Stryker (Mortal Kombat)

Kurtis Stryker (usually referred to as simply Stryker) is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He was originally described as being a leader of the Special Riot Control division in the NYPD, in addition to having been a former Marine who served in the Gulf War.

Kurtis Stryker was introduced in Mortal Kombat 3 in 1995, as a somewhat stout-looking man sporting an often-criticized "urban" design. The character received much criticism regarding his original special moves, Fatalities and attire in Mortal Kombat 3. His appearance changed in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon into a more serious-looking and modernized police officer.

In video games
Stryker's biography screen in Mortal Kombat 3 revealed that he was the leader of the Riot Control Brigade when Outworld's portal opened over a large unnamed city. He attempted to keep order among the populace in the ensuing chaos, but soon all human souls were taken by Shao Kahn with the exception of those that belonged to the chosen warriors. Stryker did not understand why he had been spared until he received a vision from Raiden, instructing him to head west in order to meet with the other chosen warriors and learn about the importance of his survival. Although he did not wish to be one of the few souls that was spared, he entered the fray with the intention of avenging the lives of the innocent that he had vowed to serve and protect. Along with the other warriors, Stryker assisted in liberating Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's clutches. He later reappeared in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon with a complete redesign, including clothing resembling riot gear.

In Mortal Kombat (2011), Stryker joins Raiden and his followers in repelling the Outworld invasion. He is later killed after Sindel smashes his skull and subsequently resurrected by Quan Chi.

Design
It took Stryker several tries to break into the Mortal Kombat series. A character named "Kurtis Stryker" was to appear in the first Mortal Kombat, but the idea was dropped in place of a female fighter (Sonya Blade). This previously unused character would later appear in Mortal Kombat II with a different name, Jax, whose initial name was then finally reused for this character in Mortal Kombat 3. Stryker was made to be a SWAT type of character but with a sleeker design. The developers originally planned for him to have several additional weapons, but problems and memory limitations prevented this.

Although character designer and series co-creator John Tobias thought that he would become one of the most popular characters in the game, the opposite would turn true. Many reviled his "common man" appearance and special moves as being out of place in the fantasy world of Mortal Kombat. Ed Boon claimed him to be one of MK3 ' s "hidden secrets" for precisely this reason. Stryker was purposely given a new appearance in Armageddon in order to make him look more appealing to critics of his original design. Armageddon's early concept art and cast render showed that Stryker was to have his Mortal Kombat 3 look as his primary costume; however, this was scrapped later on as this look was one of the sources of rejection over the character.

Stryker employs modern weaponry such as explosives, firearms, tasers and nightsticks for his special moves and Fatalities. Unlike most other MK characters, he does not possess any significant magic powers. Stryker is considered one of the top-tier Mortal Kombat 3 characters, especially after he was given his gun as a special move in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

In other media
Stryker is mentioned along with Kabal in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation as having been captured by Rain, though they never appear onscreen.

Stryker was one of the main characters in the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, and was voiced by Ron Perlman. He was one of Raiden's chosen defenders of the Earthrealm alongside Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Jax, Sonya, Nightwolf, and Kitana. In the show, his nightstick concealed an electronic device that closed dimensional rips that were caused by invading realms. His last name was misspelled as "Striker" in the closing credits.

In Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, a 2010 action short film directed by Kevin Tancharoen, a police officer resembling Stryker is briefly seen. In the subsequent spinoff web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Stryker, played by Tahmoh Penikett, is one of the SWAT squad leaders alongside Jax and Sonya.

Reception
Stryker has consistently been met with a mainly negative reception since his debut in MK3. In 2008, GameDaily called Stryker "a joke" and ranked him as the ninth most bizarre character in fighting games, commenting that "maybe he's trying to be Steven Seagal." That same year, ScrewAttack ranked Stryker as third worst character in the series, while Game Informer included this "stun gun-wielding loser" among the characters they did not want to appear in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot. Topless Robot placed Stryker at first place on their 2011 list of Mortal Kombat characters "that are goofy even by Mortal Kombat standards," and that he was "utterly bizarre" because they felt his 'normal' appearance contrasted with the other characters. Also in 2011, Stryker placed first on 1UP.com's list of the franchise's most embarrassing moments, as they felt he did not "actually belong anywhere [in the series] at all."

In spite of all the criticism he has received, Stryker ranked 18th on UGO's list of top 50 Mortal Kombat characters in 2012, while commenting that his alternate costume in the new game looked "like Iceman from Top Gun in deep-sea diving gear." That same year, Complex listed him as the sixth most underrated Mortal Kombat character, stating that "he gets some unwarranted hate for being so normal, but that's exactly why we appreciate him."