One of the big promises that has been making th🍸rough its promotional material since it was first reveal𓂃ed is that all of the characters that we know are . In practice, though, that doesn’t really end up being the case.
There are a few examples of characters being significantly tweaked. Liu Kang is a god, Mileena is now a loveable heir to the throne rather than a cannibal clone, and Reptile is no longer a snarling force for evil. However, most of the cast hasn’t been tweaked all that much. Kung Lao is only sli🐼ghtly less of a dick, Johnny Cage is 🌺still an egotistical movie star who is a hero deep down, and Kenshi still ends up becoming a blind samurai.
To some degre🗹e, this appears to be the point of Mortal Kombat 1’s story. Even in Liu Kang’s tailored timeline, they can’t esca🍨pe who they’re meant to be. As the game’s tagline likes to point out - it’s in their blood. Not that that means much when they’re constantly spilling it, but you get the point.
The one ch🍷aracter that’s been changed the most is Scorpion, the undead fꩲace of the whole series. In previous Mortal Kombat games, the skull under the mask belonged to Hanzo Hazashi, who had a fiery rivalry with the original Sub-Zero, Bi-Han, that then passed on to his younger brother, Kuai Liang.
I a👍lways liked the eternal rivalry between Hanzo and Kuai, especially when the pair would bury the hatchet and work together, as they did in Mortal Kombat X. That being said, by the time of Mortal Kombat 11, it did feel like it had been taken as far as it could go, making the prospect of a timeline reset that brings it all back again a tiring one.
Thankfully, that’s not the case at all, as Scorpion’s identity has seen a major change. Instead of being Hanzo Hazashi (who has also had his origin completely swapped), this time it’s actually Kuai Liang who is Scorpion, while Bi-Han remains as the first Sub-Zero. ꦍBi-Han and Kuai Liang are still brothers just as they’ve always been, but now they’re destined to become bitter rivals like Hanzo and Bi-Han before them.
Although the relationship between Scorpion and Sub-Zero is different, it works here beca🐲use both Kuai Liang and Bi-Han maintain their roles - good and evil respectively. Almost comically so, in Bi-Han’s case.
Their clashing ideologies over what to do with the Lin Kuei means that we still end🐓 up getting the rivalry that we all love to see, only this time there’s a lot more on the line since the pair clearly do care for each other. It’s tragic and more emotionally charged than it’s ever been, which is perfect for MK1’s more character-driven plot.
Motivations are clearer this time around. Originally, Hanzo Hazashi believed Sub-Zerowas responsible for his clan’s death. But Scorpion’s vendetta got muddy once it was revealed that Quan-Chi was the one responsible. Now, we get to see it all happen from the beginning again and understand everything that’s at 🐭stake. It’s not just blind mistaken revenge this time around.
All of this works so well because Scorpion isn't just a rival from a different clan this time around. It’s a shame that Hanzo doesn’t have a big role in this game, but I think it was a worthy tradeoff for what we ended up getting. Although Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s rivalry does end up being sidelined to focus on bigger threats towards the end of Mortal Kombat 1, their rivalry is a great setup for future games. I just hope that the next Mortal Kombat sees the potential in their brotherly battle and focuses on that, because it’s the most interesting it’s ever been.