Almost every Mortal Kombat game has introduced a handful of new characters to the franchise, and naturally, that's resulted in a pretty packed roster. But with the Mortal Kombat series rebooting back in 2011, NetherRealm took the franchise back to its basics, pairing things back from 62 fighters to a respectable 27. But over the last few years, NetherRealm has been slowly increasing that roster once again, adding a handful of its own original characters. Though Mortal Kombat 1 is set to reboot the timeline once more, it might not be as much of a full restart as some fans were expecting.

Mortal Kombat 1 will take players to a brand-new timeline, this time created by the Fire God Liu Kang. Set before the events of even the first game in the franchise, Mortal Kombat 1 will still have some familiar faces, but has changed a great deal behind the scenes, from character backstories to world events to entirely fresh dynamics. But while Mortal Kombat 1 seems to be focusing on the new, its recently announced inclusion of Geras might imply that this reboot is actually more of a sequel.

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Bringing Geras Back Makes Mortal Kombat 1 More of a Sequel Than Reboot

In Mortal Kombat 1's most recent trailer, Geras was revealed to be part of the new game's roster, and seemingly a pivotal part of Mortal Kombat 1's story. At the end of Mortal Kombat 11, Raiden fuses with Liu Kang to create the all-powerful Fire God Liu Kang. As a god, Liu Kang defeats Shang Tsung and Kronika and uses her hourglass to create a universe of his own design, effectively rebooting the timeline once more.

While fans know that Mortal Kombat 1 is technically a continuation of Mortal Kombat 11's story, NetherRealm has spent the vast majority of the game's marketing explaining that this is a reboot for the franchise. But with the newly announced inclusion of Geras, that might not be entirely accurate anymore. The guardian of the hourglass, Geras originally served Kronika and fought alongside her against Earthrealm's warriors. While Geras was depicted as an antagonist in Mortal Kombat 11, the character is loyal only to the hourglass itself, which seemingly makes him an ally in Mortal Kombat 1.

During the recent Mortal Kombat 1 trailer, Geras meets with Fire God Liu Kang to discuss a new threat. In this conversation, Geras states that he has closely watched Liu Kang's use of the hourglass for eons, and that he believes he is thriving in his role as Earthrealm's ultimate protector, rewriting the histories of his old friends and enemies to ensure that peace reigns over his new timeline. But Geras' visit isn't just a friendly catch-up, as it is instead a warning of a mysterious threat that's already trying to undo Liu Kang's new universe.

Until this point, NetherRealm had been marketing Mortal Kombat 1 as a fresh start for the franchise and the perfect jumping on point for newcomers. And while that's still probably true, Mortal Kombat 1's story might not be as approachable as some fans first thought. With Geras seemingly playing a prominent role in Mortal Kombat 1's narrative, newcomers might be a little lost as to where this character has come from, what his relationship is with Liu Kang, and what his role in the grand scheme of things actually is. Geras' return might also only be the first link to prior games in the franchise. NetherRealm hasn't confirmed who this mysterious big bad is, but at this point, it's more than likely that it's an enemy fans have seen before in the Mortal Kombat series, and for fans going in expecting a complete reboot, that could end up being pretty confusing.

Mortal Kombat 1 releases on September 19 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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