The Pit

Overview

The Pit is one of the most iconic locations in the Mortal Kombat franchise. There have been numerous variations of the Pit in each subsequent version of the game - but the Pit is typically the stage in which two fighters fight atop a high precipice and the finishing move (if executed correctly) will send the losing combatant to his death at the bottom of the level.

The Pit

The first version of the Pit was seen in the original Mortal Kombat. The ground below the stage's bridge is filled with spikes and the pillars supporting the ledge are also thorned. There are a number of easter eggs on this stage; however, this Pit is important because it offers the first stage fatality in the Mortal Kombat series. When an opponent is defeated on this stage, they can be uppercutted (down HP) off the bridge where they will land on the spikes.

The Pit II

The second version of the Pit appears in Mortal Kombat II and is appropriately named the Pit II. The animation for this Pit's stage fatality differs from that of the first Pit. When an opponent has lost and is being 'finished' on this stage, they can be uppercutted off the bridge (different combatants have different fatality combos) where they will meet their demise with a bloody splat on the rocky bottom below. Of note is the fact that this marks the initial appearance of the boss Blaze (who appears in later games in the MK series) seen far off in the background.

The Pit III

The Pit III appears in the third installment of the series, Mortal Kombat 3. This version features spinning blades at the bottom of the pit which chop up anyone unfortunate enough to fall in to tiny pieces. The final battle of the game against Shao Kahn is fought here, though you cannot knock him into the pit.

The Pit IV

In MK Deception the Pit returns but rendered in 3 dimensions. It is most closely based on the original Pit from Mortal Kombat.
The sides of the platform are treacherous, any powerful move can send a player flipping backward, and falling to the bottom. And what's at the bottom? Spikes of course, but carefully positioned ones. The loser will always fall on a perfectly placed spike in fact.