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Mortal Kombat Theories - Blog Posts
Havik Rant + Wasted Plotential and Theory
Warning: This is a long post, so read if you have the time.
I love Havik in the 3d era, and I guess it's because there's so little of him that sets him up for mystery, but I mainly love his face. The way half his face is ridden of flesh and his eyes glow as if he's some kind of Skeletor adjacent creature. I always look at him and go "How did it get to this point?", but in a way where I'm laughing about it, 'cause what did bro do to his face?
I hope Titan Havik will be a great break from the cartoonish evil that is Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and the others. (Don't get me wrong with Shang Tsung, I love him, but his belief system is equivalent to a power ranger villain. He's basically Valtor if he was successful. I'm not talking about MK1 Shang btw.)
I also can't picture Havik working with or for villains like Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung, and Shinnok. Havik wants to spread chaos, yes, but I don't think he views this as enslavement and feeding off misery. Another thing I'd like to note is his voice and delivery, courtesy of George C. Cole. Havik is calm, patient and almost kind. Shao Kahn actively sounds dominant, Shang Tsung is calm but cruel and impatient, with Quan Chi being condescending.
In the small glimpses that I've seen Havik through the later games (before MK1) he seems like a pretty chill guy. Now get this, Chaos is his way of life because that's the world he comes from. Chaos is basically the equivalent of freedom, so Havik wants to share that freedom. In Deceptions Konquest mode he describes water in a way you only expect from a scholar with a love and sense for nature, and I interpreted this as him believing everything should go naturally. In a Christian perspective, humans are naturally evil, and it's in our nature to be attracted to wicked things. Havik wants us to embrace who we are, and our deep desires.
In Noob Saibot's MK9 ending he meets Havik and shares an 'understanding' with him. Havik helps him with taking over the Netherealm before saying goodbye and returning to the Chaosrealm, no back stabbing or anything. Next there's Joker's ending in MK11, and we all know how Joker is. But there's also Mileena (before NRS let fans bully them into making her dlc), whose bloodlust is fuelled by her Tarkatan blood, a trait she cannot help because it's instinctual. Finally, in MK: Deception's Konquest mode he agrees to train Shujinko if Shujinko helps him in return, and he does but in his own way. Experience instead of practice. Havik doesn't come off as evil but chaotic neutral.
Wasted Plotential
I try not to complain about anything these days because I know NRS are gonna disappoint us anyways, but if I was to really complain about things then I'll start with the storymode, and with the previous games.
MKX could've just been about Sub Zero and Scorpion finding out about Quan Chi and stopping Shinnok. How? Idk, Johnny uses the amulet to trap Shinnok, the Special Forces find Sektor's files and reveal them to Scorpion, who gets his revenge and yada yada. Helps them free Sub Zero and Jax, blah blah.
Scorpion defeating Shinnok is more believable since he's stronger and cooler (sorry Johnny), and has more familiarity with the Neatherealm. (What was the point of building up Johnny just to nerf him in MK11?)
Johnny and Sonya get divorced earlier on because of their differing views on the world (and parenting), so Cassie becomes a UFC fighter or a pro wrestler (as a reference to Johnny's quote in his MK9 chapter about possibly winning a belt in the tournament). I remember coming up with an idea where Jacqui leaves the Special Forces and gets trained by the Shirai-Ryu, but saw an AU fanart design where she was trained by the Lin Kuei, which sounds so much better since it separates her from Takeda. Jacqui shares strong ideals with her father but his overbearing reluctance caused her to be more rebellious and find another way to defend Earthrealm without him possibly intercepting. Instead of being a Jax variant she shares more similarity to Human Cyrax (technology + ninjutsu assassination), and that can introduce a little beef with Frost and have them both deliver lines that feel more personal since they have the same teacher, but have different morals that make them butt heads. Johnny ends up leading the Kombat kids with the Wu Shi instead of the Special Forces, edging Sonya to check on Cassie more often by trying to be involved with their missions. (During MK9 Johnny was glued to Raiden's side and his focus was more on the tournament than on Sonya. After Cyrax defeats him it's Raiden that checks on him.) Instead of Cassie saving the day, have Scorpion save the day because Shinnok is Quan Chi's master, and Scorpion needs to fix his mess. Also because Scorpion would have better control with his powers and has more experience.
The next game can introduce Havik, with the chaos happening in small ways at first, like trees slowly decaying and technology acting against them. Havik is a lesser evil than Shao Kahn, Quan Chi and Shinnok, but he's nothing Scorpion or Sub Zero have handled before since he's less predictable and isn't paranoid about someone threatening his power. Bro just wants to spread some joy and laughter (sarcasm). I'm pretty sure Havik wouldn't even have an army, and I doubt his minions will be anything like the aggressive jobbers that are seen in Outworld. With Shao Kahn it's power and being served, but with Havik it would be everyone serves each other, meaning they will inflict pain on each other and themselves = This game can be about the heroes and villains turning on themselves, by being more honest and less co-operative.
The Special Forces start being wary of the Wu Shi, Sonya interrogates Dark Raiden on information he could be withholding about the realms, Raiden counters back with how she is trying to enlist the Kombat kids behind his back when they are already content with their current positions.
Frost has stolen Sektor's body parts from the Special Forces, and plans to cyberise herself with them. Jacqui and Cassie are sent to stop Frost's cyber initiation plans. Cassie defeats Frost, but Jacqui has the need to rehabilitate her, which sets her at odds with Cassie who doesn't believe Frost is worthy of it, and that they must follow Raiden's orders.
Noob Saibot is working under revenant Liu Kang, but just like his MK9 ending, he starts plotting against him and the other revenants. Noob confronts Hanzo about his loyalty to Quan Chi, and how Hanzo worked with him even after Noob was killed. Noob's revenge is forcing Hanzo to shift between himself and Scorpion, ensuring that the Lin Kuei and Shirai-Ryu will never have peace with Hanzo continuously reliving the past and trying to kill Sub Zero.
Kung Lao reports that the head of Shinnok is missing, and Liu Kang accuses Kung Lao of having something to do with it, and so the revenants turn on themselves. A civil war begins in Neatherealm.
Hotaru meets up with the heroes and tells them that Havik is behind their plight, and offers Seidos help if Earthrealm helps them with the resistance in Seido. Kung Jin and Takeda are sent to aid and they witness the injustice and lunacy of Seidos rules. Kung Jin being Kung Jin speaks against this, and Hotaru has a problem with it, Takeda tries his best to keep the peace. Kung Jin defeats Darrius, Dairou and whatever. Although Hotaru keeps his word about the help thing, he is overbearing when it comes to the rules and their strategy, even getting in the way of the Special Forces.
Skarlet teams up with Tanya to find Mileena's soul (Because why not?They're sisters). Ermac doesn't have it, so they must find it through the Neatherealm. They meet Noob, who admits that he consumed it, but points out the location of the Flesh Pits for a calling of clues. Skarlet combines her power with Noob's to give life to the clones encased in glass (blood + shadow). The clones unleash chaos throughout Outworld, but Skarlet is not finished in her revenge.
Johnny reveals to Dairou that Darrius is behind his family's murder, and sets him free to let him get revenge. Sonya argues that he's made a terrible mistake, but Johnny says that she let Kano live and how that keeps screwing everyone over.
Johnny decides to get a drink at a bar, and Havik will show up, calm and collected. Johnny compliments his costume, and Havik expresses that his fake-ness is an interesting weapon.
I don't know what else.
Theory
I think Havik's hero equivalent would be Johnny Cage, which is where he would come in as the hero instead of defeating a former elder god. Havik isn't Godlike, I'd say his power level is identical to Edenian/Outworld, and if Sonya can handle defeating Kitana and Jade at the same time, then Johnny can handle his own against Havik. Just like Havik, Johnny has a separation from the other heroes concerning his traits and/or beliefs, even sometimes clashing with Cassie, who is always noted to be much like him in personality. Johnny has an easy going attitude that pisses off just about everyone around him, to the point . I think he would be the first to pick up on the odd energy surrounding everyone.
First off he likes to give everyone a nickname, much to their displeasure. Very adamant on giving them those names, but Havik would arguably (probably) be more accepting. I'm quite certain that Havik's name is a title given to him or a name he's made up himself. There are some fans who speculate that he doesn't even have a name given at birth and made up 'Havik' to be his name, suggesting that the name is somewhat earned through experience.
Chaosrealm doesn't have a real name, like Edenia and Seido, it's simply called Chaosrealm. They don't have a name for themselves, simply a representation of what they embody.
"Grandmaster Blueberry Ice, eh?"
"Only Johnny Cage may use that name and live."
Johnny's humour is fuelled by his insensitivity, even while fighting on the side of good he is self-serving, superficial and has a self confidence that almost everyone is eager to stomp on (he's basically a normal person). Even when he clearly doesn't mean to be insensitive (speaking the truth or what's on his mind), people still get offended by what he's said and express some form of aggression. Hell, Bi Han kicked the hell out of him just for touching his arm in MK1.
Now I'm going to get really technical here: In MK11 Skarlet was present and you could tell she was a stand-in for Mileena, which is shown in her sibling rivalry with Kitana. Now let's say Joker was a stand-in for Havik, and in his ending he voices his displeasure about the roster "But these nincompoops? They didn't really get me. Not even that pretty boy, Ninja Mine. Goodnight, sweet Prince!" meaning Joker saw some potential in Johnny Cage. Saw something that suggested that they are similar.
Johnny Cage's humour aside, there has to be something else.
Now let's get into Johnny's MK9 ending: Johnny starts to have spasms where a burst of energy would escape him and destroy everything around him, so he is sent to Seido to learn how to better control it.
Next, to Havik and Johnny's Armageddon endings: Johnny becomes enlightened, freed from vanity and leaves the acting business. What seemed like the joys of life before became meaningless to him, and wanted no part in the shallow lifestyle. Then there's Havik, whose dream for chaos becomes absolute.
(As a bonus let's compare Johnny's ending to Hotaru's, where everyone was forced to bow to Hotaru or be changed into someone they're not. Havik gets the worst end of it by being turned into Hotaru's 2nd in command. What's even funnier is that in the Armageddon intro I can spot Hotaru as the one who impaled Li Mei, but Li Mei is on the side of good while Hotaru is suspiciously on the opposite, despite being against the forces of evil. Why would he be on the same side as Havik when they are enemies? I would also like to point out that Johnny was fighting Darrius, a man resisting the Order of Seido.)
I already wrote something similar to this in another post I made like a year ago, but I'm gonna say this anyway. Johnny found out by himself that all the luxuries and fame that he sought in life weren't worth it. In his MK11 ending he ends up going on adventures with Cassie after coming to this realisation, choosing a life where he can always spend time with those he loves, not ruling over the world or being a dictator. There's chaos within Johnny, but there is a want or need for peace and stability.
Johnny should've been the one that was super pissed about being in a death tournament. Up until that point Johnny has never killed anyone, yet suddenly is expected to in exchange for his own life. How does he, a Hollyweird actor, fit into all this? He got tricked into this yet was able to adapt. He's fine with it, or pretends to be, handling it better than everyone else around. The "Sure, let's go and ruin someone else's life." quote from MK9 always runs through my head when I think about his dedication to defending Earthrealm and trusting Raiden.
When the tournament took place Johnny didn't really know Raiden personally, but Johnny trusted him. Johnny had no reason to be loyal to Raiden, yet he was, unlike Liu Kang who ended up losing faith and rebelling. Johnny has all the recipes to let his ego get to him and potentially betray Raiden, but he never does so.
If Havik and Johnny were to have anything in common, I would say it's a strong sense of faith in what they believe in. Johnny fights for the betterment of Earthrealm, Havik fights for havoc.
I'm very certain that even though Johnny changed over the years, the people around him still hold a dislike towards him to some degree. My first candidates for this are Sonya and Jax.
Read this if you can be bothered: [No matter what, Jax cannot stand Johnny, even at an age where they're more familiar with each other.]
Sonya and Jax are basically the order to Johnny's chaos. Being around them has also influenced (turned) him into someone he wasn't, which was a self hating Special Forces aid (What are is credentials?). It was Hotaru's Armageddon ending but slower.
The reason I haven't listed Kuai Liang is because... I think Kuai Liang has a bit of a friendship with Johnny. He's fond of him, but he won't admit it. He even helps Johnny in sending the Kombat kids into a fake mission with the Lin Kuei.
Cassie and Jacqui: Opinions and Thoughts
These are my thoughts and opinions on Mortal Kombat that a bunch of people probably won't care about, but I thought I should post them here. Now I will be using past games as reference, even though every character's interpretation/counterpart is different, they still play part to the canon storyline.
Okay, so these two are besties. Now before I get into any details, this is just theories and opinions. I just want to quickly say that I like Jacqui's character, and not just because I was able to play as a black female character, but I found her interesting and liked her romance with Takeda.
I'll start with Cassie. She is a nice enough blend of Sonya and Johnny, I guess. I found her a little annoying in mkx but only because of her intros, and to be fair a lot of character dialogue kind of sucked in that game. I found her very relatable when I was younger though, because I said a lot of cringey things when it came out. Other than that she was pretty cool, and was a different kind of case where a character voices out what everyone else is thinking. To be fair, Johnny has that as well but Cassie is Gen Z levels of voice (or an everyman). I also appreciate that they made her more girly, although I do miss the tomboyish Cassie from mkx.
Thing is, I don't like how they made it into a thing where they made Cassie feel like a main character, and while I understand that's how it must be done with next generation games, I get the impression that she was treated better than her teammates. That impression was solidified in the mk11 storyline where Cassie was chosen to be the new general with the addition of Takeda and Kung Jin being cut from the game. I get that she defeated Shinnok and whatever, but seriously? It was also a situation where Sonya was choosing randomly, so I think she should've chosen Jacqui simply because Jacqui is genuinely into being a soldier. For a moment the audience is shown the pain on Jacqui's face, and I was honestly anticipating some kind of rivalry to take place where Cassie and Jacqui end up fighting about something within the story mode.
I wrote in another post that I think Cassie joined the special forces because she wanted to impress Sonya. We know that from mkx Sonya was neglective, and if Cassie is much closer to Johnny then I don't think it would make sense for her to not have some appreciation for the creative arts. Meaning, Cassie yearns for Sonya's approval. It was also hinted that Sonya may have been abusive, randomly attacking Cassie and Jacqui with arm bars. Even while Cassie is an adult Sonya is still neglective, as noted in the last game, not even caring about Cassie's love life. It's very clear the two of them have problems with each other. One thing for sure, Cassie has inherited Sonya's cruelty which makes her snark different from Johnny's. A nice blend of seriousness and un-serious = obvious sarcasm. I'm also calling back to the 'Johnny pee pants' incident that she was told about.
"So how are things between you and Bob?" - Sonya
"For the last time his name is Dylan." - Cassie
"Why learn his name if he's not sticking around?" - Sonya
----
"I'm the new improved you." - Cassie
"(Scoff) Improved how?" - Sonya
Well for one thing, she's got powers.
----
"Jacqui says as kids you were scared of me." - Sonya
"You'd randomly attack us with arm bars." - Cassie
"And you learned to always be ready." - Sonya
The fact that she says this with a smug smile shows she sees nothing wrong with the fact that she went out of her way to scare and hurt children. Characters have been drilling in on Johnny but had nothing to say to Sonya about her parenting. Johnny made it his mission to change into a better person, even in his ending he didn't need people to tell him that he was doing something wrong because he realised it by himself. Sonya for whatever reason lacks that same awareness.
----
"Growing up I always wanted a sister." - Sonya
"To exchange style tips and dish on boys?" - Cassie
"No! To spar with." - Sonya
You can do that too, Sonya. Jeez.
----
"You are Johnny Cage's daughter." - Robocop
"Ha! Shocked I'm not some Beverly Hills brat?" - Cassie
Beverly Hills kids: Well... that hurts. I think it's somehow been engraved in Cassie that being any old normal girl is a terrible thing, and I don't support that "I'm not like other girls" nonsense. I think it was Sonya's influence, and potentially Jax.
----
"I am honoured to fight you." - Liu Kang
"I'm no chosen one, Li Kang." - Cassie
"You fought shinnok and won." - Liu Kang
Oh he's mad. He is so mad. Bro died because of Raiden.
----
Now with Jacqui.
I think Jacqui is in Cassie's shadow, hell they even erased her from her own ending. Even when she was given screen time it still felt like she was brushed to the side. Cassie was chosen to be the leader of the friend group, and in hindsight that was a bit predictable. In comparison to her Jacqui is rational and doesn't turn things into a joke. I know Cassie is serious as well, but Jacqui is more passionate about fighting for Earthrealm and being in the special forces while Cassie is more of a show off.
"Leave dad in peace." - Jacqui (mkx)
"There's things only Jax can do." - Sonya (mkx)
---
"What do you see when you look at me?" - Frost
"A cheap second gen knock off." - Jacqui
"I said look at me, not you." - Frost
These two are love and hate, two sides of the same coin. Frost wants recognition and goes against the Lin Kuei to have that, while Jacqui wants to make people proud and carry on a legacy. Both have a male counterpart of some kind. Frost disappointed Sub Zero for not being patient and she became a villain, while Jax doesn't want Jacqui to even be involved in anything kombat related. Jacqui follows, Frost demands command.
---
"Cassandra Cage overshadows you." - Cetrion
"In her own mind maybe." - Jacqui
"Do not deny your jealousy." - Cetrion
---
"It's time to pass on your mantel." - Nightwolf
"Baby girl's good, but she's not me yet." - Jax
"Don't underestimate your daughter, Jax." - Nightwolf
Notice the edge in Nightwolf's voice? Also, Jacqui doesn't have to be Jax. Not to mention she was trained by Johnny and not Jax, so it's weird of him to say that. I think she should be trained by Scorpion as a wedding gift and have a few Shirai Ryu inspired outfits if she's introduced to the franchise in future games. Anything that distances her from Jax.
---
Jacqui is called "unproven" and a "knock off" when she has in fact proven herself, she just hasn't beaten an elder God- oh wait, what is this? Jacqui defeated Cetrion? (Do not bring jax into this, I chose Jacqui). In mkx she beat Reptile and Ermac, the very same Ermac that Jax lost his arms to because he was caught lacking, and held her own against the revenants.
The characters constantly compare her to Jax, which is problematic in my opinion. As a person who was constantly compared to my older siblings growing up it felt like my identity as my own person was being stripped away from me, and I think it's the same case with Jacqui. Jacqui should be recognised more for who she is rather than who her father is, because Jacqui is just as good if not better.
"Such beauty in Kombat is rare." - Shang Tsung. Oh Shang Tsung, you pervert.
Now onto her friendship with Cassie. It's very obvious that these two grew up together and even went to the same school, which must've meant that they lived close to one another, like the same town or city. I don't think the two have always been buddy buddy, in terms of problems coming up. If it weren't for circumstances I think these two wouldn't even be close or in the same vicinity. Cassie went and dated Jacqui's love interest for prom knowing Jacqui liked him. I'm surprised these two are even friends.
Moving onto her relationship with Jax, I liked Jacqui bonding with the younger version of her dad during story mode, and seeing the differences between older Jax and young Jax.
I always saw Jax as an a-hole, but jeez. I understand being a protective father but he needed to accept that he couldn't breathe down her neck for too long. What ticks me off even more is his disapproval of Takeda. I think one of the reasons Jax isn't very fond of Takeda is because he mildly reminds him of Johnny. Takeda has that charisma about him and makes jokes as well and overall has this easy going air about him. Even after Johnny and Sonya got married, meaning Jax saw Johnny a lot more, I don't think Jax grew a liking to Johnny. I'm not sure if Jax truly had feelings for Sonya, but I do think it's a possibility if Johnny not only did not want to get between them under the suspicion that they were together, but also because he thought they would end up together.
I have a bunch of stuff to say. I believe Cassie should've done MMA fighting or something around there, that way Cassie wouldn't just be another copy of her parents.
If Jax and Sonya did end up together then I think the turn out would be more extreme. An overprotective father and a neglectful mother.
Mileena: Thoughts and Opinions
These are my thoughts and opinions on Mortal Kombat that a bunch of people probably won't care about, but I thought I should post them here. Now I will be using past games as reference, even though every character's interpretation/counterpart is different, they still play part to the canon storyline.
[Warning: This post is very long. Revealing cosplay.]
I always saw Mileena as eccentric rather than crazy. The eating people thing? She's not human and is a fang faced creature, we are not to be surprised.
Appearance: Now before Mkx the female characters were sexualized for marketing purposes, but a lot of the fandom recognises Mileena to be the go to when it comes to sexualization. Even when Mkx took the designs more seriously Mileena still has that flare of... marketing. In mk11 that goes out of the window. Now mind you, I like the costumes and skins for Mileena in this game, I'm a sucker for kimonos, and that kimono still has a titty window and comes off as more revealing than Kitana's. Even when you put Mileena next to Kitana, knowing what she looks like without the mask, she's still seen as the 'hotter one' out of the two.
I think it's just the fact they babied her. And when I say they babied her I don't just mean her childish attitude that is significantly different to mk9, I'm talking about her face model. In another post I headcanoned that Kitana is 17-19 in human years because I genuinely believe she looks like she's around that age. In the previous games Kitana and Mileena both look like they are in their mid to late 20's which is how they were able to get sexualized.
Because of the redesigns I think it retconned the interactions that took place between the characters.
Ships
I find it bizarre that most of the male roster roasts the hell out of her, yet have an undertone of flirting based on interactions I've seen. Now, that's probably me being delusional and pulling at strings just to make a ship happen, but it's there.
Mileena + Kung Lao (If I'm feeling bold), Liu Kang (If I'm feeling bolder), Kuai Liang, Hanzo (childhood ship), Takeda ("You can look but you can't touch"), Stryker (watched Sonic XD's mk9 sucks video), Erron Black (I mean he did date Nitara and Skarlet), Bi Han/Noob Saibot
Out of all these ships I've listed I feel the most strongly about shipping her with Bi Han. It's mainly because of a post I saw, which was based on a meme.
Kitana: Am I ugly?
Liu Kang: No.
Mileena: Am I ugly
Bi Han/Noob Saibot: Yes.
Mileena and Bi Han are dating in this meme, btw. I think it was built on the fact that Bi Han can see her for the tarkatan she is but it doesn't disturb him. I don't think he goes out of his way to mock her, either, he's merely analytical of her. Following one of my headcanons, he takes things literal, meaning he has no intentions of harming her emotionally.
Yes, I ship him and Sereena, but I like to try new things.
"We have met before." - Mileena
"In the Netherrealm, where I consumed your soul." - Bi Han/Noob Saibot
That wasn't supposed to sound sweet, but it did. To me. There's also this video.
They both have sibling problems and were killed unfairly. Mileena's crown was snatched from her while Bi Han was made a slave alongside Scorpion. You know, the guy that killed him. They fought Kabal together.
Oh, and they can both teleport :).
It could be argued that Noob has a better chance with Skarlet since she reminds him of Sereena, but I like her interactions with Sub Zero.
I'm starting to think I should write a yandere Liu Kang/Kung Lao x Mileena (one sided), I mean Kung Lao wanted Kitana too so he could see Mileena as some kind of replacement.
Family:
I think Shao Kahn does feel some kind of fatherly attachment to her, although I headcanon that he's a narcissistic father. In Mk11 story mode he was ready to kill D'Vorah the second he found out she killed Mileena. Protective dad. I think some of it comes from the father-daughter bond he has with Kitana. While Shao Kahn did say that he kept her around just to appease Sindel, he had no need to do that after her death, so he technically adopted Kitana just because he could. And then teenage rebellion kicked in and he had her replaced by Mileena.
"Where's this boldness been hiding, Kitana? Had you shown it before, I'd have no need for Mileena." I think Shao Kahn did care for Kitana but not in a way that his mind can fully address. But he prefers Mileena, as she's the version of Kitana that won't betray him. Even though Mileena was created as a replacement he still recognised her as an heir, and his daughter.
I also think Shao Kahn can't produce children... I mean I still see Skarlet as his adopted child. Dude's straight up just picking up daughters.
Shao Kahn being a dad:
"Raiden chooses champions poorly." - Shao Kahn
"This from the man who chose Mileena?" - Liu Kang
"Do not mock my daughter!" - Shao Kahn
-----
"Those who betray me suffer, Black." - Shao Kahn
"Our contract died when you did." - Erron Black
"You should've served Mileena." - Shao Kahn
-----
"You'll pay for Mileena, D'Vorah." - Shao Kahn
"This one did Outworld a service." - D'Vorah
"And so shall I." - Shao Kahn
-----
"With Sindel's return our family is complete." - Shao Kahn to Mileena
-----
"Daughter, you have returned." - Shao Kahn
"To reclaim my place at your side from Skarlet." - Mileena
"First prove yourself her better." - Shao Kahn
Yeah, he's a narcissistic parent.
-----
"You didn't teach me blood magic." - Mileena
"Sorcery is Skarlet's gift, not yours." - Shao Kahn
"You'd never know, you never gave me a chance." - Mileena
That sounds like sibling jealousy, Skarlet was certainly adopted.
-----
"Back from the dead, I see." - Rain
"You must answer for scheming against Mileena." - Shao Kahn
"Your daughter got exactly what she deserved." - Rain
-----
Bonus: Kitana
Kitana is just so out of pocket. Now to be fair, she reacted in a way that is understandable. If I found out someone cloned me and I was face to face with that clone I would freak out too. But it's what happens afterwards. Kitana claimed that Mileena attacked her when it was the other way around.
Now if we follow the events of mk9 and not the events that came before it, Kitana never got to even know Mileena, so that comment was uncalled for. Not only that, but Mileena was welcoming towards Kitana upon first meeting her. While she was created to replace Kitana, that was not her priority when she woke up and saw Kitana for the first time. It's very clear that Kitana has absorbed Shao Kahn's narcissistic habits.
Now with some interactions:
"You're more my sister than Mileena." - Kitana
"So why must we fight again?" - Jade
"Where there are siblings there is rivalry." - Kitana
-----
"I don't suppose you have a sister." - Kung Lao
"There is only Mileena." - Kitana
"Thank you. I'll pass." - Kung Lao
I think Kitana actually carries pride over being the pretty one. I also think she took pleasure in making Kung Lao uncomfortable.
-----
"You will be queen of the damned." - Noob Saibot
"That honour is Mileena's" - Kitana
Out of pocket, no one said Mileena's name yet Kitana brought her up just to insult her.
-----
Skarlet and Mileena should've had a bond of some kind that wasn't antagonistic. I already wrote a post about this some years ago on my old Tumblr account, but I deleted it so I have to start over with this post. In Skarlet's original story (before the retcon) she was created in the flesh pits and even appears a few times during the mk9 story mode, so by that alone Mileena and Skarlet have a connection.
In the retcon Shao Kahn is the one to teach Skarlet blood magic, but I always saw sorcery as Shang Tsung's speciality since Shao Kahn has his kingly duties to fulfil so I think it would be much more fitting if Shang Tsung taught her under Shao Kahn's orders, that way her and Shang Tsung have a bond of their own being teacher and student to compliment the fact that he created her back in mk9.
Now, Kitana has Jade so it was an opportunity to have an evil doppelganger situation with Mileena and Skarlet. They both like gore, they both hate Kitana because Kitana was mean to them, and they both don't like Jade. They both also have a thing for Sub Zero, which means they have similar tastes. They should get along. And for them to not get along I think it should've been the normal sibling dynamic where they would easily get into fights and do little things that annoy the other, but deep down are fond of each other. Something that counters Kitana and Jade's you're like a sister to me that you don't see real siblings experience.
If we're gonna follow the fact that they should get along, then Skarlet could've been the cool older sister. She had a boyfriend (Erron), she is good at what she does, and she's just as feral as Mileena but is more laid back. I can picture her helping Mileena with her makeup and her training. The sister that Kitana never was and refuses to be. On Skarlet's part it could be a thing where she remembered how it felt for Kitana to belittle her and for Jade to shun her for not being Edenian, and decides that she refuses to be the same to Mileena.
I have said a bunch of times that Shao Kahn sort of adopted Skarlet or sees her as a child of his. He took her away from the streets because she showed fire, and that's how a lot of adoptions go from what I heard, there's something about the kid that sparks something in that parent. But I think because Skarlet doesn't have royal blood and is a street urchin is what doesn't make her worthy of the title of daughter in Shao Kahn's eyes even if the bond is potentially there.
As much as I would love them to get along, Skarlet is jealous of Mileena. The fact that a clone was able to be given the title 'daughter' in a blink of an eye in comparison to Skarlet who had been serving him for more than centuries. "Shao Kahn needs no more Kitana clones!" is her way of saying that she wants to be recognised, loved and appreciated. "A pity you will never be his daughter." from Shang Tsung wasn't just any statement, he can see that this street urchin orphan who will not be mourned wants a parental figure in her life, and that unfortunately became Shao Kahn. There could've been the potential that it would be Shang Tsung, but we all know what he's like, he would see her as nothing more than a student who wants something more.
Skarlet lusts for power, and I theorise it is because she's trying to fill a hole, which is common in people who lack certain things in their life such as emotional stability and parental support. Having power will give her that sense of control over her life, supposedly.
Following my headcanon that Skarlet desiring Skao Kahn is a sign of her insanity, her need for security, appreciation and love has been perverted by the very thing that gives her power. Poor Skarlet.
Johnny: Opinions and Thoughs
These are my thoughts and opinions on Mortal Kombat that a bunch of people probably won't care about, but I thought I should post them here. Now I will be using past games as reference, even though every character's interpretation/counterpart is different, they still play part to the canon storyline.
[Warning: This post is very long. Slight mention of sexual oral practise.]
I think every single character in Mortal Kombat is prideful and egotistical, the best example would be Jade in my opinion. With that being said I think the way they treat Johnny is a bit unfair. A lot of these will fall in line with my Neurodivergent Johnny headcanons and theory post, I suggest checking that out for context. I know the intros aren't canon and are more what if scenarios, but they mean something.
I have a lot of things to say regarding his character, for starters he gets invited to a tournament and sees it as a chance to show people he isn't just some actor but is legit in his martial arts. Good for him, (I've seen posts that demonise this and say it's pretty selfish as if we shouldn't be allowed to be selfish when situations call for it. Bro didn't like that people were calling him a fake and wanted to prove that he wasn't, there's nothing wrong with that.). When he shows up at the tournament half of the contestants are wearing costumes, can't blame the guy for not thinking it was real at first. There's a lady dressed as a hot soldier (I understand that it gets retconned), a bunch of ninjas standing around, and his opponents are wearing alien makeup.
First of all Johnny doesn't know about the existence of other realms, second of all it's the 90s and he's a Hollywood actor meaning he's no stranger to makeup and practical effects not to mention stunts. He probably figured it was something comic con related (as I've said in another post) and while questioning it he went along with it. He had no reason to think that Reptile and Baraka were real creatures.
When Johnny is told to finish his opponent he responds with "Yeah, right.", and I gotta say, it took me years to find out there was a sexual innuendo to that. Dude straight up thought they were demanding him to perform 'you-know-what'. That was just an example of what's to come (I'll be using the word 'example' lot). (Hollywood must be a wild place even in fiction).
First I'll start with his interactions. He's not very good at bonding with people. In mk9 we see a lot of this. I get that Johnny has his problematic moments, but in comparison to the other characters he's an angel. I'm the sort of person to sweep them under the rug, but I have to address them.
Examples:
"And I'm taking you down. I'm taking you down. I'm taking you out. I'm taking you out. And I'm taking you out... for dinner." I genuinely interpreted this as Johnny being playful. To be fair, I first saw this interaction when I was a child (say 7-9) so the fact that I could see myself doing that probably had to do with my immaturity. But everytime I rewatch it I only have fondness and not annoyance because I found it adorable just how proud he was of himself. I also appreciate how open he is about how he feels towards Sonya, I stan an honest man. However, it seems a lot of viewers saw this as him being stupid or something along those lines. If this was any other character they would be told to go to horny jail, but Johnny is met with hostility from most of the fandom.
"Nice hat :)." Johnny to Raiden in mk9. "You should be more respectful of Lord Raiden!" Liu Kang says to Johnny right away. SonicXD commented on this in his mk9 sucks video, I don't need to say anything. Johnny wasn't interested in saving Earthrealm at first, he straight up told Raiden and Liu Kang that they should call the military if Shao Kahn was that much of a threat (he was speaking facts tho). Also, I think he was still questioning what he got himself into, so Raiden and Liu Kang approaching him probably made him think he was surrounded by insane people. And then he finds out that it's all real and that he's not allowed to leave.
There's also when Johnny saved Sonya from Kano. How that went down was that Johnny was trying to escort her. By the way, this is minutes after he realised that he was in a death match and not some comic con related fighting tournament, everyone was waiting for him to kill Baraka and it dawned on him just how serious they were. So Johnny got worried for Sonya's safety by that alone. But it's also understandable on Sonya's end: here comes this guy trying to chat her up (get into her pants) and not getting the hint that she's not interested, and then tries to convince her that he needs to be by her side.
Cyrax got annoyed just by hearing him talk, you can see it on his face. I saw it as friendly banter on Johnny's side but Cyrax didn't. "Not everyone gets to rumble with a celebrity. Ready for a beat down, Sunshine? Here it comes." I think Cyrax was gonna kill him by that alone if it wasn't for Raiden's disapproving dad stares. Every single Lin Kuei is super serious so I think Cyrax didn't take it as banter.
Next is Jax. Johnny Green, Jax Purple: "So what's the deal with you and Sonya anyway? She is smocking hot." "It's not like that. I'm her CO." "Honey like that under my command-" "You'll wanna stop talking now." "...So if it's not like that- Then you won't mind if I-" "That's it!" And then Jax proceeds to beat him up.
Now I understand that Johnny was talking too much, and was a tad bit slimy about his hornyness, but he didn't want to get between her and Jax if they were a thing. He just has no filter. Now following my Neurodivergent headcanons for him this may have an occasion where he wasn't reading the social cues. Jax says "You'll wanna stop talking now." but Johnny has no intentions to stop talking nor does he want to stop talking. Johnny doesn't answer immediately, perhaps confused about the reply and ultimately deciding to ignore it. I too choose the wrong times to start talking to people, and most of the time I don't realise it unless it's pointed out. Happens way often than I'd like to admit.
I know that a lot of the characters call Johnny a clown or see him as a joke (Spawn, Kotal, Shang Tsung) due to how he operates, but I don't see that as the case. There's one specific quote in mk9's story mode that he says to Raiden: "Sure, let's go and ruin someone else's life." This is why I think Johnny was very aware of what was going on. He's also very open about his ego, he doesn't hide it like everyone else, and yes they are hiding it.
Now don't get me wrong, he does randomly antagonise people, but he's in a tournament so he can do that. And it's not like he was getting personal for most of them. I think the only time he says something personal is when he feels like he's being personally attacked.
"We have something in common?" - Johnny
"I too was once young and foolish." - Nightwolf
"But I looked good doing it." - Johnny
What Nightwolf said sounded like a backhanded comment to me. Uncalled for. This is the same guy that intentionally risked the invasion of Earthrealm just to teach Scorpion a lesson or something. Johnny can tell that Nightwolf is like the others, very serious and tolerant, so he's surprised that Nightwolf can even manage to see himself in him.
Relationships: Even in the intros it's shown that he has a better chance at friendships with the villains than with the good guys. It's more like they (good guys) are tolerable of him, especially Jax. I think Sub Zero allowing Johnny to get away with calling him Grandmaster Blueberry Ice is out of respect rather than fondness. This section can extend to interactions, as I think a lot of people misinterpret him as a person, which extends to a lot of things he says such as statements and nicknames.
Johnny asks the other characters if he can make movies based on their stories, meaning he's (in a way) asking for permission. Johnny could've easily made a movie about their lives without asking them, make money, and get away with it because it's not like they would even watch his movies (they hate him), especially non-Earthrealm characters. But he's respectful. So I guess he understands boundaries to a certain degree.
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"Heard you gave Cage a shiner." - Young Jax
"He pushes every damn one of my buttons." - Old Jax
"You, me and everyone else." - Young Jax
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"Not surprised I have a kid, but you." - Jax
Why can't he have a kid, Jax? He's so condescending about it too.
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"Actions speak louder than words." - Liu Kang
"Yeah, that's why I make action movies." - Johnny
"With fake fighting." - Liu Kang
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"We come from different worlds, Johnny." - Liu Kang
"Aren't you from Earthrealm too?" - Johnny
"I mean I come from the real world." - Liu Kang
Liu Kang is such a bully.
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"The answer remains no." - Scorpion
"But you'll be co-starring with yours truly." - Johnny
"Exactly." - Scorpion
I think a true friend would consider it.
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"What kind of name is Kabal?" - Johnny
"Got a better suggestion, Cage?" - Kabal
"For now on you're Carlos." - Johnny
Never change, Johnny. Kabal clearly finds Johnny annoying, but was able to humour him enough to answer with a question of his own, perhaps encouraging Johnny's curiosity.
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"Looking forward to a kindler, gentler Outworld." - Johnny
"Why? Because I'm a woman?" - Kitana
"Well that, and you're banging Liu Kang." - Johnny
I have a lot of opinions about this one. On Johnny's part I interpreted this as him giving her a thumbs up on becoming the new Kahn, and since Kitana is supposed to be on the good side she is expected to rule fairly. You know, like a good person. But then Kitana made it about feminism, so Johnny delivered a line to counter it. I honestly think Kitana was reaching at something that wasn't there and Johnny picked up on it. I'm probably making excuses for him, but that's my take. Her response annoyed me so much.
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"So you were to defeat Shinnok." - Kitana
"What is with people? Is it so hard to believe?" - Johnny
"Yes." - Kitana
Kitana this is literally you:
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"If it's tail you want I can get that." - Kano
"Johnny Cage doesn't pay for it, Kano." - Johnny
"A scrubble? Note the date and time :D." - Kano
Kano is so pleased.
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"You stole my face for Ninja Priest!" - Kano
"Art imitates life, Kano." - Johnny
"Taking my cut outta of your hide." - Kano
A call back to what I stated in the relationships, Johnny didn't ask for Kano's permission for inspiration on a character.
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"Why a Russian fan club?" - Johnny
"Just going where the fans are." - Kano
"You have a showman's instincts there Kano. :D" - Johnny
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"I won't play your lackey, Cage." - Baraka
"Really? 'Cause I'm feeling a BFF vibe here." - Johnny
So this one is pretty wishy washy, but thought it would be beneficial to this post. I would lowkey enjoy a storyline where Johnny is buddy buddy with Baraka, who is reluctant to accept friendship but slowly gets used to it.
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"Oh, dude! I love westerns!" - Johnny
"The bullets are real, Cage" - Erron Black
"So are my fists." - Johnny
I'm pretty sure Johnny was just admiring Erron for what he is, kind of like meeting a nun in real life after years of only hearing about them... something like that. But Erron interpreted it as Johnny not being in the real world and treating everything as a joke.
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"Where is your fear?" - Noob Saibot
"Must've left it in my other pants." - Johnny
"We will find it." - Noob Saibot
Aww, Noob Saibot is so nice~ [Delusion] I love how Noob doesn't go out of his way to insult Johnny or belittle him, unlike some other characters.
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"Hey there, Tall Dark and Gruesome." - Johnny
"An apt description." - Noob Saibot
"Do you not get I am mocking you?" - Johnny
I headcanoned that Noob/Bi Han would take things literal, but he's also very analytical. I'm sure he was able to pick up on Johnny mocking him but didn't mind it, meaning he might have interpreted it as a nickname, which Johnny gives everyone. Wishful thinking, there could've been a lot of banter between these two.
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"You are more smug than usual." - Fujin
"I'm the new assistant thunder God." - Johnny
"Raiden should not have healed you." - Fujin
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"You know the evil overlord bit's played out." - Johnny
"What would you suggest?" - Shao Kahn
"Right now it's all anti-heroes." - Johnny
Is that kindness, Shao Kahn?
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I think they did Johnny dirty in MK11, not gonna lie. To be fair, his storyline also didn't make sense in mkx thanks to discovering his new powers even though he's shown using them in mk9. If he was playable in mk9 story mode and his powers were usable, then the mkx part where he mysteriously saves Sonya because of the green light doesn't make sense. I think he should've been able to always use his green glow, that way Hollywood critics thinking he's fake has another tone to it. His green glow can be spotted in his movies, which is why viewers think he uses special effects, which led him to try to prove himself in the tournament.
I think the problem should've been that he couldn't control it, also as a call back to his mk9 ending. I think it's even referenced in an intro with Raiden. "Seek out the Wu Shi for instruction."
It also would be funny if everyone else was aware of it, but only Johnny wasn't. Like they all assumed he could use the green glow out of choice, but he didn't know or notice that he would go green. The fact that it happened during fights means it would only ignite in stressful situations or on instinct. He was also wearing shades for the majority of mk9 (because he likes shades), in fact he always wears shades so I think he's the only one who didn't notice the glow.
Johnny says "Yeah, those things are real." when referring to Baraka's blades, meaning he didn't feel that they were real. I'm not sure what that means, but it gives insight to his power level. Johnny defeated Shinnok. I get that Johnny 'softens him up' but he still defeated Shinnok, so I think he should've been able to at least handle Sindel. The reason Shao Kahn was defeated in mk9 is because the Elder Gods possessed Raiden which is how Raiden defeated Shao Kahn. They nerfed Johnny's character and I am not happy about that.
Now, with his upbringing and history. I think Johnny had narcissistic parents, and depending on who he got his powers from it was an inherited narcissism (don't know which parent had the powers, someone will probably say his father but let's not assume).
I think there was taught narcissism on Johnny's behalf. The thing about growing up with narcissistic parents is that you grow up thinking that their behaviour is normal, so he must've not seen anything wrong with the behaviour he learned. We also need to take a good look at his personality. He's a bit childish in terms of maturity, and this is common in individuals who grew up with a narcissistic parent. Johnny talks as if he's a teenager rather than the average 25+ year old man. To his credit he doesn't throw tantrums or lash out when his odd behaviours are called out (unless I missed something), but dude is childish. Only lashes out when his face is even slightly ruined and even blindly attacked some Black Dragons for getting a scratch on his face. However he is also very independent, from what I know. And he's a bubbly man, even when he changed, that's a character I can appreciate. I think him and Joey from Friends would be friends, even though I haven't watched Friends to confirm this.
Morality wise Johnny doesn't have wicked intent. In his mk9 story mode he says he's not gonna kill anyone when told to kill Baraka, realising that it's not an everyday tournament. He's okay with fighting people for sport (let's establish that tournaments are basically a sport) but not killing people. The tournament is like a perverted form of kill or be killed, one Johnny was forced into participating in some form (I'm talking about the killing and fighting for Earthrealm part). I don't think Johnny likes killing people or anything dead related. In mkx story mode he rolls a head off the helicopter in a fit of heeby jeebies and disgust.
"Have you killed anyone?" - Terminator
"Yeah, but they were all bad." - Johnny
"Why make that distinction?" - Terminator
Like a rationale of what he's experiencing.
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"Discard your jesters mask." - Kotal Kahn
"What you see is what you get, Feather Head." - Johnny
"I thought you merely played the fool." - Kotal Kahn
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"You revel in childishness." - Kotal Kahn
"Gotta stay sane somehow." - Johnny
"How are you a warrior?" - Kotal Kahn
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"He was insufferable. Just like you." says Fujin about Johnny's great-great grandfather. Dude might've been a mega narcissist. Narcissism is taught and learned. Another example would be old Johnny and young Johnny:
Young Johnny - "Dad always said "Hungry people eat lunch, humble people serve it."
Older Johnny "Dad was an a**hole, Hollywood made us an even bigger one."
So based on those facts alone, Johnny comes from a long generation of egotistical people. Then we have Hollywood. I think Johnny got into Hollywood not just because of creative thinking, but I think there's also a sense of longing there. Narcissistic parents, ignore, abandon and degrade their children. Along with making movies being a hyper fixation, their abandonment played a part in his need for spotlight. Johnny divorcing Sonya for her neglect might be more personal because it was a reminder of his parents.
I heard that there's a lot of narcissists in Hollywood, so with Johnny surrounding himself with people like that...(yikes!) The thing with narcissists is that they are always out for themselves. An autistic person struggles with social interactions, while a narcissist will manipulate the social interaction. Johnny (and Kung Lao) doesn't do that. He very much cares about the people around him and doesn't see them as tools.
Now back to his family.
"Grandma Carlton told you my secret?" - Johnny
"(Snicker) Johnny pee pants?" - Cassie
"I had one accident! One!" - Johnny
Judging from how Johnny both asked the question and responded, I theorise it came from a place of trauma. For his mother to tell Cassie the story as if it's a funny story and give him a nickname is suspicious. I think I already mentioned this in another post but I would like to elaborate. Me personally, I don't think anyone pissing themselves is a laughing matter. People don't piss themselves for no reason, or at least most people don't. Humiliating their child is a narcissist's past time. While his mother may not have played a part in humiliating him, she still found it funny enough to tell Cassie, who also for some reason found it funny.
(I have mixed opinions on Cassie and I might get in on her in another post. I don't know how many of these I'll be making.)
Going back to the interactions between young and older Johnny, I think older Johnny hates his younger self. Movie making is something Johnny loved, cash grab or not creative thinkers like doing creative things.
I think I mentioned in another post that it's something he learned, so I'll like to continue that theory. Johnny wasn't that much of a bad person, sure he has flaws, but he's not evil or anything. So older Johnny's reaction to his younger self eagerly trying to convince him to make movies and stuff was kind of unnerving.
It should've been something he could smile fondly at, but instead he reacts as if his passion has been beaten out of him. He finds his younger self annoying, just like everyone else. Everyone else = Sonya, Jax, and pretty much everyone else. As a person who likes coming up with stories and wants those stories to be known, I feel crushed by this conclusion of analysis. Poor Johnny.
Another fact about Neurodivergent people is that no matter what they will always be the same person no matter how much their opinions and belief change overtime, they will still have the same personality. Johnny still likes making his jokes and still gives people nicknames, but he lacks creativity in creating things. I guess applying his need for action into training the Kombat kids and working with the Special Forces counts as a slight change.
I'm coming close to an end so I'll sum it up by saying that Johnny shouldn't have got back together with Sonya. I don't ship them and I'm making it clear that I hate them together. Even before mk11 I thought the ship didn't make sense and it needs to be a character that doesn't tolerate him but actually enjoys his company from the beginning. It took me everything not to write that Johnny is a national treasure that should be protected.
Originally, Shao Kahn killed Sindel's husband, and took her as his wife and Kitana as spoils of war. Sindel then escaped mind control on her own, taught her skills to the hero of MK Deception, and presumably spent the rest of the first timeline embarrassing Kitana, as is every mother's prerogative. It was a very different era in the game's history lol
I'm sorry, I ought to have specified that I was referring to historical figures. We all know what a great dude Christopher Columbus was, right? /s (If you can bielieve it, there are still Christopher Columbus parades in cities with large Italian-American populations. I /think/ it's a holdover from when most Italians in the US were immigrants and ergo not exactly popular, but c'mon, guys, have some fucking standards) Nobody's talking about how much of a jerk Bilbo Baggins is.
Everyone should be a Johnny Cage stan, that guy is badass, funny, and the ultimate cool dad. "Must've left [my fear] in my other pants" never gets old (nor does Jacqui shooting things with her arms, no matter how much people accuse her of being a bore)
It's been amazing talking to you, you're super perceptive and aren't afraid to say things that might ruffle feathers. I've heard from 500 people why Kitana is best girl and Jade is the chillest, it's time I heard why Kitana is a sack of crap and Jade is no better. (my headcanons are admittedly more charitable than yours, but someone has to say it)
I'm closing off with the opinion that it's super gratifying to see Mileena as empress and Kitana as big sis' adoring little handmaid. I'm also getting Kenshi/Kitana vibes, but that's neither here nor there.
I've never considered Kenshi/Kitana, but it would be interesting to see.
I'm all for good Sindel, it's a shame they turned her into... that. The whole Christopher Colombus thing is very disturbing.
Wish Jacqui got more love too, had a blast playing as her in MKX and her relationship with Takeda is a 10/10. I'd say they get rid of Jax and bring more attention to her.
Speaking to you has been amazing as well, hugs from an internet stranger.
Edenian supremacism probably comes with the Sindel retcon. They were originally allies of Earthrealm and as much victims of Shao Kahn as anyone else - Kitana and Jade were actually freedom fighters for Edenia. Why they're now apparently all soulless pieces of shit (and why the narrative turns against Kitana beginning with Aftermath, seriously listen to how Spawn just dunks on her), I think, has to do with a change in society as a whole.
As more and more previously unheard people speak up and tell their stories, more and more narratives are getting flipped, and rightly so - those we've been told to admire all our lives are turning out to be bigots at best and greedy, power-hungry butchers or heartless religious zealots at worst. Conversely, the people society whose voices society wishes it could silence - BIPOC, LGBTIA+, workers, those with disabilities (ND included), really anyone who's suffered at the hands of the powerful and privileged - are finally starting to be vindicated, to have their complaints validated, and their stories heard.
In other words, our heroes are turning out to be way worse people than our villains ever were, and fiction is starting to reflect this; The Boys would be a textbook example, nobody with superpowers in that franchise is anywhere near heroic, and honestly I'm a little disturbed that anyone would want to play Homelander in MK. The Edenians were presented as the most virtuous in the original universe, so they were the obvious choice to be the rotten bastards in MK11 (not a choice I exactly agree with, or even the Sindel retcon at all, but if I got to make every choice cheese curds would grow on trees, so)
Having made that observation, I still consider having villains more sympathetic than your heroes to be an immense failure on the part of the author. Let's be real, "princess" is part of Kitana's identity, and that implies she's up to her eyeballs in some sort of privilege. The thing is, free will exists, and privilege does not (or should not) hard-lock you into being an asshole. Even Kitana could have chosen integrity and real compassion, to do what's best for the people even when it came at expense to herself, but nope, she chose to play footsie with Kotal's buddies and attack people for not meeting her sky-high standards.
This is not the Kitana Outworld deserves, and this is not the Kitana the MK community deserves.
I'm falling asleep at my laptop rn, so good night and thank you for pointing out that Sonya is trash.
Goodnight.
Not gonna lie, I always saw Sindel as an evil character even with the whole mind control thing. If their own queen was willing to kill her own husband, an Edenian, to have a stronger one (Outworld-ian) then they shouldn't be flabbering about supremacy.
I've been meaning to vent out about Sonya but didn't know when.
"I'm a little disturbed that anyone would want to play Homelander in MK" I thought this was a joke when I first heard it, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually meant it.
When it comes to villainising the heroes I think it's more of a Severus Snape situation, where we the viewers find out there's more to the villains and the heroes. I think NRS figured we were tired of goody two shoes and wanted to see those goody two shoes be more humanised, if humanised means less decent. And then proceeded to butcher some beloved characters, I guess. Harry's been told his parents were good people only to find out they did terrible things. When shown that Mileena just wanted a family we can hold some kind of sympathy for her, even though it doesn't excuse the fact that she's a blood thirsty killer.
One thing to be noted is that there's a lack of consistency when it comes to the games, and not just designs, so when you're talking about "those we've been told to admire all our lives are turning out to be bigots at best and greedy, power-hungry butchers or heartless religious zealots at worst." I think it's the writers changing their minds to fit the mindset of current audiences, acknowledging that it's not just kids playing the games nowadays and it's their way of making things more realistic.
As a Johnny Cage stan, I can very much tell you that there's a lot of things wrong with him, but he's an angel in comparison to the other heroes. (even if he was sexist and mouthy in the past, he is the most relatable) He is a good example when making a flawed character in my opinion, or maybe I'm being too soft on the guy.
I don't think Scorpion was held accountable for screwing everyone over, either. Or killing Bi Han. Poor Bi Han.
