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After all these years,Mortal Kombatis still running hot, with a massive roster of games in the series, as well as characters and stories. And gratuitous violence. The series made a powerful comeback with Mortal Kombat — which we call Mortal Kombat 9 or Mortal Kombat 2011 to avoid confusion — and it started a new trilogy, one that created a new timeline while also acknowledging past events, working as a soft reboot.
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Mortal Kombat 1 introduces a new timeline for us to experience and one with many changes. It’s only natural to feel a bit lost with everything that is going on. Here’s the new timeline, explained.
We’re going to lightly spoil Mortal Kombat 11, and the beginning of Mortal Kombat 1, which is officially revealed and available online to watch.
Starting Over
At the end of MK11, the timeline ended up erased, withLiu Kang, turned into a Godby Raiden,being tasked with creating a new timeline.
In other words,this is technically a sequel, as it is the same Liu Kang from before — and likely the same Geras, too. Even Kronika appears at the beginning of the MK1. Regardless, everything else is new.
Thus, we’ll havedifferent takes on the characters, as well as their relationships, so while this is a continuation of sorts, it’sstill a new timeline, and your favorite character will likely behave differently than before, or have a whole new take, as you’ll see with the likes of Reptile and Baraka.
Still, the essence of the game seems to be the same, with a tournament that dictates the future of the realms.
Changes In Earthrealm
Aside from the new god, our champions are a bit different. In a role reversal,Raiden is the new championinstead of Liu Kang.
Kung Lao behaves more or less the same, beinga powerful combatant and very aware of his own skills.
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Other champions feature Johnny Cage, Kenshi, and the Lin Kuei. Johnny Cage is mostly his charming self, with the most notorious change so far beingthe lack of his green-energy powers from the previous trilogy— the same that helped him beat Shinnok.
Kenshi is affiliated with the Yakuza, but he’s also fighting them, as pre-match lines tell us, showing that he’s off to do some vigilantism against criminals.
The biggest changes go to theLin Kuei, Sub Zero’s clan. Bi-Han is still Sub-Zero here, with evil intentions as always, but his brother,Kuai Liang,now holds the mantle of Scorpioninstead of Hanzo.
Still, personality-wise, he seems to be Kuai Liang all the way, following his brother faithfully.
Smoke hasn’t changed much, being a third brother, though not blood-related. He doesn’t seem to mind the Lin Kuei’s wrongdoings, beating an old lady for not paying extortion money with no remorse.
Outworld’s Hierarchy
Most big changes lie in Outworld.Queen Sindel and her two daughters, Kitana and Mileena, are in charge, already showing us a big change, as Mileena is not a Tarkatan-Kitana clone.
They’re actual sisters, and Mileena is even the heir to the throne rather than Kitana.
From pre-match conversations and trailers, it seems Kitana is okay and happy with that, thoughMileena believes she wants the throne. To make matters more complicated,Tarkatans are no longer a species.
Instead,Tarkat is a diseasethat changes people into monster-like beings who crave violence, and Mileena is infected — that will be thecause of her signature monstrous appearancethis time around.
Meanwhile,Shao not-Kahn is still here, this time a general. He behaves the same way and still has a lot of authority.
His relationship with Sindel isno longer romantic, and they show different views on their whole dynamic with Earthrealm and Liu Kang, with Sindel being supportive of him while Shao wants to do some conquering.
Finally, the great sorcererShang Tsung is nothing more than a fake sorcererselling fake potions, meaning he’s no longer related to Outworld’s rulers.
That’s likely going to change, as shown at the beginning of MK1, but considering how much trouble other versions of him caused in the past, it’s understandable thatLiu Kang removed his powers entirely.
New Alliances
Two characters with big changes areSyzoth (Reptile) and Baraka. Tarkat is now a disease, meaning this change willseverely affect our main Tarkatan fighter.
He’s a victim rather than an evildoer,and he offers to help the good guys in one of the trailers. Baraka will apparently gain a lot more depth, which is extremely welcome.
Another character who will gain more depth is Syzoth. He is areptilian creature from a species called Zaterran, but he canshape-shift into a human form, which is uncommon for them.
He even left his people due tobeing bullied by them over his transformation, and is now seeking a new home.Reptile is also helping out our heroes,and he seems to be an overall good person.
3D Era Returns
The3D era introduced a lot of characters who became fan favoritesand are now part of the nostalgia for fans.
Some of these characters are returning, and not just as Kameo fighters — though some are just Kameo, like Darrius. Not only are they returning, but they’rerelevant to the plot, with backstories and dedicated trailers.
The ones who will return as playable characters areLi Mei, Tanya, Havik, Ashrah, Nitara, and Reiko. As for Kameo fighters, there isDarrius (as mentioned), Sareena, and Shujinko.
