Shang Tsung is the real puppetmaster and final boss — but not the Shang Tsung fromMK1’snew timeline.
Okay, but who’s even Shang Tsung?
My apologies. From here on I’ll try to sound less confusing than the plot of this game. Shang Tsung is a very powerful sorcerer who’s all about deception andstealing souls.He’s been a part ofMortal Kombatlore since the originalMortal Kombat, where he also served as the final boss.
*It’s not this one, either.
So which Shang Tsung is it?
Much like inMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance,Shang Tsung and another villain named Quan Chi form a, ugh, killer alliance to take over the new timeline. The only difference here is that they now have the help of a mysterious third party they call “benefactor”.
We later learn that this benefactor is the Shang Tsung who emerged victorious in the bad ending ofMortal Kombat 11 Aftermath. The twist is that the good ending inAftermathis canon, but not theonlycanonical ending.
At the same time that Liu Kang created this new timeline, Shang Tsung became the godly ruler of a different one. He could’ve just stayed there and enjoyed his undisputed godhood, but Shang Tsung is an ’80s villain. One measlyentireuniversewouldn’t be enough to satisfy him, so he set out to conquer every universe.
And it’s a bit confusing
Mortal Kombat 1might confuse even die-hard fans, and that’s not just due to the game’s convoluted storyline. This is what theregularly evilShang Tsung from the newMK1timeline looks like:
This version looks great with his yellowish attire reminiscent ofhis outfit inMortal Kombat 3.Still, this Shang Tsung is just a fool and thus not the one you’ll be fighting in the end.
The actualMK1final boss is the timeline-hopping Shang Tsung. This one:
He also looks great, donning a red outfit that features a badass golden dragon, but there are two problems here. The first one is that this outfit resembles hisDeadly Alliancelook.That’s weird because it’s a reference to adifferentShang Tsung. The second problem is that his face doesn’t match, either.
ForAftermath, NetherRealm Studios cast Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa to play Shang Tsung. That’s the actor behind the character’s legendary portrayal in the originalMortal Kombatmovie adaptation. His return inAftermathruled, naturally, but Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa sadly didn’t come back inMK1.NetherRealmwent with a completely different look for the ultimate Shang Tsung inMK1, and it just feels a bit off. Remember to fall for no wacky sorcerer tricks! This is the guy you’re fighting in the end:
Or, at the very least, that guy’ssoul.
you may now killmostiterations of Shang Tsung inMortal Kombat 1on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
