A Fond Look Back at Mortal Kombat

So, let’s chat about the fantastic fiasco that is the Mortal Kombat film franchise! The 2021 version was a real treat. I mean, it brought some big names like Joe Taslim, Tadanobu Asano, and Hiroyuki Sanada into the mix. Plus, who doesn’t love seeing those game-accurate fatalities splat on the big screen? And let’s not forget Josh Lawson, who nailed it as the wise-cracking Kano.

Some Head-Scratching Choices

But hold your horses! It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The flick made some decisions that left us scratching our heads like we just watched a weird cat video for two hours. Thankfully, director Simon McQuoid decided to clean the slate a bit with the sequel. He ditched the whole arcana nonsense and tossed out the new character Cole Young—though he did serve up a spectacular exit in true Mortal Kombat fashion!

The Lingering Lore Dilemma

However, one little issue is still gnawing at us like a pesky mosquito. Spoilers alert: even though Mortal Kombat II brings our favorite princess, Kitana, into the spotlight, she completely brushes off her clone sister Mileena. You remember Mileena, right? The one who met her unfortunate demise in the first movie. Kitana’s actress, Adeline Rudolph, thinks there’s still room to wiggle the sisterly drama into future films. “Kitana is over 10,000 years old,” she says. “So much time could have passed. I definitely think there is a lot of room left for Mileena to have her own storyline with Kitana.” Door stays wide open, folks!

The Overcomplicated Family Tree

In the spirit of Mortal Kombat, we know the Kitana/Mileena saga is like a soap opera spun out of a video game. The duo first popped onto the scene in the 1993 video game Mortal Kombat II as colorful palette swaps. Kitana donned blue while Mileena wore pink—remember the color codes, kids!—and Mileena had, uh, some very sharp teeth hiding behind that mask. Yikes!

Let the Lore Confusion Begin

It gets even messier from there! Kitana was raised by the charmingly evil emperor Shao Kahn, who didn’t exactly win any Father of the Year awards—hello, he murdered her dad! In a classic case of trust issues, Kahn got a little paranoid about Kitana’s loyalty and enlisted the help of the sorcerer Shang Tsung to whip up a clone. But since Shang Tsung was feeling a little goofy, he accidentally added in some Tarkatan DNA, and poof! You get a grinning, murderous twin with a penchant for backstabbing—and not just in the fighting sense.

The Twists Keep Coming

Over the years, these two have been caught in a family feud of epic proportions, complete with plot twists, mistaken identities, and plenty of low blows. The reboot in the 2011 game Mortal Kombat X tried to smooth things out, giving Mileena a fresh backstory. But then—hold onto your hats—the 2023 game Mortal Kombat 1 pulled the rug out completely and flipped the script, making Mileena the legit first daughter of Jerrod and Sindel, but guess what? She’s got the Tarkat virus. Thanks for keeping it simple, guys!

The Future Is Bright

At this rate, the franchise seems to have mastered the art of rewriting its own history. McQuoid’s take on the movies does a pretty good job of respecting the lore while acknowledging the delightful nonsense it all entails. So, if Mortal Kombat III rolls around and suddenly has Kitana spilling the beans about her missing clone sister to Jade—without even a second thought—who’s going to complain? Especially if Mileena shows up ready to drop a “Tasty Treat” fatality for being forgotten on her birthday.

Mortal Kombat II Is Out Now!

In any case, get your popcorn, because Mortal Kombat II is currently in theaters, and it’s bound to serve up all the drama and fatalities your heart desires!