Double Helix hasn't finished announcing the complete roster for the Xbox One exclusive Killer Instinct revamp, but it seems as though the company is well on its way to doing so. Characters from the original like Jago, Glacius, Sabrewulf, Fulgore, Spinal, and Cinder have already been announced, leaving out only Orchid, Chief Thunder, and Riptor (Chief Thunder hasn't been seen yet, but a tease makes it seem like his introduction is almost inevitable).
Killer Instinct's 17 year long absence means that the series has missed out on a lot in order to properly "update" some of its characters. Much like Balrog was in Street Fighter, T.J. Combo was an obvious parody of "Iron" Mike Tyson, with a similar checkered past, and an all around brutal boxer. And in that close to 20 year period, a lot has happened to both Tyson and other boxers that Double Helix could use as a means to update Combo, or at least try to get in a few cheap laughs like I'm about to. Here's a nice walk down memory lane as suggestions the developer could use to help bring Combo up to speed:
1. The face tattoo - the most glaringly obvious one, Tyson emerged in 2003 before his final career victory against Clifford Etienne sporting some truly eye catching ink. This could make for a nice costume or customization option for T.J. Having recently faced various legal and financial hardships, the timing of the tattoo has people wondering if strain was finally getting the better of Tyson's psyche, particularly after attracting a great deal of controversy for...
2. The bite heard round the world - 1997, Tyson faces Evander Holyfield in a rematch after losing the WBA title to Holyfield the year before. Claiming retaliation for head-butts from Holyfield, Tyson bites the top portion of Holyfield's ear...off. The fight was one of the most watched fights at the time, with close to 2 million ordering the fight on pay-per-view, meaning at least that many people saw Tyson engage in partial cannibalism live. Subsequent replays on ESPN and news outlets ensured that damn near everyone and their mother saw Tyson spit out part of Holyfield's ear like it was an uncooked piece of chicken. Could make for a nice new "No Mercy" move.
3. The Hangover 1 and 2 - Tyson's big post-boxing moment was his appearance in these two comedies that showed even after everything that happened, Tyson had a sense of humor, and could win the crowd over without pummeling other boxers into comas. Jago may rock the tiger spirit, but Combo could bring in his own pet tiger, just like Tyson had in the movies and real life. Maybe follow it up with another smooth, Murray Head rendition.
4. Veering off course from Tyson for a moment, anyone remember Oscar De la Hoya? His fight against Floyd Mayweather shattered the pay-per-view record set by Tyson vs. Holyfield II. In 2007, photos surfaced of the boxer in a fishnet outfit normally reserved for someone with a figure like Orchid's, not Combo's. Again, here's another potential costume for Combo, even if it's a little disturbing.
5. Politics - Traditionally, you don't usually think of boxing and governmental work EVER crossing. Boxers fight with their fists, and politicians do it with red tape and filibustering. Nevertheless, the only eight-division world champion boxer ever was elected as a Representative in his native country to the Congress of the Philippines - Manny Pacquiao. Oddly enough, Combo may have already pulled this one off. In one of his endings for Killer Instinct 2, Combo actually runs for president.