Summary
Mortal Kombat 1is the latest entry in the long-running franchise. As its title suggests,MK1is a reboot, marking the start of a new story. At the end ofMK11, Liu Kang became the new god of fire and reset the timeline to create a more peaceful world with less suffering.Mortal Kombat 1picks up in Liu Kang’s new world as things begin to go awry. Like other timelines, the world ofMK1is filled with violence, and some characters die horribly. Despite the game’s incredibly gruesome nature, the amount of main characters killed in the game’s story is more restrained than in some previous entries.
Mortal Kombat 1isn’t the first time that the franchise has rebooted its timeline.Mortal Kombat(2011), the series' ninth entry, was a reboot as well and kicked off the modern era ofMKgames and the timeline that Liu Kang reset precedingMK1.Mortal Kombat 9had a major story problembecause of the number of characters it killed. Many returned in one way or another in the following games, draining death of any meaning. Death and revival have always been a part ofMK, but in killing over 10 significant characters, 2011’sMortal Kombattook it too far.
Characters Killed in MK9
Mortal Kombat 1 Doesn’t Kill Many Main Characters
Of the characters inMK 1’s core cast, only one prominent member is killed, and her death may not be permanent.Mortal Kombat 1’s depiction of Sindelis a vast improvement overMK11, but unfortunately, she is murdered. A dark version of Sindel invades from a different timeline and takes the life of her benevolent counterpart. Her soul is saved in Ermac, however, so she could potentially return.
While much ofMK1’s core cast is left intact at the story’s end, some of the alternate timeline versions of characters die during its events. This approach to storytelling is a touch convoluted, but it is a fun way of acknowledging the series' many timelines and avoidingthe overuse of killing the main characters.
Some Dark Versions of Characters Are Killed in MK1
During the events ofMK1’s story, some alternate timeline dark versions of characters are killed, as well as some unnamed side characters. One of the game’s most memorable murders is that of DarkShao Khanand Dark Reiko. During the sequence, Shang Tsung brutally kills the duo, stabbing Reiko in the head multiple times before finishing off Shao. While their dark counterparts are killed, Reiko and Shao Khan fromMK1’s timeline are both alive and primed to return in future entries.
In the game’s finale, there is a battle to defend Liu Kang’s new world in which hundreds of alternate-timeline versions of manyMKcharacters are fought and killed. Among the alternate-reality fighters who meet their end are versions of Kung Lao, Scorpion, Baraka, Sub-Zero, and Sonya Blade.
Mortal Kombat 1 Pokes Fun At The Series' Past
DuringMortal Kombat 1’s climax, shadow versions of many characters make an appearance and meet their end, but no deaths stand out more than those of theKombat Kids. During the sequence, Kitana cuts down the entire group, who are all absent from the roster ofMK1. Takeda Takahashi, the most well-received of the group, is being added to Kombat Pack 1, but many fans have looked at this scene as an acknowledgment that the characters were a mistake. The game’s community has always criticized the Kombat Kids, so many players rejoiced at their exclusion fromMK1’s roster and their deaths in this scene.
While a lot of deaths occur in the background ofMK1’s story, many of them take place in a war where their demise is not shown, and only one main character fromMortal Kombat 1’s own timeline meets their end. While the killing of characters from Mortal Kombat’s now-established multiverse has been able to fill in for the game to remain gruesome without killing the main cast, it remains unseen whether or not this will come back to haunt Liu Kang’s new timeline in later games. Even if this event doesn’t catalyze conflict, it seems likely that future titles in the series will delve more into the newly established multiverse.
