Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie.
Legendary actor Chin Han gave Shang Tsung an appropriate sense of mystery and menace in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film adaptation, but the movie did not fully display what makes the sinister sorcerer so fearsome. This cinematic take on Shang Tsung seemed to prefer to avoid physical conflict, depending on his followers to do his fighting for him rather than battling the heroes of Earthrealm himself.
Shang Tsung was the final boss of the first Mortal Kombat arcade game released in 1992, and was presented as an ancient wizard who had organized the Mortal Kombat Tournament for untold generations. The final battle revealed that Shang Tsung was a soul-eater, who absorbed the essence of those warriors that died in the tournament, allowing him to take their form and use their powers. Later games revealed Shang Tsung to be the chief sorcerer of the Outworld Emperor Shao Khan and that his management of the Mortal Kombat Tournament was a precursor to Outworld invading the Earth dimension. Shang Tsung was also revealed to have been an accomplished fighter in his own right, having defended the title of Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat for untold ages until he was bested by a warrior from Earthrealm, the Great Kung Lao.
The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie did not reference this background, and the film's take on Shang Tsung was more wizard than warrior, seeming reluctant to face his foes directly. When the forces of Outworld stormed the Temple of Raiden, Shang Tsung was content to stand back and let his followers tackle the heroes of Earthrealm. He even said it was beneath him to fight Kung Lao, when the young monk offered him a direct challenge. This was a marked contrast from the games, where Shang Tsung, while likely being annoyed by the impudence of anyone who dared to challenge him, would not hesitate to teach an enemy the error of their ways before claiming their soul.
The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie offered only one scene which hinted at Shang Tsung's powers, when the Outworld wizard ambushed a distracted Kung Lao as Raiden was in the middle of teleporting his followers away from his temple. With a wave of his hand, Shang Tsung telekinetically dragged the young monk into his grasp and said his catchphrase from the games, "Your soul is mine!" Green light began to flow from Kung Lao's mouth into Shang Tsung's, as his body withered and died, just like in the games. Sadly, the movie never gave Shang Tsung a chance to show off his shape-shifting abilities and the movie ended with Shang Tsung returning to Outworld and promising to bring an army when he returned to Earthrealm, after all of his followers were killed.
It's possible that the filmmakers of the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie are holding Shang Tsung in reserve for the sequel and that he will be given a chance to display his full potential there. Certainly, Shang Tsung suddenly taking on the faces of fallen friends during a climactic battle could throw the heroes of Earth off their game, heightening the drama. However, for fans of the games who had hoped to see Shang Tsung at the height of his abilities, it was still disappointing to see the sorcerer seemingly resistant to getting his hands dirty.
