The Sexualization and Desexalization of Mortal Kombat's Mileena

Recently I wrote an article about Street Fighter's Chun Li and how she gets criticized for being oversexualized. While I don't find Chun Li to be sexualized, there is another character in fighting games that has been sexualized for nearly her entire existence. Her sexualization has become part of her character.

During the production of Mortal Kombat II, it was decided that they needed more characters to fill the roster. They had such success with Scorpion and Subzero, that they decided to add more palette swap characters. As a result, Kitana and Mileena were born. Kitana and Mileena look identical during their first few appearances, the only difference being the colors they wear (Kitana wears blue and Mileena wears purple). Mileena was originally envisioned as a Tarkatan clone of Kitana who was raised alongside her as her sister. However, Mileena's true form is uncovered when she appears without a mask during her ending.

From that moment on, Mileena and Kitana were rivals, with Mileena being viewed as the 'evil' twin. The former sisters were often pitted against each other in the games, but that isn't the only effect Mileena's face reveal has had on the character. Mileena always seems to be looking for a way to fit in, searching for a family and claiming that she is Shao Khan's true daughter.

Mileena is often seen wearing a mask, opting to display her body instead. While other females in the franchise are scantly clad, Mileena is the only character to have a reason for this. She sees her face as a setback and chooses to emphasize her body instead. I believe this story element would have made more impact if she had been one of the only characters dressed in revealing clothing. She's often seen playfully flirting with the other combatants, even having a relationship with Baraka in the early games. Her fatalities show a more gruesome side to the character, where she sometimes eats her opponent.

In the newer games, her character goes through what may arguably be one of the biggest changes in the game. She's never raised alongside Kitana, instead, she's discovered by her in the flesh pits wearing only bandages. This change to her backstory strips away the emotional conflict between Mileena and Kitana. In Mortal Kombat 9, she's portrayed as a childlike character who wears sexualized clothing and only hides her face to appear more like Kitana. 

Her characterization and appearance greatly differ in Mortal Kombat X, where she's a former ruler of Edenia whose throne has been stolen. She aligns herself with Rain, Tonya, and Baraka to regain her throne. It's hinted that she's in a romantic relationship with Tonya, but this relationship is only confirmed during an ending in the next game. Despite this relationship, Mileena still manages to have flirtatious interactions with most of the other characters which align with her old characterization. She is killed early in the game, wasting the character's potential.

She's given lips, which she has only been shown to have once before (in Mortal Kombat Legacy). Most fans criticize the move to give her lips, as it seems this choice was only made to kill her. Mileena's clothing, along with the clothing of all the other female fighters, is less revealing. She's no longer shown to view her Tarkatan teeth in a negative light, and she often appears without a mask even pulling it down during some of her fighting intros. 

After relentless tweets from fans, Mileena was brought back in the next game, but only as DLC. Despite being introduced during the MK2 era, where most of the characters are taken from, she isn't added to the story.

Mileena's new appearance is more like that of her first appearance, where she closely resembled Kitana. Through intros between her and Kitana, we can gather that the pair were raised as sisters. In this installment, she's shown embracing her Tarkatan side instead of her sexy side. Her costumes are that belonging to a fierce warrior, and her lips have been replaced by a gruesome set of teeth. Not much is known of this Mileena's backstory, but she is shown to be more animalistic than in her previous appearances. The fans also seem to be embracing this new take on the character, with many of them sharing the customizations they've made to the character.

With the upcoming movie, there are already whispers from fans about Mileena. While it's clear that they've changed her look (no purple or sexy clothing in sight), we'll have to wait for the movie to see how true to the character this adaption is.