I guess I got into playing Mortal Kombat Mobile back in 2019.

The app was free, as in, free to play. Yeah, of course, you have the ability to spend thousands of dollars maxing out stats and acquiring new characters. I’d say I’ve spent upwards of six hundred dollars on a “free to play” game.

I think it was 2020 when Mortal Kombat the movie was released. I remember it being a movie to watch on HBO, same time as it was released in theaters, kinda deal.

This movie was the first glimpse I’d ever seen into who Sub Zero and Scorpion were. This Mortal Kombat movie gave a brief backstory of Bi Han, of the Lin Kuei, and Hanzo Hasashi, of the Shirai Ryu.

The Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu were both assassin clans. The Lin Kuei was led by Bi Han, and the Shirai Ryu led by Hanzo Hasashi.

The first scene depicts a surprise attack from Bi Han and the Lin Kuei on Hanzo Hasashi and the Shirai Ryu’s village. I had no idea what Hanzo did to Bi Han and the Lin Kuei, but I could gather he really pissed off Bi Han and his clan.

There’s a showdown between Bi Han and Hanzo Hasashi. Bi Han kills Hanzo.

Next time we see Bi Han, he is no longer Bi Han- but Sub Zero. Dunno how that happened, in the literature that is Mortal Kombat, but he did.

By the end, Hanzo returns as Scorpion. And of course he opens a can of whoop ass on Sub Zero, which I’ll admit, I saw coming, but it was still dope to watch it unfold.

The idea of assassins, and clans, similar to Vikings and Samurai, in a sense, really jacks me up. The idea of dishonor, that, if you dishonor my people, my legacy, I’ll fucking end you and yours. That’s something that’s been dialed down in today’s world, and if people execute like savages, they go to prison, a psych ward, or are sentenced to death. So, playing it out in reality isn’t a viable option.

But, in a fictional world, man- that’s fiction I really dig.

Hanzo swore vengeance on Bi Han for his surprise attack, and that he dishonored him and his clan.

I don’t know who’s the good guy, or who’s the bad guy- shit, both of these dudes are apex warriors, friggin assassins. They kinda were in a shady business to begin with. Which makes it all the more intriguing for me.

The game is fun, but it’s more about the backstory for me. Any time Sub Zero or Scorpion shows up as a character, I kinda love it.

Of course, there are many other character’s in the game of Mortal Kombat. And they all have a backstory. Also pretty kickass.

The Mortal Kombat movies from the nineties focused on Liu Kang, and his destiny to save Earth realm. Raiden was in it, Johnny Cage, Sonia Blade, Kitana, and others. But we never really got a backstory. Most of us watching those movies back in the day only knew the characters on screen from the characters in the arcade game. They were static because, we didn’t know much about them. Plus, what can be done in the medium of video games was much more difficult to reproduce on the silver screen, back in the 1990’s. It was a solid effort, and those movies will always have a place in my heart.

Although, the newest Mortal Kombat movie was the best one to date, in my opinion.

Check it out, if you’re bored, and want some nostalgia. I think if we were aware of what was happening in the nineties, we’re all at least vaguely aware of Mortal Kombat. So, yeah.

Philip Webb