Earthrealm scored a flawless victory in Mortal Kombat 2021, so why is the tournament still happening in Mortal Kombat 2 despite their win? As of January 2022, Warner Bros has officially green-lit Mortal Kombat 2, a decision owed in no small part to the franchise reboot’s streaming success that made Mortal Kombat HBO Max’s most-watched theatrical release of the year. This sequel confirmation means Earthrealm and Outworld will once again contest the legendary titular tournament in Mortal Kombat 2 despite the two sides already facing off to decide the fate of humanity.
Mortal Kombat 2021’s final showdown sees the God of Thunder, Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), transport his chosen warriors to ambush Shang Tsung’s (Chin Han) forces in Outworld. In classic Mortal Kombat fashion, Earthrealm’s champions defeat their opponents using Fatalities, including Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) immolating his nemesis Sub Zero (Joe Taslim) with hellfire. Unexpectedly cowed by Earth’s fighters, Shang Tsung vows to take revenge as he is banished by Raiden, with Earthrealm subsequently preparing for the imminent Mortal Kombat tournament that will decide Earth’s destiny.
Simply put, Mortal Kombat 2‘s tournament is going ahead because the fighting seen across Mortal Kombat 2021 is not classified as official by the Kombat world’s gods. The events of Mortal Kombat 2021 see Shang Tsung attempting to kill Earthrealm’s new warriors ahead of the tournament as opposed to participating fairly in it, meaning all of the preemptive clashes seen throughout the film do not matter in the context of Outworld’s invasion plans of Earth. Furthermore, all of the fights in Mortal Kombat 2021 happened outside of a round-based tournament setting, cementing the need for an official competition to legitimately decide the winner in the tenth round of Mortal Kombat.
From the start of Mortal Kombat 2021, it becomes abundantly clear that the soul-eating sorcerer Shang Tsung is not prepared to leave his tenth tournament victory to chance. Dispatching his minions to kill Earth’s champions before they learn of their powers, Shang Tsung plans to diminish Earthrealm’s numbers and talent at the official Mortal Kombat tournament, as a tenth win will allow Outworld to annex Earthrealm into its dark empire legitimately. However, the underhanded nature of Shang Tsung’s machinations makes it immediately clear that Mortal Kombat 2021 is not based in a tournament setting, meaning its clashes have no final bearing on the fate of Earth beyond empowering Earthrealm’s potential champions.
Mortal Kombat 2021’s underhanded ploys and fights are a far cry from the usual officiated bouts of the Mortal Kombat franchise, meaning they carry far less narrative weight as a result. Despite Shang Tsung’s embarrassment at the hands of the inexperienced Cole Young (Lewis Tan) and company, there is still everything to play for in Mortal Kombat 2 when the real tournament happens. Many franchise stalwarts are still to be introduced, with Earthrealm’s famous faces such as Johnny Cage, Kitana, Kenshi, and Bo’ Rai Cho likely to feature in the tournament-proper. Likewise, Outworld’s true might is yet to be unleashed, with fearsome entities such as the Outworld emperor Shao Kahn and the demonic magician Quan Chi still to enter the rebooted Mortal Kombat canon. Mortal Kombat 2021’s fighting is pulsating, thrilling combat, but in the context of the Mortal Kombat 2 tournament, it acts as a minor precursor to the greater game afoot.
