Mortal Kombatcanon is a bit all over the place. For years, every game instalment kept stacking new story developments on top of each other - which was fine when the characters didn’t change all that much. Big bads would come and go and everyone’s alignment pretty much stayed the same, as did their roles in the story. That is untilNetherRealmwas formed, rebooting the series altogether.
Now, asMortal Kombat 1introduces yet another timeline reboot, all of these contradicting story elements can coexist as one. This is thanks to the whole idea of the hourglass and the keeper of time, allowing different universes and timelines to be referenced in the new game. We’re already seeing some of these references in pre-fight banter, as characters mention everything from spin-off movies to the 3D era.
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These new lines of dialogue come to us courtesy ofMortal Kombat 1’s stress test, allowing a lucky few to play the game early. Of course, the community is just as excited about the story as it is about the gameplay mechanics, so many are sharing all of the character interactions available in the game so far.
One of the first to jump out is a reference to Onaga, who debuted in Mortal Kombat: Deception. This is surprising, as Onaga was never included in the NetherRealm-era canon. Players get this reference in a mirror match between two Liu Kangs, with one stating that Onaga rules their timeline. This has fans wondering if the dragon king will be an antagonist in the story, rather than just a throwaway line.
It isn’t just previous games getting a shout-out. For the first time ever, one of the animated films has been referenced, with a version of Kenshi alluding to the events of Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind.
My personal favourite, however, doesn’t refer to any great battles or corrupted timelines. In a Kitana mirror match, one will ask the other if Liu Kang is also a god in their universe. The other laughs: “A god? He’s my consort.”
And of course, because Mileena can’t be happy in any universe, we have another Kitana telling her MK1 counterpart that her “sister” isn’t all that she seems. Admittedly, it’s not clear if this new Mileena is actually a Kitana clone, but this exchange suggests she is.
That’s a whole lot of lore details for a stress test - especially one that only has four playable characters. We’re likely to get more story teasers closer to Mortal Kombat 1’s launch, which is set for Jul 13, 2025.
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