Not really. But, well, I'll let someone else who has more time to do the explaining...

Spectre and wraith are synonyms.

Well yeah, but I think he means in MK the REAL difference between the two.

There are a few.

For me both are more or less "ghosts"... both words are even meaning that

...a wraith is pure evil maybe.

After ESZ descended to the deepest plain of the netherrealm, his soul was corrupted into an evil version of himself.


Scorpion was ressurected.


So, a Wraith just come to be after your soul descends

A Spectre is Ressurected.

It may really just be a matter of job description. Quan Chi may have risen both of them from the dead, but he had very different things in mind when he did so.

Scorpion was brought into this whole mess when he was chosen as the best of the Shirai Ryu to go after the map in Mythologies. When the elder Sub-Zero killed him, Quan probably realized that, if his plan was going to pan out how he intended (him getting the amulet without Shinnok realizing it) it would be best for him to clean up loose ends. Namely, Sub-Zero. So he brought Hanzo back and instilled in him an intense desire for vengeance. By killing the one person who had proven strong enough to go against the forces of hell on his own and come out ahead, not to mention who'd seen enough of his machinations to maybe piece a few things together, Quan would have a fancy new plaything. And when the job was over, he might be able to find a few other ways to make use of the revenge crazed Scorpion, but it wasn't entirely necessary.

As for the new plaything itself, when Bi-Han was pulled into the Netherrealm, he wasn't just sent off on a mission with one thing on his mind. He was offered a permanent position in the army and in the Brotherhood of Shadow. He was allowed to keep his mind and higher sense of reasoning. More importantly, he was let in on the grand scheme of things going on.

That's how I see things, at least. Each was brought back for a different purpose, and they were altered differently accordingly. Hell, since Scorpion was expressly reanimated for the sole purpose of killing Sub-Zero, that's probably more the reason he was given fire based abilities than any actual affinity with the fires of hell.

Let me correct myself.

Scorpion WASN'T ressurected (in the original timeline), but his soul simply went to the netherealm

Sub-Zero's went to the Fifth plain, and was then turned evil

Scorpion remained the same, just was a little hell bent on revenge

They are exactly the same thing, but if synonyms did not exist everything would sound very repetitive.

wraiths are sent back for a specific purpose, while spectres just don't want to go to the afterlife.

At least I think that's how the legends go

As far as MK is concerned:

Spectre's exist from vengeance.

Wraiths don't.

Spectres are the people they were before they died

Wraiths aren't.

The way I figure it a Spectre is given rise by magic and their own personal demons. Wraiths however, come simply from someone wanting to raise them.

Also their powers may be a differentiation as well. Scorpion gained powers involving hellfire, which seems very symbolic of vengeance. SubZ lost his ice powers and gained shadow passed ones.

This is a good way to sum up some of my Dumbass posts I made

If you have the patients to read this stuff

Spectre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_(creature)#Terminology)
D&D; Diffinition
Description A spectre is an incorporeal creature that resembles a ghost, with a hatred for all living things. A spectre drains the life energy from living creatures, turning them into new spectres upon death. A spectre is powerless in natural sunlight and flees from it.
A spectre is always lawful evil. A spectre appears as a humanoid, but with a mostly transparent and faintly luminous form. A spectre looks much as it did in life, and can be recognized by someone who knows what the person looked like.

Wraith
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wraith_(entity)#Terminology
D&D; Diffinition
Description A wraith is an incorporeal creature born of evil and darkness, despising light and all living things. A wraith drains the constitution from living creatures, turning them into new wraiths upon death. A wraith is powerless in natural sunlight and will flee from it. A wraith is always lawful evil. A wraith appears as a sinister, spectral figure robed in darkness. It has no visual features or appendages, except for its glowing red eyes.

Here's the difference:

Scorpion is a Spectre.

Noob is a Wraith.

Look at the two and you should be able to tell the difference.

A Spectre drains TWO of your levels with a successful touch attack.
A Wraith drains only one (much like a Wight).

Closing time!!!

/thread

Taken from thefreedictionary.com

Spectre
1. A ghost; phantom; apparition
2. A mental image of something unpleasant or menacing

Wraith
1. An apparition of a living person that appears as a portent just before that person's death.
2. The ghost of a dead person.
3. Something shadowy and insubstantial.

Pretty similar. I picture Scorpion as a poltergiest = a vengeful spirit with unfinished business in the mortal world. He has always been known to haunt Sub-Zero, something a typical ghost would do.

As for Noob, I see him as a literal shadow of his former self. Any good he had left in him was stripped away by his "rebirth", making him pure evil. I'm sure he is demonic in nature.

"We share blood. We are not brothers" -- Noob to Younger Sub-Zero

Copied ma joke...

So im thinking Spectres are Ghost which explains why Scorpion look like his human incarnation. Where Noob Saibot can be considered a creature since he shroud in darkness which makes since for him to be label creature. Hench why Scorpion is Spectre and Noob Saibot a wraith

I always figured they were labelled differently because Scorpion was a vengeful entity and Noob was just evil.

I still can't tell if the idea is to close the thread because of how not-in-the-MK-universe my response was, or because it answered the question.

Either way, you made me giggle.

Sorry, I didn't see it

It's fairly obvious just by lookin' at them.

A Wraith is made of sort of oily liquid-darkness and has shadow powers.

A Spectre is made of bone and fake skin and has fire powers.