Ed Boon Makes His Stance Clear On The Last Of Us' Ellie Joining Mortal Kombat

"Mortal Kombat" creator Ed Boon recently announced that he does not want Ellie from "The Last of Us" to join the "Mortal Kombat 12" guest roster. Guest fighters have always helped keep the "Mortal Kombat" games interesting after players have had their chance to spend time learning to use all of the game's base characters. The franchise often brings in familiar faces from other action and horror IPs, giving them their own unique movesets and allowing players to use them to engage in bloody violence.

This might make Ellie seem like the natural choice to some, given the recently renewed popularity of "The Last of Us" franchise following the release of the PS5 remake of the first game and the TV show adaptation on HBO. Ellie has more than proven herself as a fighter and a survivor in a world that has shown itself to be every bit as brutal as other franchises that have had their characters make guest appearances on the "Mortal Kombat" roster. So why is Boon so adamant that she not be featured in the game?

The conversation started when Boon posted a tweet stating that he agreed with all of the controversial decisions that Joel made during "The Last of Us" TV season finale. YouTube channel Erickson Gaming replied to Boon's tweet, suggesting that Ellie would be a great addition to the cast of "Mortal Kombat 12." Most of the people responding to the suggestion didn't seem to think that it was a great idea, with many of them arguing that she didn't have the martial skill to compete alongside the fighters in the "Mortal Kombat" universe.

Boon's response cited a different reason, however. He retweeted Erickson Gaming's post, explaining that he didn't want to see Ellie die via fatality before joking that he was ignorant about the idea that there was an "MK12" in the works.

NOPE. I don’t want to see fatalities on her.

I mean … MK12? What are you talking about? 🤔 https://t.co/hAChXAcC59

— Ed Boon (@noobde) March 13, 2023

Boon's reaction makes a lot of sense. The finishers in "Mortal Kombat" are well known for their gory and brutal nature, and seeing a child torn apart repeatedly could push the game's violence too far for players. The version of Ellie featured in the first game and the TV show is only 14, but even seeing an adult version of the character going through that — like the aged-up Ellie from "The Last of Us Part 2" — probably wouldn't draw a lot of fans of the series. It might be best to let Ellie stay in her own terrifying universe.