Mortal Kombat introduces Cole Young as a new character with ties to Scorpion, but is he the franchise's future Scorpion? Here's what we know about Cole and Scorpion's Mortal Kombat futures. WB's 2021 reboot of the popular fighting video game series stayed close to the mythology and iconography that fans know. Mortal Kombat features several classic fighters from the franchise. Still, one of the ways it managed to go against fan expectations and deliver a surprise was with the introduction of Lewis Tan's original character Cole Young.
With another tournament looming that could determine Earth's future, Cole Young is brought into the Mortal Kombat world unexpectantly. He's hunted by Bi-Han aka Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) despite just being a low-level MMA fighter. Cole is protected by Jax (Mehcad Brooks) and eventually brought to Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano). However, Mortal Kombat makes it clear that there is something bigger connecting Cole to this world's mythology after he sees a flash of Hanzo Hasashi aka Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada). This shot was included in the movie's marketing and led many fans to wonder if Cole Young was actually a reincarnated version of Scorpion.
The reason for Cole's vision of Scorpion is explained later on in Mortal Kombat and is much simpler than the wild speculation fans came up with. Lord Raiden explains how Cole is bound to Scorpion's story and sets up the two of them fighting side-by-side against Sub-Zero in the finale. Since the movie established a connection between the two characters, there are lingering questions about what the future holds for both characters if the franchise can continue. Some are even questioning if Cole could still become Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 2. Here's what we know about both of their futures and the signs that Cole and Scorpion will remain different characters.
Scorpion Is Cole Young's Ancestor
Mortal Kombat sets up the connection between Cole Young and Scorpion almost right away, even it takes some time for it to officially confirm that Hanzo is Cole's ancestor. The opening of Mortal Kombat shows Hanzo's life in feudal Japan nearly 400 years ago. His life is changed forever when Bi-Han attacks and kills his family. Bi-Han even seemingly kills Hanzo after their fight. What neither of them knew, though, was that Hanzo's wife hid their young daughter from Bi-Han's attacks. She survived the assault and was rescued by Lord Raiden, who helped preserve the Hasashi bloodline. Many generations later, Cole Young was born and continues to keep the bloodline alive.
Scorpion being an ancestor to Cole is what labeled him as a "Chosen One" and brought him the dragon-shaped birthmark that signaled he belonged in the Mortal Kombat tournament to defend Earthrealm. This didn't make it any easier for Cole to unlock his Arcana. His struggles led Lord Raiden to tell Cole that he must not have received any powers through the Hasashi bloodline. That turned out to be false, as it took a life-or-death situation with his family when Goro attacked to unlock the latent powers he's had since birth.
Why Cole Young Won't Be The New Scorpion
Once Cole Young unlocked his Arcana powers, Mortal Kombat makes it clear that he is not destined to become the new Scorpion. Cole's powers manifest as protective golden body armor. The armor allows him to absorb powerful attacks and generate more power for himself. This energy can be used to increase the strength of Cole's punches or kicks, as shown with an uppercut delivered to Goro's jaw. It can also create weapons that are extensions of the armor, such as the two tonfas Cole wields throughout Mortal Kombat. Cole's powers are inherently more defensive and make good use of his knack for being on the wrong end of most punches in a fight.
This is quite different than the setup for Scorpion's powers and motivations in the movie. Much like the games, Mortal Kombat explains that Hanzo Hasashi became more powerful in the afterlife. He descended into Hell, which could be Netherrealm from the games, and is driven by revenge. This purpose fuels Hanzo to discover how to control the hellish fires and use them for himself. It is through channeling Hell's fire that Hanzo is twisted and transformed into Scorpion. He was only able to return to Earthrealm to take on Sub-Zero again through the assistance of Cole Young, though. After they worked together to defeat Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Cole go their separate ways, with Scorpion seemingly going back to Hell. There is no signal that Cole will become the new Scorpion or that he has any desire to follow in the vengeful footsteps of his ancestor. As a result, this does leave Scorpion's future somewhat in question as Moral Kombat 2 looms.
Will Scorpion Return In Mortal Kombat 2?
Now that Scorpion returned to Hell/Netherrealm and accomplished his goal of killing Sub-Zero to get revenge for his family, his story is seemingly wrapped up. Scorpion is a major character from the games, though, and should be back for Mortal Kombat 2. The movie's creators have several avenues that they can explore to bring him back too. After the decision to save the actual Mortal Kombat tournament for the sequel, Scorpion could be called upon as one of the Champions of Earth to fight against Outworld. Hanzo might not be too interested in saving Earthrealm initially, but he could be lured into the tournament if it means a rematch with a resurrected Sub-Zero.
Scorpion currently believes that he's taken care of Bi-Han once and for all, but Shang Tsung appeared at the end of Mortal Kombat to take back his fallen warrior. In the video game lore, Bi-Han is brought back to life as Noob Saboit. This happens through the magic of Quan Chi in the games, but Mortal Kombat 2 can make Shang Tsung responsible for Bi-Han's second lease on life. Bi-Han ditches his Sub-Zero ice powers in this form for a new set of skills that includes teleportation and cloning through dark magic. And with Noob Saboit having no emotion, it makes this new version of Bi-Han all the more formidable of an opponent. Shang Tsung's likelihood of unleashing him in a tournament in Mortal Kombat 2 could be what brings Scorpion back and gives fans another rematch after Mortal Kombat's two memorable Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero fights.