You know, that is an excellent point. I have been wondering about that for the longest time, too. I have a theory, though: Maybe Shinnok somehow got it back from Raiden's keeping right before the events of MK4, and that's how he escaped from the Netherrealm. Now if that theory is true, then how he did that I have no clue. Now, I'm more confused as to how Quan Chi got his amulet back in MKA, when in the intro to MKD Onaga clearly got ahold of it.

Sub zeros game was non canon, just like a lot of mk stuff.

MKM:SZ was indeed canon. I mean, I wonder how it isn't canon, actually. Care to share?

SZM is cannon, it was intended on showing all the reasons for Scorpion's feud and introduce characters that were to be on MK4, of course, and with the idea already planned that Noob was SZ.

I am glad that I am not the only one to have noticed this. I wrote Midway about that as well. MKA just doesn't have it errors after all...lol I have a feeling about Quan Chi getting that Amulet back in MKA was a glitch. Meaning with out the bios, there is no explantation how he did, because Onaga took it from him the first place. Midway rushed this game. What other way could it be?)

yeh, i noticed it....
i say what you said willywill about 2 fakes was what happened...

and as for Quan having it in MKA... uh maybe he like stole it back...? or maybe he left another fake behind at the explosion lol 3 fakes thats pretty lame...! and why does shinnok keep his fake one still?

I'm going to assume the one on Shinnok's staff is just a decoration.

As far as how Quan Chi has it in Armageddon, the obvious answer is because they didn't want to bother altering his costume.

The storyline answer is, let's say after the Kamidogu were smashed and Onaga was defeated, the heroes all forgot about the amulet sitting above his throne and just left it there, so Quan Chi came in and grabbed it after they left.

I posted a thread EXACTLY like this a while back,but I still want an answer!
Maybe it is just a glitch in the story,or maybe there were 2 fakes?
Maybe mytholigies wasnt cannon at all,but no,it would have to be or otherwise sub-zero would never of had his soul tainted and turn into noob saibot when he died? OR maybe there were 3 fakes,because Onaga has it now aswell as shinnok and the one sub-zero stole?Do any of them even know that they all have fakes?

God Dammit,I want an answer!

MK:SZM was canon. Quan Chi created a fake amulet and gave it to Shinnok.The fake amulet was very powerful, leading Shinnok to beleive it was the real one,and it had the ability to take the owner to different realms.However Quan Chi kept the real one until Deception,where he was killed in Shang Tsungs palace by Raidens blast when the three tried defeating Onaga.

In Armageddon, we see Onaga and Quan chi with the amulet on their outfits.

So we don't know who posesses the amulet now.

but what did sub zero steal back?Another fake?

Yes he had created another fake,to throw Sub-Zero and Raiden off, But the one Onaga stole from Quan Chi was real.

thnx.That clears alot of things up.

onaga doesnt have the amulet on his outfit!... so i say quan has the real one now...

Moved to the Classic forum as this topic has nothing to do with the Amulet's whereabouts during the MKA timeline.

To answer your question...it seemed kinda obvioust o me that Quan Chi during MK4 had the real Amulet and allowed Shinnok to think his was the real one, e.g. while Shinnok thought it was the power of him using the amulet, it was actually Quan Chi was using the real Amulet to be able to invade Edenia but making it look like it was all Shinnok.

So there were 2 fake ones then? The one Sub-zero (Noob Saibot) stole from Shinnok in MKSM, then the one Shinnok used in MK4 and the real one that Quan Chi had in MK4-MKD when Onaga took it. I have read and read the story over and over many times and this never mentions this once. This is Midway saying it's offical, right? I would assume that Quan Chi having that amulet on his belt was a glitch still...If Scorpion and assuming with the help of Shinjinko defeated Onaga and destoryed the Kamidogu, then the amulet is long from gone then. This makes sense, but midway has to say so. Thanks though.

Okay, time for some major explainage.

The one that the First Sub-Zero retrived after defeating the four gods was the real amulet.Quan Chi took this one and kept it.Then created two fakes.One was given to Shinnok, because later Sub-Zero stole this one from Shinnok .After this Quan Chi gave Shinnok a second fake, saying the amulet he gave Shinnok before was a fake.Shinnok questioned Quan Chi, and he told him he foresaw Sub-Zero stealing the amulet, so he gave Shinnok a fake.Then he gave Shinnok the second fake, saying the second fake was real, while keeping it in his pocket.

Make sense?

That does a lot and I agree, but it does not say that no where in the stories about a second copy, not even on Wikipedia, MK bible and etc. __________________________________________________________ Shinnok's bio __________________________________________________________ Shinnok began building his second army of darkness, and plotted to escape the Netherealm once more. But in order to do so, he needed his lost sacred amulet. After centuries of searching, Quan Chi eventually discovered the amulet's whereabouts for Shinnok. It had been in the possession of the Lin Kuei. Using the Lin Kuei warrior Sub-Zero (the elder), Quan Chi recovered it, but unbeknownst to Shinnok, he created a flawed replica in its place which he delivered, keeping the original for himself. __________________________________________________________ Noob Saibot (Original Sub-Zero) __________________________________________________________ After Sub-Zero delivered the amulet to Shinnok and Quan Chi, he was sent back to retrieve it by Earthrealm's protector, Raiden, who explained to him that the amulet was the key to releasing Shinnok. Sub-Zero stole the amulet from Shinnok and escaped the Netherealm, refusing an offer from Quan Chi to join the Brotherhood of the Shadow and worship Shinnok. While in the Netherealm, he was warned by Quan Chi that he was able to enter the Netherealm only because his soul had been tainted with evil; apparently troubled by this, Sub-Zero asked Raiden if it were true. Raiden confirmed Sub-Zero's fears, but informed him that only he could alter his own destiny. __________________________________________________________ Quan Chi __________________________________________________________ Shortly after receiving this information which was before the upcoming Mortal Kombat tournament, the sorcerer proposed a deal with the Lin Kuei - he would destroy their rival clan, the Shirai Ryu, in exchange for the assistance of one of their warriors. Quan Chi convinced the elder Sub-Zero to retrieve the amulet for him. Sub-Zero did so (and killed Hanzo Hasashi in cold blood in doing so), unaware of Quan Chi's motives. Once the Lin Kuei warrior acquired the amulet, Quan Chi claimed it, and explained its origins before leaving to give the amulet back to Shinnok. Unknown to the fallen Elder God however, Quan Chi had replaced the amulet with a useless imitation, and kept the real one for himself. Shortly afterwards, Sub-Zero, who had been ordred to reclaim the amulet by Raiden, confronted Quan Chi, and defeated him temporarily with assistance from Sareena. Quan Chi would spend the following years assisting Shinnok in preparation for his forthcoming assault, as well heading the cult of the Brotherhood of the Shadow.

Well, I didn't think it would, but I remember someone on the team said that it was exactly what happened.(Although I figured this out before they confirmed this.)

For Midway to acknowledge this, it should be known there was two copies and one real one. For those who actually pay attention story wise. I do agree with you on the two copies, but it's not known though.

Yeah, I think I pretty much answered the question though.

I've thought of this for years. I think it's all a big misconception that's so common it's become fact, fan created canon or "fanon".

He didn't have the amulet in MK4. He didn't think he had the amulet. His MK4 scheme has nothing to do with the amulet! The only switch/fake amulet stuff happened during MKM. He escaped the Neatherealm in MK4 through the help of a traitor(Tanya). If you read the MK4 bios and watch the endings Shinnok having the amulet is never brought up, you never see it with him, and when Quan Chi talks about having the real one he says it was years ago.

Everyone thinks Shinnok is powerless without the amulet. That isn't the case. Everything we see him do in MK4, the floating, the energy blasts, ect. is without the amulet.

The only time he has anything to do with an amulet in MK4 is that picture of his staff, which as we have now seen in MKA is just his staff.


It's just such a popular misconception even the MK staff now believes it, as we see John Vogel going on about it in the MKA premium edition.

Shinnok's Bio Continue... _________________________________________________________ Shinnok's first target was Edenia. After successfully posing as a group of refugees, Shinnok and his highest generals, using Tanya's Edenian connections, were allowed entrance to the peaceful realm. He immediately seized this opportunity to bring in a full-scale invasion force, and captured Queen Sindel and Princess Kitana. Unfortunately for Shinnok, his newfound empire was short-lived. Despite invading the Heavens themselves and killing many of the Gods, Raiden and his warriors managed to penetrate Shinnok's defenses in order to stop him. Raiden single-handedly defeated many of Shinnok's followers and made the way for a final battle between the Shaolin monk Liu Kang and the Elder God Shinnok. It was a long battle; however, Liu Kang was eventually able to defeat Shinnok. After his loss, Shinnok was banished back to the Netherealm by Raiden. __________________________________________________________ Though why does it say different in Quan Chi and Shinnoks story? Shinnok loses his power and is defeated easily at the hands of Lui Kang once Quan Chi is sent back to the Netherealm. It mentions he had the real amulet and Shinnok had the fake...Tanya led them into the realm as a tour guide would in a city you never been to. Shinnok and had to have the amulet to invade in Edenia, it says in the bios above in my other tread. In the MKA ending for Shinnok, his copy is sent out to defeat Blaze. This would mean that Shinnok was still in the Netherealm and his copy was the one present for the battles. Shinnok was powerless by story with out that Amulet and banished there...that only makes sense. There were 2 copies, and one real one. Sub-Zero (Noob Saibot) stole it from Shinnok, then Quan Chi gives Shinnok the "real one" and thus Shinnok believes it was the real copy yet being fooled himself, and Quan Chi has the real one. So that is most logical...now we have to see what Midway says about this.

Wikipedia and other fan sources are wrong. Just read the MK4 bios and endings. ALL the fake amulet stuff happened in MKM. There is no second amulet or fake amulet in MK4! You'll not find one reference to anything like that in the actual MK4 story. Anything about a second fake amulet is something fans came up with to explain a plot hole that was never actually a plot hole.


Shinnok could invade Edenia or anywhere else without the amulet. He had an army. That's why he attacked Edenia and the heavens in the first place. If he had the amulet he wouldn't need to, he could go straight to Earth and invade it without interference from the Elder gods. That's the whole point of the amulet. That's why he needed Tanya's help, because he did not have it and he didn't have Quan Chi pretending he had it or anything like that.

When Shinnok was first banished he was imprisoned and tortured. Quan Chi came to him and helped him escape his confines in the Neatherealm. Not escape the actual realm itself, but his imprisonment inside of it. After that he was free to move around Neatherealm, he just couldn't leave it. That is when he promoted Quan Chi to his right hand man and when he overthrew Lucifer. He did not have the amulet at this time but he still had power, he was able to take control of the realm and try to shape it as he saw fit.

In MKM Quan Chi went through the scheme to try to get Sub-Zero to steal the amulet for Shinnok. That is when Quan Chi made the switch and Shinnok had the fake. Sub-Zero found the real one in the temple, gave it to Chi who gave Shinnok the fake and then at the end of MKM Sub-Zero stole the one around Shinnok's neck which was the fake and gave it back to Raiden. The fake one was put back in the temple while Chi had the real one for years. Shinnok never came into contact with the amulet, real or fake, ever again.

Tanya was a back up plan, an entirely different way to escape. During the MKM-MK3 era he was the ruler of Neatherrealm. He had all that power but just couldn't leave. He didn't need the amulet to have power, he needed it to leave and then take Earth without interference. Tanya allowed him to leave. Once he left and was in Edenia he could then go and leave anywhere he wanted.

Since he didn't have the amulet he couldn't just go straight to Earth without interferenced. That's the point of the war against the heavens in MK4. That is why Raiden says the war can now be won by mortals. Shinnok wasn't using the amulets power, he was trying to take over the realms with plain brute force like Shao Kahn.


Here is part of the MK Mythologies story. Straight from the booklet....

Quan Chi is a free roaming sorcerer, having the ability to travel the various planes of reality without detection from their gods. It also meant that over the years, he had obtained great power. Aware of Shinnok's dilemma, Quan Chi traveled to the Netherealm and made the fallen god an offer. He would free him from his confines and assist him in defeating Lucifer and his minions, in exchange for power and the ability to rule at his side if and when he escaped the Netherealm entirely. Shinnok agreed, and the two waged a war in the Netherealm that lasted for centuries, but the ex-Elder God eventually won as he viciously slew his tormentor. Then he took his seat as the new ruler with supreme control of the dead realm. Shinnok, however, found he had nothing to rule. The realm was a desolate wasteland of fire and brimstone inhabited by grotesque demons. So, he decided to create a physical world, trying his best to emulate the realm he wanted so badly, Earth. He took the demons of his realm and transformed them into as human a form as possible. But unlike the Outworld, which became a wasteland after Shao Kahn sapped its energies, the Netherealm never was a living planet. It always had existed as a dead realm, infinite in size. Its true form would now be hidden by its ruler.

That is very logical answer as well. I looked at the MK4 endings and this all make sense now. You are right, now I wonder why Shinnok would have that amulet staff then? Must be decoration then, huh? If that is the case then, there was only 1 fake one and one real one. Tanya was the reason that Shinnok, Quan Chi and his army of darkness were able to invade into Edenia after all. This makes a lot of sense now...thank you very much, Julia Chang. One more question...why would Shinnok send a copy of himself to lead the forces of evil in MK:Armageddon, when all along he knew of the powers that could have been gained from Blaze? In his MKA: His copy ends up becoming all powerful and Shinnok is shit out of luck. If you can answer this as well, this tread is closed. :) Funny thing though...stupid bastard should have got an outside connection from Earthrealm if he wanted it so bad. lol