Skip to main content

Mortal Kombat 1 already teased a sequel. Here are 5 key takeaways from the ending

This article contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat 1.

Mortal Kombat 1’s story mode has a bombastic conclusion.

Thousands of characters from a multiverse of timelines face off against each other as Liu Kang and Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath’s ending have their final battle. It has a fairly definitive conclusion, with Liu Kang winning and the multiverse continuing to exist, mostly in peace. When it comes to what’s next for the “new era” Liu Kang created, NetherRealm Studios does leave some plot points, especially in the canon Tower character endings, to potentially follow up in a sequel.

Some of the threads that NetherRealm can follow up on are character-specific, like Reptile looking for who was murdering Zaterrans who could turn human or Jax and Kenshi joining an Outworld-focused division of the FBI. Five narrative beats, in particular, could potentially set up the main conflicts of the game’s inevitable sequel. If a follow-up to Mortal Kombat 1’s story does come around, these are some developments that you should expect it to follow up on.

Lord Havik is coming for Liu Kang’s new era

Havik ripping his own arm off.
WB Games

Throughout Mortal Kombat 1, Havik is a minor player in Liu Kang’s new era, serving as a grunt for Shang Tsung before getting part of his face melted off by Scorpion. It looks like this character introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception will play a much more significant role in a Mortal Kombat 1 sequel, though. A post-credit scene in the game shows a Titan version of Havik, who likely is the master of his own timeline, walk in the aftermath of Mortal Kombat 1’s final battle.

After killing a Jax variant, he waxes poetic to evil-looking versions of Kenshi, Tanya, and Quan-Chi about how glorious it was to see warriors from across timelines all fighting in one place and how it ended too quickly. He concludes by saying: “Next time, it won’t.” It’s safe to assume that this version of the character, referred to in-game as “Lord Havik,” will be the next multiversal threat to Mortal Kombat’s timelines. He will surely create lots of chaos for the heroes.

Reiko is awakening Onaga

Onaga is awakened in Mortal Kombat 1
WB Games

Reiko’s ending introduces a very important being in the Mortal Kombat universe. General Shao’s minion is tasked with obtaining a doomsday weapon, which is revealed to be Onaga. Making his first full appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception, Onaga is a mighty dragon king who used to rule over Outworld and posed a great threat when reawakened.

In Liu Kang’s new era, General Shao’s ancestors trapped a monster version of Onaga inside Mount Tsaagan. Reiko goes there to free Onaga and unleash its fury upon Mileena’s kingdom. This ending concludes on a cliffhanger, with Reiko fighting Onaga and saying it would be an honor to sacrifice himself to help General Shao. Whether or not Reiko survives, it looks likely that Onaga could be freed and may serve as a major threat to Liu Kang’s timeline. Or Onaga could help ward off Lord Havik.

Shang Tsung has found the Well of Souls

Shang Tsung finds the Well of Souls in Mortal Kombat 1.
WB Games

The Shang Tsung from Liu Kang’s timeline is still alive after the events of Mortal Kombat 1’s story mode, but he’s imprisoned. The character’s Tower ending reveals that Shang Tsung escaped, though. Furthermore, he washed ashore on an island with a mysterious well of souls. He vows to learn how to wield this power and become invincible with it.

Essentially, Shang Tsung now has access to his island and the Well of Souls, as he did in Mortal Kombat 11’s timeline pre-reboot. This will massively power up the character, giving him the strength to once again interfere in Liu Kang’s plans in a successor to Mortal Kombat 1. As he’s one of Mortal Kombat’s most iconic villains, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see this version of the character again.

The Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei conflict heats up

The Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu prepare to fight in Mortal Kombat 1.
WB Games

During Mortal Kombat 1’s story, Sub-Zero betrays Liu Kang and sides with Shang Tsung. Even after that side loses, Sub-Zero quickly breaks free and starts work on the Cyber Lin Kuei, according to his Tower ending. This all causes Scorpion (who’s Kuai Liang in this timeline) and Smoke to defect from the Lin Kuei and form the Shirai Ryu.

At some point during all of this, Smoke’s ending also reveals that the Shirai Ryu recruits Hanzo Hasashi, the person known as Scorpion in most timelines. This conflict between the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei is still in full effect following the conclusion of Mortal Kombat 1, so any narrative-focused follow-up to the game will need to address this conflict. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to this version of Hanzo; will he become Scorpion or something new entirely?

A mind-wiped Shujinko could regain his memories

Shujinko loses his memories and power in Mortal Kombat 1.
WB Games

An older version of Shujinko is a Kameo fighter in Mortal Kombat 1, but a younger version of the character also appears in Kung Lao’s ending. In it, Kung Lao gets cocky and decides to train Shujinko, who can absorb other people’s powers and skills. Shujinko ultimately gets too much of an ego and becomes a “threat to the realm,” so Liu Kang strips his powers and wipes his memories.

It’s quite the character arc and loose end to relegate to a single Tower ending, but it could play into a Mortal Kombat 1 sequel’s plot if Shujinko manages to regain his memories. Shujinko played a crucial role in resurrecting and defeating Onaga in Mortal Kombat: Deception, so it wouldn’t be surprising if NetherRealm finds a way to tie these two remaining plot threads together, too.

Regardless of which of these things NetherRealm decides to follow up on, it’s clear that Mortal Kombat 1’s conclusion still gives the Chicago-based developer plenty to work with.

Topics
Tomas Franzese
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
Summer Game Fest: our 10 favorite games we saw and played
A combat encounter in Armored Core 6

Digital Trends attended Summer Game Fest Play Days once again this year, as well as events held by Xbox and Ubisoft, and we were able to play demos of a variety of upcoming games from all corners of the industry. We played or saw a hands-off demo of over 30 games slated to release throughout the next year or so. From new entries in long-running series like Mortal Kombat or Armored Core to more quirky and experimental indies that are pushing the video game medium forward, there was a lot for us to like at this Summer Game Fest Play Days and its surrounding events.
Still, we talked and narrowed things down to our ten favorites so you could have a succinct list of some of the best-looking video games that are on the horizon. In no particular order- with the exception of our Game of the Show - here are our 10 favorite games we played last week as part of Summer Game Fest.
Game of the Show: Cocoon

It’s incredibly difficult to describe what makes Cocoon so special; it’s truly one of those games you need to actually play to understand. The atmospheric, insect-themed adventure game transported me to another world entirely during my demo session, letting me get fully lost in its sci-fi ambiance. Part of that is due to the astonishingly tight game design that had me traversing its visually striking environments and naturally solving puzzles with no explanation necessary. It’s an experience that stuck with me long after I put the controller down, and I wasn’t the only one. It was the one game on my peers’ tongues all weekend, as both press and content creators couldn’t stop praising it despite not being able to describe why. That makes it an easy pick for our game of the show, beating out some impressive Titans on this list. ~ Giovanni Colantonio
Armored Core VI: Flames of Rubicon

Read more
Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameo system lets me get real bloody creative
Key art for Mortal Kombat 1 shows Liu Kang.

After over three decades, how many ways can you make the same game?

That’s a question NetherRealm Studios would need to ask itself when developing its follow-up to the ultrapopular Mortal Kombat 11. Its next installment would need to find a way to up the ante, both in terms of wild fatalities and its core fighting systems. It would require a lot of creativity, and that word is at the front of my mind while demoing Mortal Kombat 1.

Read more
Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay shows off absolutely disgusting finishers
Key art for Mortal Kombat 1 shows its logo and Liu Kang.

Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay was finally shown in detail at Summer Games Fest following its initial reveal in May, and it's already looking like the most cinematic entry to date. Classic characters like Sub Zero and Scorpion are back in their full glory, and the finishing moves have never been quite as visceral or engrossing -- with "gross" being the keyword to focus on if you're particularly sensitive to watching characters sawed apart limb from limb.

Mortal Kombat series co-creator Ed Boon took to the stage shortly after the gameplay presentation to describe some of the new gameplay elements in a quick interview with Summer Games Fest host Geoff Keighley, noting that this entry represents a series reboot that is designed to introduce a new spin on classic Mortal Kombat lore.

Read more