Ultra Instinct Shaggy is real, recognized by WB in new Mortal Kombat cartoon intro

‘Like…get over here, man!’

When brands become self-aware enough to put memes into canon, the joke dies. This is especially true of Big Chungus, who appeared in a game recently as a cameo. But I can’t help but smile seeing Ultra Instinct Shaggy choke out Scorpion…the Scorpion…in an official cartoon intro.

The tie-in involves Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, a new WB animation joint (and sequel to Scorpion’s Revenge) released this week on home video. Before the film starts Scorpion is seen flipping around the WB intro screen (as ninjas do), and BAM, Ultra Instinct Shaggy slams open the water tower door and chokes him out. “Like…get over here, man!” indeed.

As a refresher, Ultra Instinct Shaggy was born out of the film Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur, in which a hypnotized Shaggy kicks an entire biker gang’s ass. For several years people started to apply various editing techniques to the scene, culminating in a Dragon Ball Z “Ultra Instinct” parody. Hence, why Shaggy has a power level aura in the intro.

I have to admit, this is one of the more clever ways to play up a meme in recent years. It’s not overdoing the joke: Shaggy unexpectedly comes out, does his thing for a few seconds, and then peaces out as a cameo before the film even begins. I’m also an unabashed Scooby-Doo fan, so anything that gets this series more eyes is good with me! My mom grew up with it, I grew up with it, and my kid loves it. It’s wild how long Scooby-Doo has been around, but all of the twists and turns producers have made to keep it alive deserve some props.

Chris Carter

Reviews Director, Co-EIC – Chris has been enjoying Destructoid avidly since 2008. He finally decided to take the next step, make an account, and start blogging in January of 2009. Now, he’s staff!