Things Fans Want To See In Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle Of The Realms
Fans of the "Mortal Kombat" series have been graced with several new film projects based on their favorite fighting game as of late. Though critics were divided on 2021's live-action offering, everyone seems to agree that 2020's "Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge" is a success. Fans demanded a sequel, and quickly got their wish: "Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms" was announced in June 2021, and will draw new blood on August 31 when it comes to Digital and Blu-ray. The reveal of that release date also came with a ton of information about what's in store for the heroes of Earthrealm.
"Battle of the Realms" looks promising, with much of the talent of the previous film set to return to the action. The cover art hints that other mainstay characters will take center stage in this adventure, while a brief synopsis tells us that Scorpion will play a large role. The kombatants are headed to Outworld, possibly for a second tournament or just to battle, with new fighters joining the mix. Things look set to deliver another animated success — but what do long-term "Mortal Kombat" fans most want to see in "Battle of the Realms"? Let's find out.
More klassic stages
"Scorpion's Revenge" shows fans a lot of Shang Tsung's island, but it's time to move on. We know that our heroes are going to end up in Outworld at some point, but hopefully, viewers will see other realms as well — especially those we haven't seen much of. Outworld is a big place, having conquered and absorbed many realms. There could be many new locations there worth exploring.
What fans want most are recreations of familiar in-game stages. Whether it's one of many takes on The Pit, the haunting Living Forest, or a new version of the acidic and perilous Dead Pool, all of these stages offer amazing visuals and many potential fatalities. We'll probably spend most of our time in familiar places around Outworld, but here's hoping that classics like The Portal and Shao Kahn's Arena (especially after that cool tease of his throne room at the end of "Scorpion's Revenge") get some love. Newer locations in the realm that deserve more attention will hopefully also make an appearance, such as Kove from "Mortal Kombat X."
Embracing Edenia
If "Battle of the Realms" wants to venture into a much more attractive realm, it should consider taking a trip to Princess Kitana's home world. Edenia would look and feel like a fantasy vacation compared to Outworld. As the name implies, it's a lush environment where nearly everything occupying space is attractive. This includes the people, who are the descendants of gods. Its flourishing landscapes have been barely marked by civilization, and it plays host to a fun cast of characters like Tanya and Rain. There are a lot of fun stories to be explored in Edenia, but it is often ignored in favor of larger conflict.
This may seem a bit off to some longtime fans of the games, as the "Scorpion's Revenge" timeline most likely indicates that Edenia is currently still merged with Outworld, and will be until Shao Kahn's defeat. This can easily be remedied by using flashbacks, or simply skipping around in time, depending on how tied to the canon the animated films are. One sign that we may get something like this is the inclusion of Jade in "Battle of the Realms." She's a fan-favorite character with strong ties to Kitana and Edenia, being part of their royalty and eventually a general of their army. She could be the perfect avenue for introducing more lore from that realm.
The Realm of Order
There are six main realms in the "Mortal Kombat" universe, but only three or four of them ever seem to get any extensive attention. The two worlds on the bottom rungs of the ladder are the realms of Order and Chaos. They may seem pretty straightforward, but there's more to them, and the individuals they bring into the fight, than meets the eye.
Orderrealm, also referred to as Seido, is a clean and modernized society. It's an attractive place, raised into the sky and fueled by magic, which its people have an affinity for. The residents value symmetry and structure. They divide their cities into different areas based on color, while the shape of the municipality resembles a magical symbol (similar to Shinnok's amulet). There's still crime here, but punishment is swift and merciless.
Due to this strict enforcement of the law, there are often conflicts within the populace. The government believes that freedom can lead to anarchy, which leaves citizens uptight. This leads to riots and other attacks, often involving the Seidan Resistance. The Resistance is led by Darrius, an ambitious and manipulative fighter who plays the role of revolutionary or terrorist, depending on who is asked. He, and the realm he's associated with, could add fascinating depth to "Battle of the Realms."
The Realm of Chaos
Chaosrealm is a fascinating land of freedom and anarchy, where wild practices have become a form of religion. There is no government here, and its inhabitants say things backward when they desire to speak at all. They revel in being attacked, and believe death to be the last great chaotic adventure. This makes them unique, to say the least, and often menacing. Most Chaosrealmers are scarred, burned, tattooed, or mangled in some other way, and have experienced amnesia when it comes to remembering the old world.
Several temples are scattered across the land for those who wish to praise the God of Chaos, who is believed to have greatly changed the Chaosrealm. Since the world fell victim to a mighty tempest, many of its geographical formations have begun to violate the laws of physics by breaking away. Numerous portals are required to travel between them. This is the sort of feature that makes Chaosrealm ripe for cinematic adaptation.
Havik, a Cleric of Chaos, is the most notable individual from the realm, acting as their champion. He has his own lofty goals, and is given quite a lot of attention in the "Mortal Kombat X" comics. Fans would love to see him get involved in a bigger story on screen.
More Nitara
Nitara is an interesting character who could use a little more time to spread her wings — literally. Moviegoers recently saw her in 2021's live-action "Mortal Kombat" movie, and she enjoys a small cameo in "Scorpion's Revenge," where she hisses at Johnny Cage. Nitara is one of the more interesting characters in the "Mortal Kombat" universe, yet she is underutilized — not just in terms of her powers, but in terms of her existence as a vampire with long-term goals. Only the sun from Earthrealm appears to harm her, and she does indeed feed on blood, needing the substance to live. Despite this, Nitara is not traditionally evil. In truth, she's fun to interact with — most of her dialogue in "Deadly Alliance" contains musical references. Nitara isn't afraid to get her hands dirty when needed, but those manipulations and deceptions are often used for a noble goal: To free her realm from Outworld.
Nitara would be very interesting to see in action in "Battle of the Realms." Vaeternus, the realm her vampire race, the Moroi, originates from, has barely been developed. Moreover, she could help push the plot to some of the smaller realms we never hear about, or even bring in a character like Erron Black, whom she briefly dates. Nitara's goal is to use a mystical orb to separate her realm from Outworld – she could easily manipulate a hero or two into helping her accomplish this goal. That's the beginning of a solid storyline.
Tremor
Since it looks as if Kano meets his end in "Scorpion's Revenge" (though is any character ever really dead?), there could be an open spot for someone new to represent the Black Dragon clan. Sure, there are a few options, including Kabal, Jarek, or Kobra, if they're desperate. But a particularly solid choice would be Tremor. This mysterious ninja may look like he belongs in the Lin Kuei, but he's actually an arms dealer with the power of geokinesis. His ability to summon stone and cause earthquakes barely scrapes the surface of his power: He has an incredibly versatile move set, is seen manipulating other minerals, and takes out small armies by himself in the "Mortal Kombat X" comics.
No matter how strong or imposing he is — he's one of the tallest human characters in the franchise — "Mortal Kombat" has not done him any favors in the past. Making his first appearance in the poorly received "Mortal Kombat: Special Forces" game, Tremor is only given a brief moment to shine before he is killed by Jax. Plus, some of his actions in the comics have been seemingly retconned by newer games. "Battle of the Realms" could turn things around and let Tremor truly shake things up — perhaps as a test before bringing him into future games or live-action films.
Ashrah
Fans saw a good bit of the Netherrealm and its denizens while Scorpion was there in "Scorpion's Revenge," but there's still a lot to learn about the residents of this realm. Consider Ashrah. Looking at her, most wouldn't guess Ashrah is a demon, considering her looks, classy demeanor, and white attire with gold trim. But it's true: She's initially aligned with Quan Chi and his Brotherhood of Shadow. However, all it takes is a spark of conscience and finding a blessed sword known as the Kriss, which purifies her spirit every time she slays a demon with it, and suddenly, she's switching sides in hopes of redemption.
This demon hunter also targets vampires, putting her at odds with Nitara. She believes Noob Saibot and Ermac to be demonic as well. It would be easy to weave Ashrah into the story by having her mistake another hero for a demon, or have her chase a common enemy. There is also a fun wrinkle thrown in regarding whether or not her sword is truly a holy artifact, or just using Ashrah for its own purposes. "Battle of the Realms" may not have enough runtime to dive into a smaller character's background, but it'd be easy to set something interesting up for the future regarding Ashrah.
Quan Chi's assassins
Sure, Quan Chi dies in "Scorpion's Revenge." But if anyone can come back from that, it's a demonic necromancer like him. Regardless, it does look like we're going to be getting an appearance from Shinnok, who will need a few enforcers of his own. This is a good time to bring in Sareena, Kia, and Jataaka, Quan Chi's personal assassins. These three ladies are all skilled fighters who wear seductive black and red outfits. But this beauty hides their true demonic forms.
The trio initially appear as enemies in "Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero," battling the original Sub-Zero. In that game, Sareena actually turns on Quan Chi and helps Sub-Zero. Using this trio would be seen as a bit of a deep cut, however, as only Sareena has been playable and appeared outside of cameos. These characters would most likely be used as silent brutes or background characters, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the case: The television series "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" showed that, given a bit of time, there are some good stories to tell with these assassins. They deserve a new outing, where they can be more than just pretty faces.
The cyber initiative
The ninja known as Sub-Zero has been killed, so it's time for his brother, Kuai Liang, to take up the mantle. We aren't just getting a new Sub-Zero this time, however: It looks like both Smoke and the Grandmaster will make appearances in "Battle of the Realms." This could lead to some intriguing story threads. Many fans, for example, wouldn't mind seeing the beginnings of the Cyber Initiative.
Though the Cyber Initiative is a big part of Lin Kuei history, many within the clan feel it will make them soulless robots. Raiden even says it's one of the Lin Kuei's most "ruinous choices." Though it's a dark time for the group, including it in "Battle of the Realms" could introduce us to great characters like Cyrax and Sektor. The dramatic potential is huge and flexible: A little reprogramming is all it would take to put one or more of these cyborg units on opposing sides, causing even more conflict and some seriously entertaining fights. This would likely be a Sub-Zero-heavy plot, however, so we may have to wait for him to get the starring role in one of these films for such a storyline to come about. But all the other necessary parts are in "Battle of the Realms," ready to kick a Cyber Initiative-centric storyline off.
Other Titans and new gods
"Battle of the Realms" looks like it's going to finally introduce the One Being, potentially the biggest baddie in "Mortal Kombat." Whether it will simply be a looming threat or something more present, it will be great to get more information about this entity. Using animation as the medium to depict the One Being visually for the first time could leave quite the impression. The Kamidogu will also be involved as well: Scorpion will be hunting them, most likely to prevent the One Being's return. What form will they be in? We don't yet know. But both the One Being and the Kamidogu present an opportunity for "Battle of the Realms" to explore the cosmic elements of "Mortal Kombat" and fill in a few nagging gaps.
"Mortal Kombat 11" gave fans their first Titan, Kronika. She is a powerful being who controls time. There are others like her out there, who have complete power over similarly raw concepts like space, reality, and other aspects of existence. Scorpion's ending in "Mortal Kombat 11" hints at these Titans, but we only see a brief image of them and are left to fill in a lot of blanks. The Titans could be compelling story material, especially if they're used to set up potential allies or foes for future installments. Meeting the gods and protectors of other worlds could also expand the lore of "Mortal Kombat" and bring in completely new storytelling possibilities.