The Strange Origin Of Mortal Kombat's Blaze

Mortal Kombat's roster is full of some incredible characters and a disappointingly large gathering of duds.

The many realms that exist within MK's gore-filled universe have provided fans with series mainstays that have stood the test of time. But those same realms have also given fans some of the most forgettable "Kombatants" the world has ever seen. For every Scorpion and Sub-Zero that brings the hype, there's a Bo Rai Cho and Taven to immediately bring the excitement down a notch.

Back in 2006, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon launched and did something unimaginable: it featured virtually every character from the series' past. The big baddie at the center of that game's struggle is the massive fiery elemental known as Blaze. MK fans who have been around since its inception probably know a thing or two about his origin.

If you're one of the few who have no clue on how Blaze came to be, prepare to have your mind blown. The truth is, Blaze started out as nothing more than a background stage character.

If you went to war in the arcades with your buds in Mortal Kombat 2, you most likely did battle on the The Pit 2 stage.

While you were uppercutting your opponent to the high heavens, another battle would be transpiring in the background on another bridge. The character on the left was pretty much a palette swap of Lui Kang that players gave the moniker of "Hornbuckle" to. As for his foe, that character is none other than Blaze. Fans referred to him as Torch before his actual name was set in stone.

Blaze eventually graduated from an unimportant stage element to a playable character in 2002's Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. He got quite the makeover in 3D as he grew to larger proportions and got even more powerful. Once MK: Armageddon came around, Blaze got upgraded to the role of the final boss that players definitely had some difficulty getting past.