I think he starts off as the main threat, is sealed inside the amulet, and then is still a potential threat due to people being after the amulet, and im assuming he could be let free if in the wrong hands.

I have a feeling that Mileena will release him from the amulet so he can get revenge on Raiden for trapping him inside the amulet. So he could be the sub-boss.

Yup, that's what I'm thinking too. The amulet is dead center at the Mileena vs Kotal throne feud and I'm sure Shinnok is scheming a way to be released. My biggest concern is how dumb the writers are going to make Raiden in order to lose the goddam amulet again. Like, I bet Raiden left it on the bathroom sink at Wendy's when he stopped to take an emergency poo poo.

My thoughts exactly.

The story trailer was the first thing at all that made me think maybe Shinnok WAS the main antagonist. (I used to back Havik based on the comic book, but I'm cooling off on that idea now. If it had anything to do with Havik, we'd have seen at least a GLIMPSE of it in that trailer, but we didn't.)

This is how I see it playing out, roughly... In no way do i think I'll be exactly right, this is just a vague sense of how I think it goes down...

Early game re-tells MK4/The Netherealm War concisely, like MK9 did for MK1-3. Focuses mostly on Cage, Raiden and Sonya. Probably Kenshi. Lots of MK4 inspired fights. Fights with revenants of MK9 like Kitana, Kung Lao and Jax. Sonya trying to save Jax (and succeeding) likely a focal point. Ultimately they beat Shinnok and suck him into the amulet, but only barely. Will establish Shinnok as a major threat they were lucky to defeat. Will also bring a few dead heroes back to life. For whatever reason Raiden obviously doesn't keep his hands on the Amulet... probably has something to do with Quan Chi, he's usually the one keeping the closest tabs on that thing.

After some calm sets in at Shinnok's demise, the heroes enjoy peace for a while and establish lives. We get chapters setting up a few young newbies... A Jax chapter training/introducing Jacqui. A Scorpion chapter training/introducing Takeda. A Kung Lao chapter training/introducing Kung Jin maybe. Possibly a Sonya training Cassie, I'm not sure if Sonya's chapter will be here or The Netherealm War, honestly, but I think they need one of the parents to introduce Cassie, and I definitely think Johnny's chapter will be in Act 1 (Establishing him as "Raiden's Champion") Some or All of the newbies will be established, but not yet playable early in the story.

We then move forward a few decades to the backdrop of the Outworld Civil War. It will start off relatively focused on the war itself, but that ultimately won't be the point. Will pick up after the comics. Kotal will be mostly on top and have most of the power after offing Goro. Early chapters will be lesser characters like D'Vorah, Ferra/Torr, Reptile, basically laying out the civil war for people who don't read the comic. Most of the Outworld story will be told in the comic, this will just be about introducing the new characters/tieing the beginning of the game to the end of the game. 'Round here, The Amulet will resurface and everyone will get wind of it.

This portion might end with something small-scale-cataclysmic that's the tale "Li Mei" (if it's her) is retelling in the trailer, which will be how Raiden gets wind of it.

Knowing the crap is about to hit the fan, Raiden assembles a team to go into Outworld and try to get to the bottom of it and stop it. Raiden won't know exactly what's happening. This will partly be mystery/investigation that needs unraveling. All his old standbys are scattered and past their prime, and he needs new blood so recruits their protegees. We may get more of those young guy training chapters here (I think Kung Lao/Kung Jin could very likely fall here, hence Kung Lao's aged appearance). Assembling the team will for some reason involve the visit to see Sub-Zero, as seen in the trailer (this may be Sub-Zero's actual chapter), maybe he has info about the amulet/kamidogu from his past encounter in the comic book, retold through flashback playing him? I dunno. But will eventually lead them to Outworld...

Here we get most of the young newbies actual chapters...

They'll meet Kotal's crew early (This is the "I don't know about you guys, but I'm living the dream" scene from the trailer.) Mileena is gaining momentum and Kotal is getting desperate. They fight him and his guys a little and are taken captive (we see a prison scene). Ultimately they will likely give Kotal some information, and Kotal will likely give them some. Mileena will be gaining speed now. Kano will likely be involved in some further information brokering, he seems to play that role in this game, the opportunist he often is. They probably go have words with him and throw fists at him a bit. Erron will likely be a cool background badass merc ala Boba Fett, who plays all sides as he sees fit, working as a go between with Kotal and Kano, but ultimately not hugely important. Ermac I think, will start with Kotal, but ultimately betray him for a new master once more light gets shed on the amulet/blood god/demon plot. I don't think the "Shao Kahn's Soul" subplot will be hugely significant yet, more just a detail injected in his story to tease MK11... it may or may not be important someday (like Jerrod's soul in MK9)

Mileena obviously has her paws on the amulet. Kano tips off Kotal, as seen in the trailer. The Outworld Saga probably ends with a Kotal chapter where he challenges Mileena for it and fails. (Hence the Rise and Fall of Kotal Kahn). This will be a very bad thing for some reason, as the amulet in the wrong hands will be what unleashes whatever hell the final conflict is (probably Shinnok). If Rain is in, he probably just serves as one of Mileena's minions to pad out the fights (like Baraka and Reptile and Sheeva in MK9)

Kotal's downfall somehow facilitates the good guys escaping and getting back on task. They go to confront Mileena about the time all the crap is starting to hit the fan. Mileena doesn't totally know what she has. She's been established as not being a "real" threat in the comics thus far. The amulet will somehow bring on the blood explosion seen in the trailer "What is that?" ... this is our real antagonist. Coming to power.

Quan Chi will probably be present throughout the story pulling strings and orchestrating things that lead to the final events, as he always does. He will probably play a big hand in the story behind the story. Reiko may also play a roll if he is in fact in (I'm not saying he is, but it would fit, as he starts in Shinnok's employ before moving to Mileenas, and he'd be another bad guy to pad out a lot of fights across all eras)

Ultimately the Demon/Blood God we've seen hinted at will be the primary antagonist. This may or may not be Shinnok. Seems likely it could be, but I'm not completely convinced. Mileena will somehow unleash it, likely by being tricked. The heroes will then have to make a desperate bid to stop it, whoever it is. There have been hints Skarlet is somehow involved... but bumping her up to a huge roll seems lame (and the same thing they did with Blaze)... her story in MK9 WAS however, to investigate what Quan Chi was up to. Maybe that's related. She led him to this "blood" magic, or he enticed her with it? Who knows. She may likely not even appear in-game and just be a plot point touched on in the comic book.

The demon/blood god will ultimately be the point of the machinations we've seen working through the whole plot, going all the way back to the Netherealm war. Whisperings and clues will be present throughout, like we've seen in the comic book. This will involve the amulet and/or the Kamidogu, and some potentially cataclysmic plan. As I said, may very well be Shinnok. Quan Chi likely plays a huge roll in getting from point A to point B with it all. Kano will likely also be revealed to have manipulated some events toward this end, working for Quan Chi probably (he seems to know more about the Kamidogu in the comics than even Sub-Zero, suggesting he's in on the plan behind the plot.)

I'm sure I've got the timeline and order of events wrong in some areas, I didn't scrutinize it heavily, but those are the major story beats I see happening.

I don't completely know where Kitana fits into the modern story. I'm not 100% convinced she'll actually get resurrected, because her revenant look looks like a completely new 3rd costume, which may be her main, and the two living looks we've seen could just be fan service alts. But we shall see. I honestly don't know about her.

I also don't know which good guy will ultimately come out as the main and final protagonist to defeat the bad guy. If one even does. (who knows, maybe the bad guy wins to setup MK11?) Some characters will likely certainly die along the way. Goro's defeat may or may not be addressed in-game, or all his story might be covered in the comic and he might just be a "bonus" character.

But that's more or less... roughly... kinda sorta... my vague idea of how I see it all going down.

Good post, man. This is how I see the stuff we saw in the trailer going down. Couldn't have put it better myself.