Like the 1995 movie, Mortal Kombat 2021 ‘s main villain appears to be Shang Tsung, but it might just be Quan Chi truly drawing the strings. It’s been nearly 24 times since love got a new live-action Mortal Kombat film to call their own, and it’s been nearly 26 times since the handout of a Mortal Kombat film that wasn’t abjectly abominable. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was an absolute trainwreck, blowing every last bit of good will that the first movie had earned.

Based on the trailers and commerce released so far, Mortal Kombat 2021 is set to redeem the franchise for Annihilation’s blasphemies, provisioning devotees with the R-rated, grisly, crazy, brutal, extravaganza that not even the popular 1995 film “ve managed to”. While bad films sometimes get good trailers, the fact that the trailer for Mortal Kombat received nearly universal praise can surely be considered a good sign for the quality of the final product, set to release on HBO Max in the middle of April.

Related: How Mortal Kombat 2021 ‘s Goro Fixes The Original Movie’s Mistake

Outside of the absence of Johnny Cage and the addition of Cole Young, the included attribute line-up in Mortal Kombat 2021 is fairly similar to the 1995 movie, right down to soul-stealer Shang Tsung as the seemingly final boss. Appearings is likely to be deluding though, and a certain other deadly adversary could well be waiting in the wings. Everyone should make sure their legs are tightly fastened, as Quan Chi might be operating from the shadows.

No two personas in the Mortal Kombat franchise are more closely linked than Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Born Hanzo Hasashi, Scorpion was a member of the Shirai Ryu ninja clan in animation, contenders to Sub-Zero’s clan the Lin Kuei. Despite superficially seeing human, the first Mortal Kombat competition revealed that Scorpion was in fact undead, fueled by his hunger for reprisal after the kill of his family and clan. Scorpion kills Sub-Zero, a warrior appointed Bi-Han, who he believes to be responsible for their extinctions. The Sub-Zero identity is then taken over by Bi-Han’s younger friend Kuai Liang. Bi-Han last-minute returned as the strange Noob Saibot.

The Scorpion/ Sub-Zero rivalry was turned on its chief in Mortal Kombat Myth: Sub-Zero, then further expanded on in Mortal Kombat 4. Those activities received information that Scorpion and Sub-Zero had been controlled and pitted against each other by the evil sorcerer Quan Chi, who reassured Scorpion that Sub-Zero killed his family in the first place. While Scorpion and Sub-Zero have since implanted the tomahawk in the recent plays, Quan Chi was the primary rationalization they were enemies in the first place.

Mortal Kombat 2021 searches to capture the spirit of the games, but at the same time, it’s already clear that immunities are being made, such as Kano’s apparent alliance with Raiden. The Scorpion and Sub-Zero rivalry will frisk a big role in the history of the Mortal Kombat movie reboot, but their backstory and duel will begin back in feudal Japan, situating it long before the current tournament, a marked departure from their traditional depiction. Sub-Zero will be Bi-Han and not Kuai Liang, despite the latter being Sub-Zero in all games but the first.

Related: Why Mortal Kombat’s Johnny Cage Actor Didn’t Return for Annihilation

Actor Joe Taslim, who’s playing Bi-Han, has also put indicates that Noob Saibot might appear as well during the film. How accurately that could make plot-wise is anyone’s guess, since Noob is what Bi-Han becomes only after Sub-Zero has been killed. Noob Saibot is basically Bi-Han with all his humanity divested away, rendering him into a unadulterated manifestation of evil, and this occurs in the games thanks to Quan Chi, after the sorcerer had also previously retrieved Scorpion from the Netherrealm and sicked him on Bi-Han. One of Outworld’s most powerful villains, Quan Chi is vital to Mortal Kombat lore, extremely that encircling Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Noob Saibot.

Based on what’s been pictured of and am talking about Mortal Kombat 2021 so far, it’s storyline is based almost entirely on the original sequence of competitions, and not the reimagined reboot timeline was established in 2011 ‘s Mortal Kombat 9. If one looks at the proven throw of soldiers, every single one of them debuted prior to Mortal Kombat 9. In fact, outside of Nitara, who debuted in 2002 ‘s Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, all of them attained their first game image prior to the PS2 era.

This leaves the door wide open for Quan Chi to become involved, as he was first playable in Mortal Kombat 4, and in the aforementioned Deadly Alliance, graduated to being one of the boss courages of the sequence. It likewise establishes excellent sense that Warner Bros. and Mortal Kombat 2021 ‘s producers would want to include him in the movie, as he’s been consistently favourite since his entry. Much of that is due to his cool and fearing appear, massive mystical strengths, and perfectly merciless fatalities, all of which could be amazing on the big screen.

As formidable and iconic as Shang Tsung is, Quan Chi being divulged on the villainous feature of Mortal Kombat 2021 could serve to be a real game changer for sequels. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi teamed up to form a crew so hard to defeat that they managed to kill Liu Kang and unseat Shao Kahn. If Shang Tsung survives the 2021 cinema, and words such us-led coalition forces with Quan Chi in the sequel, that could spell extreme trouble for Raiden and the defenders of Earth Realm.

Alternatively, if Shang Tsung is killed by the eventual win of the tournament, whether that be Liu Kang, Cole Young, or someone else, Quan Chi could set out to avenge his decline ally, and most importantly, hijack ultimate dominance for himself. After all, Quan and Shang were never chums, exactly business associates, and turned on each other the first chance it became advantageous to do so. Whichever way the team goes though, Quan Chi could handily serve as an additional behind the scenes big-hearted bad for Mortal Kombat 2021, and the main antagonist for Mortal Kombat 2.

More: Casting Johnny Cage For Mortal Kombat 2

Read more: screenrant.com