Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge has many surprises for fans, which includes a controversial reimagining of a key Sub-Zero twist. In what is a first for a Mortal Kombat film, Warner Bros. Animation decided to make it an R-rated release. Scorpion's Revenge took liberties with the source material in ways that hadn't been done before, all the while maintaining a balance between Scorpion's deadly vendetta and the overall Mortal Kombat tournament.
In the original video game canon, the dark sorcerer, Quan Chi, aimed to release the Elder God of Death, Shinnok, from his Netherrealm exile. To do so, Chi enlisted the services of the warriors of two rival ninja clans: Bi-Han (Sub-Zero), representing the Lin Kuei clan, and Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion), representing the Shirai Ryu clan. Their mission was to retrieve a map to the amulet that would release Shinnok from his banishment. Sub-Zero fought and killed Scorpion in a clash over the map and handed it to Chi, and as per their agreement, Chi destroyed the rival Shirai Ryu clan. Unbeknownst to Sub-Zero, Quan Chi took it a step further, killing Hanzo's family. In the Netherrealm, which serves as hell in Mortal Kombat, Quan Chi found Hasashi and convinced him that Sub-Zero murdered his family by showing an illusion of the crime. Hanzo eagerly agreed to fight for him in the tournament as long as it meant a chance to have his revenge. In Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, Quan Chi instead shape-shifted into Sub-Zero, and mimicked his powers, battling and killing Hanzo Hasashi; his son, Satoshi; and the rest of the Shirai Ryu clan.
It could be possible that WB Animation sought to bring something fresh and different to the genre, requesting a shift from the Scorpion/Sub-Zero lore. The changes made to the Sub-Zero twist, though, seemed to have created plot holes in Mortal Kombat that weren't explained. For one, the warlock Shang Tsung was known to have the unique ability to shape-shift and take on the powers of others. Also, if Quan Chi shape-shifted into Sub-Zero during the assault on the Hasashi family, then where was Sub-Zero? The members of Sub-Zero's Lin Kuei clan were led into battle and suffered many casualties, but why didn't any of them speak of the events afterward? This isn't a small event; the animated movie makes Sub-Zero seem more like an unwitting victim of circumstance.
In the original Mortal Kombat story, the motivations of the characters were more believable, while in the animated film, there was shallow reasoning behind it all. For example, in the video game, Quan Chi had multiple motivations going on at once. One of them was to get the amulet that would set Shinnok free; another was to manipulate both Scorpion and Sub-Zero and secure their souls to make them soldiers for his army. Step one worked perfectly; he managed to have Sub-Zero kill Scorpion, and then in the Netherworld, he tricked Scorpion into believing that Sub-Zero killed his family. Scorpion would agree to give his soul over to become an undead specter so he can avenge his family. The second step worked out well, too; Scorpion would come back and kill Sub-Zero. In the Netherworld, Chi would give Sub-Zero the chance to get his revenge, only by volunteering his soul to be transformed into Noob Saibot. Some believe that the changes in the animated film caused more issues than needed, seeing as how the video game version covered the bases when it comes to explaining the events that led to Scorpion and Sub-Zero's Mortal Kombat rivalry.
Another strange deviation from the Mortal Kombat game made is that Chi only resurrected Scorpion with the sole purpose to steal the "key" from Shang Tsung to free Shinnok. In the original version, he had a duel purpose for Scorpion as well as Sub-Zero, which was to incorporate them into his army. In the game, he wanted Scorpion to kill Sub-Zero so he can put Bi-Han into the same compromising situation Scorpion was in before relinquishing his soul to Chi. In the Mortal Kombat animated film, Chi was disappointed that Scorpion bypassed his mission to kill Sub-Zero. In reality, that should've been expected.