As anyone familiar with the world of Mortal Kombat will undoubtedly know, death rarely means the end for its colorful cast of supremely powerful warriors.
Simon McQuoid’s recent cinematic reboot of the series pulled no punches in ‘killing off’ several fan favorite characters during its two-hour runtime, clearly in the knowledge that resurrection is a theme frequently explored in the games, but which of those who failed to win their match-up is most likely to return in future installments? Goro, Mileena, Nitara, Kung Lao and Sub-Zero all succumbed to their grievous injuries in the pre-tournament fixtures and it’s the last on that list that appears to be the frontrunner for a second chance.
Discussing the topic in an interview with Variety, director Simon McQuoid confirmed how he’s well aware of the lore allowing for the use of such miracles, but also said that the concept isn’t rigidly applicable to everyone.
“Well, yes, if you just look at the game, it’s exactly what the game has done in a really interesting way. I think we can perhaps learn from [the games] and try to do something interesting — again, there’s a big asterisk on all of this. I think the way they handle timelines and alternative iterations of the same character is really interesting,” he explained.
“It doesn’t always mean that character comes back, ‘Oh, I’ve been reincarnated. I’m the same.’ There’s some really interesting evolution and growth of these characters. The experience of death informs who they become. So I guess I don’t want death to be something that is inconsequential. That is something I certainly thought about as we discussed this story and what that means. So I think there are opportunities there, and certainly Sub-Zero has some opportunities.”
In Sub-Zero’s case, reincarnation is a key part of the cryomancer’s personal development. Putting aside the fact that actor Joe Taslim has already been contracted to return for multiple sequels (if they go ahead), Bi-Han’s destiny to be killed at the hands of Scorpion forms only the beginning of his story. It’s following his loss, after all, that the former Lin Kuei leader is brought back to the realm of the living as Noob Saibot – an incredibly strong spectre with the ability to conjure clones of himself using dark magic.
In as many words, it’s this metamorphosis that McQuoid refers to, but whether it would be depicted in Mortal Kombat 2 or further afield is a matter up for debate. Let us know what direction you think crew members will take in the usual place below, though!
