Mythology Gag / Mortal Kombat 1

Even as a Continuity Reboot, Mortal Kombat 1 still contains tons of nods towards the previous games.

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Story Mode - Spoilers unmarked, proceed with caution

• Much like how Mortal Kombat 9 was a reinterpretation of the first three games and Mortal Kombat X was a reinterpretation of 4, 1 is a reinterpretation of the PS2 era games. The main villains are a deadly alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. Shang Tsung falls under a deception created by his Titan counterpart, the latter of which even referring to himself first as Damashi, the same name Onaga used to deceive Shujinko, and ending in an Alliance of Alternates battle on the Pyramid of Argus to decide the fate of the New Era.
• Johnny Cage fights Goro in the cutscenes of several chapters, referencing their rivalry since Mortal Kombat: The Movie.
• The woman who appears after Shang Tsung's been beaten down in the prologue looks and talks like Kronika, the Greater-Scope Villain from the previous timeline. Who she actually is is revealed later in the story.
• Chapter 1:
  • Scorpion and Sub-Zero, once mortal enemies, fight side by side under a more powerful entity.
• Chapter 2:
  • Similar to the first live action release, Johnny Cage's introduction as a character is an in-universe movie fight scene.
  • In Johnny Cage's in-universe movie, his character's sidekick gets killed by melting in acid, similar to the Dead Pool that serves as a recurring venue/arena.
  • Katara Vala, the final enemy Johnny Cage fights in his in-universe movie, strongly resembles the original timeline's Havik in terms of appearance. Fittingly, the NPC fight involving him uses a stripped-down version of this game's Havik's moveset.
  • After his wife leaves him, Johnny mutters to himself "How do you like that, Mr. A-List?", the same words Jax said to him after beating him in Mortal Kombat 9. Doubles as a Title Drop, since "Mr. A-List" is also the name of the chapter where this reference takes place.
  • Also related to the first live action release, Johnny Cage calls out his opponent for breaking something valuable of his (Goro for his $500 sunglasses in the first movie, and Bi-Han for his Hichuli sculpture).
  • In the comic book prequel to the first Mortal Kombat, Johnny Cage's profile refers to him being divorced from a woman named Cindy Ford. Despite the questionable canonicity of the comic book material, a similar event does happen in this chapter with his wife Cristina.
• Chapter 3:
  • The format for the tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld is structured like the arcade/tower modes of the franchise, with one character from a realm challenging several opponents from the other realm in succession, with Shao even being the final opponent once again.
  • When Shao tries to intimidate Raiden before the tournament, he finishes by telling Liu Kang that his champion "will taste no victory." In the previous timeline, Shao Kahn directly told Liu Kang this just before battling him at the end of the Outworld tournament.
  • Sindel officially begins the Earthrealm/Outworld Tournament by declaring "It has begun!" much like Shang Tsung did several times in other media whenever a Tournament began.
  • During the dinner, Raiden asks Liu Kang what he sees in Johnny Cage, to which he responds "He is a hero, though he may not yet know it." This is the same answer Liu Kang himself got from Lord Raiden in the previous timeline.
  • The day after the dinner, Empress Sindel mentions that Raiden defeated Sheeva, Motaro, and Kotal in unseen battles before fighting against Kitana.
  • After his fight with Kitana, Raiden says he hopes to meet her again under different circumstances, the very same words Liu Kang once spoke to her after their fight back in Mortal Kombat 9.
• Chapter 4:
  • When Johnny, Kenshi, and Kung Lao find Mileena in Shang Tsung's laboratory, she's being tended to by Tanya and Rain, a nod to the two of them being part of Mileena's rebellion back in the Story Mode of X.
  • Johnny's ill-timed and little understood reference to Aliens also doubles as a call-back to when a Xenomorph was a Guest Fighter in X.
• Chapter 7:
  • When the group tries to sneak through Outworld's festival in disguise, Johnny steals a large hat for Ashrah that looks very reminiscent of her hat in the original continuity. Ashrah is annoyed that he couldn't steal something more functional, but Johnny quips "it suits you."
  • Upon seeing Reptile turn invisible, Johnny compares him to Predator, who was a Guest Fighter DLC in X.
• Chapter 8:
  • Failing Ermac's "Test Your Might" segment results in Sub-Zero getting his arms ripped off by the former's telekinesis, just like Jax's encounter with Ermac in the previous timeline.
  • Once again, a Sub-Zero quips "You are not so fearsome" at Ermac after defeating him, only this time it's Bi-Han instead of Kuai Liang.
• Chapter 9:
  • Failing the "Test Your Might" minigame has both Havik and Darrius recreate the Hell Stage Fatality from 9, with Scorpion on the receiving side.
  • Cyrax and Sektor are name-dropped as being loyal to Sub-Zero, likely a nod to their appearance alongside Bi-Han during MK9's first few chapters.
  • At the end of the chapter, Scorpion gives assurance to Smoke that "we may not share blood, but we are brothers." This is an inversion of the dialogue Cyber Sub-Zero (Kuai Liang) had with Noob Saibot (Bi-Han) during the climax of 9: "we share blood, but we are not brothers."
• Chapter 12:
  • After Shang Tsung and Quan Chi reveal that they were working for an unknown benefactor, Tsung introduces their benefactor as "Damashi," the name Onaga took for himself while manipulating Shujinko in Mortal Kombat: Deception. Only this time, Tsung is in Shujinko's place, and Titan Shang Tsung (a.k.a. Shang Tsung after absorbing the power of the crown in his timeline ending at the end of the Aftermath story in 11) is in place of Onaga.
  • Accompanying Titan Shang Tsung are Dark Raiden and an evil version of Sindel that looks quite close to her Mortal Kombat 11 incarnation.
  • Before Mileena's bout against Dark Raiden from Titan Shang Tsung's timeline, Dark Raiden mentions that further resistance would serve no purpose. This is an echo to Raiden's line during his chapter in Mortal Kombat 9 when Raiden meets Shao Kahn after deciding to let Shao Kahn merge the realms to call down the wrath of the elder gods.
  • Dark Sindel delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the gathered heroes brings to mind the infamous rampage from the resurrected Sindel back in Mortal Kombat 9. Her dialogue before this happens is nearly a word-for-word recreation of what she said before her rampage in that game.
• Chapter 13:
  • The chapter focuses on the team of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, with Quan Chi as the Kameo Fighter throughout. Naturally, the chapter's name is "Deadly Alliance."
  • The drone that Johnny spies on the Dragon Army's portals with uses the same model as one of the customization options for his daughter Cassie's drone in Mortal Kombat 11.
  • Titan Shang Tsung's version of Shao is named Shao Kahn. He heralds the coming of an Armageddon using Shao Kahn's words from the intro and the final chapter of 9, saying that his venom spreads and brings the end of all things. He even has his iconic Wrath Hammer instead of General Shao's axe.
  • The chapter has Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and Raiden using their combined powers on Shao Kahn, just like they did with Onaga in the intro to Mortal Kombat: Deception. Unlike in that game, they are a bit more successful as Shao Kahn is temporarily knocked out.
  • Before Shang Tsung and Quan Chi drain Shao Kahn's soul, Shang Tsung declares "His soul is ours!" Naturally, this is a reference to his famous Your Soul Is Mine! catchphrase from the 1995 movie, which has since been associated with Shang Tsung.
• Chapter 14:
  • When Liu Kang explains to Titan Kitana about other Keepers of Time, he brings up Kano as an example.
  • Titan Shang Tsung says "It has begun!" as he tries to destroy the hourglass of Liu Kang's timeline, yet another reference to the 1995 movie.
• Chapter 15:
  • The large amounts of custom unique kombatants fought and seen in the final chapter is likely a fun nod to Armageddon's "Kreate-A-Fighter" feature.
  • The kombatants your selected character fights across the chapter:
    • "Kitana Kahn," a Kitana/Shao fusion. Refers to Kitana's status halfway through 11 where she takes the role of Outworld's Kahnum after defeating Shao Kahn in kombat.
    • "Red Dragon," a Liu Kang/Kano fusion. While seemingly random, it actually references Quan Chi's Deadly Alliance ending, where Liu Kang's soul ends up inhabiting Kano's then-slain body. It's also a reference to the Black Dragon's sworn enemy clan, the Red Dragon.
    • "Shao Zero," a Shao/Sub-Zero fusion. His costume is quite the reference to Sub-Zero's main costume in Deception, also known as Shredder Sub-Zero. This could also be a reference to Cyber Sub-Zero's ending in MK9, where Shao Kahn possesses Cyber Sub-Zero.
    • LK-7T2, Smoke's Midway timeline identity before 9 reset the timeline and made him human again. It's also the name of Triborg's Smoke variant in X. His special move even has him shoot a spear from his chest just like in the original MK trilogy.
    • "Ninja Mime," an evil Johnny Cage skin swap referencing one of Cage's in-universe movies. A Good Counterpart is also defeated by the Goro-Shao fusion cutscene fight.
    • Janet Cage, the Johnny Cage Distaff Counterpart, wears a gender-flipped version of Johnny's trademark outfit from 2 to 4; the more feminine aspects of this outfit appear to be based on Sonya's MK3 attire. The red in her attire is not only there to show that she's evil, but also to reference Johnny's usual Player 2 palette colors for the klassic games. A Good Counterpart (complete with a blue palette) is also present for the Goro-Shao cutscene fight, and would later become a DLC Kameo Fighter.
    • The female Sub-Zero Distaff Counterpart, an obvious ringer for the Midway Timeline version of Frost.
    • If your character happens to face the Guard of Thunder (a Li Mei/Raiden fusion), she has a chance of saying "No mercy will be shown, no quarter given." This is a mirror of Dark Raiden's speech towards Netherrealm emperors Liu Kang and Kitana in The Stinger of X.
  • The last fight in the chapter (also the last fight in the Klassic Towers) is against (Titan) Shang Tsung and (Titan) Quan Chi, with the former as the point character and the latter as the Kameo.
  • During the post-Armageddon dinner scene at Madam Bo's, Liu Kang mentions that Kuai Liang and Tomas started creating their own clan, the Shirai Ryu, to replace the Lin Kuei as defenders of Earthrealm after Bi-Han's betrayal. In the original timelines, it is established that the Shirai Ryu was founded by a former member of the Lin Kuei who abandoned them to form his own clan (which is why the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu were hated enemies).
  • In The Stinger, Titan Havik's design bears a heavy resemblance to his original appearance from Deception. He is even seen wielding a morning star, his weapon from that game and Armageddon.

Pre-fight intros

• Liu Kang warns Sub-Zero that he has the entrance to the Temple of the Elements forbidden.
  Liu Kang: You will not enter the Temple of the Elements!
  Sub-Zero: I will have the power you've locked away inside!
• One of Kenshi's Mirror Match intros has him warn his other self that if he meets a man named Song, he should kill him on the spot. Song is the identity Shang Tsung took on in Kenshi's Deadly Alliance backstory to trick him into unsealing the well containing Sento and his ancestors' souls, the incident that blinded Kenshi in the original timeline.
  Kenshi 1: If a man called Song approaches you, kill him.
  Kenshi 2: Why? Who is he?
  • Another intro has one of them mentioning that, at one point, Kano was the time keeper in their timeline.
  Kenshi 1: Who's keeper of time where you're from?
  Kenshi 2: Until recently? It was Kano.
  • And another Mirror Match references Kenshi's telepathy, present in the previous two timelines (and outright shown in two scenes in X), but not in Liu Kang's New Era.
  Kenshi 1: How can you read my thoughts?
  Kenshi 2: You're not a telepath too?
• A Mirror Match intro between two Kitanas has the former referencing Liu Kang's status not as a god, but as a consort, which is basically how their relationship went at the end of X where they ruled the Netherrealm together:
  Kitana 1: Liu Kang isn't a god in your timeline?
  Kitana 2: A god? He's my consort.
  • Another Mirror Match intro has her, seemingly during the early period of the history of 9, declaring that Shao Kahn is "the one true Kahn of Outworld."^note In this timeline, Jerrod's assassination is a recent event, so Kitana had several opportunities to meet both Shao and Jerrod at the same place.
  Kitana 1: Shao is your father?
  Kitana 2: And the one true Kahn of Outworld!
• An intro between Liu Kang and Kenshi has the latter name-dropping Suchin, Kenshi's lover in the NRS rebooted timeline, first mentioned in the X comic book.
  Kenshi: Suchin wants me back?
  Liu Kang: You made as strong an impression as she did.
• An intro between Sub-Zero and Johnny Cage subtly references the last name that Bi-Han took on in the previous timelines.
  Sub-Zero: You can't match my experience.
  Johnny Cage: Hey! I'm not the noob here!
• Several intros mention that D'Vorah's race, the Kytinn, are still around in the new timeline. Going by the word of other Outworlders, they're just as unpleasant as before.
  Smoke: What's this I hear about an Outworld race of insectoids.
  Reptile: The Kytinn? Pray you never meet one.
• One of Nitara's intros with Kung Lao reveals that she apparently killed Jen, the Great Kung Lao's love interest from Mortal Kombat: Conquest. Doubles as an Actor Allusion to one of Megan Fox's most famous movies:
  Kung Lao: What did you do with Jen's body?
  Nitara: Poor Kung Lao. You'll never see her again.
• An intro between Smoke and Ashrah has the latter mentioning that the worst kind of demon is the Enenra. In the previous timeline, Smoke's 9 ending revealed that one such Enenra possessed him when he was a boy and granted him his smoke-based abilities.
  • In another intro, this time with Raiden, Smoke notes that he's been having strange visions of demons, prompting Raiden to ask if they were Enenra. The aforementioned 9 ending explained that Smoke lost his memory of becoming an Enenra, with the memory only dislodging during his ending (or, canonically, after his death in 9's story mode).
• As a funny follow-up to the Guest Fighter Predator reference in the story mode, an intro between Johnny and Reptile reveals that Johnny showed Reptile the first movie, only for Reptile to be scared shitless watching it.
• An intro between Scorpion and Johnny has the latter pitch a movie about Scorpion's and Sub-Zero's feud, the title of which he calls "Scorpion's Revenge."
• One of Mileena's intros with Reiko has her mention that she's chosen Kotal as General Shao's replacement, meaning Kotal has once again ascended to a position once previously occupied by Shao.
• Some intros mention that Rain's replacement as Outworld's High Mage is named Dorfen. The name is anagram of "Forden," which is a reference to longtime MK composer Dan Forden. Also a reference to Noob's Dorfen, an arena from 3.
• Smoke's Mirror Match intro mentions Jarek as the murderer of his parents and sister in another timeline.
• An intro between Liu Kang and Tanya contain Stealth Pun references to the creators of the franchise:
  Liu Kang: The Umgadi's vigilance is a boon to Outworld.
  Tanya: Do you say that to bias me in your favor?
• Kung Lao flirts with Ashrah in one intro, which gets referenced in a second intro that calls back to Mortal Kombat 9 and humorously puts the shoe on the other foot.
  Ashrah: I'm sorry, Kung Lao, but I am spoken for.
  Kung Lao: What's Syzoth got that I haven't got?
• In an intro between Scorpion and Baraka, Baraka mentions his martial arts style was taught to him by Asgaarth, the Edenian bird man from Defenders of the Realm.
• In an intro between Tanya and General Shao, Tanya compares his evil to the "despots of antiquity," to which Shao expresses insult at being compared to those "dark kahns."
• Several characters refer to Master Kai (likely the character from Mortal Kombat 4) as one of the trainers in the Shaolin temple.
• An intro between Ashrah and Smoke has the latter say his pre-battle quote from 9. This line was also used for his reveal in the "Official Lin Kuei Trailer."
  Ashrah: Your anger with Bi-Han still smolders?
  Smoke: Where there's smoke, there's fire.
• One Mirror Match intro for Reptile has one ask the other about the Zaterrans, to which the other replies they're called Saurians in his world... which is what they were called in canon before Mortal Kombat X.
• One of Omni-Man and Sindel's Pre-Fight Dialogues has the latter deliver a variant of her Mortal Kombat: Annihilation counterpart's infamous line.
  Omni-Man: Perhaps I'll keep you and your daughters as pets.
  Sindel: Pets? For that, you... will die!
• Omni-Man — in response to Rain's threat of drowning him — boasts that he can "hold [his] breath for weeks." This references a brief joke in Invincible where upon being asked how Viltrumites can breathe in space, Nolan/Omni-Man responds by saying they don't, implying that they're holding their breath the whole time.
• One pre-kombat dialogue between Shang Tsung and Quan Chi contains a reference to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance:
  Shang Tsung: I had hoped out alliance would be more... deadly.
  Quan Chi: (chuckles) All in good time, Shang Tsung.
• One Liu Kang mirror match intro has the other Liu Kang mention that an evil clown tricked him into taking his lover Kitana's life, referencing the events of Injustice: Gods Among Us.
  Liu Kang 1: What happened to your Kitana?
  Liu Kang 2: An evil clown tricked me into taking her life.
• One of the intros between Peacemaker and Liu Kang has the former find out that other people from his universe have been in Mortal Kombat's, with Liu Kang mentioning the Joker as the worst. This references the Joker's status as a Guest Fighter in Mortal Kombat 11 and (possibly) Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
• After Johnny expresses interest in adapting Peacemaker's life story, Peacemaker floats the idea of making it a streaming series.

Kameo fighters

• Kano is modelled after his Mortal Kombat (1992) self, though with the clean-shaved look from Mortal Kombat 3. His Fatality is his klassic "Heart Rip" Fatality from the former game.
• Sonya's default appearance is also modeled after her '92 self, with her Fatality being her klassic "Kiss of Death" Fatality from that game. She also has an unlockable outfit based on her MK3 appearance.
• Jax has two skins, the default being his Mortal Kombat II self and an unlockable being his iconic cybernetic-armed appearance from MK3. His Fatality is his "Big Foot" Fatality from 3.
  • Jax has a Brutality that ends with him ripping the opponent's arms off, like his klassic "Arm Rip" Fatality from 2.
• Kameo Scorpion is based on his MK2 design. He also uses the 2 iteration of his "Toasty!" Fatality, complete with the victim exploding into far more femurs and ribs (including an entire intact ribcage) than there are in the human body.
• Kameo Sub-Zero's outfit is simply a palette swap of Kameo Scorpion's, as was tradition in the klassic games. The shade of blue in his outfit is closer to Sub-Zero's Mythologies appearance, however. His Fatality is his klassic "Spine Rip" Fatality, with extra flair in the form of freezing the opponent's neck before ripping off their head.
  • He has a Brutality involving him freezing the opponent before the point character shatters the opponent with a kick. This is similar to Sub-Zero's "Freeze Kick" Fatality in MKvsDCU.
• Kameo Kung Lao uses his 2 design, and his Fatality is his "Body Slice" Fatality from that game.
• Stryker is modelled after his MK3 self. His Fatality is, likewise, his "Safety Vest" Fatality from that game.
  • His grab involves him blinding the opponent with a flashlight and using a taser, much like his X-Ray Move.
  • His grab Brutality has him shooting the opponent in the head after he tases them, like his "Time Served" Fatality in 9.
• Cyrax, Sektor and Frost were introduced in the "Lin Kuei" trailer, which is fitting, considering all of them were members of the clan in previous timelines.
  • Frost is even based on her Deadly Alliance version rather than her cyberized version from 11, although her outfit reuses the aforementioned MK2 "ninja" palette swap rather than her Deadly Alliance outfit (sans the hood so you can see her trademark hair). Her part in a Fatal Blow is derived from Kitana's Fatal Blow from 11.
  • Cyrax is based on his 3 design. His Fatality is Smoke's "Armageddon" Fatality from that game, which Cyrax later used in Mortal Kombat Gold.
  • Sektor is based on his 3 design. His Fatality is his "Kompactor" Fatality from that game, and one of his Brutalities is based on his "Flamethrower" Fatality from the same game.
• Sareena is here, and we get to see her demon form for the first time. She also uses a set of dual sickles in this game, similar to her use of the sickle-like kama in Mythologies. The sickles could also possibly be a nod to the original Sub-Zero's new weapon of choice as Noob Saibot in 11. It is also possibly a reference to the Brotherhood of Shadow's weapon of choice in Shaolin Monks.
• Goro's portion of the Fatal Blow has him ripping off the muscles of the opponent's arms. The X-Ray is very reminiscent of when he rips off Jax’s arms in Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.
• Darrius's Fatality is a rendition of his "Arms Bash" Fatality in Deception, where he rips the opponent's arms off before using them to knock the opponent's head off. While it took three hits to accomplish this in the original version, it only takes two here.
• Motaro has all of his MK3 boss moveset utilized (teleportation, neck grab, tail projectiles and projectile immunity).
• Shujinko has his Ditto Fighter schtick by copying the opponent's special moves.
• Tremor has his "ninja palette swap" appearance from Special Forces and 9 cobbled with his organic "rock man" look from X. Keeping in line with the other "ninja palette swap" fighters, his outfit here uses the 2 design instead of the UMK3 design he originally had.
  • His three variations from X (Aftershock, Crystalline and Metallic) are present in the form of a Stance System that gives him access to different moves, such as Metallic granting him lava-based moves and Crystalline giving him the ability to craft crystal armor for his partner.
  • His Fatality, where he produces a rolling rock ball, is based on one of his Brutalities from X.
  • His throw Brutality results in him planting a boulder with a frowny face on his opponent's upper body. This is based on a Brutality in X where he threw a boulder with a smiley face on it at his opponent's head.
    • There is also a secret variation of this Brutality that results in the boulder having the smiley face instead.
• Khameleon will randomly switch between copying Kitana, Mileena and Jade's abilities from past games, as she did in her debut in Trilogy.
  • She has a bob hairstyle, which is similar to the style Tanya had in previous timelines. Both of them being members of the Umgadi in this timeline notwithstanding, Khameleon could also use Tanya's abilities in Armageddon.
• The aforementioned Janet Cage, the Distaff Counterpart of Johnny Cage from another timeline, naturally has several in her moveset with regards to Johnny Cage.
  • She has the same Shadow abilities of Johnny's previous counterparts, green glow and all.^note The New Era Johnny Cage doesn't have the Shadow power coursing through his veins as in previous timelines. As such, the trail on any of the "Shadow" abilities he demonstrates in the New Era is more indicative of kinetic force than a special power. This also means that she can use the Forceball special move.
  • She has a pair of brass knuckles with the word "Cage" engraved on them, based on Johnny's Fisticuffs variation in X. She can even use them to perform a quick set of one-two punches, like his Speed Bag combo in that variation.
  • She utilizes a head-removing uppercut similar to Johnny's klassic Fatality from the first game. She does this for both her Fatality and one of her Brutalities.
    • The Fatality version even ends with her fist-pumping, donning her sunglasses, and folding her arms, which was Johnny's victory animation in the first game.
  • She autographs a picture of herself as part of her Fatal Blow and victory animation, a reference to Johnny's Friendship in 2 and Trilogy.
• Mavado's Fatality is a variation of his first (and only) Fatality, with him using his grappling hooks to catapult himself feet-first into the opponent's abdomen, but the end result is different. Whereas Mavado activated the spikes in his shoes to impale his opponent's internal organs in Deadly Alliance, he now kicks with enough force to split the opponent in half at the abdomen.

Finishers

• Quitalities come in two flavors this time around; the grounded Quitality makes the quitter's character break their own neck, bringing to mind the Hara-Kiri from Mortal Kombat: Deception. On the other hand, if the quitter leaves while in the middle of a juggle, they spontaneously explode into blood and gore, much like Mortal Kombat 11.
• Johnny Cage's "Hollywood Walk of Pain" Fatality has him smashing his opponent's face in a Walk of Fame star with the opponent's name, ending with Cage taking a selfie with his finished opponent and getting Facebook-like social media reacts, much like Cassie Cage's "Selfie" Fatality back in Mortal Kombat X.
  • His "Krash and Burn" Fatality, this time demonstrated via the Jean-Claude Van Damme skin in the JCVD trailer, has him kicking his opponent through a car windshield, cutting them in half with the car door, and then making it drive away with a key fob that shouts "TOASTY!". The supercar also plays the soundtrack from Mortal Kombat (1992).
  • His "Hope You're Insured" Brutality has him Shadow Kicking the opponent's upper half off, similar to one of his Fatalities in Trilogy.
• Scorpion's (Kuai Liang) second Fatality, "Killer Klones from Netherrealm," is a reference to Scorpion's (Hanzo Hasashi) "Annihilation" Fatality in UMK3, where he summons multiple copies of himself to beat up his opponent, though there's only three summoned here instead of a whole mob. The copies greatly resemble Hanzo himself, wearing similar outfits and even having Monochromatic Eyes like he did. Additionally, they even attack the opponent with weapons and abilities that Hanzo had in past games; the first copy uses a katana that Hanzo has had since Deadly Alliance, the second uses the battle axe that he had in 3, and the third burns the opponent alive with the classic "Toasty!" Fatality.
• Sub-Zero's (Bi-Han) "Snowball" Brutality is a mixture of Sub-Zero's (Kuai Liang) "Ice Shatter" and "Snowball Grenade" Fatalities from 2. He freezes the opponent before destroying their upper body as with the former Fatality, but destroys the upper body with a ball of ice as with the latter Fatality.
• Raiden's "That's a Shocker" Brutality involves him grabbing and sending a surge of electricity into the opponent's head until it explodes, like his "Electric Decapitation" Fatality in the first game.
• Reptile's "Acidic Reflux" Fatality is a variation of his klassic "Tasty Meal" Fatality from MK2, where he snags his opponent's head with his tongue, rips it off, and eats it. Here, he allows his tongue's acidic saliva to start melting the opponent before he even rips off the head, and he crushes the head between his teeth rather than simply eat it.
  • His "Damn Tasty!" Brutality ends with him rubbing his recently-fed stomach in satisfaction, which is also what he does at the end of his "Tasty Meal" Fatality in 2.
  • His "Behind You" Brutality is a rendition of his "Hidden Chomp" Fatality in 2, as he turns invisible and splits his opponent's body in half at the waist.
• Kitana's "Last Kiss" Fatality is the latest rendition of her recurring "Kiss of Death" Fatality from MK2, where she kisses the opponent before the opponent dies painfully. Whereas the opponent exploded in previous versions (more often than not after their body proportions were altered in some way), here the opponent melts from within.
• Shang Tsung's "Bed of Spikes" special move has him summoning a row of metal spikes on the ground to impale the opponent. This is a reference to his "Bed of Nails" Fatality in 3 where he summons a row of nails behind him before grabbing and slamming the opponent into the nails. Naturally, he has a Brutality where he catches an airborne opponent with the move, which briefly pops them up before they get fully impaled.
  • His grab Brutality is a more direct variation of the original Fatality, with the steps performed in reverse order. Instead of summoning the spikes behind him and throwing the opponent into the spikes, he instead throws the opponent behind him first and then summons the spikes from below the opponent.
• The first part of Baraka's "Split Decision" Fatality is a rendition of his klassic "Blade Lift" Fatality from MK2, where he stabs the opponent through the gut with his blades and hoists them into the air.
  • The first part of his "Chop Shop" Brutality is an even more faithful rendition of the aforementioned "Blade Lift" Fatality, as Baraka allows the lifted opponent's corpse to slide down his blade before continuing the Brutality.
• Reiko's "No Turning Back" Brutality is based on his "Thrust Kick" Fatality from 4, where he kicks the opponent in the torso so hard it flies off and leaves the head and arms spinning in the air for a few moments. Here, he kicks the opponent from the back, and he catches the head before it falls.
• One of Geras's Brutalities involves him creating a large hammer and repeatedly smashing it into his opponent's skull until it bursts. This is what Shao Kahn did to him in Aftermath.
• Omni-Man's Fatality, "Trained Killer," has him fly his opponent into a subway tunnel and hold them in front of an incoming train. Not only is this a reference to the animated series' first season finale where he does the same thing to torture Invincible, but also doubles as a reference to the Subway stage from Mortal Kombat 3, complete with the "Boon/Tobias" billboard. The state of the body once the Fatality is finished however is reminiscent of the death of the Flaxan Leader, who was reduced to a torso with his left arm (largely) intact, then a head.
  • His second Fatality, "Like Putty," involves Omni-Man squeezing his opponent's head until one of their eyes pop out before crushing it, referencing Red Rush's death from the animated series.
  • Most of his Brutalities are also lifted from the show, with the Metronomic Man Mashing one being how he killed Darkwing (complete with the head exploding), the full turn Neck Snap being what he did to War Woman, and the body check being what he did to one of the GDA soldiers.
• Ermac has a Brutality that's based on his "Telekinetic Slams" Fatality in UMK3, where he telekinetically lifts the opponent up and repeatedly slams them into the ground until they explode.
  • He also has a Brutality based on his "Pest Control" Fatality from 9, where he shrinks the opponent to bug size, allows them to run in panic for a few moments, and finally steps on them.
• One of Homelander's Fatalities involves him using his Eye Beams to melt his opponent's head in a manner very similar to how he killed Madelyn Stillwell.

Other

• Shang Tsung's old man disguise (which appears in the prologue of Story Mode and as a Stance System in-game) is a play on his original elderly appearance in the first game.
• Kenshi's Fighting Spirit is visually almost identical to his Ronin skin from Mortal Kombat X. Similarly, his default appearance takes major cues (mostly in the form of his duster) from his older self's MKX design. The way it works is based on his Possessed variation from MKX.
• Some of Sub-Zero's combat strings have him create an ice mace in the shape of a skull and spine, using them in a way almost identical to his MK9 Fatality, "Spinal Smash."
• Like his daughter in another timeline, Cassie Cage, Johnny is seen repeatedly engaging with social media due to being younger and placed in a present day time period.
• Smoke's backstory is much like Scorpion's original as the last member of a group killed by the Lin Kuei, though Smoke's differs in that he was taken in as penance for their deaths. Smoke was originally a Palette Swap Moveset Clone of Scorpion back in Mortal Kombat II.
• Much like it was shown back in X, both Tanya and Mileena still enjoy a romantic relationship. The difference here is that they have to keep the relationship a secret because the Umgadi are sworn to chastity and piety, and if their relationship is revealed, it'll spell doom for both of them.
• The Mortal Kombat logo for MK1 is based on the dragon markings from Mortal Kombat (2021), which was also used as the movie's Mortal Kombat logo itself early in filming◊.
• In the first teaser, Shang Tsung kills Kung Lao the same way he did in Mortal Kombat (2021), by lifting him by the neck and taking his soul with the energies going into his mouth.
• The start-up attack to Liu Kang's Fatal Blow has him perform an aerial cartwheel, a reference to the butterfly kick (not quite the same thing) he performs at the start of his "Deadly Uppercut" Fatality in the first game. The final hit of Liu Kang's portion of the Fatal Blow has him summoning the original "full circle" logo of the series behind him before blasting his opponent with godly fire.
• Johnny Cage's Fatal Blow involves him attacking the opponent with the camera, which suddenly gains the UI of an actual camera screen. When he slams the opponent's head into the camera, the resulting glitch causes the camera to give out an error message near the bottom: "error macro." This is a reference to the "error macro" that was used to log coding errors in the first Mortal Kombat game. Because it was displayed on the audits screen as "ERMACS," this infamously led to speculation of a secret character in the game named Ermac, which wasn't the case. This would eventually result in Ermac's debut in UMK3.
• Johnny Cage's defending intro has his glasses breaking and Cage replacing them with a pair of new ones, like his Victory Pose back in Mortal Kombat 9.
• The Official "It's In Our Blood" Trailer harkens to the 1993 commercial for the home console releases of the first MK game, featuring a growing mob of people gathering interspersed with people yelling "MORTAL KOMBAT!"
  • In addition, in keeping with the tradition, the BGM takes more than a few cues from the iconic theme song of the movie.
• One of Invasion Mode's missions in Chapter 1 is named "Look to La Luna" and you fight Reptile in it. The title is a reference to one of the clues Reptile dropped in the very first game. Additionally, one of his quotes after winning a round references another clue.
• One of Cage's lines in the first chapter of Invasion Mode mentions that the gate code is ABACABB. That was the blood code to activate Arcade Mode in the Sega Genesis home version of the first game.
• Kollector returns to act as a merchant in the Invasion mode, much as he did in the Krypt mode in 11.
• When Raiden is selected when the Johnny Cage announcer option is equipped, Johnny can call him "Kidd Thunder," a reference to the original Raiden's "favorite nephew" seen in his Friendship in MK2, Trilogy and MK11, and in a secret round win pose in Injustice 2.
• Announcer Cage can also refer to Sektor and Cyrax as "Ketchup" and "Mustard" respectively, once more referencing their in-development placeholder names.
• Similar to the Mortal Kombat (1992) style, there is a dedicated Mirror Match (for both the main and kameo fighters) before the final tower fight.
• Many of the premium or Kombat League exclusive costumes are based on designs from previous games:
  • Sub-Zero and Nitara have their default costumes from Deadly Alliance while Scorpion gets his skull-headed alternate design from the same game.
  • Li Mei gets a Tamer and Chaster version of her default outfit from Deception.
• Some characters who do not show up as a fighter or Kameo show up to perform fatalities on characters after a failure in Test Your Might. These include Nightwolf launching arrows into the character, and Erron Black shooting out the character's eyes.
• Madame Bo's Teahouse features a photo of Sub-Zero and Scorpion side by side taken from a screenshot from 11's story mode and another below it features Kano and his past self from the same game. A poster also appears to suggest that Bo is the same old lady from the Outworld Marketplace from X.
  • The BGM for the stage also contains a snippet of the Mortal Kombat (1992) theme.
• Johnny Cage's Ladder Ending, which involves him creating Mortal Kombat as a Show Within a Show, references many of his endings in the original timeline.
• The alternate Sub-Zero that serves as the Final Boss of the third season of Invasion mode is defeated by launching a bucket of water at him while he charges up an attack, freezing him solid. This is the same exact way Liu Kang defeated him in the 1995 movie. The tip for the fight references Kitana's advice to Liu.
  "Use the element which brings life."
• Some of Omni-Man's moves, as shown in his teaser trailer, harken to his more brutal moments from the comic and cartoon.
  • He has a command grab that entails slipping behind his opponent, grabbing them from behind with one hand, and breaking their spine, similar to how he nearly killed Donald.
  • His Fatal Blow has him deliver a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown that mirrors how he beat his son, Mark/Invincible, within an inch of his life. In addition, the Fatal Blow is called "The Thinker" as a reference to his famous "Think, Mark!" line from that exact scene. Funnily enough, a Mark-less variant of the line actually shows up as one of Omni-Man's round win animations, complete with the temple taps.
• Peacemaker's reveal trailer opens with him doing his goofy dance from the opening of his TV show, which also shows up in one of his victory animations.
  • Many of Peacemaker's specialized helmets appear as part of his moveset. Most notably, the Sonic Boom Helmet is used for a Fatality that disentigrates his opponent.

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