Mortal Kombat 1: Shao Khan May Return With A Twist

There’s a whisper going around the internet that our favourite bad guy, Shao Khan, may be punching his way back into the Mortal Kombat universe, albeit with a fresh twist. Ah, Mortal Kombat 1, you continue to serve up old fan favourites in new roles, thanks to Liu Kang’s reality-altering shenanigans in the Aftermath DLC of Mortal Kombat 11. The anticipation for this autumn’s release has us all scouring for every titbit of information, and NetherRealm is obliging, slowly unfurling a tantalising reveal of remixed characters.

Mortal Kombat 1: The Return of the Old Favourites in New Roles

The latest offering from Mortal Kombat 1 made its debut on this week’s Kombat Kast livestream, gracing us with two new warriors who will headline the MK 1 roster and a smattering of Kameo extras. The first to step into the arena is Smoke, a staunch Lin Kuei member, fighting tooth and nail alongside Scorpion and Sub-Zero under Liu Kang’s banner against the earth-shaking forces of Earthrelam. Next up, in a splash of intrigue, is Rain, our villainous sorcerer, parting the seas with his aquatic enchantments.

As a student at Outworld’s exclusive Imperial Academy of Sorcery, Rain amazed his peers with his singular aptitude for water magic.

Rain’s skills drew General Shao’s attention, who honed his water magic into a great weapon. Rain’s victories so impressed Empress Sindel that she… pic.twitter.com/YTpnPJBvjp

— The Realm Kast: Mortal Kombat Online (@RealmKast) July 6, 2023

As the dust settled after the most recent Mortal Kombat 1 trailer launch, we got our eager hands on the official character bios for Smoke and Rain, shared on Discord, thanks to the sharp-eyed Twitter account RealmKast. The gossip mill began to churn particularly around Rain’s bio, with mention of his mentor: a mysterious “General Shao”. This character noticed Rain’s mystical talents and helped him rise to become Outworld’s High Mage.

General Shao’s Mystery in Mortal Kombat 1: Shao Khan’s Possible Return

There’s a buzzing consensus that General Shao is likely none other than legendary villain Shao Khan. The infamous dictator from Outworld, who burst onto our screens in Mortal Kombat 2. He’s been the persistent thorn in our heroes’ sides throughout the series, even cheating death in MK 9 to re-emerge in the latest installment. In the old timeline, he’s known as the adoptive father of Kitana and Mileena, both set for a comeback in Mortal Kombat 1 as Outworld’s twin heiresses. Even his ex-flame, Sindel, earns a mention in Rain’s bio as “Empress Sindel”.

It’s looking like Shao Khan could once again be serving up his notorious brutality in Mortal Kombat 1. However, this time he’s back as an ordinary Outworld army general, not its ruler. If we take our cues from other MK 1 bios, this might be a temporary demotion. Who’s to say that our dear General Shao won’t climb the ladder to his former glory in this rejigged timeline? We’ll have to wait and see.

Mortal Kombat 1 hits the shelves on September 19th, 2023, on Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source – RealmKast Via Twitter