Mortal Kombat 1 Story Changes Explained: How This Reboot Alters ...

In this world, there was no brutal defeat for the Great Kung Lao. In fact, the Mortal Kombat tournament is more of a showcase for Earthrealm and Outworld, treated as a celebration of cultures. The modern Kung Lao does want to prove himself as a warrior, but he will hopefully prove to be less brash than his previous self (err…selves).

Previous Mortal Kombat Timelines

The Lin Kuei was a guild of assassins who sold themselves to the highest bidder. One of their greatest warriors was Bi-Han, the first Sub-Zero. Bi-Han was a cold-hearted (no pun intended) killer with little compassion. In one mission, the one where he famously murdered his rival Scorpion, he nearly allowed the Netherrealm to invade Earthrealm before stopping it himself. In the aftermath, he was warned that remaining with the Lin Kuei would scrap any chance he had at redemption. He remained with the organization, which spelled his doom as he was soon confronted and killed by a resurrected Scorpion. Bi-Han himself was resurrected as the evil wraith Noob Saibot, void of any remaining compassion.

Bi-Han’s brother, Kuai-Liang, took over the Sub-Zero mantle. Kuai-Liang was an honorable man who hated what the Lin Kuei had become, especially as its Grandmaster and his son Sektor insisted on transforming all their assassins into cyborgs against their will. This second Sub-Zero eventually started a coup and rebuilt the Lin Kuei from the ground up as an organization dedicated to protecting Earthrealm from the forces of evil.

As a child, Tomas Vrbada was kidnapped and sacrificed by a cult. The sacrifice ended with Tomas becoming a smoke creature called an Enenra. Calling himself Smoke, Tomas joined the Lin Kuei and became close friends with Kuai-Liang. Unfortunately, his fate would always be tragic. In the first timeline, he was turned into a robot and reprogrammed into being evil. In the second timeline, he was killed and became a revenant.

The Lin Kuei’s main enemy was the Shirai-Ryu ninja clan. The most notable member was Hanzo Hasashi, otherwise known as Scorpion. After being murdered by Bi-Han during a mission, Scorpion was resurrected and gained his revenge. His path became erratic in both timelines, especially when it came to his relationship with the second Sub-Zero. In the second timeline, Hanzo became human again (while retaining his Hell powers), led the Shirai-Ryu, and became close allies with Sub-Zero.