The game's story takes place after Raiden, Earthrealm's god of thunder, and Superman, Metropolis' defender, repel invasions from both their worlds.

Most reviewers agreed that the game was entertaining and made good use of its DC Universe license, but its lack of unlockable features compared to past installments of Mortal Kombat and toned-down finishing moves garnered some criticism.

[3][4] Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe also contains a mode called "Kombo Challenge", where players must perform ten pre-created combos of increasing difficulty.

[3] A "Test Your Might" mini-game is also worked into the gameplay; while fighting in certain areas, the player can smash the opponent through a series of walls and engage in a tug-of-war with the damage meter at the top of the screen.

[8] All of the characters except Darkseid, Shao Kahn, and Dark Kahn have finishing moves; the Mortal Kombat characters and the DC villains can execute Fatalities, while the DC heroes can execute moves called "Heroic Brutalities," which function in the same manner but do not kill opponents, in order to stay in tone with the heroes who have an established reputation of never taking a life.

This allows for such things as the possibility of Superman being defeated due to his vulnerability to magic and giving the Joker the ability to fight skilled martial artists such as his nemesis Batman and Deathstroke.

Both realizing that neither is working with Dark Kahn, Raiden and Superman overcome their rage for each other and defeat their fused enemy, restoring the two worlds to their normal separation.

In the end, they both face eternal imprisonment in the other's universe; Darkseid is restrained in the Netherrealm, while Shao Kahn is trapped in the Phantom Zone.

[4] Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was Midway Games's last project before filing for bankruptcy and selling the rights to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2009.

[28][29] Boon revealed that two new characters were developed as downloadable content, Quan Chi from Mortal Kombat and Harley Quinn from DC comics but had been discarded.

Also included in the Kollector's Edition is a 16-page comic book prequel, Beginnings, which was illustrated by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias.

[35] Ed Boon said on his Twitter account that the plan for DLC had been scrapped, which occurred because, as clarified by 1UP, Midway had filed for bankruptcy and was purchased by Warner Bros. Interactive after the suggestion of downloadable content.

Ed Boon pitched the idea to Midway Game's artists, animators, and producers, who were initially unwilling on the grounds they felt it was unnecessary and not possible.

The team pitched alternatives to Ed Boon's idea, such as still images accompanied by music and voiced dialogue, “like you'd see in some fancy comic presentations”.

Ed Boon viewed the single-player mode as a major source of appeal to casual fans who would have otherwise not paid attention to a fighting game.

"[48] Wired.com's preview stated that the concept of the game was "nose-pokingly ludicrous", noting that Superman's powers could be used to easily defeat a character with the comment, "from Sub-Zero to Well-Done in eight seconds flat.

"[8] The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry approved of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe because of its departure from the earlier M-rated games of the series praising its "simpler play, familiar graphics and adjustable gore content" but still not recommending it for younger players.

[52] Midway Games announced that as of January 26, 2009, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe had shipped 1.8 million copies since its release in mid-November 2008, not including the sales of the Kollector's Edition.

[61][62] Future fighting games like Guilty Gear Xrd, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite attempted to create similar film-inspired experiences.