Summary

• In the 2021 Mortal Kombat film, Scorpion is the strongest character, a powerful undead warrior with impressive combat skills and abilities. He's feared and can take down many opponents, with Sub-Zero being his closest match. Shang Tsung, a sorcerer, has different powers but isn't directly compared to Scorpion in of combat strength.

Warning!!! The following article caontains spoilers for Mortal Kombat (2021).

Mortal Kombat was able to show off a healthy roster of unique fighters, but only one can claim to be the strongest combatant in the latest fatality-ridden film. From ancient sorcerers to special agents to horrific beasts from other worlds, the Mortal Kombat universe has no shortage of fascinating fighters to show off. Among the cast of Mortal Kombat, some characters certainly enjoy a higher power level than others.

The relative strength of each character in the latest Mortal Kombat reboot can be determined by how each fighter does against one another, as well as their reputation within the universe of the films. Of course, there's a great deal of difference between the games and the Mortal Kombat movie, meaning that some amount of fan bias will have to be extracted from the equation when it comes to precisely measuring the power levels of each movie combatant. It'll also be assumed that each character can make full use of the Arcana power system introduced by the movie.

Mortal Kombat is available to watch on Max.

17 Nitara

Exists only to be cut in half

Partway through 2021's Mortal Kombat, the film introduces a host of new minor villains that show up to spoil the heroes' progress. Many of these, such as Nitara, are lesser-known characters without strong fanbases fit to be fodder for Mortal Kombat's brutal fatalities. Among them is Nitara, a flying, vampire-like creature who goes one-on-one with the great Kung Lao.

In the games, Nitara has a host of vampiric blood powers alongside her biological advantages of flight and razor-sharp teeth and claws, but the film seems to omit these powers. What's left is a relatively weak opponent whose only real strength is some haphazard, graceless flight, which Kung Lao uses to unceremoniously steer her into the path of his razor-sharp hat. Putting up the least of a challenge among any named character in the film, Nitara lands squarely at the bottom of the film's power rankings.

16

15 Reiko

A clumsy brute who is easily outmaneuvered

Another more obscure villain that steps in to harass Earthrealm's finest, Reiko's appearance in the 2021 film is quite different from his video game persona. Rather than wielding spears, ninja stars, and mysterious red energy, Reiko is more of a lumbering brute fielding a massive warhammer against his foes. Like his status in the games, however, Reiko's performance is ultimately unremarkable among Mortal Kombat's fighters.

He manages to at least outdo Nitara by giving a pre-Arcana Jax some trouble, bullying the former soldier due to his inability to fight back with weak, skeletal arms. After Jax's upgrade, the cybernetic warrior is able to make short work of Reiko, batting aside his clumsy hammer strikes before pulverizing his head into a fine red mist. The second he has to go up against an actual evenly-armed opponent, Reiko instantly crumbles.

14 Mileena

A scrappy, if untested warrior

she barely out-ranks fellow minions Reiko and Nitara

Despite being a fairly important character in the games, Mortal Kombat relegates Mileena to being yet another of Shang Tsung's quirky minions. Unlike Nitara and Reiko, however, Mileena seems to pose at least something of a threat. With her twin sais, teleportation Arcana and vicious set of bloodthirsty teeth, Mileena manages to win out against pre-Arcana Sonya, and even gives Cole some trouble in his armor.

Like Reiko, the second she enters a re-match with her original opponent post-Arcana, she's made short work of, as Sonya Blade blasts through her midsection with a purple ring of energy, instantly killing her. It's a shame Mileena didn't get more of a chance to show off her trademark ferocity, but as it stands, she barely out-ranks fellow minions Reiko and Nitara. Considering how important Mileena is as a Kitana clone, or even sister, depending on the game continuity, she may be a good target for resurrection in Mortal Kombat 2.

13 Reptile

A surprisingly ferocious cold-blooded killer

The creature known simply as Reptile has undergone many iterations throughout Mortal Kombat history. The 2021 film presents Reptile as a completely inhuman beast who comes up against Kano, Cole Young, and Sonya Blade early in their Mortal Kombat careers, catching them off-guard. The lizard assassin sports cling pads that allow him to effortlessly scale vertical surfaces, a potent form of camouflage, and of course, serrated teeth and claws that can tear through flesh.

It's worth noting that it took an entire trio of Kano, Sonya Blade, and Cole Young to finally take down Reptile, who gave his human opponents the run around before finally falling to Kano's knife. Deadly though he may be against human opponents, Reptile is never seen going up against true Arcana s, and it's likely that any single one of the three could've made quick work of him post-Arcana awakening. He may not throw his match as hard as Nitara or Reiko, but Reptile isn't winning a Mortal Kombat tournament any time soon.

12 Goro

Doesn't live up to the hype as Outworld's champion

Just like in the games, Goro is introduced in Mortal Kombat as the reigning champion of Outworld, a fearsome melee fighter who needs no special tricks or Arcana to end his opponent's lives. As a Shokan, Goro is gifted with an immense, muscular build and four powerful arms, each of which is capable of doing irreversible damage to normal humans. Tragically, Goro is one of the most wasted characters in Mortal Kombat, and loses his only fight to Cole Young.

Being hailed as the returning champion of Outworld must count for something, even within the context of the film. Yet the fact remains that the struggling Cole Young was able to make short work of Goro after his Arcana was activated, despite being the most inexperienced fighter when it comes to life-or-death battles within the context of the film's own story. This could be argued as more of a point for Cole's strength than an argument for Goro's weakness, but his lack of clear combat feats in the movie makes him ultimately unimpressive.

11 Jax

A seasoned soldier with a brand-new upgrade

One of the most prolific characters in the Mortal Kombat games, Jackson "Jax" Briggs fulfills a similar role in the film as he does in the source material, as one of the stronger fighters produced by a traditional Earthrealm military. Granted, he doesn't get off to a strong start in the movie, having his arms frozen off by Sub-Zero and then being humiliated by Reiko with his weak replacements. But the second Jax gets to fight on an even playing field with his opponents, he shows off how brutal he can truly be.

Casually blocking the mighty blows of Reiko's hammer, Jax is strong enough to not only overpower the brute, but utterly smash his head in. It's not a stretch to imagine that, after his arm upgrades, Jax could make short work of anyone below Goro, if not the mighty Shokan warrior himself. Resilient at his weakest and deadly at his strongest, hopefully Jax's appearance in Mortal Kombat 2 will get to show off a little bit more of what he's capable of.

10 Raiden

Didn't get an impressive showing in Mortal Kombat

As the god of thunder and the divine defender of Earthrealm, it may be a literal shock to see Raiden ranked so poorly among the other combatants of Mortal Kombat. In the games, Raiden is one of the most powerful fighters on Earthrealm's side, wielding powerful lightning with impunity. The film's version of Raiden doesn't accomplish much, unfortunately, and while he might have a lofty reputation and position as the organizer of Earthrealm's forces, he doesn't get to shine in combat.

Raiden acts in more of a ive role in Mortal Kombat, mostly using his powers to teleport the other fighters to and from where they need to be or even in the middle of battle to assist them in their own fights. But Raiden never squares up with another character himself, calling into question his abilities to defend himself or do anything else with his lightning other than move other people around. Even if he represents one of the primordial forces of nature, Raiden isn't impressing anyone with his combat record in 2021's Mortal Kombat.

9 Kung Lao

A cocky fighter with skill to back up his words

As far as characters in Mortal Kombat go, Kung Lao has a pretty good record

Other than absent fan-favorite Johnny Cage, Kung Lao is one of the most braggadocious fighters in Mortal Kombat history. His pride in his abilities isn't unfounded, able to easily command his signature bladed hat, out-manuever opponents in hand-to-hand combat, and utilize his teleportation Arcana to position himself advantageously on the battlefield. As far as characters in Mortal Kombat go, Kung Lao has a pretty good record.

While training, he's able to effortlessly knock Cole Young into the dirt without even using his powers, proving himself as a decorated martial artist first and foremost. In a life-or-death situation, Kung Lao is able to make short work of the winged demoness Nitara, congratulating himself on his victory while still stained in his opponent's blood. His luck runs out upon thinking he can take on the great sorcerer Shang Tsung, proving that Kung Lao's great weakness of egotism will forever undermine his abilities.

8 Kano

A dangerous sadist from down under

Few Mortal Kombat characters can claim the raw ferocity of Kano. Though he begins the film as a crude, if impactful ally for Earthrealm's defenses, Kano inevitably turns traitor, exposing his rotten core to the Mortal Kombat tournament participants. Unfortunately for them, Kano is an incredibly dangerous opponent, reveling in nasty teardown fights, and only becomes more of a threat after the activation of his laser eye.

Kano laughs with glee after tearing out Reptile's heart with a Bowie knife, proving his combat prowess early on. Despite talking a big talk, he does still get humbled by Liu Kang in training. After his Arcana awakens, he nearly manages to kill Sonya Blade, only finally dying after a surprise garden gnome to the face turns his laser eye into an empty socket. If he were a little more mentally balanced, Kano might've been the single most dangerous villain of the entire film.