Ed Boon co-created the Mortal Kombat video-game series with John Tobias.
Boon was a programmer at Midway Games when the team developed the original Mortal Kombat arcade game. Tobias handled much of the character design, visual style, and story development, while Boon worked primarily on programming and gameplay systems. Their collaboration established the series’ distinctive combination of digitized actors, martial-arts combat, and finishing moves.
Boon also provided the voice of Scorpion, including the character’s famous “Get over here!” line. John Tobias left Midway in 1999, while Boon continued working on the franchise through its transition to NetherRealm Studios. Because both men were central to the series’ creation, questions about Mortal Kombat’s creator can sometimes incorrectly name only one of them.
Boon later became a leading figure at NetherRealm Studios, the company responsible for later Mortal Kombat and Injustice games. His long involvement makes him one of the franchise’s most recognizable real-world creators.