Earlier this month, NetherRelm finally revealed the first trailer for its new video game, Mortal Kombat 1. The game is the second in-continuity reboot of the franchise and comes four years after the release of the last installment. The reboot seems to have brought peace to a lot of classic characters until this threat to Liu Kang's universe arises; however, Mortal Kombat 1 seems to give one of its most iconic characters the short end of the stick.
The first official trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 didn't reveal a lot but certainly hinted at much. It wasn't entirely made clear who would be the villains of the story, but it suggested that conflicts from previous games would be renewed in this new timeline. One such potential conflict seems to be between long-time franchise characters Mileena and Kitana. Mileena in particular seems to have been let down by Liu Kang in his universe, as the character still has her facial deformities seen in previous games which the Fire God could have fixed.
Mileena's Role In The Mortal Kombat Franchise
Like many other characters in the franchise, Mileena's story in Mortal Kombat is a bit dense. Originally introduced in the second game, functionally her design was simply a color pallet swap of Kitana. Series co-creator Ed Boon described the two as a female version of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Mileena has since become a Mortal Kombat fan favorite and her actual story does tie into the series' lore in a bigger way.
In the Mortal Kombat universe, Shao Kahn conquered the realm Edenia and married Kitana's mother, Sindel, to strengthen his claim on it. The series antagonist raised Kitana as his own but, as she grew up, Shao Kahn began to suspect that one day she might turn against him. To that end, he had Shang Tsung create a clone of Kitana using the essence of a Tarkatan warrior who would replace her if she should ever decide to turn against the Emperor of Outworld. Unfortunately, the process was not completely successful, and it left Mileena with a mouth that resembled those of the Tarkatan warriors, making her appear far more monstrous than her "sister." Despite this, throughout the Mortal Kombat games, Shao Kahn considered Mileena more of a daughter to him than Kitana, and she has remained one of his most loyal minions.
How Mileena Got The Short End Of The Stick In Mortal Kombat 1
From the start, it was clear that Mortal Kombat 1 would be some kind of reboot of the franchise. All the Aftermath endings of Mortal Kombat 11 saw the timeline being completely reset due to the actions of the game's main antagonist, Kronika. As revealed in the trailer, Mortal Kombat 1 will follow a new timeline where Liu Kang wins out over Shang Tsung and attempts to create a more ideal timeline. However, it also revealed that there was still conflict in it all the same.
The trailer shows Kitana and Mileena traveling together, but there is tension between them. The viewer can clearly see that Mileena still has her Tarkatan facial features and looks at Katana with what appears to be hate and rage. Whatever timeline Liu Kang has created almost appears to have favored Kitana possibly at the expense of Mileena. It begs the question as to why Liu Kang would do this when he could more than likely have fixed this aspect at the very least. Perhaps it is something that may come up as a subplot and give players a better explanation as to why the character is still like this. At the very least, Mortal Kombat 1 could set the ground for villain redemption arcs, and it is possible that something has gone amiss in this new timeline.
Ultimately, it's still too soon to say what Mileena's facial deformities mean. Players will see the first gameplay reveal for Mortal Kombat 1 in June and gamers could get a better idea of what is going on then. For the time being, however, it seems Liu Kang played favorites in this new timeline.
Mortal Kombat 1 releases September 19 on PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
