The highly anticipated Mortal Kombat 1, is simultaneously a sequel to 2019's Mortal Kombat 11 and a reboot of the immensely popular fighting franchise's timeline. Although timeline reboots are not new to the series, first occurring in Mortal Kombat (2011), this latest reboot appears to be bringing with it some enormous changes to the Mortal Kombat canon - most notably, the ferocious rivalry between the latest incarnations of the franchise's two most enduringly popular palette-swapped ninjas.
Bitter rivalries are common in video games, Castlevania has the Belmont family and Dracula, Super Mario Bros. has Mario and Bowser, and The Legend of Zelda has Link and Ganondorf. Few animosities, however, are as well-known and deep-seated as the burning hatred between Sub-Zero and Scorpion, the Mortal Kombat franchise's most iconic characters. With each of the franchise's divergent timelines and complete reboots, their once fiery relationship has progressively cooled, with the pair in recent years seemingly allies rather than enemies. Following the reveal of Mortal Kombat 1, Scorpion and Sub-Zero's relationship appears to have once again changed.
Once Mortal Enemies, Now United As Brothers
With the series' second reboot announced for the Mortal Kombat 1, Scorpion and Sub-Zero's friendship may have been brief, but the game's official announcement trailer (from Mortal Kombat's YouTube channel) indicated an enormous divergence from the pair's canonical relationship as enemies. Over a clip of Scorpion and Sub-Zero facing each other in a non-combative stance, the narrator states, "You can face each other as sworn enemies or united as brothers," implying a familial bond between the once fierce rivals.
This was subsequently confirmed by co-creator of Mortal Kombat and Chef Creative Officer of NetherRealm Studios, Ed Boon, during Summer Game Fest's opening night presentation in which he announced during the gameplay premiere that "A number of these characters you've seen before but are told in a completely different story. Sub-Zero and Scorpion are brothers now, all these things that were rivalries before are now allies." The subversion of Mortal Kombat tropes such as the conflict between the two ninjas appears to be a determining factor for a great deal of the story mode in Mortal Kombat 1.
During his appearance at Summer Game Fest, Ed Boon briefly provided an explanation for the significant reimagining of the motivations, allegiances, and relations of many familiar characters, noting that although the title is a reboot, it is also a sequel to the previous title, and is, therefore, set in the universe created by the Fire God, Liu Kang, following his defeat of Kronika, the keeper of time, at the conclusion of Mortal Kombat 11.
Scorpion & Sub-Zero Haven't Always Been So Friendly
Since their inception in the original Mortal Kombat, Scorpion and Sub-Zero have been bitter enemies. The two palette-swapped ninjas belong to rival clans, Scorpion (real name Hanzo Hasashi) to the Shirai Ryu, and Sub-Zero (first Bi-Han, and later in the series, Kuai Liang) to the Lin Kuei. Beyond this, however, their seemingly ceaseless feud was mostly a result of personal tragedy, a desire for revenge, and the psychological and illusionary manipulations of the treacherous Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi.
In the first timeline, Hanzo Hasashi was killed while on a mission to retrieve an ancient artifact by Bi-Han, the original Sub-Zero, and his family and clan were then annihilated by the Lin Kuei. Hasashi was subsequently resurrected as the warrior Scorpion by Quan Chi and took revenge on the original Sub-Zero - killing him. Following this, Kuai Liang, the younger brother of the Bi-Han ascended to the position of Sub-Zero and the pair's rivalry remained intense until the end of Mortal Kombat 4 when Quan Chi revealed his deception - ostensibly bringing an end to the once ferocious Scorpion/Sub-Zero rivalry.
Their feud during the second timeline began in an identical manner; however, the end of their rivalry is vastly different. During Mortal Kombat 10, Sub-Zero saved Scorpion from Frost, and the pair ultimately make peace following their discovery of Quan Chi's deceit. This resulted in the once-sworn enemies sitting down to tea, discussing their past, and apologizing for their indiscretions, before putting their differences aside and ing forces as allies. During Mortal Kombat 11, their alliance was renewed in the story mode's fourth chapter, "Fire and Ice," in which the present versions of Scorpion and Sub-Zero infiltrated the Lin Kuei Cyber factory, and fought side-by-side against the Cyber Lin Kuei.
The Future Of Sorpion & Sub-Zero's Feud
Although the bitter rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero is far from stale, the decision to alter such a core aspect of the franchises' canon in an unexpected, yet understandable manner will perhaps provide Mortal Kombat 1, the latest installment in a game franchise that has spanned over three decades, a unique, even refreshing, interpersonal atmosphere, particularly in the story mode. Furthermore, it is unclear how their familial relationship will develop during this third timeline, it is quite possible that being brothers may actually act as a catalyst for a future embittered feud between the pair which could last several games.
A similarly altered rivalry, however, one only implied in the official announcement trailer, is the relationship between frequent enemies, Mortal Kombat 1 characters Mileena and Kitana - although the pair are seen to be cordially sitting in the back of a carriage, the nature of their relationship in Mortal Kombat 1 remains, so far, unclear. No matter the future details of their canonical relationship, Scorpion and Sub-Zero will remain popular combatants in the Mortal Kombat franchise and will undoubtedly face off, if not in the story mode, then countless times in versus and online modes.
Notably, altered character appearances, motivations, and relationships are not the only new feature in Mortal Kombat 1; gameplay developments will likewise revolutionize the franchise, specifically the introduction of Kameo Fighters - a new gameplay system that seems to be at the core of the title. Kameo Fighters is an evolution of the popular Tag Team mechanic from Mortal Kombat (2011). It will allow secondary fighters to be selected by the player to assist during a fight - expanding the player's options in combat, combos, and even Fatalities.
Source: Mortal Kombat/YouTube
