The Mortal Kombat reboot stays pretty close to the story and characters of the video games, but it does make a few notable changes along the way. The film tells a similar story to the original arcade game and the 1995 movie, showing the struggle between Earthrealm and Outworld through classic characters like Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Shang Tsung (Chin Han), Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), and Kano (Josh Lawson). The story is a bit different this time around, however.
Before discussing all the things Mortal Kombat changes, it’s only fair to mention how much it takes directly from the games. Most of the lore and history is exactly what fans would expect, almost all the character designs are true to the games and look great, and the fatalities and special moves pull from all eras of the series in fun ways. The fights are appropriately brutal, and there are a number of smaller Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans of the games. Overall, Mortal Kombat is one of the most loyal video game adaptations to date.
That doesn’t mean some things haven’t been changed, however. For all its loyalty to the games, Mortal Kombat still makes some new additions and significant alterations. Here are the biggest changes Mortal Kombat makes to the story and characters of the video games.
Cole Young Is A Brand-New Character
Mortal Kombat’s most obvious change is the addition of Cole Young (Lewis Tan) as the film’s lead protagonist. Despite all the fan theories about Cole’s identity leading up to release, he turned out to be a completely original character, albeit with some blood ties to Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion. Cole acts as the audience surrogate, asking the questions franchise newcomers might be wondering about the world and lore of Mortal Kombat. And, in that mission, he’s pretty effective. Tan does a great job in the role, and the way the film connects Cole to the preexisting MK lore is well done.
Scorpion And Sub-Zero Are Both Different
Much of Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s story is the same in Mortal Kombat as it’s always been. Scorpion is a ninja of the Shirai Ryu clan; Sub-Zero is an assassin of the rival Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero kills Scorpion and his family, leading him to come back from the dead as a fire-breathing wraith to exact his revenge. Their outfits and powers are also very loyal to the video games.
Some parts of the characters have been notably changed, however. For starters, the movie sets the origin of Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s rivalry hundreds of years in the past. In the games, Sub-Zero kills Scorpion in the present day. Scorpion is positioned as more of a hero in the reboot than he usually has been in the games, and the storyline with his bloodline being fated to save Earth is all new for Cole’s character. The method of Scorpion’s resurrection is also different. In the games, the ninja is brought back as a weapon of the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi. In the film, however, he is brought back by Cole to help in the fight against Outworld.
The Idea Of Arcana Is New In Mortal Kombat
There is no universal explanation for superpowers in the Mortal Kombat games. Different characters come into their abilities in drastically different ways – Liu Kang and Sub-Zero through magic, Jax and Kano through cybernetic augmentation, Scorpion through sorcery, etc. The new movie changes that by creating a singular cause for all such abilities known as arcana. Arcana is described as the unique inner power of each Mortal Kombat character, which is awakened through training and possession of the dragon mark (also a new addition to the film). Once awakened, the fighter’s arcana grants a specific power, such as control over fire, a cool hat, or having robotic arms, apparently.
For the purposes of a reboot, especially one hoping to bring in new fans, it makes sense to create a simpler lore to explain the characters’ supernatural abilities. However, due to how abstract many of those abilities are, the idea of arcana ends up feeling confusing and a bit underdeveloped. That doesn’t detract from the film’s action, however, and the powers themselves remain very true to the games overall.
Mortal Kombat Usually Has An Actual Tournament
Ostensibly, Mortal Kombat retells the story of the original arcade game – the tenth tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld, which determines whether or not the latter will earn the right to invade. However, no tournament actually takes place in the reboot. Fighters duel in various one-on-one scenarios, but the whole conflict revolves around Shang Tsung trying to kill Earth’s champions before the tournament begins, thereby ensuring victory. It’s a relatively minor change in the grand scheme, but it does impact some old storylines, including where and why Sub-Zero and Scorpion fight, what characters are present, and who lives and dies. However, since the Mortal Kombat games have already retold the story of the tournament multiple times in multiple timelines, changing the structure up again isn’t that big of a deal.
Kano Is Never A Good Guy In The Video Games
Kano starts out the Mortal Kombat reboot (sort of) on the side of good, a notable departure from his game counterpart. It’s an interesting choice, but one that doesn’t affect that much in the end, because he still winds up fighting for Outworld. Kano’s role with the good guys is primarily comic relief, and he doesn’t live long enough after changing sides to become much more. Overall, it might have been better to have Kano start the film working for Shang Tsung, allowing more time for other Earthrealm champions to develop. In the end, though, Kano’s double-cross arc still plays out fine.
Jax Loses His Arms Differently In The Games
Mortal Kombat retcons the origin of Jax’s robotic arms in two major ways. First, it changes the way he loses his arms by making Sub-Zero the one who destroys them. In the games, Ermac is the one to rip off Jax’s arms, not Sub-Zero. The reboot also changes how Jax gets his new cybernetic arms, making them an effect of his arcana rather than simply a mechanical modification. He still gets normal robotic prosthetics first, but the burly arms he’s known for in the games don’t come until his arcana unlocks.
Other Mortal Kombat Movie Differences
In addition to the larger differences, Mortal Kombat changes up a number of small things from the video games. Some character personalities are different, such as Raiden being much harsher to his champions and Kung Lao being the more seasoned Shaolin monk. There are tweaks to the timeline, which include changes to which characters live and die. A few minor characters like Reptile and Reiko are altered in their design. And of course, some notable characters, primarily Johnny Cage, are missing from the tenth tournament storyline. However, overall, Mortal Kombat does a good job of keeping the core beats of the video games intact, ultimately delivering an adaptation that’s targeted less at newcomers and more at longtime fans – a rarity in the world of video game movies.