While some have complained about Mileena's apparent new look in Mortal Kombat 2021, her redesign actually fixes a glaring mistake from the games. From Johnny Cage to Sonya Blade to Liu Kang, many of the Mortal Kombat franchise's most beloved characters trace all the way back to the original game. In Mileena's case though, she debuted a tiny bit later, in Mortal Kombat 2, alongside other future icons like Jax and Baraka. Initially appearing to be a mere palette swap of Kitana, Mileena turned out to be much more than meets the eye.
As revealed when performing her fatality for the first time in Mortal Kombat 2, Mileena actually isn't human, or at least not entirely. She and Kitana appear to be twin sisters, but in actuality, her origins are quite sinister. Outworld emperor Shao Kahn had decimated the realm of Edenia, taking its queen Sindel as his wife, and princess Kitana as his daughter, whether they liked it or not. Mileena came about as the result of a genetic experiment by Shang Tsung that combined Edenian DNA with Tarkatan, Baraka's toothy race.
Despite, or perhaps as a subversion of, Mileena's status as a literal man-eater, she's spent most of the games in very skimpy outfits designed to show off her body, and seemingly make her a character primed for fan service. This over-sexualized nature never really fit Mileena's actual character, and Mortal Kombat 2021 looks to be leaving it behind.
Mortal Kombat's Mileena Fixes The Games' Worst Mistake
While fan complaints about Mortal Kombat 2021's Mileena not appearing to be as toothy or monstrous as she's usually depicted are valid, those upset that she's not as scantily clad should probably reassess their priorities. It isn't the 1990s, or even 2000s, anymore, and a character like Mileena will and should be showcased as a fully fledged person, instead of an object for fan lust. In other words, one shouldn't expect her to be engaging in any mud wrestling matches with Sonya Blade in the new film like she did in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
That's not to say that sex appeal has no place in modern pop culture, far from it, and Mileena may well still prove to be attractive to many fans in Mortal Kombat 2021. The difference now is that her fighting attire is actually sensibly designed, and is practical for the scenario, instead of existing to excite the audience. It's never really made sense how so many of Mortal Kombat's female characters battle to the death in threadbare costumes seemingly designed first and foremost to show off their curves, possibly leaving them open to attack. The more recent games have lessened that factor, but not entirely eliminated it. Mileena has always been one of Mortal Kombat's most sexualized characters, to an often excessive degree, and it's about time she became more realistic.
