Edit (April 2nd): Is this a joke? You bet it is! Video game movies might play it fast and loose but we weren't fooling anybody with this hastily assembled cinematic April Fool! Fans of 1973 British horror film The Wicker Man spotted this fake from a mile-off, but did you identify all six tricks? Make your boast in the comments below, and have more fun revisiting classic MK April Fool pranks!

A follow-up to the most recent Mortal Kombat feature film was on the cards as soon as it was released, and with a franchise anniversary looming later this year, it seems the hotly anticipated sequel has already begun shooting in secret. Warning - the following post contains spoilers:

Mortal Kombat 11 started the month by observing seasonal pranking with a wild and wacky April Fools Tower, but that wasn't the only fun emanating from NetherRealm Studios. Creative Director and notorious jokester Ed Boon made his own mischief on Twitter, poking fun at one of the game's much discussed absentees.

Mortal Kombat 11 has got into the spirit of the silliest season of all with an April Fools Tower that plays a wicked prank on players, presenting four new and unusual opponents. Read on for all the fun and games:

Edit: Are you ducking kidding? Of course we are! We went three layers deep to imbed this year's April Fool within an April Fool within an April Fool Tower -- but you knew all along! You just can't fool a Mortal Kombat Online reader - their source of MK news keeps them too reliably informed! We hope you had a quacking good time with our little joke, all the same. You never know - maybe one of these days they really will give us a new MK secret! If they do, you'll read about it on MK Online - so stay tuned!

Players with fully updated versions of Mortal Kombat XL are discovering a timely surprise to go with the April Fools Premier Tower. Along with the mind bending challenges of the latest Living Tower; fans are discovering two new visitors to The Kove stage!

The visitors come in the form of a mysterious ninja and a giant shark, who appear at seemingly random intervals in the background when fighting at The Kove. The sightings started roughly when the April Fool Tower went live. Screenshots follow:

Edit Apr. 2: What the duck?! While we may have seen hoaxes like Ermac, rumors like Skarlet, and obscurities like Tremor make it to the modern roster - Aquilluxborg Hydroxybot has not been given that honor! Like water off a duck's back, you of course knew this was merely our annual April Fools gag! This article and its basic contents were a fabrication. NetherRealm Studios will be spotlighting MKX Mobile on today's Kombat Kast, though, so keep an eye out for it! Otherwise, have fun and keep listening for the quack that echoes!

Ahead of tomorrow's Kombat Kast live preview of Mortal Kombat X Mobile -- the first cross-platform unlockable character has been revealed! Aquilluxborg Hydroxybot joins the fight via iOS & Android with a character render and mini-bio!

Edit (Apr. 2): If you read it elsewhere, you might have been fooled, but if you were here on Mortal Kombat Online, you clearly knew it was all part of our annual April Fools tradition! We played this for the long game, but even with a genuine tweet from Ed Boon -- you couldn't be fooled! You guys are just too good! This article and the material within it was a complete fabrication. You can spew disdain for our juvenile behaviour on the forum, or come down from the high with a calming art tribute to Mortal Kombat's greatest hoax: Ermac! See you next year!

Well, it looks like the "others" have it! Since revealing his work on an unspecified Mortal Kombat in an interview with IGN [full story}; Kiefer Sutherland (24: Live Another Day, Pompeii) has been the absent subject of much speculation.

With expectations reasonably targeted at an anticipated sequel to 2011's Mortal Kombat -- the prime suspects for his unknown role revolved around new additions to the reboot line-up. Mortal Kombat Online Users voted MK4 big bad Shinnok as the most likely casting, but in response to our Kommunity Kountdown article, the star re-emerged briefly to clarify:

Edit Apr. 2: Another year, another cruel and unusual lie. Did we fool you? Not for a second! The following article is a complete fabrication: part of our annual April Fools tradition. You can berate us on the forums, or come down from the high with a look back at some of Mortal Kombat's best hoax, fake & forgotten characters! See you next year!

Injustice: Gods Among Us is still a few weeks away from an official April 16 release, but it seems NetherRealm Studios are already well aware of where they're heading for their next major project!

Back in 2008, Mortal Kombat Online was with you to break the first official news of Mortal Kombat's foray into crossover territory. Five years later, we're happy to do it all over again, confirming the official exclusive announcement of Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe 2!

While the basic premise of Injustice: Gods Among Us has been abundantly clear for quite some time -- the end result of a world where heroes turn tyrant has remained a mystery.

Edit Apr. 2: Well, did we sneak this one past you? Probably not! While our MKvsDC2 Announcement screamed tom foolery, we thought a second article might keep you guessing. The following article is, of course, a complete fabrication: part of our annual April Fools tradition. You can berate us on the forums, or come down from the high with a look back at some of Mortal Kombat's best hoax, fake & forgotten characters! See you next year!

As leaders of opposing factions: Superman and Batman have been frontrunners to assume the dual role of playable fighter and story-driven final boss. Sources attending the recent WonderCon comic book convention (March 29-31), however, have revealed the Regime v Resistance plot masks a far more complex storyline within the April 16 release!

Writer Jimmy Palmiotti was reportedly overheard to be discussing the plot of the game, which he oversaw in conjunction with NetherRealm Studios in-house staff. The most shocking revelation from the booth leak -- Snapper Carr will serve as the ultimate villain in the final chapters of an epic story mode!

Carr first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28 (1960), where he assumed the role of mascot to the assembled Justice League of America. He provided the team with their secret headquarters and offered a human perspective on the increasingly fantastic adventures of DC Comics' greatest collective.

Riffing on his comic book adventures, Carr's influence will be felt throughout the entire plot of Gods Among Us as players uncover revelations about the true nature of the backstory!

Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 details the result of The Joker's plot to attack Superman at his heart -- a scheme that sees the hero accidentally murder the love of his life and their unborn child. The same event triggers the destruction of Metropolis, but the origins of this plot remain completely unaddressed in the series that purports to tell the backstory of the game. This is no doubt a deliberate device, hiding the fact it was Snapper Carr who was tricked by Joker -- under the influence of fear toxin -- into revealing Lois Lane's connection to Superman and the disparate locations of the various members of the League.

With Scarecrow dead at the hands of The Clown Prince of Crime, and The Joker himself murdered by Superman [in issue #2], Snapper's involvement remains secret to the heroes, who quickly become occupied by a violent coup against the governments of the world. When The Regime is established, a guilt-ridden Carr sells his soul to Neron, who grants him the ability to access alternate universes to assemble an army against The Regime.

It's been a long time since Reptile compelled quarter stuffers to look moonward, or Smoke and Jade shared a private joke behind a talking tree, but the element of secrets hasn't left Mortal Kombat entirely. While other franchises begin to abandon the long practiced chase of unlockable characters, MK keeps one foot in the shadows, taunting a rabid fanbase all the way to the end date and beyond.

Yesterday, Mortal Kombat Online enjoyed a customary April Fools rib. The lure of DLC additions and discarded characters may be rooted in truth, but you weren't fooled so easily. For MK fans of the past, however, it hasn't always been so easy to discern truth from fiction.

For fans eager to squeeze a little more out of obscurity, characters like Tremor and Wu Lae remain a luring prospect. Even the likes of Hydro -- a water-themed Lin Kuei character, created by Malibu Comics -- have fought for renewed existence, getting as far as a cameo appearance in the final Mortal Kombat: Legacy [last year]. There is another class of character, however, who contributes to the MK mythology as much, without ever actually having existed -- the rumored, or prank character.

With a long and storied history of humor characters and discarded near-misses, April 1st seemed like an appropriate time to take stock of some of the kombatants who nearly rejoined the franchise in its most recent iteration. Afterall, April officially marks the first anniversary of the game that relaunched the franchise, in 2011!

EDIT (Apr. 2): Did we fool you? Of course not, you're far too brilliant for that! You've gotta admit, we made it easy for you, this year. Thanks to Pedro Cruz for his involvement in our annual fooly fool. Make sure you don't miss our lookback at some of the classic fake characters and April Fools in our latest feature article! See you next year!

In an exclusive reveal for Mortal Kombat Online, NetherRealm Studios have provided design sketches for four characters who nearly made it in, but were omitted in the eleventh hour. They represent all tiers of the new and old -- unused fan-favourites, a long rumored joke character, and a brand new fighter, never before seen. Don't get too discouraged, either.

WB Assistant Community Manager, Elisa Profillo, advises that while there is no official announcement to be made yet, copies of Mortal Kombat and the recent Komplete Edition [released Feb. 28], are both able to support mutually available downloadable content.