Shao Kahn is easily one of the most recognizable video game villains, and he's been featured in nearly every Mortal Kombat game since making his debut in 1993's Mortal Kombat II. As a ruthless warlord and unforgiving ruler of Outworld, and the final boss in multiple installments, Shao Kahn is seemingly immortal. But, as it turns out, he isn't.
Most recently, Shao Kahn appeared in Mortal Kombat 11, where the villain was looking to spread his dominion even farther. Fans have long assumed the Emperor of Outworld was immortal, since dialogue in Mortal Kombat: Deception essentially said he was a god. Evidence has been sprinkled in other games that hint at Shao Kahn's immortality, but none of that matters now. In the Mortal Kombat reboot (also known as MK 9) an entirely new timeline was created. Since 2011, this new timeline has created alterations in characters and lore that can sometimes leave fans scratching their heads in regards to what's still considered canon — and what isn't.
Shao Kahn's immortality was just assumed to carry over to the new Mortal Kombat timeline. After all, if he's a god in the old timeline, it stands to reason he must be a god in the new one. However, a recent video from Ars Technica featured Daniel Cianciolo, the story and voiceover director of NetherRealm Studios, the developers of the Mortal Kombat games, and he gave players a little more detail about how Shao Kahn's new iteration is different than the first. In the video, Cianciolo answers fans' questions about unsolved mysteries within the franchise, and a question about Shao Kahn's immortality naturally came up.
Why Shao Kahn Isn't Immortal in Mortal Kombat
According to Cianciolo, Shao Kahn is no longer immortal in the current Mortal Kombat timeline that started with MK 9. However, Shao Kahn lives much longer than most beings, which results in some people from Earthrealm mistakenly believing he's immortal. This mortality, however, doesn't mean he's any less mighty. Shao Kahn is still incredibly strong and can wield devastatingly powerful magic. Still, he's not technically a god, because unlike characters such as Raiden, he doesn't come from any divine origins.
This latest bit of news regarding Shao Kahn could be quite controversial, especially for fans who still see Shao Kahn as the all-powerful big bad of the Mortal Kombat universe. Other fans are probably anxious to learn of Shao Kahn's fate after the events of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, but thanks to the open nature of Aftermath's good ending, it's entirely possible Shao Kahn will return yet again (and perhaps regain his immortality) in a future Mortal Kombat installment.