Sorry to see this hasn't gotten much attention yet.

If I had creative input on MKX, I would have liked to have seen flashback chapters to fill in the gaps. Since the comic book story and in-game story are obviously vastly different and only barely connected if at all, I'm IGNORING most of what occurred in the comic, so no need to call it out.

Flashback Chapters ( 2 to 4 fights, as compared to 5)

Flashback Chapter 1 - Kuai Liang (in Cryomancer variation)
Approx 10 - 15 years after resurrection
Location: Destroyed City (Future), Dead Woods, Lin Kuei Temple, Lin Kuei Throne Room(new arena)

FB 1.1 Destroyed City (Future) (12 years after Netherrealm War)

We find Kuai Liang in his ninja garb. He appears to be on a mission - there are 3 people with him - they are the beginning of the new human Lin Kuei. They are wrapped in rudimentary ninja garb, not traditional Lin Kuei outfits. Their identities, genders and appearance are fully concealed. He tells them to be on their guard, that the Cyber Lin Kuei are likely near. This is no longer a test - their lives are in terrible danger, and everything they've learned up to this point must be brought to bear.

They are on a rooftop - Sub-Zero drops down, lands in a badass ninja pose on the street. His disciples follow. Sub-Zero is focusing on the ruins - something catches his eye...something faint, a shimmer. Just then, one of his disciples is impaled through the chest from behind. 5 Cyber Lin Kuei phase in out of camouflage and surround the group.

Battle 1 - Sub Zero vs. Cyber Ninjas
Format of battle will be 7 opponent survival - Cyber Lin Kuei take heavy damage from Sub-Zero, but he must face seven in a row. A new one jumps in each time one is defeated. There is NO recovery time for Sub-Zero. They are all generic, ranging in colors from grey, black and blue.

Aftermath - One of Sub-Zero's disciples is dead. Another badly injured. The final disciple, who we now see is a very young female (barely 14 or 15), is holding her own against the 3 remaining cyber ninjas. She freezes one, and is able to take out 2 at the same time with a devastating ice spike attack. She incapacitates the final cyber ninja by shattering it's legs, which she had encased in ice, and freezing the majority of its torso to the ground.

"Outstanding, Frost."

He orders her to tend to the remaining wounded Lin Kuei warrior. He interrogates the surviving Cyber Ninja who, unlike the others Sub-Zero faced, still appears to have some semblance of humanity. Sub-Zero discovers that the process has been rushed the past few years, and that fewer of the cyber ninjas were once human. Now, many of them are fully constructed automatons. The cyber ninja expresses regret at his current state, and asks Sub-Zero for mercy by a complete death, in exchange for intel that can help take out Sektor once and for all, restoring the Lin Kuei to its former glory. Sub-Zero agrees, and discovers a surefire way to infiltrate the Lin Kuei temple. He mercifully and painlessly executes the Cyber ninja and honors him as a true member of the Lin Kuei. He then honors his fallen disciple. He indicates to Frost that they cannot leave their dead and wounded behind, and he produces a 2-way communication device. We do not know yet who he is contacting.

1.2 Dead Woods

Sub-Zero versus Cyrax

Sub-Zero and Frost journey alone. Cyrax ambushes them in the Dead Woods. Unlike the previous timeline, he did not join the Special Forces. He is still fully loyal to the Cyber Lin Kuei, almost brainwashed. He incapacitates Frost, who recklessly attacks him.

Upon his defeat, Sub-Zero attempts to reprogram Cyrax, retaining some knowledge from his former fate as a cyber ninja, but is unsuccessful. He remembered that Cyrax was also against the cyberization of the clan, and could prove to be an invaluable ally. Instead, he manages to completely incapacitate Cyrax, effectively trapping him within the confines of his own body. Cyrax is deacttivated, but alive. He once again produces the communication device. "General Blade, this is Sub-Zero..." - cutscene ends.

1.3 Lin Kuei Temple

Sub-Zero versus Quan Chi

Sub-Zero and Frost utilize a long abandoned secret path from the Dead Woods to the Temple grounds. Sektor is conferring with Quan Chi about aiding the Netherrealm forces in a new endeavor. This is the first time anyone has seen Quan Chi since the Netherrealm War. Sektor sees Sub-Zero, but is successfully ambushed by Frost. Sub-Zero's tactic worked. Enraged, he engages Quan Chi in Kombat.

Upon Quan Chi's defeat, he leaves Sub-Zero with a cryptic message that this was a hollow victory, and that the future will be dark for Earthrealm He assures Sub-Zero that he would one day be within Quan Chi's service again.

1.4 Lin Kuei Throne Room
Boss Fight - Sub-Zero vs. Sektor

Sub-Zero pursues Sektor into the temple, finding Frost very badly beaten, and practically dead. Sektor makes a speech to Sub-Zero about how he has betrayed the Lin Kuei by destroying its members, and that he would never be welcome back, Cyber or not. Sub-Zero indicates to Sektor that there IS no Lin Kuei anymore, and that it was the Grandmaster who has ultimately betrayed them all by sacrificing them, turning them into robotic slaves. Sektor counters that he is no one's slave, to which Sub-Zero replies that Sektor himself is no one at all, and merely a hollow shell. Sektor attacks, gaining a pre-emptive hit on Sub-Zero which badly damages his face, which would later result in the iconic scar.

Sub-Zero defeats Sektor. The player is prompted to Finish Him - Sub-Zero performs his spine breaking fatality.

Sub-Zero stands over the shattered remains of Sektor. He sees something gleaming at his foot - it is the emblem of the Lin Kuei - the medallion worn by the Grandmaster, and no other. He picks up, and we see his eyes turn into a glare behind his mask. He clenches his fist around it, and his fist begins to freeze. Suddenly, he stops. He slowly opens his hand and looks at the emblem. His expression soften, and then becomes one of determination. Camera angle shifts to behind Sub-Zero. We see him make a motion of some sort on his chest. He removes his mask. He turns around toward the camera - Sub-Zero now wears the medallion. His face is different than his "Kuai Liang" outfit - younger, and only a hint of a beard. The facial wound is still fresh and bleeding.

Sub-Zero tends to Frost, who is thankfully alive but barely conscious. Sektor is making odd noises. He is dead, but the automation in his body is still trying to issue commands. He removes Sektor's head (partial spine still attached, a nod to his classic fatality). Sektor's data port remains intact. Utilizing technology within the Lin Kuei temple sometime later, he discovers the truth - about Quan Chi, about the fate of the Lin Kuei (ALL of its original members are gone, and the newer members have all been entirely robotic) and most importantly, about Scorpion. Kuai Liang knows that this will be beneficial in the future.

End Flashback Chapter 1

I enjoyed the story a lot as well. Leagues above MK9, and marvelously complemented by the comics.

My changes would be impactful but very succinct. I would basically do away with the offspring foursome, and shift all that saturated focus that was given to them to lengthening the Netherrealm War as well as the Outworld Civil War: both being underutilized story arcs that I think are an untold number of times more interesting than Cassie and her friends "growing up" into the MK world. The kids could still exist and be a part of the story, but definitely not its focal point, and especially not while taking away from other greater events.

That's really the only thing I disliked about the story: the inadequate ratio of the kids' chapters to the events of the actual war. Netherrealm War boiled down to a mere two action-packed chapters of Sonya and Johnny, as did the crazy-good Outworld Civil War (Mileena's leading an attack one moment, and being killed off the next...wtf?). Both of these stories were so much more engrossing than Cassie's team going on missions and "coming in" to the MK world. If you had told me some time after MK9 that the next MK's story would be about stopping Shinnok and Quan Chi's invasion and bringing back the revenants, all while Outworld struggles to find a new ruler between Kotal and Mileena and their respective allies, as well as how the two stories and realms impact each other---I'd have freaked! That sounds awesome! Not really what we got...

Flashback Chapter 2 - Hanzo Hasashi (In Hellfire, Ninjutsu variations)
Immediately after Netherrealm War
Locations: Netherrealm Fortress, Krossroads, Shirai Ryu Proving Grounds (new arena)

Chapter 2.1 - Netherrealm Fortress
Several Hours After Resurrection
Scorpion vs. Kenshi, Hanzo vs. Scorpion

Scorpion is struggling to cope with his new existence. He is mortal again! The curse is OVER! Sub-Zero and Jax have already moved on., aided by Raiden and the Special Forces. Perhaps they thought he was still an agent of Quan Chi? Scorpion does not know why he was left behind no matter how he tries to reason it. In the shadows of the now abandoned fortress, Scorpion suddenly senses he is not alone. There is another presence here - silent, careful...deadly. He feels his skin ignite as it catches fire...pain! This should not happen! He screams out in agony!

From the shadows, Kenshi emerges. In a calmer than usual voice, Kenshi tells Hanzo to resist the rage. Scorpion does not understand what he means, as he is still feeling the agony of his own Hellfire. Hanzo's eyes suddenly glow blue - we see that Kenshi is straining and gesturing at Hanzo's head - he is entering Hanzo's mind. He bombards Hanzo with spiritual advice, and utilizes his ancestrals spirits to battle dozens of copies of Scorpion. With each one killed, Kenshi delivers sagely advice to Scorpion.

"What are you doing?!"

Inside Hanzo's mind. Kenshi attacks Scorpion - the TRUE Scorpion.

Scorpion defeats Kenshi, but Hanzo steps in before a killing blow can be landed. Kenshi tells Hanzo that the pathway is now open - he must suppress the rage - he must destroy Scorpion.

Hanzo defeats Scorpion

Outside in the flesh, the flames engulfing Hanzo are doused. His skin quickly heals. In a shattered fragment of glass amidst the ruins of the fortress, Hanzo sees a familiar face - his own.

"This...cannot be."

Kenshi lifts up the wounded warrior and helps him out of the fortress.

2.2 At the Krossroads

Kenshi reveals to Hanzo that Raiden would meet them here. Sareena emerges, seemingly out of nowhere.

"So it is true...."

She is still fearful of him, but can clearly see that Hanzo is no longer "Scorpion". Kenshi and Sareena converse about Hanzo's freedom. They are distracted...Hanzo looks up to see several demons diving at them from the burnt sky. He ignites, roaring in agony, but can still channel his Hellfire.

"Hanzo - discipline!"

In Hanzo's mind, Kenshi's words rang even louder than they did when he shouted them. He understood - Hanzo calmed himself and the flame abated. His hands remained engulfed in flames, but they caused him no pain - he felt the surge, the pull - the rage of Scorpion no longer. He could still utilize his power, but it did not consume his soul to do so. Whatever the swordsman did had changed him forever...

The demons attack!

Scorpion vs. Netherrealm Demons - 7 battle continuous survivor mode.
Scorpion does NOT regain health between kills, as the battle is continuous. He does however do extra damage against them.

The last demon crumples to a heap before him, and Hanzo drops to his knees, exhausted. Kenshi and Sareena approach him, themselves having had quite a battle. As Kenshi reaches to Hanzo to check on him, a gout of flame erupts all around Hanzo, throwing Kenshi backward into the rocks, and throwing Sareena completely off the bridge at the Krossroads.

It is an apparition - it is Scorpion (Inferno variation). The apparition speaks to Hanzo - it tells him that he would never be rid of his curse, that Scorpion would always be a part of him, and that Scorpion would emerge again, more powerful than ever.

Hanzo (Hellfire) vs. Scorpion (Inferno)

Hanzo is relentless, but Scorpion even moreso. The apparition gains the upper hand. As it makes for a killing blow, it is thrown backward telekinetically by Kenshi. Undead slaves reach from the ground, grasping Kenshi's feet and arms. Scorpion lunges, but is stopped suddenly by a hooked blade through the gut. Another blade emerges from the back, through the front of his neck, causing him to gag and choke on his own blood. It was Sareena - she survived the fall - she calls to Kenshi for aid. A telekinetic blast throws Scorpion into one of the spiked pillars, impaling him.

Hanzo rises, staring Scorpion deep into the eyes - he throws his twin kunai, impaling Scorpion and ripping him down from the spike. He summons hellfire to burn the apparition, and in a rage, tears the demonic apparition's heart out. He burns it in his hands with Hellfire, and the apparition burns in kind, fading away to nothing.

Suddenly a portal opens and Raiden steps through - he indicates that dark powers prevented him from opening the portal, but he was now able to get them out of here. Sareena bids Kenshi and Scorpion a farewell. When asked if she would come with them, she indicates that there is someone here still worth saving, as he had once done for her. Hanzo knew who she was referring to. Sareena glanced at him, knowing that Hanzo would not be happy to hear it.

"I know what he did to you Hanzo...but I owe him that much. He spared me, and showed me that there is a life, a purpose outside of the Netherrealm."

Hanzo nods and bows. "For both our sakes, may you find that he is worth your effort. Good bye, Sareena."

3.3 The Shirai Ryu proving grounds
1 Year later

Kenshi arrives to find at least 3 dozen warriors in training. Scorpion stands above on a stone balcony, watching them. Seeing Kenshi approach, he explodes into flame, teleporting down to greet him. They clasp hands together in a firm gesture of friendship.

"Swordsman"

"Grand Master"

The two erupt into battle. The sparring Shirai Ryu stop what they are doing and look on.

Hanzo (Ninjutsu) vs. Kenshi

The bout is friendly - Hanzo defeats Kenshi who was unprepared for his new techniques.

"I see you have once again perfected the art of Ninjutsu, Hanzo"

"Indeed. The Shirai Ryu owes you a great debt my friend. But what brings you here? These grounds are sacred, and cannot be trespassed upon - even by you."

Kenshi explains that he is on a mission for the Special Forces, taking him into Japan. He is very close to bringing down the Red Dragon, but will be gone for quite a while in deep cover. Hanzo wishes Kenshi well, and offers protection from the Shirai Ryu, to which Kenshi refuses - he must go alone, or risk blowing his cover. Hanzo nods, and wishes his ally well.

Hanzo turns toward his students and watches them train. He is proud of his new clan. He is Hanzo once more, but he IS Scorpion. He now wears the name proudly, no longer a curse, but a title.

The biggest thing for me was Johnny and Cassie's Plot arm ahem I mean Green energy armor lol

I am a big anime fan so random ass power ups for the good guy to win is something I am used to, but the final fight was just anticlimactic IMO I think they left a little too much to the imagination when it comes to Shinnok and Cassie's fight. It was like "Now we will fight!!' You fight and win "Yay I win, dad!?" lol I think a somewhat long cut scene would have been good after you win so we could see more of how the fight actually played out.

Rightly so because most people find the notion of the Cage family aura defeating an elder god, then a super elder god, a laughable, lame joke. On its own, the game's story is mostly shit. The story in the comics is decent, not great, but far above the "story" in the actual game.

MKX 100% killed any interest for me in the current MK lore. Since MK1 I have been a huge fan of the game's story. Now, for me, MK1-MK3 is the only story that is worth noting in the MK lore. Boon has fucked-up Shinnok's story twice now. The premise is great, but he just seems unable to do the elder god any justice. MK9 story > MKX story.

I think you accurately touch upon what a lot of people felt, and this is especially true of the original, veteran fans such as yourself, and me...the MK1 - MK3 was amazing. It was iconic. All of our favorite characters came about during that time. So, when MK9 rebooted and retold MK1-3, it was a special experience - nostalgic and new...honoring the originals while also treating them differently.

I actually liked the direction the comic book was going, and was pissed to see that MKX had practically nothing to do with the comic. I also feel like they didn't quite do Shinnok enough justice - he should have returned sooner int he story, and have been a threat for far longer, rather than just the first chapter and the last chapter. Even Quan Chi was treated horribly, which was a surprise considering that he's been essentially the main villain since MK4. He was like a tired, beaten old man afraid of his own shadow.

The one thing I DID like about the story was putting the Cage family into the spotlight. Johnny has always been the butt of the joke for this whole series, and now he's not only an important character, he's THE important character. While i'm not a huge fan of Cassie it stands to reason that she will be prominent. Johnny's Arcade ending, where he discovers "the secret to Edenian long life" was probably NRS' way of telling us that Johnny ain't going anywhere, and I'm happy with that. From a gameplay standpoint Johnny has always been a favorite. MKX has also made him a favorite for me based on his personality - he has some of the best dialogue in the game, and I laugh EVERY time he has an interaction with someone.

My real first MK game was Deadly Alliance. I was a younger brother and I remember watching my older brother and cousin playing MKII & 3 all the time, but I was just to bad at the game compared to them to play regularly with them. But, I do remember the story of those games and of SZ:M, and I can't say they impacted me as much as Deception's did. That to me was the peak of MK's story. I'm talking about overall plot here.

The first game was great with a super interesting and deep story. But, 2 just seemed like "how can we get them to fight some more?" The "let's have another tournament that's for all the marbles" seemed like something a little brother would suggest after he lost. And I get all the factors leading up to Raiden agreeing to it, but why exactly did it take that long for those circumstances to appear? Outworld didn't do anything that was far beyond their powers before, and Raiden probably should have wanted to do it back with the Great Kung Lao. And for 3, the invasion was awesome, but again everything just seemed to have happened perfectly to set up another series of fights. It was beyond better than 2 (which story wise I consider the worst out of any MK game), but because of ex machina it falls short of MK1 or Deception's class. The former ruler of Outworld who was taken out by the biggest badass of the series only through underhanded means forms a 100 year old plan that finally come to fruition is, in my opinion, better than the biggest badass of the series resurrects his dead wife in another world so he can go over there and invade it (which negates everything the other two games fought for).

In MKX, they started out wrapping up the cliffhanger of the previous game, and then did a time jump. The time jump to me was great because finally these super world treating events aren't just happening one after another. We saw characters in completely new circumstances that were caused by the previous events. I get some people not liking the decedents. All four of them as the hero team was probably too much (I would have added Frost in there). But, heroes having kids that become heroes, to me, is much better than for some reason this story that has been going on for centuries is now rapidly happening a year at a time in order for those heroes to keep being the heroes. And, as far as the green energy beating Shinnok being dumb, a mysterious power that has been built up since the last game is more interesting than Liu was strong enough to beat Shao Kahn with fireballs and kicks, so he can beat Shinnok with fireballs and kicks.

I really enjoyed your rewriting frabn. The stuff with Frost was really cool to read since I wanted her to be involved with this story so much, and the Hanzo vs Scorpion match would have been super fun to play through over just hearing about it. Your use of survival fights against generic characters is a nice way to add to the chapters while not dragging anyone's name through the mud (Ferra/Torr, Reptile, Ermac). I am curious to what your building to and can't wait to read more. And to Leo, I can see defiantly see what your saying. I think it being 2 or 3 hours longer to cover more of what was happening to those besides the heroes was much needed. Also to build up Shinnok's return and defeat more like what Blade was saying.

TL;DR I think MKX's story is on par with MK3 as "cool, not amazing" (for reasons in detail above). If you disagree, please let's discuss it. What would have been a better story?

I think you and I are on the same page here, Killamore. Nostalgia goggles seem to prevent a lot of folks from seeing that MK1-3 really did not have very strong stories compared to later games. It's largely the aesthetic of the world and the characters, and the simplicity of the overall story, that made those games stand out. I believe that if you subtract the superfluous sideplot material with Chaos and Seido, Deadly Alliance and Deception seemed to be the best games in terms of storytelling.

Mostly, I think that MKX is missing a lot of the in-between material that would really flesh out this new world. Shinnok does not appear for long enough, or succeed for long enough, to ever come across as a credible villain. He's only scary because we know that an Elder God should be, not because they took the time to build him up. Sub-Zero's reclaiming of the Lin Kuei and Hanzo's founding of the new Shirai-Ryu are both complete blanks. We never see Johnny and Sonya get together and have Cassie; we never see Jax decide to retire. Takeda has almost no origin story, because even the part we see (his last day of training with Hanzo) happens after all of the more important parts -- Kenshi losing Suchin and finding a son, passing him on to Hanzo, and the background of why there is a Shirai-Ryu clan in the first place. What have Quan Chi and the revenants even been doing all this time? There was a war it seems, sort of, but we never really see it take place except for the one scene where a few of the revenants are freed.

It is clever how they do at least indicate all the details through dialogue and flashbacks, but in the end it all feels rather rushed and hollow. The new generation of heroes just "appears" out of thin air and all the juiciest bits of story have already happened, all just to end a "war" against Shinnok that ended five minutes after it started... twice.

If it were up to me, I would have made the Netherrealm War an ongoing struggle throughout the story mode, as Shinnok attempts to take both Earthrealm and Outworld. After all, that was what he planned to do in MK9, and it was pretty compelling to see Raiden leave both realms wide open for invasion after dicking around with time. Shinnok could forge an alliance with the Edenians, promising Rain an ascension and Tanya the keys to her realm. (And Tanya obviously betrays him, knowing full well he would never relinquish his hold on Edenia once obtained.) Mileena could prove herself a fearsome empress but an inept military leader, increasingly relying on Kotal's muster until he ultimately stages his coup for the good of Outworld. We see Johnny and Sonya's relationship build, and Cassie and Jacqui grow up together, culminating at the moment when it's up to the new heroes to finish the long war once and for all.

Actually, I might write up a treatment for my idea later. In the meantime, frabn's is very good so far.

You are entitled to your own opinion, but no, just no. Any of the first 3 games trumps any story of any game post UMK3. That is not nostalgia, that is fact.

What makes you say that? I can understand enjoying the characters and sub-plots more, but what about those game's main story make them superior?

I think you might be somewhat confused as to what exactly constitutes a "fact," which is weird because you had just acknowledged that this is all a matter of opinion. But anyway, here's where my opinion comes from:

The first game's story is drawn in broad strokes. It sets the central premise of the Mortal Kombat tournament, gives a brief one-item history of each fighter and how a couple pairs of fighters relate to each other, and that's about it. Its elegance and appeal lie in its simplicity; there is nothing to complain about because it's a first outing and doesn't have to be ambitious.

The second game expands the scope of the universe and adds some more characters, relationships, and events that extend naturally enough from the first game. However, the central premise relies on a rather questionable conceit: Why exactly should Earth agree to take part in Kahn's Outworld tournament? Regardless of whether we're talking about the old canon or the new, it's a safer bet to force Outworld to win ten times in a row than bet the farm on one shot -- against Shao Goddamn Kahn as the final challenge, no less. But whatever, it's an excuse to see the same characters again instead of waiting another generation, and all in all, MK2 was great.

MK3 is where stuff starts to get really weird. Now Shao Kahn is straight-up breaking the rules, using an utterly nonsensical gambit: How in the hell does resurrecting his dead wife on Earth give him the freedom to merge the boundaries that can only be broken in Kombat? If he had outright defied the Elder Gods with some powerful magical ward that prevented them from interfering, that would be one thing. That would be one awesome thing, to really show us what kind of world-conquering motherfucker we're up against. But do we really believe that he was sneaking one past the Elder Gods by doing what he did? At least the MK9 timeline made it clear that breaking into Earth with an army was okay with the Elder Gods as long as he didn't try to merge realms without an MK winning streak. But in MK3, the realms were merging and he got away with it by some ridiculous technicality. Between this and the whole "Lin Kuei is a bunch of robots suddenly" business, my initial impression of MK3 back in the day was that it had totally jumped the shark.


^ This shark in particular.

And if you thought it was a little much having five Special Forces characters in MKX, imagine when MK3 came out with only fifteen characters and three of them were robots, two of which lacked any kind of history or personality. And you had to beat the game with Kabal to know that he even had a story.

It seems to me that MKDA and MKD were the games where they really started to get a grip on telling a coherent narrative. Character backstories amounted to more than just a quick Attract Mode blurb, character relationships started to take on more than one dimension, and the overall story was pretty compelling. In MKDA, Earth loses its greatest champion while its greatest enemies are raising an army. In MKD, the old emperor of Outworld wants his throne back and then some, and the main focus is the tragic Shujinko, who must undo a mistake that cost him all the years of his life. To me, those are far greater stories than MK3's "My dead wife went to Earth so I own it now!" nonsense.

... But that's just my opinion. I personally loved the old games more for their style, character types, and general Asian-crossover aesthetics than the story, and it was only around MKDA that the story really started to mean something to me.

MKDA, MKD and MK Armageddon truly had amazing plots and well established characters and motivations. That's when I really fell in love with the lore. The conquest modes were the best things of Mortal Kombat, food for my soul

I thought that what MK was about, mortals using their inner power to defeat powerful beings like Shao Kahn, Onaga, Shinnok etc. Liu Kang defeat Shinnok in MK 4 with his power its ok, but when Cassie and Johnny Cage uses their power its a lame joke? LOL, but I guess because Liu Kang been training all his life, and Cassie is still inexperienced and is learning still *shrugs*

To add to that, Liu was around 24 during MK1, so he is only a few years older than Cassie. Liu was orphaned at a young age, and then was raided by monks. Cassie has been with Sonya and Johnny her whole life. I wouldn't call her that much more inexperienced, especially since the comics are canon.

True

I appreciate the positive feedback on my contributions to the thread. just some stuff I had in my head as to how those scenarios could potentially play out - I'm also glad to hear the concept of Hanzo vs. Scorpion, essentially Hanzo facing his own demons, was appealing - I wish NRS would've peppered in some back story chapters for the more iconic characters.