Mortal Kombat killed off a lot of its best characters, but one line uttered by Shang Tsung perfectly explains how the series can bring back any character from the dead. The 2021 movie featured a ton of bloodshed and graphic fatalities, which made up for the original 1995 movie adaptation of the video game and was totally faithful to the games. However, most of the entertaining characters were the movie’s villains, and it was those that suffered the fatalities. Kano was stabbed by Sonya Blade with a garden gnome hat, Kabal was burned alive by Liu Kang’s fire dragon, and Nitara was split in two with the iconic “buzzsaw” fatality.
Mortal Kombat 2 is in development, and given that those three characters died in the first movie, it’s safe to say that they won’t be returning, even if they were the most thrilling to watch. The most popular Mortal Kombat character, Johnny Cage, will be introduced in Mortal Kombat 2, but he can’t replace Kano and Kabal’s banter or Kano’s hilariously vulgar insults. However, just like how other big-budget movie franchises bring characters back from the dead, the Mortal Kombat series can do that too, and the franchise already explained how. A simple expositional line from Shang Tsung teased that absolutely any killed-off character can return in the sequel.
Shang Tsung hints at a portal in the Mortal Kombat universe that leads characters to where the dead reside. Shang Tsung tells Raiden, “Today you have killed my warriors and you think you have won, but death is just another portal.” This seemingly innocuous line actually allows Warner Bros. to bring back any character who will ever die in the series.
Where so many movie franchises bring back dead characters through time travel or retconning their deaths, Mortal Kombat was one step ahead. The movie revealed how dead characters can return before they actually do. While Mortal Kombat was criticized for some story details, this line was a stroke of genius, opening up exciting possibilities for future entries in the series.
Could Mortal Kombat 2 Be Set In Hell?
Cole Young actor Lewis Tan has already teased that Mortal Kombat 2 will be on a bigger scale, but Shang Tsung’s words all but confirmed it. Those five simple words of exposition not only mean that characters come back from the dead, but they hint at hell being a major location in Mortal Kombat 2 too. If “death is only another portal,” that implies that a portion of the movie could be set in hell, and it makes sense given that hell is a setting in the video games. The sequel will likely introduce more of the game’s beloved locations, such as Edenia, but hell has the most potential.
As Scorpion’s story was skipped in Mortal Kombat, Shang Tsung’s line of exposition also means that the story could potentially be told in Mortal Kombat 2 with Cole Young’s Scorpion. After all, hell is also known as Scorpion’s Lair in the games. Setting the sequel in hell would lead to some of the movie’s best fatalities too, as one of Scorpion’s signature moves is uppercutting opponents into pools of lava. Between telling Scorpion’s story, the potential for incredible fatalities, and the aesthetic and look of the location, hell would be a perfect setting for a portion of Mortal Kombat 2.
Shang Tsung’s Hint Is The Perfect Way To Bring Back Mortal Kombat’s Best Characters
As Mortal Kombat 2 features an actual Mortal Kombat tournament, one of the tournament’s events could be set in hell, and that would mean the sequel can bring back any of the characters who died in Mortal Kombat. The 2021 movie had a lot of victims, including Reptile, Nitara, Prince Goro, General Reiko, Kano, Kabal, Mileena, and Sub-Zero, and most of those were the most exciting and fun characters with the best powers. However, thanks to the reveal that death is only another portal, any one of them, or even all of them, can return. The characters could even hold their own tournament in hell.
These characters returning from the dead could make up for 2021 Mortal Kombat‘s biggest mistakes. In the first video game, it’s established that Prince Goro is the undefeated champion of the tournament, but in the movie adaptation, he’s easily taken down by Cole Young, a newcomer who doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. Goro could return in hell in Mortal Kombat 2 and show how great of a fighter he really is. Though Kano could return in a Black Dragon prequel, he should be featured in Scorpion’s Lair too. There absolutely must be a scene where he and Kabal are fighting, blaming each other for ending up in the Netherrealm.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
