Top 10 Callbacks and Easter Eggs in Mortal Kombat (2021)
#10: Scorpion & Sub-Zero’s Feud
It’s one of the biggest rivalries in video games, and it served as an excellent opener for the movie. “Mortal Kombat” immediately reintroduces one of the franchise’s oldest stories, of how Hanzo Hasashi and his family were ambushed by the Lin Kuei clan. While we did see this part of Scorpion’s backstory in “Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge”, we had never seen this given a more cinematic treatment. Between the excellent cinematography and over-the-top gore, retelling this part of franchise’s history was a great way to tell hardcore fans that the IP was in the right hands.
#9: Classic Moves
The new “Mortal Kombat” movie could have easily misfired with bad CGI and forced references just like the 1995 original and its sequel, which featured too many basic kicks and punches. However, this new iteration features several moves, new and old, that fit into fights fluidly. Sonya’s energy blasts and Kano’s laser eye have never looked this cool, and Kung Lao’s hat teleportation was such a cool reveal! The movie even recreates fatalities featured in the games such as Jax’s famous head clap and Kung Lao’s buzzsaw hat fatality from the 2011 reboot game. If you’ve played the games, you know how those go.
#8: Nitara, Reiko, & Kabal
If you’ve been playing “Mortal Kombat since the late 90’s or early 2000’s, you may have recognized a couple of the cronies Shang Tsung brought on later in the movie. In addition to Mileena, the evil sorcerer had chosen Kabal, Reiko, and Nitara as his warriors for the tournament. Many will recognize Kabal thanks to his inclusion in the 2011 game and the recent “Mortal Kombat 11”. As for the other two? Reiko and Nitara only appeared in two games each, with Reiko debuting in “Mortal Kombat 4” and Nitara in “Deadly Alliance”. Considering how obscure these two are in the franchise, it was surprising to see them get a spot in the story.
#7: Familiar (& Ancient) Faces
There were a few more characters we recognized that, unfortunately, weren’t a part of the cast. For starters, we do get to see a mural of the Great Kung Lao defeating Shang Tsung. However, before Cole, Sonya, and Kano arrive at Raiden’s temple, we saw a couple more recognizable faces while Sonya explains to Cole the meaning behind his “birth mark”. She points to a photo of a Native American that looks very much like Nightwolf. Another photo depicts a man in what appears to be Mayan garb, which we can safely assume is Kotal Kahn from MKX and MK11. Cool to see them have some part in the lore!
#6: The Pits
In the last act of the movie, the team comes up with a plan to take on Shang Tsung’s warriors and save Earthrealm. Jax chooses to fight Reiko in a setting that feels all too familiar. Let’s see...spikes, bones, a narrow pathway… Yep, every “Mortal Kombat” fan will immediately recognize the Pit upon first glance! The Pit is arguably the most recognized location in the “Mortal Kombat” franchise due to its simplistic design and iconic stage fatality. Sadly, we don’t get to see Reiko fall onto a bed of spikes in the movie, but it was still exciting to see the classic location get a nod.
#5: Move Spamming
Okay, this one isn’t specifically tied to “Mortal Kombat”, but anyone who has played a fighting game with friends will appreciate this. In order to awaken their superhuman abilities, Cole and Kano must train with Kung Lao and Liu Kang. Whereas Cole suffers a deep cut from Kung Lao’s hat, Kano kind of had it worse. When fighting Liu Kang, Kano suffers defeat from getting sweep-kicked three consecutive times. Yep, our supposedly “honorable” monk was employing a cheap trick known as “move spamming”. We can certainly sympathize with the Black Dragon leader, but we couldn’t help laughing, especially given how many times we’ve done this to our own friends.
#4: Where is Kitana?
Yeah, we were asking this a few times after Mileena makes her appearance. How do you have the evil clone of a princess when said princess is nowhere to be found? Don’t worry - our darling Kitana was not forgotten...entirely. One scene shows a brief confrontation between the Earthrealm warriors and Shang Tsung. In one particular shot, you can see Kitana’s fan hanging on a wall behind Raiden. This was a nice nod to the character, but it raises so many questions! Was Kitana one of the warriors who failed to win? Could she be dead in this version of “Mortal Kombat”? Why does Raiden have her weapon hanging on his temple walls? Maybe the sequel needs to explain this!
#3: “Citizen Cage” Poster
Another character who was noticeably absent was our favorite smart-mouthed movie star. Seriously, where is Johnny Cage? Well, he is referenced, and we’re not just talking about in the ending. That poster can be seen early on in the movie, and it also serves as a reference to the reboot game. One of MK9’s earliest moments sees Johnny trying to hit on Sonya and begins naming movies he starred in, one of them being the movie advertised on the poster - “Citizen Cage”. Yeah, this is an Easter egg that can be easily overlooked! We almost missed it ourselves!
#2: Another Four-Armed Monster?
The poster isn’t the only thing we almost overlooked! One line of dialogue might hint at the appearance of another character in a sequel. Shortly after Cole defeats Goro, his wife, Alison, and daughter Emily start packing, with Alison saying how she wasn’t waiting around for “another four-armed monster”. Well, hate to be the bearer of bad news, Ali, but there might be another four-armed monster still to come. Did anyone else remember that Kintaro and Sheeva are huge and have four arms? Something tells us Alison’s going to lose her mind if she encounters these two in the next movie.
#1: Shinnok’s Amulet
If you don’t think they’re going to try and make a “Mortal Kombat” cinematic universe, then you must have missed this one! While Liu Kang shows Cole, Kano, and Sonya around Raiden’s temple, Kano decides to steal one particular artifact. This is actually the same amulet that imprisons evil Elder God Shinnok in the games. Liu Kang tells him to put it back, though we never see this occur. Besides, Kano could have quickly swiped it again shortly after Liu Kang left to talk to Sonya. So, chances are Kano still has...er, had the amulet on him up until his death. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you set up a franchise!