Western Animation / Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge

Life is cruel, Satoshi. It doesn't care where you are from, what god you pray to. It is. So, you must face it head-on. See the scorpion? No matter how many enemies, it continues on. It is strong, yes; it is fast. But do you know why the scorpion is feared? Its will.

— Hanzo Hasashi

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge is an animated direct to video movie based on the Mortal Kombat video games, and the first film of the Mortal Kombat Legends series. The plot is as follows:

"Once in a generation, the aging warlock Shang Tsung hosts an interdimensional martial arts tournament where the victor will challenge him for the fate of their homeworld. But deep below in the depths of the Netherrealm, the sorcerer Quan Chi makes an offer to a troubled soul who lost both his family and clan from genocide by restoring him as a specter bent on revenge, Scorpion."

The cast includes Patrick Seitz reprising his role from Mortal Kombat 9 and X as Scorpion, Joel McHale as Johnny Cage, Jennifer Carpenter as Sonya Blade, Steve Blum as Sub-Zero (Bi-Han), Jordan Rodrigues as Liu Kang, Dave B. Mitchell as Raiden, Grey Griffin as Kitana, Ike Amadi as Jax Briggs, Robin Atkin Downes as Kano, Kevin Michael Richardson as Goro and Artt Butler as Shang Tsung, among others.

The movie came out April 14, 2020 on digital and April 28, 2020 on Blu-Ray. You can watch the green band trailer and the red band trailer.

A sequel, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, was released on August 31, 2021. Another sequel, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind was released on October 11, 2022.

Tropes for the movie include:

• Accidental Misnaming: Johnny Cage just can't seem to get Raiden's name right.
• Action Girl: Sonya Blade is a tough as nails woman with military experience who can kick plenty of ass.
• Adaptational Badass: Scorpion is far more powerful than he's ever been in the games. In this continuity, he kills Goro with one shot and would've become Mortal Kombat Champion if he had wanted to.
  • Shang Tsung, especially given this is him in his "old man" form. While he never fights directly he does use his magic to restrain Quan Chi, who was typically made out to be more powerful than him in the games.
• Adaptational Context Change: In the games, Quan Chi killed Scorpion's clan as part of a deal with the Li Kuei Grandmaster in exchange for Sub-Zero acquiring Shinnok's amulet. In this movie, Quan Chi has no such deal with the Lin Kuei; he kills the Shirai-Ryu and frames the Lin Kuei for it to manipulate Scorpion into becoming his undead minion so the ninja specter can steal the amulet for Quan Chi and release Shinnok.

• Adaptational Heroism:
  • Scorpion has a history of Heel–Face Revolving Door in the games and is often regarded as a villain and siding with them against Raiden's forces, before finally becoming good by the reboot timeline. Here, even before Quan Chi reveals he is the one who killed his family, Scorpion is a rather decent person and even allied himself with Liu Kang, Sonya and Johnny against Kano's mercenaries despite them being his opponents in the tournament.
  • Sub-Zero is a relatively minor example. While he still isn't exactly a nice person, there is no evidence he had any dealings with Quan Chi. He also isn't the one who killed Scorpion and while he doesn't get a whole lot of screen time to flesh out his character, it's still clear at the end that Scorpion basically killed an innocent man who had nothing to do with his or his family's murder as evidenced by Sub-Zero's bewildered stare when Scorpion accuses him of the crime.
• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Shao Kahn is a downplayed example. While his one scene makes it clear he is a Bad Boss, his game counterpart in both timelines nearly executed Shang Tsung for his failure. Here the punishment was simply a beating.
  • Normally, Shang Tsung stopping Quan Chi from freeing Shinnok would be Pragmatic Villainy at play, given Shinnok's an Omnicidal Maniac, but not only does he chastise Quan Chi for betraying Shao Kahn, at no point in either this film or the next one does Shang Tsung plot to betray Shao Kahn, suggesting this version of him isn't The Starscream like other incarnations.
• Adaptational Wimp:
  • In this continuity, Liu Kang loses to Goro, and only survives thanks to Scorpion's intervention. This is justified by Raiden, who tells him that his true destiny is to defeat Shao Kahn and not Goro.
  • Kano in the games is not above using underhanded tactics to get the edge on an opponent, but he still never hesitates to personally take them on one-on-one. In this film, he never confronts the heroes without plenty of space and mooks between them, and only ever attacks them directly with ranged attacks. He even starts to sweat when Sonya finally starts to close the distance.
  • Quan Chi is rather easily restrained by Shang Tsung's magic after the latter catches on to his attempted betrayal, despite the fact that he seems to be just as, if not more powerful than him in the games.
• All Part of the Show: What Johnny Cage thinks the bout between Jax and Goro is.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • During an arm wrestling match between two nameless extras, one of the participant's rips off his opponent's arm.
  • Jax loses his arms after getting them ripped off by Goro.
  • Almost happens to Liu Kang by Goro near the end. Good thing for him, Scorpion showed up when he did.
  • Scorpion tears off Quan Chi's arms with his spears in the final battle, just before dragging him to him and finishing him off.
• Animal Motifs: The movie elaborates on the use of "Scorpion" as an alias through the use of the above page quote. While on the verge of death after killing Sub-Zero, he recalls those same words, and finds the will to fight once more.
• Armed Females, Unarmed Males: Kitana and Sonya both use weapons and are the only female kombatants in the movie. With the exception of Scorpion and Kano, all the men fight unarmed.
• Awesome Mc Cool Name: When Scorpion gives his name to Johnny Cage, Johnny comments "That's catchy, I like that."
• Badass Boast: After killing his would-be torturer, Scorpion gets surrounded by hordes of Netherrealm demons.
  Demon: Human... you have made a big mistake. There are thousands of us - but only one of you!
  *cue Scorpion decapitating said demon with sickles attached to chains*
  Scorpion: Minus one.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Johnny Cage since boarding the boat, though the badass does not show up until near the end of this installment.
• Bad Boss:
  • When it becomes apparent that the heroes are too much for his hench-men, Kano opens fire on them with a couple of machine guns... while said hench-men are still in the crossfire.
  • Shao Kahn from what we see of him. Whatever he did to Shang Tsung for failing to give him victory he needed to invade Earthrealm had the sorcerer on his knees bleeding out of the mouth.
• Battle Amongst the Flames: The movie's climax has Scorpion and Quan Chi fighting as Shang Tsung's palace burns and crumbles around them.
• Berserk Button: Quan Chi pretty much smashes it when he taunts Scorpion.
  Quan Chi: But please... put up more of a fight than your wife did!
  Scorpion: (Enraged scream)
• Big Bad Ensemble: Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. The former hosts the Mortal Kombat Tournament on behalf of Shao Kahn, while the latter killed Scorpion’s family and clan, pinned it on Sub-Zero, enlisted him as his champion and is the Final Boss.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Jax has his arms brutally ripped off by Goro and is about to be executed by the four-armed giant on Shang Tsung's orders when Raiden teleports between them, blocking Goro's path and forcing Shang Tsung to stand down.
  • Sonya finds herself curb-stomped by a horde of demons Kano unleashed and nearly gets eaten. But then...
  Johnny: Heeere's Johnny!
  (Johnny jumps in and kicks the demon in the face, catching Sonya in the process)
  • Liu Kang gets destroyed by Goro, who is ordered by Shang Tsung to finish him. Goro prepares to rip off Liu's arms... when suddenly a spear pierces his skull, followed by Scorpion ripping it out of his head.
• Bloodier and Gorier: Unlike the last animated adaptations, this is a very violent and gory movie, with blood and guts flying left and right. The R-rating is definitely earned here.
• Calling Your Attacks: Johnny Cage shouts "Barrel" as he throws a barrel at his Tarkatan opponent.
• The Cameo:
  • Nitara shows up during the banquet scene, first in a crowd shot speaking to Reptile, and later a more up close shot with Johnny. When Johnny asks if any of the Outworld food being served there is organic, her only response is to snarl at him.
  • Motaro is also seen in various shots.
  • Kitana also shares a scene with Liu Kang.
  • If you look closely, the demon that tortures Scorpion looks a lot like Moloch (though he isn't credited as such).
• Cast as a Mask: Quan Chi is voiced by Darin De Paul. He reveals to Hanzo that he disguised himself as Sub-Zero (who's voiced by Steve Blum) and killed his family.
• Chess Master: Shang Tsung. To make sure Outworld wins he makes sure the tournament is about as rigged as it can be without breaking the rules.
• Chromatic Arrangement: Liu Kang wears a red outfit, Sonya wears a green military uniform and Johnny's outfit consists of a white suit and a blue shirt. Scorpion, who is the main hero, wears a yellow ninja suit.
• Cowardly Lion: Johnny Cage is initially too frightened when he realizes being the tournament means he is in real danger, but once he works up the courage to fight he proves why Raiden picked him to enter in the first place.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Johnny behaves like an arrogant buffoon for most of the movie, not helped by him taking some time to catch on to the fact that he isn't on a movie set. When aiding Sonya in saving Jax, he shows just how skilled a fighter he truly as by taking on numerous monsters in their path. Both Sonya and Kano are visibly shocked by this.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Scorpion proves no match for Sub-Zero actually Quan Chi in disguise due to him using his son as a human shield.
  • Scorpion is on the receiving end when he meets Quan Chi. He attempts to force the sorcerer to bring him back to life, and Quan Chi nearly crushes him via Mind over Matter.
  • Jax has the misfortune of being pit against Goro as entertainment by Shang Tsung. Goro No Sells Jax's punches before beating him to the point he can barely move, then rips his arms off. He is only stopped from killing Jax by Raiden intervening since the fight wasn't part of the tournament.
  • When Liu Kang appears to have beaten Goro, Goro immediately gets back up and brutally beats him. He is only saved by Scorpion killing Goro from behind.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: Towards the end, Liu Kang battles Goro and while he gets horribly beaten and mauled at the end, he was able to outsmart the Shokan Prince before then with some hanging cloth, get in several good hits, and knock Goro through a pillar with his signature bicycle kick.
• Darker and Edgier: Especially compared to previous animated adaptations. Given how we follow a martial arts tournament where the fate of the world is at stake, this definitely follows suit.
• Death by Adaptation: Reptile, Kano, Goro, and Quan Chi all die much earlier than they usually do in the official MK chronology, while Scorpion's fate is left ambiguous despite letting the island collapse around him.
• Death of a Child: Hanzo Hasashi's son Satoshi dies at the hands of Quan Chi disguised as Sub-Zero.
• Disqualification-Induced Victory: Scorpion initially agrees to take Goro's place after killing him, only to forfeit the match so that Liu Kang, and by extension Earthrealm, ends up winning the Tournament.
• Downer Beginning: The movie begins with the slaughter of the Shirai Ryu, the deaths of Hanzo's wife and son, and later Hanzo getting impaled brutally.
• The Dragon: Goro is this to Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung is the host of the tournament and leads Shao Kahn's warriors - but Goro is much stronger than him.
• Dragon-in-Chief: Quan Chi is this for Shinnok due to him being imprisoned and needing Quan Chi's help to release him.
• The Dreaded: Shinnok is considered so dangerous that even Shang Tsung doesn't want him free.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Johnny Cage takes a long time to realize that the situation is very real and that he is not filming a movie. But when he, Liu Kang, and Sonya encounter Scorpion, Johnny is the one to point out that technically nobody among them declared Mortal Kombat, meaning there is no reason for any of them to kill each other.
• Ear Ache: In the Netherealm, Hanzo frees himself from his restraints by biting off his torturer's ear and using the molten blood to melt one of his chains.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Instead of being hidden in the Temple of Elements, Shinnok's amulet resides on Shang Tsung's Island, who later says to Quan Chi that the fallen Elder God was imprisoned for a reason.
• Everyone Has Standards: Sub-Zero doesn't get enough screen time or development to indicate whether he's a truly good or evil character but even he's disgusted with how Kano uses guns against the heroes and likewise freezes Kano's guns, tells him he's dishonored the tournament, and knocks him off the building.
• Eviler than Thou: Shang Tsung proves this to Quan Chi, noticing his attempt to kill him and take Shinnok's amulet. He uses his magic restrain Quan Chi. He offers Scorpion the chance to get revenge on Quan Chi and to have his family back if he kills Liu Kang.
• Evil Gloating: Done by Quan Chi towards the titular character. It gets to bite him in the ass later on.
  • Goro also gets his moment towards Liu Kang... moments before he gets killed.
    Goro: Soon, your weak species will be no more!
• Evil Is Not a Toy: Raiden warns Scorpion about this trope when he tries to steal Shinnok's amulet, telling him that helping Shinnok will not get him what he wants. It appears to work.
• Fantastic Racism: One of the two lines Goro has in this film indicates his hatred towards Earthrealmers.
• Faux Affably Evil: Quan Chi presents himself as polite when Scorpion meets him, but it's all an act.
  • Shang Tsung maintains an air of manners but makes it clear that underneath he is a bloodthirsty monster.
• Generic Doomsday Villain: The fighters from Outworld; A Tarkatan warrior, Reptile and Goro end up as this. Only Goro even gets to talk and its only a couple of lines or so in the whole movie. They exist more as obstacles for the protagonists than characters.
• The Ghost: Shinnok is mentioned by doesn't appear in the movie. It's stated that he is imprisoned and Quan Chi's goal is to release him.
• God's Hands Are Tied: Raiden suffers this as he is unable to directly intervene in the tournament, even though he's powerful to easily defeat Goro. He is more active compared to his game counterpart by abusing loopholes.
• Good Parents: Hanzo was this to Satoshi before their deaths.
• Gory Discretion Shot: The only on-screen death to receive this is Satoshi's, his throat's impaled by Quan Chi (as Sub-Zero) just slightly out of frame, the camera keeping focus on his face when it happens. Considering that the victim is a little kid, definitely justified.
• Greater-Scope Villain: The movie actually has two.
  • Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung is attempting to win the 10th Mortal Kombat Tournament in a row on his behalf, so Shao Kahn will be allowed to rule Earthrealm. He appears at the end in person, deciding to gather his forces to conquer it by force.
  • Shinnok, who is currently imprisoned - thus Quan Chi is ruling Netherrealm in his stead. Quan Chi wants to betray Shang Tsung and use the key to release him.
• Groin Attack: Johnny Cage finds himself on both ends of this:
  • On the receiving end, he gets this from Sonya twice. First for touching her without her permission, and a little later for not shutting up.
  Jax: She didn't hit you in the nuts, did she?
  Johnny: Yes, she did, Jax! Yes, she did...
  • On the giving end, he delivers his signature Nut Punch to one of the demons unleashed by Kano.
• Hates Being Touched: Sonya kicks Johnny in the nuts for touching her without permission. Comes back in the end, when after saving Earthrealm, Johnny goes to hug her, only to catch himself and ask her first. She accepts.
  Sonya: Fuckballs, no one touches me without permission, you got it?
• Has a Type: Johnny is attracted to Sonya. Both she and his ex-girlfriend are blondes.
• Heroic Second Wind: Scorpion manages to survive an impalement after remembering his final peaceful moment with his son.
• Hope Bringer: Liu Kang — and for a reason. Kitana doubts his statement that Shao Kahn can be stopped.
  Kitana: What makes you so sure you will win?
  Liu Kang: Because I have something no one in Outworld does.
  Kitana: What?
  Liu Kang: Hope.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: Earlier in their fight, Liu Kang holds his own against Goro and seemingly defeats him. Shang Tsung then tells Goro to stop playing around and it becomes clear that the Shokan Prince was merely toying with Liu Kang as he proceeds to stomp the Shaolin monk.
• Improvised Weapon:
  • When attacked by a Lin Kuei assassin, Hanzo uses the lid of a fruit basket to disarm him.
  • In his fight with the Tarkatan, Johnny makes use of nearby kitchen utensils.
  • Liu Kang uses a tapestry wall hanging to blind and restrain Goro during their fight.
• It Amused Me: Raiden lets Johnny labor under the delusion that the tournament is actually a movie set because he thinks Johnny's ignorance is funny and wants him to find out the hard way.
• I Shall Taunt You: Quan Chi taunting Scorpion, of course.
  Quan Chi: But please... put more of a fight than your wife did!
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While Johnny Cage has many flaws such as his egotism and no sense of responsibility, he is nonetheless able to defend others when he's properly motivated.
  • Interestingly enough, Scorpion himself is portrayed as such. He acts bitter and cold to Liu Kang, Johnny and Sonya, but he goes out of his way to keep them alive when they need it most, especially Liu Kang.
• Just Toying with Them: Liu Kang appears to be able to defeat Goro... but then Shang Tsung tells his champion to start fighting seriously. Goro, of course, gets serious - and nearly kills Liu Kang in retaliation.
• Kill and Replace: Shang Tsung never suspected that Goro could be killed so quickly. He offers Scorpion to replace Goro in the final battle against Liu Kang... and it fails spectacularly when Scorpion turns against the sorcerer.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Whenever Scorpion's rage (indicated by bloody first-person view) overtakes him, run for your life.
  • At the very end of the film, Shao Kahn gets up from his throne and declares his obvious intention of conquering Earthrealm.
  • Johnny Cage might be the comic relief, but he proves himself to be a skilled fighter towards the climax by helping Sonya rescue Jax.
• Logo Joke: The Warner Bros. Animation logo replaces Porky Pig with Scorpion, who shouts his signature line as he grabs Daffy Duck and pulls him into the shield.
• Loophole Abuse: Shang Tsung exploits loopholes in the tournament rules to stack the deck against the Earthrealm fighters without technically cheating. In response, Raiden also exploits loopholes to protect and assist the Earthrealm fighters without violating the rule that bars him from directly intervening in the matches.
  • Shang Tsung accuses Raiden of violating the rules when he saves Jax from being killed by Goro. Raiden points out that the tournament has not officially started (Shang Tsung himself having presented the Jax vs. Goro fight as a pre-tournament exhibition match), so the rule that bars Raiden from intervening on Jax's behalf does not apply.
  • When it is revealed that Kano has snuck dozens of his Black Dragon Mooks onto the island to attack the Earthrealm fighters, Raiden accuses Shang Tsung of having broken the rules by hiring Kano to provide outside interference. Shang Tsung responds that he did not hire them, implying that he did arrange for the Black Dragon's presence, but never contacted them personally, thus no rules were broken.
  • Johnny Cage may be a goofball, but he is quick to exploit another loophole: there is no Mortal Kombat unless the fighters openly declare it against each other.
  Johnny: Did you declare Mortal Kombat?
  Scorpion: (shakes his head as if to say "No")
• Man Bites Man:
  • Hanzo's son Satoshi does this to a Lin Kuei assassin who attacks them.
  • Jax does this to Kano when Sonya and Johnny are coming to his rescue. As Jax's arms were ripped off by Goro, this was pretty much his only means of fighting back against Kano.
• Mind over Matter: To show that he's not to be triffled with, Quan Chi is seen telekinetically lifting Scorpion around and breaking all of his bones.
  Quan Chi: Did you think me defenseless, dog? In my own realm, no less? You may be a vengeful spirit... but even they have their limits.
• Murderous Thighs: Sonya kills Reptile by catching him in a leg lock that shatters his spine and then slicing off his head with a garrote.
• Mythology Gag:
  • With the exception of Johnny Cage, the designs of the MK characters are based on their appearances from Mortal Kombat X, whereas Shang Tsung's appearance is based on Mortal Kombat 9.
  • The large, three-eyed demon that tortures Hanzo in the Netherrealm is clearly designed after Moloch.
  • After defeating Reptile, Sonya blows a kiss at him, referencing her classic, recurring Fatality. Also, she finishes him with her Kut-Throat Fatality from 9.
    Sonya: Fuck with the Blade - you're gonna get cut.
  • After defeating a Tarkatan, Johnny Cage looks outwards and says "Toasty" a gag introduced since Mortal Kombat II.
  • When entering Shang Tsung's temple, two fighters are seen breaking anvils in a reference to the Test Your Might minigame.
  • Just like in Mortal Kombat 9, Liu Kang fights Kitana in Shang Tsung's Garden.
• Never Trust a Trailer: The Red Band trailer ends with a shot of Goro pulling on Liu Kang's limbs followed by an X-Ray image of the limbs being pulled off. In the movie proper, Jax is actually the one who gets his arms pulled off by Goro and Liu Kang is spared the same fate by Scorpion's intervention.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Quan Chi's entire plan to use Scorpion to steal Shinnok's amulet led to Scorpion helping Earthrealm win the Mortal Kombat tournament and deny Outworld a victory that would have allowed it to invade Earthrealm.
• No Ontological Inertia: Shang Tsung's power is what maintains the island's presence on Earth. After he retreats to Outworld, the island starts to collapse.
• Not His Sled: Kano, Quan Chi, Goro, and Reptile all suffer Death by Adaptation, despite canonically playing roles in numerous later storylines. Liu Kang, meanwhile, loses to Goro and never fights Shang Tsung at all, only becoming the winner by default thanks to Scorpion throwing the tournament.
• Not So Above It All: Johnny Cage is convinced the Mortal Kombat tournament is just part of a movie. Raiden refuses to tell him the truth in part because he it would interfere with Johnny Cage's journey of self growth, but also because he finds Johnny's ignorance amusing.
• Not So Stoic: Sonya breaks down crying when she sees Goro ripping Jax's arms off despite her stiff disposition throughout most of this installment.
• No Sympathy: Johnny, still under the impression it's all a movie, dryly snarks about the "special effects" of Jax's brutal beatdown, dismembering and near-death at the hands of Goro.
• Offhand Backhand: Not a literal example, but it accomplishes the same effect. After Raiden saves Jax from Goro, Goro charges at Raiden from behind while the latter is tending to Jax's wounds. Raiden dispatches Goro without turning around via a simple flick of his wrist, summoning a lightning bolt that sends Goro flying to the far side of the room.
• Off with His Head!:
  • Hanzo kills one of the demons in the Netherealm this way.
  • How Reptile is killed during his fight with Sonya, the latter slicing his head off with a garrote.
  • A variant occurs during the fight between Goro and Liu Kang. With Scorpion's Big Damn Heroes entrance consisting of ripping out Goro's skull from its skin with his chain.
• One-Man Army: Hanzo fights and kills his way past numerous of demons to reach Quan Chi's throne and demand the sorcerer send him back to Earth.
• Out-Gambitted: Shang Tsung pulls this on Quan Chi, knowing full well the arch-sorcerer's true allegiance to Shinnok, and his plans to betray him and Shao Kahn.
• Outliving One's Offspring: Hanzo is forced to endure not only the slaughter of his clan, but of his wife and son (the latter happening right in front of him, no less).
• Precision F-Strike: Sonya Blade is quite a foul-mouthed lady in this film. Fitting, considering her military background.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Delivered by Scorpion before he finally kills Quan Chi.
  Quan Chi: My god... will avenge me!
  Scorpion: Damn your god.
  • Another one comes from Johnny Cage who manages to jump off the collapsing fortress.
  Johnny Cage: Eat me, buttercup! (flips the Tarkatan off who gets buried under the rubble)
  • Sonya Blade promptly shouts "Heads up!" when she slices Reptile's head off.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Johnny Cage. Hilariously he has no idea that the Mortal Kombat tournament is real and not a stage for a movie, and he didn't realize that everyone else picked up on that before him.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Scorpion spends a good chunk of the film murdering anyone in the way of his vengeance against Sub-Zero, and later, Quan Chi.
• Razor Wire: How Sonya defeats Reptile, flipping over his head, wrapping the wire around his neck and tugging his head off.
• R-Rated Opening: The opening battle with Hanzo Hasashi and the ninjas out to murder him and his son makes no bones about the fact that this movie is considerably more violent than previous animated installments of Mortal Kombat by having Hanzo dispatch each of the ninjas in brutal and bloody fashion, including one kill that gets an MK-style X-Ray.
• Sequel Hook: Raiden tells Liu Kang that he wasn’t trained to defeat Goro - but to defeat Shao Kahn. In the ending, Shao Kahn decides to amass his forces to conquer Earthrealm by force.
• Spiteful Spit: Scorpion captures a Lin Kuei assassin and tortures him for information on Sub-Zero. The Lin Kuei's only answer is to spit in his face. Predictably, Scorpion kills him.
  Scorpion: Die knowing that I will kill every last Lin Kuei member on this island!
• Spontaneous Weapon Creation: In the climatic battle, Quan Chi uses his magic to create glowing green swords.
• Take a Third Option: At the climax of the film, after Scorpion kills Goro, he demands Shang Tsung to hand Quan Chi over to him — so he can have his revenge. Shang Tsung notes he will only do so if Scorpion takes Goro's place in the final battle — and kill Liu Kang. Scorpion appears to comply... until he teleports behind Shang and forces him to release Quan Chi anyway, while also forfeiting the match — and the Tournament — to Liu Kang.
• Teleport Spam: Scorpion uses this on the Lin Kuei assassin he interrogates for information. He also uses it in his fights with Bi-Han and Quan Chi.
• That Man Is Dead:
  Quan Chi: Do we understand each other, Hanzo?
  Scorpion: Hanzo is dead. Call me Scorpion.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: One of the Lin Kuei ninjas at the beginning not only gets brutally killed, but also madly bashed on by enraged Hanzo Hasashi. At the end, only intestines of the unfortunate warrior are shown up.
  • When Scorpion finally kills Quan Chi, he pulls out all the stops to make him pay. The evil bastard gets stabbed in the chest from behind with two swords, has the living tar kicked out of him, then his arms are ripped out, then he's impaled with Scorpion's spear, then his head and spine are ripped out, and finally he's burned to a crisp with Hellfire.
• The Unfought: Unlike in the original game, Shang Tsung is not the last opponent after Goro is beaten. He instead retreats back to Outworld where an angry Shao Kahn awaits him.
• Thinking Up Portals: Both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi can do this.
• Token Competent Minion: Goro is easily this for Shang Tsung. While Kitana, Kano and Reptile are dispatched by the heroes with relative ease in one fight, Goro shows why he was the undefeated champion of Mortal Kombat for the past nine tournaments. Not only does he brutally maim Jax, taking the major out of commission for most of the film, but he nearly kills Liu Kang and would have succeeded if not for Scorpion's untimely intervention.
• Use Their Own Weapon Against Them:
  • Hanzo employs this tactic on the Lin Kuei assassins in the beginning of the film, snatching a sickle, sword and naginata from them, and using these weapons to maim and kill them.
  • Hanzo does this again to the demon who was going to torture him, bisecting him down to waist with one of his own swords.
  • Sonya's introductory scene has participating in a street fight against a large, bald man. When she starts getting the upper hand, he rips off a lead pipe and tries to beat her with it. She easily disarms him and then uses the pipe to knock out several of his teeth.
  • In the film's climactic battle, Quan Chi tries to strangle Scorpion with the latter's own rope spears. Scorpion gets out of the sorcerer's hold by headbutting him.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Shang Tsung flees to Outworld since the conclusion of the Mortal Kombat tournament means Raiden is now free to face him.
• Vomit Discretion Shot: Happens when Johnny vomits upon seeing the slaughtered army of Black Dragon mercenaries that Scorpion just dispatched, turning his back to the others as he does so.
• We Can Rule Together: Before Liu Kang's fight with Goro, Shang Tsung makes an offer to Liu Kang to submit to Shao Kahn and be able to live like a king in Outworld. Liu Kang refuses.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: The Sub-Zero at the beginning of the movie is really Quan Chi in disguise. By the time the real Sub-Zero shows up, not much insight is given into his character or who he really is before Scorpion fights and kills him.
• White-Dwarf Starlet: Johnny Cage is introduced as such in this feature. His framed movie posters and martial arts trophies are juxtaposed with an eviction notice and trash all over. He also has an inflated ego, despite the fact that his agent has not been in touch with him for some time.
• Would Hurt a Child: Sub-Zero (actually Quan Chi) definitely has no qualms murdering children if it suits his goals. Just ask Satoshi.
• You Have Failed Me:
  • Shao Kahn is not pleased with Shang Tsung failing to give him victory in the tournament and quotes this trope word for word. We don't see what he did to him but left Shang Tsung with Blood from the Mouth.
  • Quan Chi decides that Scorpion had failed after impaling himself and Sub-Zero on a stalagmite and gloats to him about having really been the one who killed his family. BIG MISTAKE.

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