It was a long time coming, but "Mortal Kombat" — the 2021 re-imagining of the classic fighting
game series — has been well worth the wait. The movie's final act is full of set-up, paving
the way for stories to come. We're here to unpack all of it.
By choosing Cole Young as the central character, the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" movie gives viewers
an opportunity to view the vast mythology of the story and the games that inspired it
in a new way, because Cole is portrayed from the start as a born underdog. He's famously
good at taking a punch, and while that ability has never served him all that well in his
normal life, once his arcana is activated it becomes a super power.
The significance of Cole's power goes beyond the mere metaphor of the kinetic armor that
comes with it, though. As the last descendant of an ancient bloodline thought to have been
destroyed, he is the living embodiment of human perseverance. He's a man who will not
be kept down, even in the face of a near-immortal ninja monster.
It's a powerful statement that forms the heart of the film, particularly when we consider
Cole's life as a family man: When our backs are to the wall, human beings do not give
up.
Because Cole is an original character not reflected in any of the "Mortal Kombat" games,
this message not only hits home with more resonance, but also provides a solid foundation
on which the film can build out into a whole franchise. It is, fundamentally, the story
of an ordinary guy proving that he can use an unshakeable spirit to literally save the
world.
Cole is an ordinary guy who finds that his particular skills serve him well in extraordinary
circumstances. In contrast, his Earthrealm comrades Sonya and Jax are introduced in the
2021 "Mortal Kombat" movie as extraordinary people who spend the whole film proving they
belong.
Cole is reluctant to embrace the danger of the Mortal Kombat tournament, but Sonya and
Jax have spent years preparing for it, desperate not just to understand the fight but to make
sure it's won. Then they're thrown into the deep end as Outworld closes in, and both have
to prove they deserve to be there.
For Jax, that means a journey back from the brink of death, a battle against his own spirit
to unlock his arcana and prove that his strength is about more than just physical prowess.
Jax ends the film with super-powered cybernetic arms, but he would never have gotten there
if his courage hadn't overcome every obstacle.
Then there's Sonya, the champion who never got the mark of a champion but wants to be
part of the fight anyway, because she feels a duty to those she's lost.
In the end, by defeating Kano, she earns that mark, proves she's meant to be there, and
becomes a powerful asset in the fight that's still to come.
These two warriors start this particular journey from a place of extraordinary courage and
insight, and they push beyond that to end the journey as legends.
For most of the champions of Earthrealm, this "Mortal Kombat" story is essentially about
coming to grips with the fight they've been thrust into.
For Raiden and Liu Kang, who've been in the fight for a very long time, it's a journey
to trusting in humanity again, and making sacrifices along the way.
Lord Raiden has been a part of the war between realms since time immemorial, and it's clear
from his position early on in the film that he's lost his way a bit. He's sick of struggling,
sick of losing, and sick of the underhanded tactics used by Shang Tsung and the Outworld
champions, but he doesn't seem to know if he can ever overcome any of that.
Raiden is brought low and nearly defeated, and his eventual victory comes not from his
own trust in the traditions of the tournament, but from trusting in his new Earthrealm champions.
Because of that, by the end of the film, he's filled with hope.
Likewise, Liu Kang takes a similar journey from desperation to hope. The bright, flame-wielding
warrior clearly always wanted to lead the charge for Earthrealm with his adoptive brother
Kung Lao at his side, but in one of the film's most emotional scenes, Kung Lao is taken out
of the fight. Liu Kang is left, then, to fight alongside virtual strangers. By the end, he
considers them brothers and sisters in arms, and is able to face the future as a happy
warrior once again.
For most of "Mortal Kombat," Shang Tsung is as confident as Raiden is desperate. The sorcerer
from Outworld spends much of the film with a comfortable nine straight tournament victories
to his realm's name, a squad of terrifying champions at his back, and seemingly the deadliest
champion in any realm, Sub-Zero, in his corner. So, naturally, we get to watch him spend most
of the film making overconfident choice after overconfident choice, and paying the price.
He underestimates the new champions of Earthrealm as well as the resolve of the existing ones.
He thinks that Raiden's reliance on tradition and rules means that he will never be able
to win another tournament. He believes that humans are weak not just in body but in spirit,
and while he's proven right in Kano's case, he's wrong about the others. He even believes
that killing Kung Lao will break Earthrealm rather than merely strengthening their resolve.
Shang Tsung is ultimately proven wrong about all of these things, but seems to learn the
wrong lessons each and every time. By the end of the film he's promising Raiden that
he'll return not just with more champions, but with "armies" from Outworld ready to invade
Earthrealm.
"Mortal Kombat" is about more than might, but Shang Tsung still doesn't understand that.
Though we spend most of the film's runtime following Cole Young's journey, the emotional
backbone of "Mortal Kombat" is also formed by the journey of his ancestor, Hanzo Hasashi,
who returns for the climactic battle in the form of Netherrealm assassin known as Scorpion.
Hasashi, like his descendant Cole, is someone whose entire emotional core came from his
family, and whose grief was so profound at losing them in the film's prologue that he
descended into hell and plotted his eventual revenge across centuries.
When he re-emerges as Scorpion, Hasashi is every bit the spirit of vengeance, showing
no mercy in his battle against Sub-Zero, but he has not become a heartless monster. His
sense of family remains strong as he helps Cole to free his own wife and child and then
entrusts him with continuing the Hasashi bloodline, proving that centuries in Netherrealm have
not stripped him of all of his humanity.
Scorpion also ends his presence in the film by telling Cole that he's "freed" him. He
disappears, but the film doesn't tell us where he's gone. He's no longer bound by vengeance,
so is it possible he doesn't have to return to Netherrealm? Can he be at peace? Can he
still return for future battles if Cole needs him? These are questions ripe for exploration
in a sequel film.
Even as marketing materials for "Mortal Kombat" began to roll out and introduce the world
to Lewis Tan as Cole Young, fans were suspecting some hidden reveal waiting in the film. Theories
emerged that Tan was actually playing a version of one of the franchise's most famous Earthrealm
characters, Johnny Cage.
Of course, the film eventually proved all those theories wrong. Cole Young is exactly
who he says he is, an entirely new character descended from Hanzo Hasashi, but that doesn't
mean there's no Johnny Cage in the film.
The character finally makes an appearance, via a movie poster, in the final shot, as
Cole heads out to Hollywood to seemingly recruit Cage to be a champion for Earthrealm in the
film's sequel.
This is, of course, a moment worth celebrating for longtime "Mortal Kombat" fans, but also
sets the stage for a number of different future relationships. How will Cage and Cole get
along? Will Cage and Sonya connect romantically and have a daughter, like they did in the
"Mortal Kombat" games?
There's so much to consider based on that final shot alone, and it makes this franchise
an exciting thing for longtime fans to dream about.
Though we don't really get to spend any time with them in the film, both Lord Raiden and
Shang Tsung frequently reference the Elder Gods throughout "Mortal Kombat." These are,
as the film implies, the all-powerful beings who created the various realms, and thus the
stage on which the endless Mortal Kombat tournament plays out. They may not make an appearance
in the film, but their presence is keenly felt, particularly in the ways both Raiden
and Shang Tsung view them.
For much of the film, Raiden presents the Elder Gods as an ultimate authority who are
to be revered, respected, and obeyed as they have been for millennia, while Shang Tsung
sees them as outdated relics of a bygone age he hopes to overthrow via an invasion of Earthrealm
and, by extension, eventually all of the other realms as well.
Shang Tsung spits in the face of the Mortal Kombat traditions, while Raiden tries to honor
them. Eventually, through Cole's plan to bring the tournament fight to Outworld's champions
via Raiden's powers, the Elder Gods are presented with a kind of hybrid of both views. The tournament
still happens, but it happens through bending the rules. How will the Elder Gods respond
to that, if they respond at all? Will they try to stop Shang Tsung's outright invasion?
Even if we don't "see" them in the sequel, we'll almost certainly hear about their reaction.
With the exception of a few notable flashes to Scorpion's development in the Netherrealm,
the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" movie takes place pretty much entirely in two realms: Earthrealm,
which is just our world with a bunch of super-powered champions hidden in it, and the desolate,
harsh landscape of Outworld, where Shang Tsung tries to launch his invasion.
These realms are more than enough to move the engine of the plot of the first film,
but "Mortal Kombat" gamers know they're far from the only places to explore in the lore
of the franchise.
We have no idea yet if we're even getting a "Mortal Kombat" sequel, let alone if the
sequel will actually explore other realms, but there's plenty more to explore there.
For instance, the realm of Edenia, which, as its name suggests, is Eden-like, was also
once on the end of an Outworld losing streak and had to actually fight back against a full-scale
invasion from Outworld.
Then there's the Orderrealm and Chaosrealm, which are pretty self-explanatory in terms
of what they're respectively into. These realms are at each other's throats thanks to differing
philosophies.
And of course, there's more of the Netherrealm to explore, including the possible returns
of key characters who died fighting in the first film only to end up there as revenants.
It's a big universe, and any "Mortal Kombat" follow-up can take full advantage of that.
The "Mortal Kombat" reboot is a film that spends its entire runtime walking the line
between paying tribute to the mythos of the games that came before it and breaking new
ground in the way the franchise lore works. That means it's able to explore various elements
of the series in new ways, and one of the most potent of these is the revelation that,
under the right circumstances, anyone can be a champion.
"Kano wins."
The film introduces the concept of the dragon mark to "Mortal Kombat," and through Cole's
perspective reveals both what that means and how it leads to the eventual unlocking of
one's power through some kind of emotional experience. Cole's journey from underdog fighter
to champion as he realizes his family is the key to his arcana is a testament to human
perseverance, but Sonya's journey is arguably just as important. Rather than being chosen
for the tournament like Cole, she "takes" her place by killing Kano and earning his
dragon mark, thus proving that with enough heart and determination anyone can both be
chosen for the tournament and earn some arcana of their very own.
That means that future films in the franchise could introduce even more entirely new characters
who make their way into this world simply by defeating the right bad guy, or by scamming
the right good guy. It could be, pun intended, a game-changer for the series.
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