Main Villains for Mortal Kombat (2021) Film Changed

Mortal Kombat franchise games have been almost every 90s kid’s favorite childhood games. Even the films were well received (the 2nd film not so much) by the audience because it was so popular back then.

But the franchise is all set to make a comeback on the big screen after over two decades. The upcoming Mortal Kombat film will release on April 16, 2021, in both theatres and on HBO Max.

However, after such a long hiatus, the Mortal Kombat franchise seems to have changed its main villain. Warner Bros. released a synopsis to explain the film’s plot, where it looks like Shao Kahn seems to have been replaced by Shang Tsung.

“In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down.”

Warner Bros.’ synopsis.

Over the course of eleven different Mortal Kombat franchise games, the villains have been constantly changed according to the plotline. The bad guys included many sorcerers, ninjas, lizards (I have a reptile-phobia, so I just don’t like these), demons, red-eyed fighters, robots, and gods (the evil ones).

But throughout the ever-changing plotlines of the games, the chief sorcerer Shang Tsung and the emperor of Outworld Shao Kahn remained consistent as villains.

The two villains usually appeared in the games as allies. The new film seems to have changed that part. The synopsis called the chief sorcerer Shang Tsung the Emperor of Outworld.

It means that either they have removed Shao Kahn from the plot entirely or Shang Tsung has dethroned Shao Kahn, or something entirely different (like some kind of evil schemes, perhaps like Shai Kahn hiding in the shadows and plotting) will take place.

Of course, it is entirely possible that both the characters have just been combined for the sake of the film’s run time. We still have time for speculations until the movie is released. I will get back to you when we get more updates about the film. Until then, stay tuned.

About Mortal Kombat (2021)

Mortal Kombat (2021) is an American martial arts action fantasy film directed by Simon McQuoid. It is based on the video game franchise of the same name and serves as a reboot.

Hunted by the fearsome warrior Sub-Zero, MMA fighter Cole Young finds sanctuary at the temple of Lord Raiden. Training with experienced fighters Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and the rogue mercenary Kano, Cole prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions to take on the enemies from Outworld in a high-stakes battle for the universe.

The film stars actors like Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada in various roles. It was released on HBO Max on April 23, 2021. A sequel is currently in development.