Now with the Mortal Kombat movie out in theaters and received by fans (with mixed reactions) it’s now time to re-visit this list to see if anything I wrote about appeared in this movie as well as if anything here needs to be in the next movie. I left in what I initially said as well as my updated thoughts after watching the movie; feel free to post your thoughts / comments below to add to the discussion!

(BEWARE OF SPOILERS)

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Shao Kahn / Outworld

INITIAL PREDICTIONS – The trailer teased Shao Kahn via a lifelike statue that looks very similar to his appearance in the video games. Ironically this is probably the most accurate portrayal of the characters seen so far in the movie. It’s unlikely to see Shao Kahn as the main antagonist for this first movie so if he ends up appearing in the sequel and then it would be nice to see Outworld. Ideally the movie should delve more into the world that isn’t usually touched because Mortal Kombat’s lore is so rich yet it’s never fully explored. Bringing in Shao Kahn also means we’ll likely be getting Kitana and Jade. 

AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE – We knew Shao Kahn wasn’t going to be the big bad of this movie (rightfully so) but the statue definitely teased what’s to come. The main bad was Sub Zero but technically the one calling the shots was Shang Tsung, who didn’t even step in to fight anyone except for Kung Lao. His killing of Kung Lao will be an incentive for the classic fight between him and Liu Kang if we get a sequel. As far as Outworld, we barely got to see any of it in this movie except for wide aerial shots of open empty desert land. In the sequel more of this world as well as the inhabitants needs to be explored in order to give context to this universe as well as how things work so newcomers don’t feel as isolated.

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Kintaro / Sheeva 

INITIAL PREDICTIONS – Going off of the last point, if we get to see more of Outworld / Shao Kahn then I want to see more of the monsters & inhabitants. This includes fan favorites: Kintaro and Sheeva, fan favorite Shokan warriors. Shokan are four armed humanoid warriors that are lethal combatants but Outworld is home to way more monstrosities than the Shokan. 

AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE – We saw Goro in this movie (who was animated a lot better than the original movie and exceeded expectations) but he unfortunately was killed off by the protagonist, Cole Young, which felt out of place. It was teased by Shang Tsung that all the villains who were killed off can and maybe will return in the future. Hopefully we see Goro get his just due because he was hyped up off screen only to die in the first fight we see him in. When they bring him back, they need to show us why his reputation precedes himself way before we see any other prominent Shokan warriors.

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Baraka

INITIAL PREDICTIONS – Another monstrosity found in Outworld are the Tarkatans. These creatures are a aggressive humanoid monsters with very sharp / long teeth as well as skeletal arm blades that come out of their forearms. The famous one that fans know well is Baraka. He ranks low on our personal list of character but it’s still nice to have him around. Hopefully we get to see him in a sequel and more of the Tarkatan culture / lore. 

AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE – Baraka arguably gets thrown away more than any other “side” character in Mortal Kombat (in both the video game campaigns and the movies). With the way they treated the villains in this movie, I couldn’t help but feel that Baraka doesn’t deserve to not have the same fate. The villains were one note and killed so early to the point that I don’t really want to see any more throw away villains (like Baraka) in the next movie.

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Reptile

INITIAL PREDICTIONS – Reptile was teased in the trailer and is seen twice. Once in a fight with Kano and another in a shot where we see something moving in the dark via active camouflage. Many fans are hoping that this reptile ins’t “the reptile” that we know from the games as his appearance from the trailer is less than desirable. Reptile is a Saurian which in the lore are a race of humanoid reptilian fighters. They have the ability to shape-shift into a more humanoid appearance but lose this ability the longer they stay away from their home / queen. Many want to see reptile return to his ninja appearance, so here’s to hoping that we get this in a sequel.

AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE – Unfortunately, fans’ nightmare came true with the “reptile” in this movie being THE reptile form the games (known as Syzoth). His powers were displayed but he felt nerfed in the sense that he didn’t use any of his big moves on the other characters. He used acid to sneak into the room while invisible and should’ve stayed quiet and spit acid all over Kano, Cole and Sonya. That’s not to say they should’ve been killed off but at least it would’ve made the fight more compelling It appears like they’re making Reptile “reserved” so that the fight is more fair. A perfect example is in Kong v Godzilla, Godzilla didn’t let up on the atomic breath which made the fight feel more “authentic” to what would happen in real life. We need to have this character come back and hopefully in his human form this time.

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Kuai Liang / Sub Zero

INITIAL PREDICTIONS – Speaking of ninjas, Sub Zero is a fan favorite for many. Kuai Liang is the “main” Sub Zero that we know & follow throughout the series; he is also the younger brother of the original Sub Zero, Bi-Han. Bi-Han is killed and comes back as Noob Saibot which is why Kuai Liang takes on the “Sub-Zero” codename / colors so he can avenge his fallen brother. Bi-Han is a lot more violent than his younger brother Bi-Han is also the Sub Zero that we will be seeing in this film which is why the trailer teases him as the “villain”. 

AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE – Bi-Han got the exact fate that’s canon to the game’s story. His dark costume teased his fate of becoming Noob Saibot, the black clad ninja specter. The movie didn’t explain mention his family or how he lived for centuries which wasn’t the best narrative decision but it’s implied in the games that him and his brother are both half cryomancer half human. Cryomancers are an almost extinct race from Outworld / Edenia that have the ability to manipulate ice as well as live for centuries. So this leaves room open for Bi-Han’s younger brother to be alive and well even though we haven’t physically seen or heard him mentioned. Hopefully we see him don the blue suit and face Scorpion or his brother in the next movie. Joe Taslim has signed on for multiple sequels so we know that Noob Saibot will be a presence throughout the series and that’s great news considering Joe’s fights were one of the highlights of this film.

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Lin Kuei / Cyrax / Sektor / Smoke

INITIAL PREDICTIONS – If we bring in Kuai Liang then it also means the ninja assassin faction known as, the Lin Kuei, will make an appearance as well (it should also be noted that they appear in this movie as well). Later on in the timeline, the Lin Kuei go through a cyber initiative with their soldiers where they remove their free will & immortalize their bodies as cyborgs in order to make them efficient warriors. Now a sequel will be way too early to bring in the cyborg initiative, especially if they focus on Shao Kahn & Outworld. However, if we did get the cyborg initiative it would be nice to see the three classic cyborg ninjas (Smoke, Sektor, Cyrax) in their human form before the Lin Kuei undergoes this.

AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE – Bi-Han teased the Lin Kuei at the end and they were seen in the beginning. Anyone not familiar with the games won’t know the implications of this but this sets up a lot of other plot points including his younger brother (mentioned above), the cyber initiative where all of the assassins are programmed into the bodies of cyborgs as well as the conflict between Outworld & Earthrealm. It’s unclear whether or not they will be seen in the next movie as we still haven’t seen Johnny Cage or Kitana as well as Shang Tsung still being out in the open. Only time will tell but as of right now it feels too early.