It won't be Shinnok because him being the big boss would not be surprising not at all given the last game. For a long time i didn't think it would be Liu kang either as he wouldn't be surprising given his ladder ending and his fight with raiden at the end of story mode but then I thought who was boon talking to when he said a surprise returning character? To us hardcore fans on here Liu kang would not be much of a surprise but to casual fans of the game he would be a huge surprise the ultimate MK champion and all round good guy now the big bad only hard core fans would expect that.

So who will it be is anyone's guess if the demon in the comics is the big boss in the game then I am sticking to Havik yes they made a joke of him in some stream a while back but hey what a great way to throw people off the scent. But there is nothing to suggest that the plot in the comics with the kamidogu and the demon and the blood code is even directly involved in the games story so who knows but if I had to guess I would say Havik followed by Liu Kang with Noob as an outside chanve

People get hung up on Boon's words way too much. He said it so long ago and his exact words were a surprise returning character. Shinnok would be a surprise since he has not been in many games + considering the time it was said and even lately because in the comics they stated that Shinnok failed to overtake the realms and was imprisoned again.

Some say Onaga because of the connection with the daggers, blood demon and whatever. Now, if it is in fact Onaga, I would love it if he was more like the actual MK dragon (logo)! None of that big guy with claws and wings stuff, that look was just awful.

Why do you think it will be Shinnok? His colour is more purple then red that big red cloud makes me think it is someone other then him

The colour has nothing to do with who or what that is. Shinnok could have turned into a blood demon or whatever if that comforts u :p

Barakall, it seems like you just really want it to be Shinnok. He would be the most obvious choice. Since he is probably the boss of the first chapter, I don't see it being very exciting for him to return as the big bad at the end. I agree that a redesigned Onaga would be cool. Some kind of a dragon boss would be fitting for MK X.

Your reasons for it not being Reiko are kind of silly. Because he wears face paint and you think he is a Shao Kahn wannabe? Like I said before, Ed Boon said that not a lot of people would see it coming in regards to the big bad. Considering that MK 9 ended with Shinnok being revealed, I don't see how you could possibly make the case that would be a surprise. Liu Kang in god form would make sense but I think there have been leaked images of him in a tower that would debunk the idea of him being the big bad.

I thought from the quick glimpse at the living towers that it looked like quan chi. He must be at least a sub boss this time

In the new prequel book description it specifically refers to a god so that makes me believe that Liu Kang is less likely since he has no connection to the daggers. Shinnok is a god and could become an even bigger one with the help of the magik. The one being was never a character so that is ruled out. With regards to Reiko, he's a dull character, too much like Shao Kahn and since Mileena is still around, I bet Reiko dies in the comics. Quan Chi is a possibility but since he's confirmed playable, that would be rather disappointing.

Blood Magick of the One Being
Kamidaggers can create gods
Possessed ones have glowing red eyes
Red cloud at the White Lotus Stage

God Kang.

First thing that came to my mind, too.
April 14th can't come soon enough

Still not convinced Liu Kang is the one, why would he like to become evil?

Been thinking Kang would be the boss for a while and possibly becomes a god. This pretty much seals it for me.

Possibly:

Chapter 1 Boss: Shinnok

Chapter 2 Boss: Reiko

Chapter 3 Boss: Liu Kang

"Surprise returning character"

Considering the events of MK9, I don't think Shinnok or Liu Kang can be seen as a surprise. They've been two of the most speculated big bads.

And I don't think anybody expected Mileena not to return. Not a surprise.


Unless I am taking Boon's use of the word "surprise" too literally~

I mean, we have Raiden, Kitana, Bi-Han and Kung Lao. Johnny, Sonya and Jax are all but confirmed. Liu is the only obvious unexplained omission from team Earthrealm. What more proof do you need?

If he was just a regular playable, don't you think he'd been leaked by now? And no way he's skipping on this game.

chapter 1: Shinnok
CHapter 2: deadly alliance Quan Chi & Sindel
Charpter: One Being

He's definitely in, not completely sure he'll be the boss though. The new comic volume summary suggests Onaga and Shujinko might play a big part in the game.

Why would he be leaked by now? We only got leaks of the other characters a couple days ago.

It's not Shinnok barakall you just wanting it to be him doesn't mean it will be sorry bro you'll have to guess again

I know that I'll always have blind faith that Lord Shinnok will be the big bad because he's the greatest evil figure in the story so far, even from the previous timeline. But as impaler42 said, the Story's bosses may very well be the ones expected.

The Ladder one is the one subject to surprise, and even then it may be someone like Shinnok. Because I remember when I finished MK9's Story Mode I got super excited about Shinnok getting another chance to shine, and then Boon said the story for MKX would have a 25-Year span. That busted the idea of Shinnok being the final boss for me back then, so I could call it a surprise returning character. Same goes for Liu Kang, 25 years can make even Shao Kahn sound like a surprise.


But no more Kahn for now, please.

I think the contrary.

The Vol.1 comic description says that the blood magick is from the One Being.

Very good.

But it also says that "Another has spent years acquiring each blade through cunning and guile". Cunning and guile? Sounds like deception.

IMO, this is much stronger evidence that ONAGA will be the big bad.

When the game was announced, I said it because it's a prohpecy.

After the trailer, I said because he is the only one that converges The Amulet, Kamidaggers and Outworld's Civil War.

Now, think with me. The Kamidaggers are obviously connected to the One Being. The is someone who spent years acquiring each blade. IMO it's obviously Shujinko.

And he was deceived by Onaga. To date, i think everything is converging to Onaga.

@Noob-Smoke - I actually think Shinnok is rather underwheming as a boss, but as a character I like him. It just makes a lot of sense as many have pointed out, unlike Havik. Now with the new preview out, I'd say Havik in as a character has a chance, but as a boss I'm not convinced. He's just not a boss type and I actually would love that over Shinnok! Onaga would be another option, but I hated his look. If he looks like the dragon of MK, then I would love it.

Having read the recent comic, I think Havik would qualify as a surprise returning character that not a lot of people would see coming. My previous stance on the big bad was that it had to be someone related to the outworld civil war storyline. But now thinking more broadly in terms of the blood daggers and the fate of the different realms, I think a being such as Havik would fit the bill. If they chose Onaga, that seems like it would be rehashing an old storyline. At least with Havik, that would be a fresh spin on a mysterious character that wasn't given much of a backstory. Or perhaps whoever Havik serves is the big bad. Either way that would be way more interesting than Shinnok or Onaga returning as the big bad.

Excluding Quan Chi and Kenshi, there's barely signs of life from MK4 charatcers in this game, there's a really, really long shot that Li Mei is playable, but most likely a minor NPC in story mode. So if you think there's a Deception character that's gonna come out of nowhere, let alone be the big bad, then keep dreaming.

Well Kenshi is actually from MK5. Saying that there aren't many characters from the 3D MK games doesn't mean that they wouldn't bring back a 3D era character as the big bad. It just depends on how much potential they see in the character and the role they play in the MK universe. Most of the potential big bads are characters from the 3D era for the sole reason that all the events of MK 1, 2, and 3 have already been covered in MK 9. In my opinion there is no reason to retread old ground by rehashing a previous storyline and bringing back an old big bad such as Shinnok or Onaga. That's why I'm considering "second tier" characters like Reiko and Havik.

Also something to consider, Liu Kang and Shinnok are both part of the leaked roster. It's unlikely that any of the playable characters would be the big bad.