The worst game in the Mortal Kombat franchise, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, is still canon according to the events of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath. Acting as the franchise's first-ever story-based DLC, Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath not only adds new characters and finishing moves to the base game, but a few more hours of plot revelations as well. This extra content sees Raiden, Fujin, and Nightwolf travel back in time once again, this time with the sorcerer Shang Tsung in tow, in order to retrieve Kronika's crown and gain total control over the powers of time.
Mortal Kombat has always been a franchise known for its secrets, easter eggs, and hidden details, and Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is no different. From quick glimses of former Mortal Kombat miniboss characters like Motaro to offhand remarks referencing character which haven't been seen on screen in over a decade, MK11: Aftermath is filled with surprising reveals.
One Mortal Kombat 11 easter egg which was likely spotted by long-time franchise fans was the mention of Sub-Zero and Fujin's battle at the Wind Temple in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Considered by many fans to be the worst Mortal Kombat game of all time (or, at the very least, tied with Mortal Kombat: Special Forces for that position) Mortal Kombat Mythologies followed Bi-Han, the original Sub-Zero, in a journey which both led up to the original Mortal Kombat game and also set the stage for Mortal Kombat 4.
MK11 Aftermath's Mortal Kombat Mythologies Easter Egg
While playing as Fujin in Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath's story mode, players come across Noob Saibot, who Fujin calls Bi-Han. Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot are one and the same, as Sub-Zero was canonically murdered by Scorpion during the events of the first Mortal Kombat game and was then sent to the NetherRealm and reborn as Noob, a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow. The two characters originally met when the first Sub-Zero was unknowingly being tasked to retrieve Shinnok's amulet, and the two of them battled at Fujin's Wind Temple. The dialog references this fight, as Noob Saibot tells Fujin that "You lost to me at your temple," confirming the events of the game.
However, it isn't quite that simple. Technically, once Fujin's health bar was depleted he began amassing a powerful tornado around his body, causing everything in sight to get sucked up. The player, as Bi-Han, must run to the side of the screen and crouch near a wall to prevent being sucked in to Fujin's vortex, which is what the character means when he tells Noob Saibot in Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath "I didn't lose, you ran away."
This mention of the events of Mortal Kombat Mythologies means that the Mortal Kombat franchise still considers the game to be canon, despite its poor sales and lousy reception. There are a lot of classic Mortal Kombat characters who appeared in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero for the first time, and it's nice to see them get a little bit of a callback in Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, even if it is just for a brief moment. Now the franchise just needs to tell players why Shinnok never turned into a giant Violator-style monster ever again.