Every group of heroes needs a great villain, and that is why Quan Chi works so well in the Mortal Kombat universe. From his earliest appearances in the Mortal Kombat franchise, he made it clear he was not there to make friends, he's there to start trouble. Originally just a problem for Sub-Zero, Quan Chi now has beef with multiple characters throughout various storylines in the games.
Quan Chi made his first appearance in a single episode of the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm as a free-wheeling sorcerer. The villain entered the game canon as the main antagonist of 1997's Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, and was next seen as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 4. Most recently, Quan Chi was referenced by most of the fighters in Mortal Kombat 11 despite not being a playable character nor appearing in the game.
Wherever Quan Chi goes, trouble follows — as seen in his first game appearance. Quan Chi convinced Sub-Zero and Shirai Ryu warrior Hanzo Hasashi to both find a map that would show the location of Shinnok's long-forgotten amulet. As he expected, the two warriors met in battle, and Sub-Zero killed Hanzo. Quan Chi later revived the Shirai Ryu warrior as the undead warrior Scorpion and told him Sub-Zero killed his entire clan and family, thus starting a feud between the assassins.
Quan Chi has had his hands in just about every villainous plot in the Mortal Kombat series. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, he makes a deal with Shang Tsung to assist with reviving the army of a dormant dragon king in exchange for souls to preserve Shang Tsung's youth and also eliminate Outworld's emperor Shao Kahn and Mortal Kombat hero Liu Kang. The pair defeat Raiden handily, but their friendship breaks down when Shang Tsung tries to steal Shinnok's amulet and take control of the army. When the now-very-much-alive dragon king, Onaga, suddenly arrives on the scene to take the amulet for himself, Raiden stops all of the villainous nonsense with a massive explosion, defeating their deadly alliance.
Quan Chi is a bad, bad man, but a great villain. The first generation of Mortal Kombat fighting games did not feature Quan Chi, but he was the only three-dimensional era playable character included in the roster of the 2011's Mortal Kombat reboot. He's a necromancer who has resurrected characters, including Queen Sindel, to help Shao Kahn invade Earthrealm, and Sub-Zero as Noob Saibot to assist with those plans. It's implied that he has stronger magical powers than any other character, and his Fatalities vary from mystical to brutal.
Quan Chi's appearance is also terrifying. His clothes have changed over the years, but his albino skin tone with black stripes rising from his eyelids has remained the same. From Deadly Alliance onward, he obtained a red gem in the center of his forehead and red tattoo-like markings all over his head, back, and arms. Quan Chi is a staple of the Mortal Kombat franchise, and fans can hope to see him again in future titles.