form.

Is he hero, or villain?!

One of the cooler parts of MK1’s rebooting of the series’ history, Ermac is a complicated character. Born from the dark magics of Quan Chi, Ermac is essentially a bundle of lost souls, ripped from their resting places and formed into a warrior for the wizard and Shang Tsung to command. Not that he stayed that way.

If you played the hit fighting game, then you know that one of Ermac’s souls happened to be the former King of Outworld, Jerrod. He took control of the form and battled along side the heroes of Earthrealm and his wife Sindel. But by the end of the campaign, and after the dust had settled, he once again found himself to be just a voice among the hordes, as Ermac once again fell back into his former state. It’s just that, by that time, he no longer had any allegiance to Quan Chi.

Also at that time, he wasn’t playable, but NetherRealm is seeing to that with the upcoming drop of DLC for the game. Ermac will official join the roster for some versus action his month, across two dates, depending on whether you have the Kombat Pack or not.

But before we get to the details, here’s a look at him in action:

Ermac is a collection of souls bound together by Quan Chi’s dark magic that are intended to function as a group mind. But that spell is temporarily undone when Ermac is defeated by Mileena and the mind of King Jerrod, deceased ruler of Outworld and one of the souls in Ermac’s collection, takes control and rejoins the royal family, aiding Empress Mileena’s reign. Eventually, the amalgam of souls reestablishes control, and Ermac retreats to Outworld’s shadows. No longer Quan Chi’s slave, nor bound to the royal family, he must find a future worth fighting for. In the new video, Ermac’s devastating moveset is on full display, including his ability to teleport, levitate, and utilize a legion of souls to grab, lift, and slam opponents to the ground.

Warner Bros Games press release

Now, as for those details, Ermac is officially a part of the Kombat Pack 1, which includes a bevy of additional content like the Van Damme skin for Cage, Omni Man, Peacemaker, and the aforementioned Quan Chi. If you have that, then you’re already clear to download the kombatant on April 16th, 2024.

If you don’t have that pack though, and you’re looking to buy the supernatural fighter a’la carte, then you’ll have to hang on til April 23rd. Oh, and while we’re here, you might’ve noted that Mavado made his surprise appearance in the above trailer too. He’s a new Kameo Fighter, and is also set to be both available separately and as a part of the Kombat Pack 1.