Mortal Kombat 11 Trailer Explained

Mortal Kombat 11 trailer explained, simply because it needed to be. It is chock full of potential hints about ​the game's story. It's also a confounding, wonderful, gory mess. Here's everything you need to know about the MK11 trailer.

Mortal Kombat 11 Trailer Explained

What Happens in the Trailer?

The central theme of the trailer appears to be time — both its passage and travel through it. The trailer begins with Raiden and Scorpion fighting at a dilapidated version Shang Tsung's temple, where Mortal Kombat 9 took place. Raiden's red glowing eyes indicate the Mortal Kombat 11 story picks up where Mortal Kombat X ended, with Raiden having forsaken his role as protector.

The two characters fight using a variety of weapons, killing each other over and over again, until finally Raiden blows up Scorpion's head. Instead of basking in victory, Raiden turns to find a second Scorpion in a new outfit, who melts through his stomach before decapitating him and lancing his flying head. Classic Mortal Kombat stuff.

The trailer ends with a shot of a mysterious new character staring out into space beside a giant hourglass. This image provides the clue through which we can interpret the rest of the trailer.

What Does it Mean?

According to ​Warner Bros' press release about the game, Mortal Kombat 11 will feature an "epic, time-bending story."​ With this in mind, many of the references in the trailer begin to align.

The hints begin with the second Scorpion, whose outfit looks like the one he sported in Ultimate MK3 or MK4. That two Scorpions exist, even when one is killed, indicates some kind of time travel, multiverse theory at play.

This theory is strengthened by a number of small details. For one, the use of weapons in the trailer hearkens back to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, where each character had their own weapon to use in combat. The MK11 logo also recalls that of Mortal Kombat II.

Who is the New Character?

The most compelling piece of evidence is related to the new character at the trailer's end. It seems likely she is the woman described at the end of Jade's story in MK9 as watching over mortals for centuries. She tells Jade that Shao Kahn's death at the end of MK9 was "an outcome that must be reimagined."

That statement, combined with a living Shao Kahn's availability ​as a pre-order bonus for the game, indicates some messing about with the timeline.

Summary

While we're still light on details for Mortal Kombat 11, we can theorize about a few things. It appears likely that this "watcher" character will figure prominently in the story, which may involve tampering with the past to save the future. Characters may interact with each other, or even themselves, from across time periods.​

For any more than that, we'll have to wait for information.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros