I gotta agree no lui kang would be awful. zombie kang was ridiculous though so i can see why there are haters out there.

Sub-Zero and Scorpion are pretty much in. Besides them, I would probably bring back the following as instantly playable characters:

-Jax
-Kenshi
-Kitana
-Li Mei
-Noob Saibot
-Shao Kahn (as a playable character, trying to regain his throne)
-Sonya

In addition to those nine returning characters, I would also have Liu Kang and Havik as two characters you can unlock, taking the total up to, essentially, eleven returning characters.

Returning Kombatants for MK 9 should be The Original Seven --First and Foremost :

1.Sub-Zero
2.Liu Kang
3.Raiden
4.Kano
5.Scorpion
6.Johnny Cage
7.Sonya Blade

Next to return should be :
8.Baraka
9.Mileena --Unmasked
10.Princess Kitana
11. Jade
12. Queen Sindel
13. Shang Tsung
14.Reptile -- Human and Reptilian Forms
15.Smoke -- Human and Robot Style
16. Noob
17.Kabal
18.Jax
19.Kung Lao
20.Prince Goro--Playable Kharacter

Bosses : Shao Khan; Onaga; Shinnok,and Blaze.

If anybody reads this let me know your favorites to return.

Jade should return with a new role as one of the Earthrealm warriors. And btw, we don't even know if she really did defeat Tanya. For all we know, they are still fighting eachother. Both are still alive and well I believe but angry at eachother of course. Heck, we don't even know what happened to them in Armageddon. All I know is that they were both fighting eachother but I don't know who won.

I've read that there might be 32 characters in the game so here is my full list. I got some of these by rumors.

1) Jade *
2) Mileena
3) Kitana
4) Sonya
5) Johnny Cage
6) Sektor *
7) Kung Lao
8) Reptile
9) Kira (With her own moves.)
10) Jax
11) Nightwolf *
12) Ermac *
13) Frost
14) Sareena
15) Raiden
16) Li Mei * (I wouldn't think she'd make it after what happened to her in MKA but I read a few rumors about her return and I like her anyways.)
17) Tanya
18) Nitara
19) Shao Khan (Unlockable Boss)
20) Onaga (Unlockable Boss)
21) Quan Chi (Unlockable Boss)
22) Shang Tsung (Unlockable Boss)
23) Sub-Zero*
24) Scorpion*
25) Khameleon
26) Liu Kang
27) New Character
28) New Character
29) New Character
30) New Character
31) New Charceter
32) New Character

* = I got from rumors. Here's the link. Just copy and paste it on the part where you type the websites you want to visit. (Don't know how what it's called.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1VZoz8AosQ