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The Mortal Kombat Character Fans Thought Nitara's Actress Would Play

Contains spoilers for 2021's "Mortal Kombat"

To casual observers, the "Mortal Kombat" games may just seem like mindless violence punctuated by characters ripping out each other's spines. However, true fans know all too well that the game series is actually rich with interesting lore. As a result, it was a real treat for gamers to see all of the great care that went into ensuring all of the characters and powers were represented accurately in 2021's "Mortal Kombat" movie.

So many characters you would want to see in a "Mortal Kombat" movie are there, including Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). Of course, the "Mortal Kombat" franchise has an expansive cast, so not everyone could make it into the picture. With the tease of Johnny Cage at the end, it's clear the filmmakers have plenty of ideas for how to bring more fan-favorites into the ring in the prospective sequel.

Still, there's one absent character fans were really expecting to make an appearance in the film, given how much a certain actress looks the part.

A lot of fans thought Mel Jarnson was going to play Kitana instead of Nitara

Nitara is a vampiress who made her franchise debut in 2002's "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance." She's one of the more underrated characters you can play, and she finally received a live-action treatment thanks to the recent movie. She's portrayed by Mel Jarnson, who doesn't exactly get a whole lot to do before she's promptly K.O.'d in appropriately bloody fashion. Fans hoping to see Nitara do a bit more than fly around for a while were likely disappointed, and one Reddit thread started by u/Subz-Zero shows why a lot of viewers felt like they got faked out.

Apparently, fans wanted Jarnson to portray Kitana, who's been around since "Mortal Kombat II," and most recently stopped by to join the fight in 2019's "Mortal Kombat 11." One user even pointed out, "She looks like Kitana, especially if you take her wings away." 

It's important to note that in "Mortal Kombat" lore, Kitana and Mileena (Sisi Stringer) are supposed to look identical with their masks on. It's only when they take their masks off that Kitana retains her beauty, while Mileena showcases a ghoulish jaw. Seeing as how Jarnson and Stringer don't look anything alike, that would've been a big change for die-hard fans to accept, but we digress.

Other comments you'll find in the thread include, "It was a [missed] opportunity to make her Kitana" and "Definitely disappointed she isn't Kitana tbh." Given the fact Kitana made appearances in both 1995's "Mortal Kombat" as well as "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation," perhaps the filmmakers wanted to give some other fighters a chance to shine. It's a big multiverse out there, and hopefully it won't be too long until we can see Kitana cut her enemies in half with a fan on the big screen.