Bruce Campbell won’t loan Evil Dead’s Ash to Mortal Kombat
As NetherRealm Studios teases Mortal Kombat 12, Bruce Campbell says he doesn't want Evil Dead's Ash in the fighting series.
21st Apr 2023 12:12
Rosebud Releasing Corporation | NetherRealm
Bruce Campbell won’t loan Evil Dead’s Ash to Mortal Kombat
As NetherRealm Studios teases Mortal Kombat 12, Bruce Campbell says he doesn't want Evil Dead's Ash in the fighting series.
21st Apr 2023 12:12
Rosebud Releasing Corporation | NetherRealm
Evil Dead is making a big comeback, and to be honest, we think it's "groooovy." Evil Dead Rise is opening the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis and looking like it'll slaughter the competition in 2023, all while Evil Dead: The Game is coming to Steam on April 26.
We've come a long way from Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams looking for a romantic weekend at a cabin in the woods, and while the franchise is facing its second reboot without the big guy himself, Ash is up there with the likes of Laurie Strode and Ellen Ripley as horror hero icons.
Bruce Campbell doesn't want Ash in Mortal Kombat
Ash's pop culture popularity has seen him appear in everything from comics books to a canned Freddy vs. Jason sequel, an off-Broadway show to Behaviour Interactive's Dead by Daylight. Sadly, if you want to see him in Mortal Kombat 12, Campbell has some bad news.
Although Ash and his chainsaw might seem like perfect sparring partners for Johnny Cage or Scorpion, Campbell told The A.V. Club, "No, I don't want Ash to appear in other people's games. Other creatures like Freddy and Jason should be in the Evil Dead game."
It makes sense that Campbell wants to hype Saber Interactive's survival horror - promoting it as something of its own Dead by Daylight. "You should be able to play as Freddy. You should be able to play as Jason and then have Ash fight those guys. So the video game format is much more welcoming," added Campbell.
"You make a side deal with however you get the likeness and the character of Freddy, you let the game company make those deals. So that's what I would do. But, no, I'm not interested in loaning Ash out. They need to come to our house." So there you have it, no Ash in Mortal Kombat 12.
Wasn't Ash Williams supposed to be in Mortal Kombat 11?
Campbell's words are disappointing, especially as he was heavily teased for MK11. As well as a direct reference to him in promos for the first Kombat Pack, there was the sound of a revving chainsaw in the Shang Tsung gameplay trailer.
EventHubs reported on datamined files from the Nintendo Switch that confirmed Ash, but he never appeared. Speaking at a Q&A, Williams shed some light on what might've gone down, explaining, "The studio makes a deal... it gets weird sometimes, so it might not happen because of legal crap."
There's more bad news for horror hounds, as Boon previously tweeted he'd wanted Michael Myers in Mortal Kombat, but the Halloween people said no. Even if Campbell was willing to see Ash pop up elsewhere before, it sounds like you'll have to come knocking on the cabin if you want any sort of crossover.
It's important to remember that despite what feels like an eternity of teasing, Mortal Kombat 12 still hasn't been announced. When it does, expect a slew of pop culture favourites to make the leap like Joker and RoboCop did in MK11. Unfortunately, our Evil Dead hopes might be dead.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
