I see three possibilities emerging from such a story fuck-up. (1) Frost is in the next game or (2) Sub-Zero becomes human again, which is kind of a flip from Human Smoke's UMK3 endingor (3) we are forever stuck with cyborg Sub-Zero.



I agree if they're secret/super unlockables or DLC.


As a general comment on your entire post, the characters "dead" in the Netherrealm will more than likely be freed once Quan Chi and Shinnok are defeated. Much like what happened with those under Onaga's control and were magically freed with the dragon king's defeat.

Generally, I think that when waiting for a game about Shinnok and an army of zombies invading from Hell to come out, that is the WORST possible time to ever have conversations about the dead staying dead as a plot device.

That particular topic should really be put on hold until after MK10 comes out. THEN, when the whole next game isn't about people whose MAIN power is to raise the dead and make them fight the good guys, would probably be a better time to either discuss how death can be treated as a permanent way to remove characters from the roster or to complain about how 10 handled the deaths and resurrections that are currently inevitable.
If you HAVE to have this conversation now, then what we should REALLY be talking about is whether or not people WANT Shinnok and the Netherealm to be part of the MK universe, or never show up again, and whether or not MK9 should have left out the teasers about how Quan Chi has all the heroes' souls and how he and Shinnok are just waiting for Kahn to die so they can have their turn at conquering the realms.
But in order to have that argument, you have to take a hardline stance about whether or not MK4 should have ever happened, whether or not things that happened in the original timeline should be on course to happen again in the reboot even when there's no way for Raiden and his time-knowledge to have prevented them - and how much or how little sense that makes, whether or not whole characters like Quan Chi and Shinnok should have been erased from the MK universe as though they never existed like Hsu Hao has been, and how you handle characters for whom being dead and coming back is their entire backstory, and how they couldn't exist if the Netherealm and Quan/Shinnok didn't exist, like Scorpion, Noob Saibot, and Sindel.

I too would like to see the dead stay dead, I stated that in the Frost/Idea thread I have going. But, knowing the series as much as I do, it won't happen. There's going to be some magical way to bring back all these characters, and we're, once again, dealing with the same old same old rather than having some new fresh meat.

As big as a die hard Sub-Zero fan that I am, I would personally like to see him stay out of a game. There's only been one Mortal Kombat game that I know that doesn't have Sub-Zero in it which is Mortal Kombat Trilogy for the Game Com.

But then again, that was a failed handheld system.

I mean, we could see a story where he could get resurrected, but I wouldn't want it happening in the next game, that's just.. give the guy a break, eh? I'll agree with anyone who states that the dead should stay dead.

I've been suggesting that for a while. But it has more to do with keeping a core roster, as opposed to dead people staying dead. And I agree, death needs to be a consequence in MK, not just an inconvenience.

The problem here is that MK as of MK3 doesn't know how to introduce new characters without removing half the roster and replacing them with extremely similar substitutes. Every new game half the roster of the old game is gone and we have to deal with a bunch of characters that are clearly based off of old ones. Keeping a steady roster and adding 3 or 4 new characters every game would solve the people always dying problem and the influx of new people fan tend to not care about problem.

They probably will come back to life, but I'd rather they not be playable so other characters from the MK4-A era get better development just have them as NPC and maybe an Undead Endurance Match. There were some characters that did well in that era while others didn't.

I wonder too how the survivors will end up not getting emotional when facing their dead comrades. The way they looked when Quan Chi showed them to Rayden reminded me of the Blackest Night storyline.

I thought of how they would come back to life, I had one idea: Since Quan Chi controls the souls, why not actually have Scorpion kill him this time? Scorpion would not realize, but he saved a lot of people from Quan Chi.

Quan Chi did a good run in the old timeline and fooled a lot of people but this timeline is different. He seemed a little perplexed when telling Shinnok that Rayden still lives so he's not really all that aware at the end of MK 9.

His death would release the souls from evil making a deux ex machina of restoring the characters back to themselves. This can make the characters once enslaved into finding a new purpose in Mortal Kombat like in Brightest Day.

I'm sorry, but I can see some similarities from both the Blackest Night and Brightest Day storylines. I could see something else that I saw in Blackest Night that the undead good guys do turn some good guys into one of them.

I've been thinking. Perhaps my idea of bringing back characters in non-canon capacities doesn't have to apply strictly for the dead, but also for characters whose story was given closure.

Scorpion comes to mind. One reason I've heard he doesn't get his bloody revenge is because he'd have no more purpose afterwards, storywise. I disagree, but let's say it was the case. Scorpion could just return in a what-if story of him still trying to get his revenge. That way he sticks around, but canonically his character would finally have developed.

After all, how many casual gamers really care about the storyline? Would it cause such a stir if Scorpion and Sub-Zero had no involvement in the story whatsoever? Would it bother the hardcore fans of the series, and those of these two in particular?

I don't really care about catering to casuals, but if they can get what they want without preventing the story from progressing, then I don't care.

To think that NRS has such a solution on their hands regarding the storyline, and that they haven't even thought of it. Ugh.

It would be nice to see Scorpion finally close his goddamn revenge story once and for all. Twenty years of chasing the same thing and having very rarely anything new happen. I think Deception is literally the only change in his story, but that went nowhere.

I think a few chapters certainly needs to get finished because we don't need to see it continue to drag out as much as it has been. Or, let's have stories that were beginning to be told, but then they just stopped. Anything like that, I would love to see it happen.

To be fair, Scorpion wasn't out for revenge in half of MK2 or in MK3. He was trying to redeem himself and make up for killing Sub-Zero instead because he didn't want to go back to Hell anymore.

That said, I REALLY liked him as Champion of the Elder Gods in Deception and I hope they let him finish off Quan Chi in MK10 and find a role similar to that again.

Scorpion's MK2 and MK3 endings were pretty much retconned as MK4's Scorpion ending shows Scorpion was clearly still out for revenge on Sub-Zero. Then in MKDA he was still out for revenge for his family but now against the right person.

I think mk x would be kinda unpredictable the characters sides I mean good or bad because injustice had good and bad versions of characters and some goody goody characters (batman and alternative batman)... I hope they do this in next mk, instead of doing the boring Armageddon storyline, an alternate universe is always better than going back in time because things turn out different rather thantrying to change what had happened before...

In justice league paradox the animation, flash changed an event and ended up in a totally different timeline where Bruce Wayne was shot and his father became the batman (we know that Bruce's parents died and then he became batman)... So I'm looking for a story like that in next mk...
Firebaby

There was never a retcon, you're misunderstanding what happened.

Scorpion spent MK2 and 3 NOT going for revenge, because he believed that since killing Bi-Han didn't end his mission and give him peace, then the way to gain peace must be to atone.

Then at the start of MK4, Quan Chi tricks Scorp into thinking Kuai Liang is the guy he needs to kill to avenge his family and rest in peace, because he wants Scorp to work for Shinnok's army.

Scorpion did look for revenge against Sub-Zero in MK2, though I agree with you he didn't really have much a story in MK3. Going to have to still disagree with you about MK4 though. Scorpion's bio only suggests he accepts Quan Chi's offer for life but has ulterior motives which I think is clear means revenge against Sub-Zero. I think Quan Chi takes advantage of Scorpion's desire for revenge to help get rid of Sub-Zero.

Razor is a walking encyclopedia of Mortal Kombat story facts. Trust me, he knows exactly what he's talking about.

Well only until he realized Kuai wasn't Bi-Han.

At which point, his story changes to being about protecting Kuai Liang, to make up for killing his brother.



Oh he had a story. It just had nothing to do with revenge.

Shao Kahn accidentally raises him from Hell, he doesn't want to go back so he agrees to work for Kahn, then he finds out Kuai Liang is on the other side and remembers that he promised to protect him in MK2, so he jumps to Kuai's side.



Dude, in Scorp's ending, Quan Chi says out loud that he tricked Scorpion into going after Kuai.

His exact words are "To defeat my nemesis Sub-Zero, I needed the power of a spectre. You've done my bidding well, Scorpion, but now I must return you to the Netherealm."

I think it would be very strengthening to the storyline to have these characters remain dead.

Plus, those characters don't have to be excluded from the game. They could all be unlockable later in the game, which would actually increase the replay value of the MK10.

Having about 7 or 8 iconic characters to unlock after completing the story mode would really be an amazing feat to accomplish. I miss having to unlock loads of characters and enjoy them one by one, like in Tekken 3 or Super Smash Bros. Melee. it made playing the game so much more fun. But I digress.

Though I doubt it will happen, I'm really hoping all of those characters remain dead.

I so damn tired of half the roster being replaced. And if a similar character to a dead one has to be made, make sure they're better. I think given MK2011's treatment of characters like Smoke and Kenshi such characters can be revitalized and given their own tool set. When I played Deathstroke in Injustice I just thought "Jareek needs to be exactly like this." And I think that game may have taught Netherrealm a thing or two on how to develop new characters.

As with this Scorpion argument, tee hee.

Scorpion watching Sub-Zero in the second tournament defeat and opponent and not kill them shows this is clearly not the same Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero drops his garb in 3 not wanting to become automated in The Mighty Morphin' Lin- Kuei. Though in 4 he once again dons his Lin-Kuei duds (razor may have been right, but I like my version more) confusing Scorpion into thinking it is the original Sub-Zero. Because Specters are horribly confused by costume changes and this is why pop concerts don't go over very well in the Netherrealm. END....

Not every Mortal Kombat ending is canon, though not every MK 2 and 3 ending was retconed either. Have a nice day!!!

True, most endings aren't canon, but the Vow of Protection part of Scorpion's MK2 ending was confirmed canon by Tobias's comic and his MK4 ending was confirmed canon in Deadly Alliance.

The fact that DA played off that ending so well had me very excited. I still like 4 and DA's endings the most. I too felt that deception on Quan Chi's part was adequately explained. Never fear folks, I feel Human Sub-Zero coming back. I think Cyber Sub-Zero would eventually become just as bothersome as Zombie Liu Kang. Something that has tons of potential for gameplay and storyline but goes absolutely nowhere.

It's because a LOT of people tend not to give something different a chance. I wasn't really a fan of Liu Kang becoming a zombie, but I was going to give that a chance because it was different. Despite that it got leaked earlier, the news of Sub-Zero turning into a cyborg was really interesting. I gave that a chance, and I thought it was a great concept. Of course, I too feel that we're going to give Sub-Zero his human form back because his cyborg form wasn't that fan worthy enough.

I would like to see 4-Deception characters to make an appearance soon, with new stories or addons to their previous stories. I don't mind if Frost has a different story from what she had when she was around. I don't mind if Tanya has a different story either. As long as they're in the game as unlockables or not (going for any character in general not just to the two I stated), their stories makes sense and is interesting to see why they're brought into the next game, I'm fine with whoever makes it in.

Sounds like Soulcalibur, don't it? lol

Only with Soulcalibur, they keep the old roster, and just throw in the clones like they're completely new characters. Hell, in SC1 there were eight knew characters and only two had unique weapon styles (and only one of those two had a unique weapon), and in SCV there were ten new characters, and two of them were style changers! And again, only two of them had unique styles, Viola and Z.W.E.I.

At least with Mortal Kombat, there are some fresh blood. In fact, in the first three games were tons of fresh blood. It wasn't until Mortal Kombat 4 that the mass cloning began. It goes as such:

Mortal Kombat 2 New Characters
FRESH
- Baraka
- Mileena
- Kitana
- Jax
- Kung Lao
CLONE
- Sub-Zero (Sub-Zero)

Mortal Kombat 3 New Characters
FRESH
- Sindel
- Nightwolf
- Kabal
- Cyrax
- Sektor
CLONE
- Sheeva (Goro)
- Smoke (Scorpion)

Mortal Kombat 4 New Characters
FRESH
- Quan Chi
- Tanya
- Kai
CLONE
- Reiko (Noob Siabot)
- Jarek (Kano)
- Fujin (Sindel)
- Shinnok (everyone)

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance New Characters
FRESH
- Bo' Rai Cho
- Kenshi
- Nitara
- Darhmin
CLONE
- Frost (Sub-Zero)
- Li Mei (Tanya)
- Mavado (Kabal)
- Hsu Hao (Kano)

Mortal Kombat Deception New Characters
FRESH
- Havik
- Ashrah
- Dairou
CLONE
- Kobra (Kano/Ken)
- Kira (Sonya/Kano)
- Hotaru (Scorpion)
- Shujinko (everyone)
- Darrius (Kai)

Actually, I figured Li Mei was more of a Mileena clone what with the purple and sais and being a sex object, except without the whole butterface thing. OTOH, the phrase "Mileena clone" does sound redundant, lol.

Scorpion's ending is why I interpret him being a protector to Kuai Liang to be a retcon too. Quan Chi didn't need to trick Scorpion, he knew Scorpion would have gladly continued his quest for revenge and used that knowledge to his advantage to eliminate Sub-Zero.

Without the protector arc being retconned the story goes from Scorpion avenging his family in MK1 to him learning that Kuai Liang isn't the original Sub-Zero and deciding to protect him in MK2&3 to him somehow being tricked in MK4 to thinking Kuai Liang is the murderer afterall even though the whole reason he became Kuai Liang's protector was to atone for taking revenge on Bi Han. Honestly it also makes assumptions about Quan Chi and Scorpion's interaction in MK4. Whereas when the protector arc is retconned it is pretty much 1 consistent tale of seeking revenge for Scorpion from MK1 to MK4. Scorpion does kill Bi Han in MK1 but he returns in MK2 thinking it is the same Sub-Zero as his MK2 bio suggests and never learns that Kuai Liang is the new Sub-Zero.

A solution that works for everyone.

I doubt they'll go back to unlockables though. With the tourney crowd wanting everything available from the start. Tekken 6 actually had no unlockable characters at all. Tekken Tag 2 had free DLC characters, which I wouldn't mind in MK. But unlockables would be the best option.