The Mortal Kombat Series Current Timeline (MK9MK11) Fully Explained

The Mortal Kombat Series’ Current Timeline (MK9-MK11) Fully Explained

The events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon resulted in a reset of the franchise’s timeline. How does it all fit together and where did it deviate?

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Mortal Kombat’s most recent iterations have dealt with alterations within the timeline and their consequences, and the canon sequence of events from Mortal Kombat 9 through Mortal Kombat 11 can be hard to keep track of. The earlier games in the franchise focused on the continual struggle between Earthrealm and Outworld before shifting focus to involve other realms in the conflict. As the conflict grew, it expanded to warriors across every realm, culminating in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. The clash involved every single character in the history of Mortal Kombat, sending the series out of the sixth generation of consoles and into the seventh.

The first Mortal Kombat title released on the next console generation was the first of many crossovers to take place within the world of MK. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe brought the series forward with the characters from MK interacting with the heroes and villains from the DC Universe for the first time. At its release, the title was seen as a simple one-off crossover between two unrelated franchise, but as the series progressed, it became clearer through the ongoing narrative that there was more behind this meeting of icons.

Following MK vs. DC Universe, the studio was dissolved before being reformed under Warner Bros. as NetherRealm Studios, who got to work on its return to the Mortal Kombat franchise soon after, beginning with the development of Mortal Kombat 9. MK9 rebooted the franchise, taking the story back to the events of the original MK trilogy through the eyes of Raiden as he sought to prevent Armageddon with the knowledge he acquired from the future. The changes in the timeline would lead Mortal Kombat forward to a whole new era, and the releases of Mortal Kombat X and 11.

Mortal Kombat: Preventing Armageddon

During the battle at the Pyramid of Argus. Shao Kahn defeated the elemental Blaze, gaining his powers and standing atop the Pyramid as the victor of the ultimate clash. Raiden confronted Shao Kahn, likewise being defeated by the newly-empowered Emperor of Outworld. Before Shao Kahn could deliver the final blow, Raiden sent a message to his past self in an effort to achieve a different future. This action created an entirely new timeline, as the events of Kahn’s victory remain in one timeline while Raiden’s efforts resulted in prior events unfolding differently.

Raiden’s interference with MK’s timeline led to numerous changes and diversions from the original events of Mortal Kombat 1, 2, and 3. Raiden gathers his warriors together earlier in an effort to prevent Armageddon, claiming to be seeing visions and messages from the future and what awaited their realm. Several attempts were also made by Raiden in an effort to ensure that threats to Earthrealm’s safety would be neutralized. Not all of these efforts would be successful, however.

Raiden manages to broker a deal with Scorpion by insisting that satisfying his desire for revenge against Bi-Han would awaken a larger threat to Earthrealm. He agreed, altering the events of the timeline slightly before Quan Chi manipulated the spectre into giving in to his vengeance, murdering the prized member of the Lin Kuei and setting in motion the events that lead to the creation of Noob Saibot once again. Similar alterations to the timeline occur throughout Raiden’s mostly futile attempts to prevent the future.

Perhaps the most catastrophic changes in the timeline occur during Outworld’s Invasion of Earthrealm that signal the events of Mortal Kombat 3. As a side effect of Raiden’s tampering with the timeline, Kuai-Liang, who had taken his brother’s mantle as Sub-Zero following his death, was kidnapped and taken as part of the Lin Kuei’s Cyber Initiative rather than Smoke. Even Outworld saw changes in its composition, as Shao Kahn would kill Shang Tsung, draining him of his numerous souls and giving them to the resurrected Sindel, setting up the final moments of Outworld’s Invasion of Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat: “He Must Win” & The Arrival of Shinnok

Raiden’s attempts to prevent his visions from coming to pass eventually led to his Earthrealm warriors doubting his leadership due to the losses incurred during Outworld’s invasion. Empowered by Shang Tsung’s souls, Sindel went on to decimate the forces of Earthrealm before Nightwolf sacrificed himself to end Sindel’s rampage. The souls of the defeated warriors of Earthrealm became revenants under the command of Mortal Kombat’s Quan Chi through a deal struck by Shao Kahn, leaving Earthrealm powerless to stop the final assault of Kahn’s invasion.

Shao Kahn traversed through the realms as Liu Kang stepped forward to confront him. Raiden stopped Liu Kang, imploring him that if Shao Kahn were to complete this final step, the Elder Gods will have no choice but to intervene due to the violation of the rules of Mortal Kombat. Liu Kang ignored the warning, resulting in a confrontation between Liu Kang and Raiden that led to the death of the Shaolin Monk. As their fight came to an end, Shao Kahn completed his traversal through the realms, stepping into Earthrealm and violating the rules of Mortal Kombat.

Raiden’s message from the future included the command that “He Must Win” a message that he believed referred to Liu Kang. It was only when Shao Kahn was crossing the threshold into Earthrealm did he realize that it referred to Shao Kahn instead, forcing the Elder Gods to empower Raiden and confront Outworld’s Emperor after Raiden began to relive the fate of his future self. This allowed Raiden to defeat Shao Kahn, slaying the Emperor of Outworld and leaving Earthrealm time to recuperate under his, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade’s watchful gaze.

The Outworld Invasion left Earthrealm’s forces decimated and vulnerable, as intended under a plan by the fallen Elder God Shinnok. Quan Chi voiced his approval of the plan, and with Earthrealm weakened, it left them open to an assault from the Netherrealm. Shinnok’s invasion was thwarted by the remaining forces of Earthrealm, resulting in the fallen Elder God being sealed within his amulet and Quan Chi escaping back to the Netherrealm. This earned Earthrealm a brief respite through its numerous conflicts, and with the defeat of Shao Kahn, Outworld’s new ruler, Kotal Kahn, proclaimed a truce with Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat: Changing The Timeline & Outworld’s Civil War

Raiden had successfully diverted the Mortal Kombat timeline, putting things on course toward a whole new future. The deaths of Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn ensured Earthrealm would not suffer the same fate as they did originally. T0 prepare for future conflict, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Kenshi, and the restored Kuai-Liang began to train the next generation of fighters as uncertainty began to surround Outworld’s truce and Quan Chi’s own plans to restore his master.

In Outworld, an internal conflict had taken hold of the realm due to the power vacuum created by the death of Shao Kahn. Kotal asserted himself to the throne of Outworld as Emperor, usurping the throne from Shao Kahn’s cloned daughter Mileena. Mileena began plotting in the shadows, forming unsteady alliances in an effort to destabilize Kotal’s rule of Outworld. Her alliances with Rain and D’Vorah allowed her to secure Shinnok’s Amulet from Earthrealm, but she was too weak to use its power without it taking its toll on her, forcing her to retreat during an attempt on Kotal’s life.

The forces of Earthrealm began taking in refugees from Outworld, honoring the peace between the realms as Cassie Cage, alongside Jacqui Briggs, Takeda Takahashi, and Kung Jin, infiltrated Outworld in order to speak with Kotal Kahn in regards to their truce. Kotal learns of Shinnok’s Amulet falling into Mileena’s hands, forcing a trial by combat where Kotal is defeated by Kung Jin, reforging peace by way of an alliance to stop Mileena’s attempts to usurp the throne.

Sonya Blade’s unit had begun their search for Kano, knowing that he would have the information required to find Mileena’s forces. They’re successful in their interrogation, obtaining the information and sending it back to Cassie’s unit. This knowledge allowed the unified Earthrealm-Outworld forces to take Mileena by surprise, capturing her before Kotal Kahn ordered her execution at the hands of D’Vorah. Kotal would then take the Earthrealmers hostage to leverage negotiations with Raiden before taking the amulet for himself, only for D’Vorah to steal it later, showing her true allegiance to Quan Chi in the process.

Mortal Kombat: Shinnok’s Return & Final Defeat

The young Earthrealm warriors made their escape, tracking D’Vorah to the Netherrealm and giving pursuit as Sonya’s team arrives as well. This results in the capture of Quan Chi, who is brought back to Earthrealm as a prisoner. Scorpion hears of this and brings his Shirai-Ryu clanmates to the Special Forces Base where Quan Chi is being held and, overcome with vengeance, beheads Quan Chi during an incantation as D’Vorah arrives just in time to give him Shinnok’s Amulet, allowing the Elder God to be freed from his prison. Shinnok makes light work of the Earthrealm forces before moving forward with his plan to corrupt the life force of Earthrealm, known as the Jinsei.

Before carrying out his plan, Shinnok captures Raiden with the remaining revenants in his control, forcing him to watch as he absorbs the Jinsei and corrupts it while also threatening Raiden with the very same fate he himself suffered. Cassie and Jacqui’s group make their way to the Sky Temple, only to be stopped by Kotal Kahn’s forces who attempt to recapture their prey. Jacqui defeats him in combat while Kuai-Liang’s Lin Kuei forces stem the tide against the Outworld horde, allowing Cassie and her team time to save Raiden.

When they arrive at the Sky Temple, Cassie’s team is confronted by several revenants, including Sindel and Kitana, whom they manage to defeat before Cassie’s unit splits in half to allow her and Kung Jin to confront Shinnok themselves. Cassie manages to arrive in time to save her father from certain death at the hands of D’Vorah before facing off with Shinnok’s new Corrupted form.

Cassie is able to stop Shinnok, defeating him in combat after channeling her latent energy in the same manner her father did 25 years prior. Raiden’s body is placed in the Jinsei to heal his wounds as well as purify the Jinsei once again, but the corrupted energy found its way into Raiden himself, corrupting him in the process.

Mortal Kombat: Kronika & The Timequake

Shinnok’s defeat rose the ire of his mother and the Keeper of Time, Kronika, as Shinnok and her daughter Cetrion created a balance of darkness and light respectively. As a result, Kronika began to alter the timeline through her Hourglass in an effort to create a “New Era” without the likes of Raiden. This idea strikes the interest of Liu Kang and Kitana who, in their revenant forms, have become the new rulers of the Netherrealm and had been subjected to Raiden’s wrath due to his corruption and lust for power. Thus, Kronika forms an alliance with the Netherrealm to begin molding the timeline as she sees fit, resulting in the merging of timelines.

For her plan, Kronika began to merge the different MK timelines, bringing warriors from the past to the present as well as eradicating the corrupted Raiden in the process and bringing back the Raiden who guided Earthrealm during the era of Mortal Kombat 9. The fighters from the previous era learn about their fates in the present and begin efforts to either undo or ally themselves with their present-day selves. Liu Kang remains at Raiden’s side to atone for his Netherrealm revenant, while Kitana is able to eventually satisfy her vengeance and defeat Shao Kahn, a feat that allows her to ascend to the throne of Outworld as its Empress at the behest of Kotal Kahn.

The time merger’s effects remain a factor throughout the ongoing conflict between Kronika and Raiden. The Sonya Blade from the past is able to kill the Kano from her timeline, also killing the present-day Kano in the process due to the timeline anomaly. The present-day Jax finds himself lost and conflicted, at first fighting alongside Cetrion and a revived Bi-Han before realizing the error of his ways and rejoining his daughter and his past self. During an attempt to seek the assistance of Kharon to stop Kronika’s plan, the present-day Hanzo Hasashi had confronted his past self, empathizing with his plight before being assassinated by D’Vorah. This left the Scorpion from the past to deliver the message and will of his present-day self.

Mortal Kombat: The Cycle Begins Again

Raiden, being corrupted by the pull of Shinnok’s Amulet, tortures the Scorpion of the past due to his previous betrayal during the tournament 27 years prior. Liu Kang confronts the angered Thunder God, and as he speaks his challenge, Raiden is able to return to his normal self as, suddenly, visions of numerous confrontations between the pair flash before his mind, with each fight beginning and ending in much the same manner. This revelation confirms the existence of multiple timelines, all of which resulting in Raiden being placed against Liu Kang, killing him and allowing Kronika’s will to rule as their combined might posed too high of a threat for Kronika.

Kronika kidnaps the past Liu Kang and allows the revenant Liu Kang to absorb his soul as Raiden’s forces meet Kronika’s at the Sea of Blood. After a back-and-forth struggle between both armies, Raiden is confronted with the revenant Liu Kang, now empowered by the soul of his past self. Raiden is able to defeat him and, in an effort to avoid the same fate once again, breaks the cycle of time by merging his powers with Liu Kang’s own and forming a new entity – Fire God Liu Kang. This new creation stuns Kronika, as she had never had to prepare for this in any of the previous timelines, resulting in her forces being wiped out and the Keeper of Time growing desperate.

In a last ditch effort, Kronika absorbs the essence of her daughter Cetrion and, combined with the power of her crown, sets the universe back to the dawn of time, only for Liu Kang to remain unaffected and end Kronika’s control of time. As he seeks to rebuild the timeline, Shang Tsung, Fujin, and Nightwolf appear through the Void, having been freed with Kronika’s defeat and advise Liu Kang that manipulating time through Kronika’s Hourglass without her Crown could destroy the realms, leaving Liu Kang to send Shang Tsung back in time to retrieve the Crown.

Mortal Kombat: The Final Chapter & A New Beginning For MK12

Shang Tsung’s plan involves the revival of Sindel, as her death left her not involved in any of the matters regarding Kronika’s war with Raiden. Their plan takes them through Outworld and Earthrealm, acquiring Jinsei and bringing her body to Shang Tsung’s Soul Chamber in order to complete the ritual to revive her. The plan succeeds under the guise of assisting Raiden’s forces, but it is only later that it is revealed that Sindel, Shang Tsung, and Shao Kahn have formed their own alliance, with Shang Tsung eventually able to retrieve Kronika’s Crown and gain its power for himself.

The battle at the Sea of Blood ends much differently as a result, with Shang Tsung’s forces exacting revenge on the Earthrealm warriors. After breaking into Kronika’s Keep, Shang Tsung reveals his own plan, killing Shao Kahn, Sindel, and Kronika to leave himself as the lone Keeper of Time. It is only then that Fire God Liu Kang appears from his own timeline, revealing that he had sacrificed his friends in an effort to be granted this one opportunity to defeat Shang Tsung and end it all. In one final battle, he does so, defeating Shang Tsung and claiming the Crown for himself before resetting the timeline once more, creating his own New Era and meeting with his ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, to prepare him for Mortal Kombat.

Raiden’s attempts at creating a better future for Earthrealm and preventing the occurrence of Armageddon resulted in untold consequences. The revelation of the many different timelines created and seen by Kronika stands to reason that even with Raiden’s interference, there’s a timeline where Armageddon still occurs. It is only after Raiden merges with Liu Kang that Raiden successfully breaks the cycle, paving the way for a New Era under the watchful guide of the Fire God. With the reboot of the MK timeline, the Mortal Kombat franchise finds itself with a clean slate, the cycle beginning anew as Earthrealm’s first kombatant prepares for a taste of things to come.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/mortal-kombat-timeline-mk9-mkx-mk11-mk12/

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