Mortal Kombat actually improved Scorpion by changing the backstory of his iconic weapon. Scorpion, the undead assassin in Simon McQuoid's reboot has always been at the heart of the Mortal Kombat franchise's extensive lore. Over several decades, Scorpion has undergone multiple alterations to his look, and even to his backstory, but one aspect of the fearsome fighter that's never gone out of style is his signature weapon: the rope dart, also known as a chained Kunai. While Scorpion's Kunai is core to his arsenal, in Mortal Kombat (2021), the tethered blade is given a tragic backstory, adding emotional depth not just to Scorpion's character, but also increased significance to his most iconic weapon.
Mortal Kombat opens in Feudal Japan, where Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada), along with his wife, daughter, and infant child, reside at their home in a serene corner of a quiet forest. Of course, the setting only stays picturesque for a minute or two before Bi-Han (Joe Taslim) appears with a force of ninjas to eradicate not just Hanzo, but all those who belong to the Hasashi bloodline. Before the attackers strike, Hanzo's wife (Yukiko Shinohara) is seen using a Kunai to tend to her garden, and though she's killed by Bi-Han before Hanzo can intervene, the weapon is left waiting for him when he realizes that his home is under attack.
Hanzo Hasashi, who fans of Mortal Kombat know better as the incredibly powerful Scorpion, ties the Kunai his wife was using to a length of cord, transforming it into a makeshift rope dart. Fueled by rage and grief, Hanzo, an assassin in his own right, rips through Bi-Han's men with the Kunai until the two warriors finally square off in a fight to the death. When Hanzo is killed by Bi-Han, he's still gripping the Kunai once used by his wife, and although Hanzo's corpse is engulfed in hellish flames, his spirit does not die. Empowered by vengeance, Scorpion is born at that moment, complete with Kunai, to await an opportunity to return to Earthrealm, kill Bi-Han (who becomes Sub-Zero), and avenge his murdered family.
This storyline is a riff on Scorpion's original backstory, where he's spawned from hell to avenge his family and the Shirai Ryu assassin clan after their extermination. Sub-Zero is on the receiving end of Scorpion's rage in that rendition as well. Vengeance has always been Scorpion's chief motivation, but the fact that, in Mortal Kombat (2021), Scorpion still holds onto a remnant of his wife's memory in the form of the Kunai she handled right before she died puts greater emotional significance onto a weapon with an otherwise underdeveloped backstory. For a being so frightening to behold, appearing to Cole Young (Lewis Tan) in flaming visions, Scorpion's undead form is created out of extreme grief and torment. His hunger to destroy Sub-Zero and avenge his family makes Scorpion's storyline not just tragic, but also sympathetic, painting him as an intriguing anti-hero in Mortal Kombat, and adding even more emotional depth to his character.
Watching Scorpion bellow his famous shout, "Get over here!" and then slash apart Sub-Zero with his chained Kunai thus carries with it an added significance that raises their battle at the film's conclusion from an exciting moment of gripping violence, and fun fan service, to a crucial point in the plot where the audience knows a storyline is being resolved. The fact that audiences get to witness Scorpion cut into Sub-Zero with the Kunai that his long-dead wife once used layers even more importance onto the already memorable weapon. With McQuoid's interpretation of Scorpion and his iconic weapon, fans of Mortal Kombat's Netherream ninja will have an added aspect of his character to enjoy as Scorpion's tragic story of terrible loss, and gory retribution, are all intimately tied to the Kunai that he unleashes upon his enemies.
