by marino
I've been a fan since the beginning of Mortal Kombat and I probably know way too much about it. Does anyone else remember rat.org from about 20 years ago? Entering info and creating pages for the original actors that portrayed the characters of the first three games was one of the first things I ever did on the wiki here on Giant Bomb (spoiler: Kerri Hoskins is still hot). Anyway, I'm pretty excited for Mortal Kombat X, and with EVO 2014 happening this weekend, you could say I'm...getting hype?
So, I decided to take a look back at Mortal Kombat 9. Who died? Who lived? And then...who from MK4, Deadly Alliance, Deception, and Armageddon would be likely to return to the franchise in MKX? Here's a breakdown of when we last saw each of the playable characters in MK9. Then, the actual list is every character in the franchise (hopefully I didn't miss any) that was not playable in MK9 ranked from top to bottom relative to how likely I think it is they will return.
Now, obviously, characters in the MK franchise have a history of cheating death one way or another. There's no way to know whether or not the "dead" from MK9 will return. But, for the purposes of this list, we're just going to assume these characters are dead and gone.
These characters' fates are somewhat or entirely unknown. Many of them were defeated in the story but not outright killed.
Of all of the playable characters in MK9, these are the only ones that are definitely still alive and kicking by the end of it.
Jade's ending in MK9 is possibly the most intriguing. In it, after defeating Shao Kahn, she falls into somewhat of a trance state where she envisions this mysterious "regal" woman. The woman then possesses Jade's body and awakens in Shao Kahn's Coliseum. No one really knows who this woman is...a goddess maybe? But, keep in mind that Jade died in the story of MK9, so this ending may be entirely non-canon.
In Kabal's ending, his respirator is so damaged after defeating Shao Kahn, he will soon die. He finds Kano and forces him to reveal the name of the man who gave Kano his cybernetic implants. The game does not reveal the doctor's name, but it does show him. Again, Kabal died in MK9 as part of Sindel's slaughter in The Cathedral, so this ending may not have any importance at all. Or maybe it's partially true...maybe Kabal survived that stomp through his heart long enough to find this doctor.
These are the characters confirmed to be playable in Mortal Kombat X. I'll update this as we get closer to release.
E3 2014 - June 9, 2014
EVO 2014 - July 12, 2014
Gamescom 2014 - August 11, 2014
Although many of the details are different in the new timeline, Mortal Kombat 9 ended around the period where Mortal Kombat 3 would have ended. A few characters from the later games did make an appearance already (Quan Chi, Kenshi), but who would be most likely to return in Mortal Kombat X? Here's my list ordered from most likely to least likely along with a little bit of info to remind you who some of these characters are.
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Shinnok is a former Elder God, banished due to his lust for power. He first appeared in MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero and was the final boss of MK4. After his fall from grace, he became the ruler of the Netherrealm. At the end of MK9, it is revealed that he and Quan Chi plan to conquer both Earthrealm and Outworld as both realms are vulnerable following the death of Shao Kahn.
Fujin is the god of wind. He first appeared in MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero and first as a playable character in MK4. He briefly appears in MK9 by way of Kratos' ending. He and Raiden approach Kratos after he defeats Shao Kahn to thank him. Kratos is surprised as it is strange for him to have the respect of gods. With Raiden alive at the end of MK9 with a limited number of allies to help him fight a seemingly inevitable war against the Netherrealm, it would seem likely that he would enlist the help of Fujin.
Reiko is from Outworld and first appeared in MK4 as a General of Shinnok's army. In that timeline, he later became a General of Shao Kahn's army and is said to have once been a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow in Netherrealm. Of all the characters introduced after MK3, Reiko has possibly caused the most discussion and speculation as much of his story is still a mystery. There was a time when many players believed Reiko to actually BE Shao Kahn, but that was denied by Ed Boon. Reiko briefly appears in MK9 by fighting in the background on the second bridge of The Pit. His mysterious nature combined with his cameo in MK9 makes it quite likely for him to return in some fashion.
Tanya is the daughter of an Edenian ambassador and first appeared in MK4. In the original timeline, she proved to be deceitful and helped Shinnok and Quan Chi's cause. She has a cameo in MK9 as a prisoner tied to the pillars in Shao Kahn's Coliseum. Considering her appearance there, and her past allegiance to Shinnok and Quan Chi, she ranks high on this list.
Havik is a cleric from Chaosrealm who first appeared in MK Deception. He briefly appears in MK9 by way of Noob Saibot's ending. Noob had formed an alliance with Havik and opened a portal from Chaosrealm into Netherrealm. This allowed warriors of Chaos to slaughter Shinnok, Quan Chi, and all of the Brotherhood of Shadow leaving Noob as the ruler of the Netherrealm. Whether any of this is canon is unclear, but it seems likely Havik will play a role in MKX.
Li Mei first appeared in Deadly Alliance. She comes from a village in Outworld that, in the original timeline, was enslaved by Shang Tsung and tasked with building his palace. She is promised that if she wins in Mortal Kombat, her people will be freed. Li Mei appears in MK9 as a prisoner tied to the pillars in Shao Kahn's Coliseum. Considering this appearance, it would seem likely that she would appear in some role in MKX.
Bo Rai Cho is a master of the drunken fist style. He first appeared in Dead Alliance. Although he is originally from Outworld, he trains Earthrealm warriors that wish to win Mortal Kombat tournaments. He appears briefly in MK9 by way of Shang Tsung's ending. Tsung had lost his mind after defeating Shao Kahn and absorbing his power. On the verge of suicide, Tsung is stopped by Bo Rai Cho. He offers to train Shang Tsung on how to use this new power in order to stop Bo Rai Cho's former protege, Liu Kang. Liu Kang, having defeated Raiden, had become a god and new protector of Earthrealm, but the power had corrupted him. Again, these endings are often not canonical, but sometimes *parts* of them are. Either way, it seems likely that the barfing man will return.
Frost is a female member of the Lin Kuei clan who first appeared in Deadly Alliance. In the original timeline, she was the second Sub-Zero's protege, but turned on him by stealing the powerful dragon medallion. Considering that both the original Sub-Zero (Noob) and the second Sub-Zero (Cyber) are presumed dead, the return of Frost might seem likely. But, there is now a third Sub-Zero, so...who knows? It should be noted though that Frost does briefly appear in MK9 as one of the fighters in the background on the second bridge of The Pit, which adds to the notion that she will return.
Daegon, along with is brother Taven, are sons of the Edenian god known as Argus. They first appeared in Armageddon. In that timeline, the two sons were put into a state of hibernation when Argus had a vision of Armageddon. They were to be awoken at the right time to defeat Blaze and stop the end of days, but Daegon awoke early and went mad. Most fans probably could not care less about him returning, but he does appear in MK9 fighting in the background on the second bridge of The Pit, so someone at Netherrealm Studios seems to care about him. And that gets him into the upper tier of this list.
Kira is an arms dealer and member of the Black Dragon clan who first appeared in Deception. Seemingly a forgettable character of the later games, she appears in MK9 rarely as a prisoner in Shao Kahn's Coliseum (in her alternate outfit). Whereas she would probably be near the bottom of this list, her appearance in MK9 bumps her up considerably.
