Mortal Kombat 1's Shocking Ending, Explained

The conclusion of Mortal Kombat 1 is a mind-bending one that teases big changes and totally new narratives for the popular fighting game franchise.


It's safe to say fans were eagerly awaiting Mortal Kombat 1 and how this new world would be shaped after the Midway era and early NetherRealm timelines. Well, make no mistake it's drastically different as Ed Boon and the creative team take a comic book movie approach. It has that superhero energy of stories of Flashpoint and such, with MK entering the multiverse.


It turns out, Liu Kang, as the Fire God, thought he crafted one timeline. But little did he know, as he gave up being the Keeper of Time, many timelines existed to create in what's effectively the Mortal Kombat-Verse. It leads to Shang Tsung emerging in his Titan form from the reality he won the Sands of Time and Kronika's Hourglass. He's the true boss, disguised all along, so he could make a final incursion to break Liu Kang's paradise. This creates a high-octane, intense and bloody finale where Liu Kang's alliance goes after the sorcerer in what's essentially a new spin on Armageddon.


Mortal Kombat 1 Ends With a Bloody Battle


This war has that vibe of Avengers: Infinity War, with Liu Kang bringing over champions and Titans from different realities. Good or bad, they know they need to band together in a remix of Deadly Alliance because Shang Tsung plans to raid other worlds, imprison and enslave, and in time, destroy. It's all about self-preservation atop the mystical pyramic Blaze had. What makes it so intriguing is these fighters who enlist are variants of other fighters - such as Titan Shao Kahn and such.


Shang Tsung also has his own variants with sick costumes, such as a Raiden-Tanya hybrid, a new Smoke bot, and even a mix of Scorpion and Kung Lao. It's a gamer's dream come true, with some of the best skins in the franchise. Luckily, the story mode is engineered for the user to defeat Shang Tsung's forces, using the Fire God and a Liu Kang variant as the final Chosen Ones. After beating his minions, once Shang Tsung (with his temporal powers, shape-shifting and usual flaming skulls) is beaten, the Fire God mends all timelines.


Mortal Kombat 1 Has Liu Kang Making A Big Sacrifice


His plan is to keep them separate, although it's unclear if he has killed the variants atop the pyramid or just resent them home as he restores all fractured realities. Without Shang Tsung there to hold his timeline together, it takes a lot out of the Fire God to maintain the fabric of space and time. But eventually, he gets the job done.


What's worth noting is Geras warned him it'd be a sacrifice because once he agreed to be the Keeper of Time and scour the multiverse for an army, Liu Kang would never be able to walk it back again. Thus, there's no more romance with Kitana, and the haunting notion, as this supreme Elder God, he will be confined to a lifetime of solitude before he perishes or passed the mantle on.


Mortal Kombat 1 Plots a New Course For the Realms


Now, Liu Kang's prerogative is Earthrealm, aka Earth and Outworld. It's why he used his champion in the new Raiden, and had allies such as the new Baraka, Reptile and Co. join up. He ends the story with a dinner at Madame Bo's, letting Raiden, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage and Kenshi know the war has been won for now. He's overseen the imprisonment of Outworld's traitors (its Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and General Shao), while Mileena rules with Kitana and King Jerrod advising.


However, the Fire God wants to keep shoring up Earthrealm's defences, so he heads out. He admits he needs to help Scorpion (Kuai Liang) with the new Shirai Ryu, especially after the Lin Kuei abandoned ship as Earthrealm's guardians. Bi-Han as this evil Sub-Zero is on a selfish mission of bloodlust and revenge due to his ego, so Liu Kang wants to bring them to justice and ensure no more shady deals and incursions occur to harm his world.


He's relieved, though, knowing the realms are in safe hands: Johnny's making movies about the battles, Kenshi is liberating his Taira clan from the Yakuza with his Sento sword and the souls of his ancestors, while Raiden and Kung Lao are waiting on word from the Fire God as to the next war. With DLC packs to come and add-on stories as a possibility, the same way MKX and MK11 tacked narrative on, both Shaolin Monks can tell their journeys are only just beginning.


Mortal Kombat 1 Changes the Series Forever


What's so intriguing is how the multiverse blows the lid off the series. This ending hints the game's future can focus on just this reality, or other MK Elseworlds. The possibilities are endless, not to mention worlds can collide once more down the line in a similar crossover. Still, it'd be alluring to see worlds ruled with compassionate Titans like Kitana, ones like Raiden who broke bad in the past, or others under Shao Kahn and other villains, where things may be more caustic and oppressive.


Either way, NetherRealm now has room to tell infinite stories with all these variants. It freshens the Mortal Kombat franchise up and keeps room open for characters who didn't appear fully in the story, whether they be classic ones like Sonya and Kano; or new faces such as Takeda, Cassie Cage and Kung Jin. Ultimately, this shakes the status quo up for gamers of all generations and leaves hope out there that MK has room for your favorite character, as well as new unpredictable spins that will evolve the dynamic of this enriched fighting universe.


Mortal Kombat 1 (Standard Edition) releases on Sept. 19, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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