Why I'm Concerned About The New Mortal Kombat Movie

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Mortal Kombat fan, I’ve even written a review of Conquest. Recently, I shared that I was dreading the new Mortal Kombat movie, but since I’ve seen the trailers and posters, my concern has grown. While I know each adaption of Mortal Kombat will be different, there are changes within this Mortal Kombat movie that are odd.

Cole Young

I’ve said this before but introducing a new character when there are already existing characters that could have filled this role seems like a slap in the face to fans. As evidenced by the amount of YouTube videos on the subject, fans are desperate to cast him as an already beloved character. From Johnny to Takeda, fans have done their best to place him within the MK universe. Multiple fan theories are linking him to fan favorite, Scorpion. Upon taking a closer look, it seems his role is a mixture of Liu Kang’s (the chosen one) and Johnny Cage’s (fish out of water). He even seems to be taking a liking to Johnny’s love interest, Sonya Blade. Cole’s weapons also resemble the blades that grow from Baraka’s arms. Cole also has a tattoo that seems to be an ‘invitation’ to Mortal Kombat. I believe the only reason the tattoo is a nod to Mortal Kombat Annihilation.

Mileena

I can’t mention Baraka without wondering how Mileena made it into the movie when no other Tarkatan did. Mileena is a clone of Kitana who was forged from Tarkatan DNA. The two were raised as sisters in the original timeline. The current timeline has Kitana stumble upon Mileena in the ‘flesh pits’. There is no indication of which storyline the movie intends to go with, or if they plan to use the storyline from the game at all. Kitana hasn’t been announced for this Mortal Kombat movie, but we did get a glimpse of her fans. How will the movie explain that Mileena is a clone without introducing the person she’s a clone of? Mileena also looks noticeably different from her game counterpart. While her teeth don’t resemble human teeth, they don’t belong to a Tarkatan either. She also lacks her signature purple attire, donning black instead. She hasn't been spotted wearing a mask, which is a huge part of her storyline and design.

Liu Kang

Liu Kang has always been presented as the chosen one, but the trailers and images show very little of him. Who is he fighting? What will his role be? We already know we won’t see him fighting Goro, since Cole is taking him on in one of the trailers.

Kano

Sonya Blade and Kano have a rivalry that spans multiple video games, but here they are seen fighting alongside each other. Perhaps Sonya will begin a romance with Cole, only to have him be killed by Kano and start the rivalry. This movie also took away one of Kano’s only defining features, the metal plate that covers his right eye. Will Kano be anything like his characterization in the games?

Jax

Well, at this point his arms are becoming a running gag. He’s lost them to someone different (Sindel, Goro, and now Sub-Zero) in each adaption. I wish the games/movies would find decide what to make cannon.

Scorpion

I don’t have much of an issue with Scorpion. He looks cool, his fight scenes deliver, but there is one lingering mystery surrounding him. Who was the baby crying during his death at the start of the movie, and why did he need an extra child? Is this extra child the reason for Sub-Zero’s attack?

Sub-Zero/Bi-Han/Noob Saibot

Lastly, the character that I have the most issues with. Sub-Zero was never a big bad in any of the games, and he never had any significant interactions with Jax or Sonya. In every other adaption, he was always an enemy of Scorpion. Later adaptions either have Sub-Zero tricked into killing Scorpion’s family by Quan Chi, or not killing them at all (Quan Chi can shape-shift in some media). After Scorpion kills the original Sub-Zero, he goes on to become Noob. While I am excited to see Noob on the big screen, I would like to know why Sub-Zero is being presented as the big bad? I’ve always found his story interesting and always enjoyed him as a character, but I never saw him as final boss material.