Simon McQuoid, director for the upcoming Mortal Kombat film reboot, revealed that iconic MK ninja Sub-Zero would serve as the film's primary antagonist. The film serves as both an adaptation of the widely popular video games series of the same name and a reboot of the original Mortal Kombat duo of films that came out in the 90s. The film will not directly adapt the story of any particular game, instead opting to amalgamate events and story beats from the series while mixing in brand new moments and characters.
Sub-Zero is one of the most popular and recognizable characters from the series, and along with Scorpion, basically serves as the de-facto mascot for Mortal Kombat. Two characters donned the mantle of Sub-Zero in the series: brothers Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. Both brothers are cryomancers and members of the fictional Lin Kuei clan. Bi-Han serves as Sub-Zero in the original Mortal Kombat game until Scorpion kills him. Vowing to avenge his dead brother, Kuai Liang takes over the Sub-Zero mantle during Mortal Kombat 2 and is usually the Sub-Zero in most games. Bi-Han's Sub-Zero is generally more brutal and overtly cruel compared to his brother and served a more villainous role in the games he appeared in.
In an interview with IGN, McQuoid revealed that Sub-Zero would serve as the main villain in his Mortal Kombat film. The film's main plot sees Sub-Zero pursuing new character Cole Young for unknown reasons, leading Young and others to Outworld and the Mortal Kombat tournament. McQuoid spoke about the opening scene in the film's recently released trailer, which sees Sub-Zero brutally destroy Jax's arms. The director said it was essential to introduce Sub-Zero to show what the character was fully capable of and how he was in complete control of the situation. McQuoid also went on to say that Sub-Zero would be "the key villain of the film," and Bi-Han's Sub-Zero heavily inspired this film's version of the ice-ninja.
However, McQuoid's comments and previous information about Sub-Zero revealed that this version of the character would differ from his video game portrayals. While Sub-Zero and Scorpion's bitter rivalry remains an integral part of the film, it appears like it will retcon certain aspects of Sub-Zero's mythology. This film's version of Sub-Zero seems much more overtly aggressive and seems to be the one who started the bad blood between the two ninjas.
Given what we've seen in the trailer and other material for the film, McQuoid's comments certainly ring true. While Bi-Han's Sub-Zero was generally portrayed as a villain, his central conflict was rooted in revenge on behalf of the Lin Kuei. While it appears like this Sub-Zero isn't Bi-Han exactly, he certainly leans more heavily toward that version of the character's brutality and cold demeanor. Many things are still unknown about this Sub-Zero, but we're sure to receive answers once Mortal Kombat is released.
Source: IGN
