Mortal Kombat 1’s Most Controversial Change to 2 Established Characters Wasn’t Out of Nowhere, but a Cut Story Beat From Over 30 Years Ago

The original Mortal Kombat 1 game was released by Midway in arcades in October 1992. The established rivalry between Sub-Zero and Scorpion has become a feud that has lasted for more than 30 years giving us massive lore, fantastic battles, and eponymous finishers.

However, when Ed Boon, co-creator of the Mortal Kombat franchise decided to change this nostalgic lore and make Sub-Zero and Scorpion brothers in Mortal Kombat 1 reboot from 2023, many fans expressed their disapproval. That said, the controversial change wasn’t out of nowhere, since there is more to the brotherly bond between two Mortal Kombat ninjas.

The idea of Scorpion and Sub-Zero being siblings appeared during the creation of the first game itself. Daniel Pesina, Scorpion’s original actor has revealed that creating unique characters for the Mortal Kombat universe was a time-consuming process.

He said that the first ninja character he performed for was a yellow ninja who eventually became Scorpion. Sub-Zero had a more thoughtful creation. On the other side of the creation process was John Tobias, the game’s designer, who saw an opportunity to add new characters and save time by swapping color palettes. 

From Scorpion’s yellow, Sub-Zero morphed into green, grey, and then blue. However, this would have been too simple and empty. Pesina disagreed with the color swap idea and was supported by his brother Carlos, they roasted John saying the concept was lazy. 

As a result, John added a story to the color swap Ninjas saying, “You know what, I’m going to make up a story where the ninjas are brothers and they’re going to fight each other.”

Pesina questioned the logic behind it. His original idea involved one brother who wanted to be a clan leader and to do so he had to kill their master, who was also their father. Daniel, his brother, and others involved in the making of the game agreed that it was a ‘great story’, but was ultimately scrapped. 

This concept sat on the shelf until 2023 when Sub-Zero and Scorpion being brothers resurfaced in the Mortal Kombat 1 reboot.  

Sub-Zero and Scorpion have become much more than color palette swaps in their rich 30+ years of history. Over time, each character has evolved with its own rich lore. As a start, Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi) was a member of the Shirai Ryu clan, while Sub-Zero (Bi-Han) was a part of the rival Lin Kuei clan and as such bitter enemies.

In their first fight, Sub-Zero was victorious but Scorpion was brought back to life by the sorcerer Quan Chi. Ever since then, their rivalry has gone back and forth, explored in different timelines and as different beings than humans. 

Nevertheless, the rivalry has taken a new turn in the reboot, and fans aren’t feeling it. Dominic Cianciolo, the story director, explained their goal was to “refresh” the iconic rivalry. 

In the new timeline, Scorpion is known under the name Kuai Liang, Sub Zero’s young brother who appeared in past games. This erases the classic rivalry between Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) and Bi-Han (the original Sub-Zero). 

Fan reactions to this change were as notorious as some of the characters from the Netherrealm. Many miss the concept that created the long-lasting feud and wonder how it will affect the subsequent games and even other characters. 

How do you feel about the decision to make Sub-Zero and Scorpion Brothers in the Mortal Kombat 1? Let us know in the comments!