Mortal Kombat is back on the big screen — or, depending on where you're watching it, on HBO Max! Based on the long-running, acclaimed, and controversially violent fighting video game series that started in 1992 and has most recently continued with 2019's Mortal Kombat 11, the new film from director Simon McQuoid and an international cast of martial arts experts promises hard-R action and a faithfulness to the property not seen in either previous live-action feature film (1995's mostly beloved Mortal Kombat and 1997's mostly reviled Mortal Kombat: Annihilation).
The multimedia franchise is full of eclectic, super-powered characters with outrageous special moves, universe-spanning backstories, and fatalities — finishing moves that bloodily kill their opponent in hyperbolically entertaining fashions. For a newcomer to the franchise, or even for a Kombat pro looking for a refresher before the new flick, it can be a lot to keep track of. So we've put together this handy-dandy guide of all the kombatants you'll find in the new Mortal Kombat movie, how they compare to their video game counterparts, and how they function within the larger world of the mythology at large. And speaking of which...
The World(s) of 'Mortal Kombat'
Mortal Kombat exists in a bit of a multiverse, with different realms representing different planes of existence and foundational philosophies. For the purposes of understanding the 2021 film, we'll focus on three. There's Earthrealm, which you can think of as our Earth as we know it, under the protection of an elder god named Raiden. There's Outworld, a realm marked by evilness, power, decay, and corruption under the rule of an emperor named Shao Kahn. And there's the Netherrealm, which you can think of as a hellish afterlife.
"Mortal Kombat" is the name of an inter-realm martial arts tournament, in which the mightiest warriors from each realm compete. If one realm wins 10 tournaments in a row, they gain the ability to invade the rival realm with a goal toward domination, submergence, and conquering. At the start of this film, Outworld has defeated Earthrealm nine times in a row, and its highest-ranking champions, including sorcerer Shang Tsung, are primed to win again. But the uncovery of a prophecy gives Earthrealm one final shot at protecting themselves. So as Shang Tsung sends a crew of evil Outworld fighters to Earthrealm to pick off potential champions, we find ourselves zeroing in on the journeys of...
Cole Young (Lewis Tan)
Wouldn't you know it, Cole Young, the protagonist of our Mortal Kombat feature film, is actually a new character to the Mortal Kombat mythology! So ostensibly, you should be able to get what he's about from watching the film right out of the gate, since this is his origin story. But for some brief, non-spoilery context, he's a struggling MMA fighter whose glory days are behind him. His daughter (Matilda Kimber) is his coach and biggest fan despite his constant pummelings. But a destiny beyond what he's known awaits him — and it has something to do with his curious visions of a fiery ninja, and his curious birthmark in the shape of a dragon...
Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)
Sonya Blade, a United States Special Forces agent, is single-minded and hotheaded in her goal to eradicate the criminal forces in her way, especially her bitter rival Kano, and usually teams up with her Special Forces partner Jax. Her fighting style involves the usage of her long legs, including cartwheel kicks and handstand feet grabs of opponents' necks, military equipment like guns and grenades, and blasts of purplish energy rings she can supernaturally shoot. Her signature fatality involves a "kiss of death," a smooch that chars and burns the victim into a dang skeleton.
In this film, Sonya has been tracking the existence and meaning of the Mortal Kombat tournament for some time, and introduces Cole to his place in the puzzle, including the meaning of his dragon mark as someone who possesses special powers known as "arcana" (she notably does not have a mark at the beginning of the film). She also undergoes a curious "alliance under duress" with rival Kano and continues to help teammate Jax.
Jackson "Jax" Briggs (Mehcad Brooks)
Jax is another Special Forces agent, the generally more even-keeled partner of Sonya (though he is usually depicted as being responsible for the eye injury that led to Kano's injury). He's often seen struggling with the traumas that come from a life of military service, injury, and death. He's cybernetically enhanced, with a pair of buffed out metal arms part and parcel of his fighting style; he's one of the only Mortal Kombat characters whose largest superpower comes, truly, from just punching people, though he can also blast out energy waves. Jax's signature fatality is blunt and hilarious: He uses his metallic arms to "clap" someone's head, causing it to explode. Can ya blame him?
We're first introduced to Jax as having regular human arms in the film as he rescues Cole from the clutches of Sub-Zero and points him on his journey to find Sonya and get the meaning of his dragon mark. But the film features, in quite dramatic and bloody fashion, the origin story of the loss of his arms moments later, all leading to a rise from the ashes as he gets his powerful replacements.
Kano (Josh Lawson)
Boasting a cybernetic, glowing red eye and a blunt lack of morality, Kano is one of the franchise's most reliable, and most traditionally human villains. He's a mercenary for hire, the leader of the Black Dragon crime syndicate, and the unrelenting thorn in Sonya Blade's side, sometimes portrayed as being responsible for a death of one of her partners. His special moves emanate from his cybernetic enhancements, including red laser beams shot from his eye shield, and his signature fatality involves the removal and consumption of his opponent's heart (yum!). Interestingly, his common depiction of being Australian and having a vulgar, devil-may-care sense of humor came not from the video game, but from Trevor Goddard's performance as him in the first 1995 movie.
The new film starts with him having already been captured by Sonya, as he seems to have acquired the dragon mark after killing a superpowered person with it. Can he manage to work with Sonya, Jax, Cole, and the rest of the Earthrealm protectors without his damn running mouth ruining everything?
Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano)
Lord Raiden is the goddamn God of Thunder, eternal protector of the Earthrealm, and all around avatar of sage wisdom in the Mortal Kombat universe. He's what's known as an Elder God, a powerful, otherworldly figure who helps keep the multiverse in check from evil figures like Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn, who try to take over control from their nefarious Outworld perches. He's typically portrayed as a father figure and trainer of our more down-to-earth (haha) heroes. As you might imagine, his powers involve the dissemination of lightning against his foes, and his signature fatality involves using electricity to decapitate fools.
In the film, Raiden protects and brings together all kinds of people, from rescuing Scorpion's daughter in the prologue sequence to reluctantly training the motley crew of Earthrealm warriors in his temple during the middle. He is an observer of tradition, rules, and lineages, which are all shaken up by the events of the film.
Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)
Typically seen as the central character of Mortal Kombat (so much so that he was the protagonist of the 1995 film, played by Robin Shou), Liu Kang is a trained martial artist and Shaolin monk who becomes Earthrealm's Grand Champion as a result of winning so many Mortal Kombat tournaments against the forces of Outworld, especially Shang Tsung. He's both grounded but spiritual, a fierce warrior but a kind hearted soul. His diverse set of moves involve fireballs, bicycle kicks, and the personification of the dragon (i.e. the Mortal Kombat logo); so much so that his signature fatality involves him literally turning into a dragon and chomping his opponent for a post-fight lunch.
The film finds Liu Kang already a teacher of sorts, rather than a student. He's already an Earthrealm champion and trains Cole to help unlock his arcana in Raiden's temple before springing into action himself when Outworld forces make their bold play.
Kung Lao (Max Huang)
Seen on the right of the movie still with his BFF/sometimes cousin Liu Kang, Kung Lao is a fellow trained Shaolin monk, an eponymous ancestor of the Great Kung Lao, and in recent games, a bit of a rapscallion. In contrast to the humble and kind Liu Kang, Kung Lao can feel like a Han Solo type; he still follows the nonviolent, spiritual teachings of the White Lotus Society, but does so while flirting, smirking, and behaving like a lovable brute. And if you're wondering if his powers involve his big ol' hat, good news: They do! It's a razor-edged hat which Kung Lao chucks and hurls at his opponents with magical elan, culminating in his signature fatality which slices his opponent clean in half, hat-style.
The film positions Kung Lao as another teacher alongside Liu Kang and Raiden, helping the newcomers find their strength and arcana. We notably see some of the rabble-rousing tendencies of Kung Lao come out during a heated argument with Kano, and we notably see some of the selfless tendencies of Kung Lao come out during dramatic moments later.
Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada)
Scorpion, aka Hanzo Hasashi, utters the most famous line in all of Mortal Kombat: "Get over here!" He throatily barks this as he shoots a rope-spear out of his hand, plunging it into his opponents' bodies and yanking them over to pummel them. Easily one of the most recognizable moves not just in Mortal Kombat but in all of video game history, its only one of Scorpion's many powers, which also include the usage of fire, teleportation, and straight up sword fighting. Scorpion was originally perceived as a villain in the original games (and '95 film), which tracks with his signature fatality where he removes his yellow mask to reveal a skull-face, and breathes fire onto his opponent, burning them to a crisp. But recent incarnations of the character cast him as a noble, heroic member of the Shirai Ryu clan (Hanzo Hasashi) who is driven to madness, vengeance, and hellish possession (Scorpion) only when his family is murdered.
The film version takes this history and runs with it as a framing device, opening the film with the devastation of his family and life by the evil Bi-Han, aka Sub-Zero. It goes on to present an ancient prophecy that the presence of Hanzo Hasashi's blood (like, his lineage, though there's plenty of his literal blood) is the key to uniting a new group of Earthrealm warriors to stop an Outworld takeover. And as Sub-Zero continues his path of destruction and Cole keeps having strange visions of Scorpion appear before his very eyes, it all leads to a cathartic climax for Mr. Scorpion.
Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim)
While the canon of Mortal Kombat has two separate ninjas who have adorned the "Sub-Zero" moniker, for the purposes of how it relates to the film version, we're just going to focus on one: Bi-Han. A single-minded, remorseless assassin of the Lin Kuei clan, Bi-Han is what we might call "neutral evil"; he kills his targets (including Scorpion and his family) without a second thought, his darkness ultimately corrupting his soul and transforming him into the form known as Noob Saibot (seen above, because to use the Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat 11 would be using the other Sub-Zero, and we simply cannot meld continuities like that!). But under his Sub-Zero moniker, his powers obviously involve the wielding of ice as a power, with his ability to fling ice balls that freeze people in their tracks being his most notable special move. His signature fatality involves ripping a head off his opponent's body, its spinal cord hanging precariously below. Yuck!
The film, again, starts with Bi-Han finding Hanzo Hasashi and his family, and murdering him. It then presents him as a kind of ice-cold Terminator, hunting after Cole, Jax, Sonya, and any other Earthrealm warriors who get in the way of Outworld domination. Many things come to a head for Mr. Sub-Zero through the film, and he causes many things to freeze and shatter along the way.
Shang Tsung (Chin Han)
One of the great villains of the Mortal Kombat franchise, Shang Tsung is a cunning, beguiling, and shape-shifting sorcerer with an insatiable appetite for souls. He's the main boss in the first Mortal Kombat game who possesses the ability to turn into all of the other characters, being able to use their movesets as well. While he does pledge fealty to Shao Kahn and the other Outworld rulers, Shang Tsung has a sense of trickery and independence that makes him a particularly scary, manipulative, and even charming villain. His signature fatality, and kind of his whole M.O., is to suck the souls from his victims in the form of a green aura, leaving the deceased a gray sack of flesh. Fun fact: This Mortal Kombat 11 version of him is performed in voice and body by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who played the villain in the '95 film and immediately calcified much of what we love about the character, Kano-style.
In this '21 movie, Shang Tsung is very aware of this "Hanzo Hasashi blood means another tournament" rule, and desperately wants to stop it before Outworld is at risk again. He's willing and ready to take over Earthrealm even if it means breaking the rules. So he gathers his team of evil chess pieces and sics them on anyone possessing that dragon mark. And don't worry, you'll see him steal somebody's soul...
Kabal (Daniel Nelson/Damon Herriman)
In a spooky, steampunk Bane mask that also acts as his respirator, Kabal strikes quite the visage in the pantheon of Mortal Kombat villains. He is a mercenary willing to take whatever gig serves him the best, meaning that even though Outworld emperor Shao Kahn is the man who resulted in him needing his face protector and breathing mechanism, he'll still work for evil forces if the price is right. Kabal possesses super speed and ferocious hook swords, dashing and spinning around his opponents as he skewers and skins them like shish kabobs. And in one of his most notable fatalities, he actually takes off the mask and reveals his horrifically scarred face, which is so scary it makes his opponent's soul leave their body. Shang Tsung could never.
Kabal is framed as a rival of Kano's in the '21 film, making him willing to work with Shang Tsung and his Outworld crew to try and stop the Earthrealm warriors. However, he uses his skills of status-shifting to his advantage, moving character allegiances almost as quickly as his literal speed.
Goro (Angus Sampson)
A former Mortal Kombat champion for Outworld, a Prince of the Shokan warriors, and an absolute unit of a chunky boi, Goro has four arms and they're all ready to kick your ass. He's been a loyal right hand man to Shang Tsung since serving as the first game's secondary boss, and while he has the ability to shoot fireballs, the primary appeal of his attacks come from all the things he can do while punching with four arms (I'm particularly fond of his bottom two arms picking someone up while his top two arms pummel their head). He doesn't have a "signature" fatality per se, since he didn't have one in the first game, but one of my faves since involves him standing on his opponent's torso and ripping their four limbs off all at the same time with his four arms. Hunks can get away with so much, ya know?
The film finds Goro used as a warrior by Shang Tsung in his quest to stop Earthrealm, per usual, and gives him one of the most important fights in the film against Cole at a pivotal moment.
Mileena (Sisi Stringer)
There is a kind, good, and just female ninja in the world of Mortal Kombat named Princess Kitana. Mileena is technically Kitana's sister — though "clone made under ill-advised circumstances by Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung" is a more apt description — but that's where the similarities end. Mileena is evil evil. She's vicious, sadistic, unstable. She's a particularly impetuous Outworld warrior who uses her daggers as the brunt of her special attacks, while later games find her literally eating her opponents' flesh with a set of horror-movie-monster-esque teeth. This is where her signature fatality draws from: She gobbles up her opponent in their entirety, then spits out all their bones on the floor. She would not be a fun hang.
In the film, Mileena is basically used as one of several Outworld assassins Shang Tsung utilizes to try and stop our Earthrealm crew. She gets quite the fight scene, too!
Reptile
Reptile is a reptile. Got it? Great, moving on!
Just kidding :) Reptile is a monstrosity of a creature, of humanoid shape but of mutated lizard DNA. He's a fearsome ninja with the ability to turn invisible, and he's often used by his Outworld bosses to sneak upon and destroy his targets. However, in recent games, he's painted as a tragic figure who's trying to find other members of his race, pledging loyalty to masters who don't have his best interest at heart in the process. Beyond his invisibility, Reptile can spit burning acid and shoot force balls at his foes. In his signature fatality, he removes his green mask, zaps his tongue towards his opponent's head, and rips it clean off. After consuming it, he rubs his belly and gives a satisfied noise. At least it's keto?
The film features Reptile in just one dramatic, brutal fight scene, where we see many of his powers including his invisibility in his attempts to stop the Earthrealm warriors on behalf of Shang Tsung. Notably, he feels less like a humanoid ninja and more like an out-and-out lizard monster.
Nitara (Mel Jarnson)
Introduced in the slept on 2002 video game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Nitara is a pretty deep cut for this film to include. She's a vampire who, as vampires are wont to do, feeds on her opponent's blood as a key part of her arsenal in kombat (she also flings blood balls at people, which rules). And while she is generally "evil," she's less interested in joining your standard Outworld players like Shang Tsung and more interested in "doing her own thing." Her fatality is absolutely a vicious blood-sucking, with chunks of blood and flesh flying as she chows down.
The film finds her operating as one of Shang Tsung's Outworld assassins, simplifying her more complicated video game relationship to serve the story. She gets to fight, and that's about it!
Reiko (Nathan Jones)
First introduced in 1997's Mortal Kombat 4, the series' first 3D game, Reiko is another deep cut for the picture to include, and I'm here for it! He's a general of Shao Kahn's army, an Outworld company man through and through, who wields a big ol' hammer in his fighting style. And most hilariously, he has kind of a crush on Shao Kahn. He dresses like him, uses a hammer like him, even puts on his mask when he's not around. He wants to be just like him, making him a dopily endearing entry to the series. Beyond his hammer, Reiko also hurls throwing stars and uses all kinds of teleportation tactics in his fighting style. One of my favorite fatalities of his involves a huge kick to the torso — so huge that the torso flies backwards, leaving the head and arms to spin in midair before falling to the ground.
The film, sadly, does not get into Reiko's love of his boss, instead simply casting him as another body to try and stop the Earthrealm warriors. He gets to fight, he gets to hold a big hammer, he does not get to dance around playing pretend as Shao Kahn.
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