Scorpion and Sub-Zero will most likely return in Mortal Kombat (2021) already wasted its most exciting Scorpion and Sub-Zero story. 27 years after the first Mortal Kombat movie, Scorpion and Sub-Zero went on from glorified Shang-Tsung henchman to being on every poster for the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot – a change that reflects how important those two characters have become to the Mortal Kombat franchise. However, not only did Mortal Kombat fail in delivering the Scorpion and Sub-Zero movie it had promised, but the reboot also ignored what is perhaps the best Scorpion and Sub-Zero story from recent Mortal Kombat games.
An argument can be made that Hanzo Hasashi succeeded Liu Kang as the main character in the Mortal Kombat games and the overall face of the franchise. That change can be exemplified by the differences between the 1995 Mortal Kombat and the 2021 Mortal Kombat – the former focused on Liu Kang while the latter centered on Scorpion. That said, Scorpion’s role in Mortal Kombat was disappointing. Scorpion’s background and how exactly Hanzo returned from the dead were some of the plot points that the 2021 Mortal Kombat decided to skip over, and the film also ignored a crucial part of Hanzo’s personal vengeance against Scorpion.
In the rebooted Mortal Kombat timeline - the one that started with Mortal Kombat 9 - Bi-Han did not actually kill Hanzo Hasashi’s family. While Scorpion believes that it was Sub-Zero who killed his family, it is later revealed that it was Quan Chi posing as Bi-Han who killed Hanzo’s wife and son. Quan Chi used Hanzo’s hate to manipulate the warrior and turn him into Scorpion, which means Scorpion’s revenge against Sub-Zero was based on a lie. That reveal added another layer to the Scorpion vs Sub-Zero rivalry, and it made both of their stories more tragic. However, in Mortal Kombat (2021), there is no indication that it was Quan Chi who killed Scorpion’s family. Bi-Han, whose transformation into Sub-Zero the movie also skipped, actually recalls killing Hanzo’s wife and son – and now he was ready to do the same to Cole Young’s family. There is also no mention of Quan Chi in the 2021 Mortal Kombat, further confirming that it was actually Bi-Han who killed Scorpion’s wife and son in this universe.
Mortal Kombat 2’s Scorpion & Sub-Zero Team-Up Is Now More Difficult
Mortal Kombat (2021) borrowed a lot from the rebooted Mortal Kombat game timeline, and it incorporated changes like Jax and Mileena coming into the story before the Mortal Kombat tournament. However, by ignoring one of the most important changes of the rebooted timeline, the movie wasted its best chance of a Scorpion and Sub-Zero team-up in the future. As a comparison, the Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge animated film established that it was Quan Chi posed as Bi-Han who killed Scorpion’s family, which allowed the sequel Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Helms to feature a brief Scorpion and Sub-Zero team-up.
The deadly rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero will most likely continue in Mortal Kombat 2. That is because Scorpion can transit between Netherrealm and Earthrealm easily, and because the 2021 Mortal Kombat teased that Bi-Han will return as Noob Saibot. Still, adding Quan Chi as a third party would have made for a much more thrilling story involving Scorpion and Sub-Zero – one in which both warriors would be in the wrong.
