A newly-released Mortal Kombat 1 character bio suggests that Shao Khan could be coming back in a new role. Mortal Kombat 1 has already confirmed a host of classic characters from throughout the long-running fighting game series, all of which have been given new origins and dynamics thanks to Liu Kang rebooting the MK timeline at the end of Mortal Kombat 11's Aftermath DLC. In the build-up to Mortal Kombat 1’s impending fall release, NetherRealm has been slowly pulling back the curtain on these new versions of the warriors that fans have come to know and love through gameplay trailers and online character bios.The most recent round of Mortal Kombat 1 character confirmations came during this week’s Kombat Kast livestream, which revealed two new primary MK 1 roster members and a handful of supporting Kameo fighters. The first of these was Smoke, a loyal member of the Lin Kuei that will fight alongside Scorpion and Sub-Zero as they are recruited by Liu Kang to battle the forces that threaten Earthrelam. The second was Rain, a villainous sorcerer who opposes them with his water-based magic.Shortly after yesterday’s Mortal Kombat 1 trailer was released, the official character bios for Smoke and Rain were shared on Discord, as revealed by Twitter user RealmKast. Rain’s bio is the one that has sparked the most discussion, as it makes a slight mention of his master: a “General Shao” that took notice of Rain’s magical prowess and helped him ascend to the rank of Outworld’s High Mage.
General Shao is almost certainly meant to be Shao Khan, the brutal tyrant of Outworld who was first introduced in Mortal Kombat 2. He has appeared as a recurring antagonist in several subsequent Mortal Kombat games, with a past version of himself emerging in Mortal Kombat 11 following his death in Mortal Kombat 9. In the old MK timeline, Shao Khan is the adoptive father of Kitana and Mileena, who are both set to return in Mortal Kombat 1 as the twin heirs of Outworld. Furthermore, his former lover Sindel is also mentioned in Rain’s character bio as “Empress Sindel.”
It appears that Shao Khan will return once again in Mortal Kombat 1, albeit as a mere general in Outworld’s army rather than its ruler. Given that other MK 1 character bios have suggested that the game’s cast could eventually take on similar roles to their old counterparts, perhaps General Shao will ascend to his former rank in Mortal Kombat 1’s rebooted timeline - though only time will tell if this comes to pass.
Mortal Kombat 1 will be released on September 19, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
