When it comes to iconic fighters from Mortal Kombat, few are higher on the arcade ladder than Sub-Zero. The blue ninja appeared in the original Mortal Kombat game, and he's the only kombatant to appear in every subsequent entry in the series. Because of this, he also has a central role in the series' lore, both in the original timeline and in the reboot trilogy. Players also saw him age at a rate different from other characters, going from young to old and gaining a signature facial scar. That marking is important in both timelines, but the fact that it's not in every Mortal Kombat game can be confusing to those not in the know.
The original Sub-Zero has only been playable in blue ninja garb in one game. The warrior Bi-Han froze opponents in the original Mortal Kombat before his death at the hands of Scorpion. This caused Bi-Han's younger brother, Kuai Liang, to take up the mantle in the second game. Kuai Liang has continued on as Sub-Zero in all subsequent games, with Bi-Han reemerging in later editions of Mortal Kombat 3 as an undead wraith named Noob Saibot. MK3 also gave Sub-Zero his facial scar as a way to differentiate between the two brothers.
However, Sub-Zero lost his scar by the time of Mortal Kombat: Deception. This healing is commonly attributed to the power of the Dragon Medallion, a powerful object Kuai Liang collected in Deadly Alliance to boost his power against the new threat to Mortal Kombat's realms. His alternate skins in later games and default skin in Armageddon did have the scar, and Shaolin Monks even offered an explanation for it via Kung Lao's razor-sharp hat, but none of these sources are considered canon.
What Are The Origins Of Sub-Zero's Scar In Mortal Kombat?
The origins of Sub-Zero's scar in the original arcade timeline remain unclear, but Kuai Liang gained a similar scar in the reboot trilogy's Mortal Kombat X, and NetherRealm Studios made sure to give players an answer for the scar's origins this time around. In the official comic prequel for MKX, Black Dragon mercenary Kano carved the mark into Sub-Zero's face. The scar then appeared in the latest two games in the series, but it did not carry over into his playable cameo in Injustice 2, likely due to DC Comics artist Jim Lee's redesign of the character.
The role of Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat's story, and even the man behind the mask, may have changed over the years, but players can reliably count on the ability to freeze opponents whenever they boot up a Mortal Kombat game. Like so many other things in the series, Kuai Liang's scar was originally put into place for convenience, rather than story reasons, but it circled back and became part of the franchise's complex lore. With the future of Mortal Kombat's story in flux after MK11: Aftermath, perhaps the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie reboot will portray Kuai Liang's battle with Kano, putting the important moment in MK history on the big screen.