The upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot features almost all of the characters from the original game, of whom Sub-Zero is one of the most famous and popular. And although it’s been stated that the incarnation of the cryomancer to be featured is Bi-Han, actor Joe Taslim has hinted that he may later become the undead Noob Saibot.
Bi-Han was the initially unrevealed true name of Sub-Zero in the first Mortal Kombat, who the plot of Mortal Kombat II revealed was killed during the tournament by the undead Scorpion in vengeance for his own murder. He was then resurrected as a wraith by the necromancer Quan Chi and renamed Noob Saibot, while the mantle of Sub-Zero was taken on by Bi-Han’s younger brother Kuai Liang for the remainder of the series.
When speaking to Collider, Taslim stated that “it’s not a secret that Quan Chi took the humanity inside of Bi-Han and turned him into Noob Saibot.” While, as the actor quickly went on to say, this is information not difficult to find, that he shared it in relation to his character and performance suggests the distinct likelihood of it becoming narratively relevant sooner rather than later, perhaps with Sub-Zero even already being at least partially in thrall to the evil sorcerer.
Although Noob Saibot began as a secret and initially unplayable antagonist taking on various shadowy guises of existing characters, he was retconned in Mortal Kombat: Deception (the game’s sixth installment) to have always been Bi-Han returned to a half-life.
It’s clear that the animosity between Sub-Zero and Scorpion will form a major plot thread of Mortal Kombat, and may well involve the latter getting revenge for his own murder and that of his family. Should this happen, it would free Sub-Zero to be resurrected by Quan Chi, possibly in a post-credits scene, to become Noob Saibot and an even greater threat in a potential sequel.
Published: Mar 4, 2021 08:22 am