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Liu Kang’s universe in Mortal Kombat 1 is a big shift from the established lore, which NetherRealm Studios has constantly hinted at. Some of those shifts have been defined in new character bios that lay out how these current cast is going to be change in the upcoming reboot. And in addition to the character bios, NetherRealm has confirmed when the game’s first Kombat Kast will air.
The Mortal Kombat 1 cast is going through some big changes
These character bios recently went live on the official Mortal Kombat website and cover Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Kitana, Kung Lao, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kenshi Takahashi, and Mileena. Liu Kang is not all that different since this is the timeline he created. Johnny Cage is also quite similar to his past appearances since his story is that he is a fading celebrity that joins Liu Kang’s quest to boost his notoriety.
The changes for the other characters have been hinted at in the trailers or past interviews, but these bios provide more details. Mileena and Kitana are twin sisters, and Mileena is the heir to Outworld’s throne, while Kitana is her bodyguard.
However, Mileena is infected with the Tarkat disease that will “[force] her into battle” if her secret is found out. Kitana is thought to be the more levelheaded of the two, but, given how she was born just after Mileena, isn’t the rightful heir. Mileena is classically made through cloning Kitana with Tarkatan DNA, and this new disease not only questions how Tarkatans like Baraka can exist in this universe, but also how the inevitable conflict between the two new sisters will play out.
Sub-Zero and Scorpion are also now siblings in this universe, which was previously revealed (and hinted out through the identical Lin Kuei medallions in the initial cinematic trailer). Sub-Zero is the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, but, after not being threatened for generations, he is tired of trying to defend Earthrealm from danger that he doesn’t think are coming. Scorpion disagrees with this notion of casting off the clan’s traditional responsibilities and “fears that he may one day have to battle his brother for control over the Lin Kuei’s legacy.” Scorpion and Sub-Zero have typically been from separate rival clans — the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei, respectively — and this storyline seems to be getting to that rivalry through other means.
Kung Lao is from a small farm in Fengjian and fears that his life won’t amount to much. This changes when called by Liu Kang to help protect Earthrealm. This is the opposite of Raiden, who is also from the same area, but is content with tending to the fields. He is hesitant to help Earthrealm and “become the great warrior that Liu Kang knows he can be.” Of course, this is quite different from Raiden’s past story since he has always been portrayed as a god and not as a mortal.
Kenshi has a simple bio, but one that is still quite different. The Takahashi family had lost its prized sword named Sento and joined the bakuto, the predecessor to the yakuza, for protection. Kenshi wishes to free his family from this control and the corruption and attempts to steal back Sento in order to make that happen.
These are only the confirmed characters and more are on the way. It’s unclear when more will be revealed, but it’s possible the roster will grow rather soon. The first developer-led Kombat Kast is slated for July 6 at 10 a.m. PT and will discuss Kameos and have full gameplay breakdowns of Scorpion and Johnny Cage.