DUDE!

*a round of applause*

THAT was awesome. I agree with everything you said, except for Sektor. I wouldn't consider him an archnemesis to Sub-Zero, just an enemy. If anything, Scorpion was the archnemesis to Sub-Zero, IMO, even if they aren't at eachother's throats anymore. Sektor is more of a setback to Sub-Zero, where Scorpion plays (or played anyway) a huge role in Sub-Zero's story. So, yeah, Sektor is small fries compared to Scorpion. But MAYBE along the way Sektor wil become more. But for now......nah.

I agree with everything else you said, dude. You put it in better words than I ever could have, even saying things I never thought of. Sub-Zero's inner conflict may be resolved, I think, but his storyline is FAR from over. Out of everyone, he definitely has the most enemies.

And I think more inner conflict may come about when he finds out Noob's secret identity. Oh, and I also think the TRUE answer as to what happened between Sub-Zero and Scorpion in MK2 will be answered when Shaolin Monks hits us.

Thanks for the feedback, but I disagree about Scorpion being Sub-Zero's nemesis. At least, THIS Sub-Zero's, anyway.
I actually think the original Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot, is Scorpion's nemesis, but I think I'll elaborate more on that in the Scorpion thread.
But you may be right, Sektor may not necessarily be Sub-Zero's true nemesis YET.


I also put some thought in Sub-Zero's relationship with Frost and realized there is more to their relationship than I previously posted.
As I said, in MK:DA Sub-Zero was trying to teach Frost discipline. She was described as an arrogant and reckless warrior who was eager to fight. Not unlike Sub-Zero's older brother. In Mythologies, Raiden warns the older Sub-Zero to change his reckless life. But he ignores this warning and that ultimately leads to his death. So Sub-Zero sees in Frost a warrior like his brother. He didn't want her recklessness to get her killed like it killed his brother. And if she is his sister, then it becomes even more personal because that would mean Frost is the only family he had left. Sub-Zero was trying to teach Frost discipline because he didn't want her to die like his (or their) brother died.

Another great thread....

The only thing that I noticed that wasn't correct was the fact that Sub-Zero reprogrammed Cyrax to be good. It doesn't specifically mention that he turned Cyrax to his side. He simply changed Cyrax's target to Shao Kahn. I think it's mentioned in MKDA that Sonya and Jax discovery Cyrax in the desert diactivated and they repair him and help him restore his memories. Either way not that important to the Sub-Zero story.

I personally hope that they bring Frost back in the next or another MK game... simply because I'm so curious about her origins and relationship with Sub-Zero. Also would like to see what they could do with her... make her Evil...a new enemy for Sub-Zero to have to deal with (a lot of inner conflict for Sub-Zero is that would be the case)... or perhaps her close brush with death would finaly help her gain the humility that Sub-Zero was trying to teach her all along, and she could become his ally.

I'm very pleased where Boon and company have taken Sub-Zero's character. Like you said he has evolved from being a young assassin into Mortal Kombat's new hero. I'm looking forward to seeing where they decide to take Sub-Zero from here, he is definatly one of the best fighting game characters ever created.

That was awesome, very detailed. It makes me think of sub-zero in a whole new light. I like the way you really dig deep into his history.Keep it up!

I would see two major powerplayers as Sub-Zeros arch enemies:

NOOB SAIBOT: once his brother, NS possesses all the knowledge over his brother what makes him a deadly enemy. Why? Becouse Noob Sai-bots goals are soon to be in conflict with Sub-Zeros. If he indeed takes over the netherrealm, logic dictates that an expansive warlord shall look for nerw territories sooner or later (being a warrior assassin, Noobs element is war, death and battle). What would make him even more fearsome is the complete lack of passion and feelings. A ruthless calculating warlord is a formidable opponent indeed, and add that, that Sub-Zero will try to reason with his brother should he find out who he is. This would result in a half Star Wars kind of relation (Vader as Noob but instead of father, he is his brother).

Also, the current Noob Saibot bears a stunning resemblance to the villain in the Transformers world, the Decepticon Shockwawe!

HOTARU: armor against armor. Hotaru beiong an alien intellect should hold Sub-Zero guilty in bringing his efforts of orders restoration to halt. not only is he shown as more thasn a match for him, but he is reckless in his pursuit. Despite that Hotaru should play his role in the Seidan civil war next time, he should have a quiet vendetta against Sub-Zero what would esca-late into a Scorpionish hate. Guess what Hotaru would do if he finds out that he betrayed his own righteous goals if he burns with a pasion for hating Sub-Zero. A renegade or expelled Seidan would also bring more meaning into Dairous plotline (something like realizing the damage done to Seido by the civil war he started by stealing the Declaration of Order and aiding Darrius).

So, I think Hotaru should survive Dairous assassination attempt thanks to his rigid and huge armor plates, and enact a mission in restoring order in his own special way to the world (good goal realized by a fanatical and raving obsessive war hero, lol) and tracking Sub-Zero. Would bring some tie ins, as both of them wear heavy armor and both their powers contradict each other.

I think that Sub-Zero is very proud of his ancestors, like his fathers before him. He was raised to believe they were brave warriors and loyal to the Lin Kuei clan . That is why after he left the clan in the first place he wished to restore the clan into his vision that his fathers had painted for him. The Lin Kuei that is filled with noble and disciplined warriors.

About Hotaru, How would you think Hotaru would feel if he learned of Sub-Zero's past on him abandoning the Lin Kuei? Hotaru is strictly about Order and Loyalty no matter what the cause, so I believe he would Loathe Sub-Zero and view him as a snake for abandoning his clan that his family had so longly fought and died for. That could make Hotaru a new and vital enemy to Sub-Zero and also proove to us that Hotaru is an ignorant bastard.

Ignorant, yes, but look from his prespective. I doubt Hotaru is human as we are, and he is compelled to live with a strictly defined code of honor, becouse that is his elemental nature. He may be ignorant, but he cannot be responsible for it.

'this would be enough of a tragedy, so it would fit them both.

I doubt Sub was proud of his borther after he found out what path his "accomplishments" led him down. After MK2 sub changed. He probably began to rethink his life, and re-examine his families heritage. When Sub found his forefather's tomb in outworld years later, he probably felt proud to be conected to these seemingly noble people. Reinvigorating himself to accompilish his goals.

Before MK4 we learned he had tried to distance himself from everything. Sub was probably ashamed or his life and tried to run away from it. Then Shinnok invaded. Afterward, he realize he would have to confront his past before he could go forward. Fighting Sektor for the right to bare the dragon medalion wasn't planed. The oportunity to give his life a true purpose fell into his lap.

I definitely repeat the round of applause for this great character analysis. And one of the many aspects of Sub-zero that I enjoy are that he initially thought that the Lin Kuei were a clan of honorable warriors, and lived his life as such. But then, when he found out that the LK were mainly assassins and murderers, he didn't despair on the long run. Instead, he decided to try to turn the LK into what he thought it SHOULD be.
I respect that more than anything else.

Thanks for taking the time to do this analysis, I enjoyed reading it and consolidating my knowledge on Sub-Zero 6th.

I always wondered about Frost, whether she is his sister. It would make perfect sense to me if she was, because if she isn't, that would mean there is another family of cold-gifted people, which would complicate things a little.

Perhaps we will find out given time.

Yeah, man. That was truly awesome. Earlier in this thread you talked about another one of these threads, just like this one, only about Scorpion. Could I please have a link to it?

I know this is pretty old, but I'm just going to post a wee bit for now.

To me, Noob Saibot is Sub-Zero's "true nemesis", not Sektor, Noob seems like he's the Darth Vader of the MK series which is a good thing.

I would really like to know more about Sub-Zero's lineage as well as Smoke's past.

Scorpion Analysis

There are also ones on Mileena, Kitana, and Sonya Blade.

Alright if you guys played Mortal Kombat Deception and beat it with Noob-Smoke... you come to find that Noob Saibot is the classic, older brother Sub-Zero from the very First MK which everyone believed to have been murdered by Scorpion

And if you carefully read the top post in this thread, you'd know that fact has already been established and talked about. I suggest you read things more carefully before posting.

I feel I must point out a mistake (at least I believe it to be so, I could be wrong) in the very beginning of your analysis. If I remember correctly, at the end of Mortal Kombat: Mythologies Shang Tsung approached the Lin Kuei in order to "hire" the original Sub-Zero to participate in his tournament. Yet you say he was sent on a mission to kill Shang Tsung, where do these conflicting stories come from?

In MK1 and MK2 they say the two Sub-Zeros were hired to assassinate Shang Tsung. Who hired them is unknown.

I imagine Shang Tsung knew of this and invited Sub-Zero to participate in Mortal Kombat to meet his enemy head on and perhaps in the hope he'd be eliminated in the competition. Which he was.

But in MK:M Shang Tsung personally visited the Lin Kuei where every assassin there had a clear shot at him, why would he do that I ask? I'm just saying it's a conflicting issue in the storyline and I would like to know which one Midway stands by...?

Then maybe whoever hired Sub-Zero found out he was invited to the tournament and that's why they hired him.

Midway probably doesn't even remember either plot point so you're going to have to either put it together yourself, accept it as a retcon, or chalk it up as another plot hole.

From the way it seems, the wealthy enemy of Shang Tsung thing had been retconned by MK2's storyline.

Sub-Zero's MK1 ending gives the backstory revealing that Sub-Zero's goal in the tournament was to assassinate Shang Tsung because one of Shang Tsung's wealthy enemies paid him to do so.

However, in MK2, that had been retconned to the Lin Kuei sending Sub-Zero to kill Shang Tsung but he failed to do so. With that, they sent the younger Sub-Zero. I will say that even in MK2, there are some contradictions and with the way MK: Shaolin Monks's storyline is going to be like and if it's going to be canon, then it's possible that the MK2 comic may be overwritten by the storyline from MKSM and the same may happen to at least some bits from the MK2 game.

Anyway, in the MK2 game, Sub-Zero and Smoke seemed to have traveled together to a portal to Outworld to take part in the tournament. However, the MK2 comic seems to say differently by having Sub-Zero head to the Shaolin temple from a jet and talk to Liu Kang and Kung Lao, and they ally with each other and find Johnny Cage and Jax and then Shang Tsung proposes the tournament.

There's also the contradiction between Scorpion and Sub-Zero in which in the comic, Scorpion already knows it's the younger Sub-Zero and he vows to protect him while in the game, Scorpion hears of Sub-Zero's return and finds out that it's not the same Sub-Zero he killed when he sees this Sub-Zero spare the life of a warrior. Eventually, that situation was sorta cleared up through the backstory of Scorpion's MKT ending which supports the backstory of Scorpion's MK2 ending thus overriding the bit in the MK2 comic.

I wonder if they're still going to have two Sub-Zero brothers in the MKSM, one that dies and becomes Noob Saibot and the other becoming a great ally to the Earthrealm fighters. The bits I've seen of the opening movie make things seem uncertain.

woah.....
Only a paparazzi can do these things!!!! (lol)
That was very detailed, you know so much about Sub-Zero..
Even he isnt my fav character, that was a great analysis
The part about Sektor, maybe, but....what about Noob Saibot?
He can be his nemesis (evil brother, like rayden and shao kahn)

Shao Kahn and Raiden aren't brothers. That was only the movie.

I posted earlier and explained it in the Scorpion thread, I think Noob Saibot is Scorpion's nemesis.

Noob Saibot being Scorpion's nemesis? I don't know... I think to me, it seems more fitting that Noob Saibot would be Sub-Zero's nemesis.

I do understand why you feel Sektor would be Sub-Zero's nemesis, but I feel that Noob is more of Sub-Zero's true nemesis.

I can see why many think Noob will be Sub-Zero's nemesis, but I'll explain why I think Noob is Scorpion's.

When Noob Saibot was Sub-Zero, the comparisons were obvious. Sub-Zero was ice, Scorpion was fire. Scorpion once believed in mercy, Sub-Zero did not.

When Scorpion was killed, he became a spectre and a part of the Brotherhood of Shadow. However, he retained his free-will. He would still defy Quan Chi and make his own choices.
When Sub-Zero was killed, he was turned into a wraith and became the Brotherhood's dutiful slave. Everything he did was out of loyalty to the Brotherhood. Only now when Shinnok is gone is he regaining his free will and making his own decisions.

Everything Scorpion does is for the memory of his family. Even though Scorpion became a spectre, he retained some semblance of his honor. When it mattered, he'd do the right thing.
Noob Saibot's renounced his family. His Deception ending explained he gave up his human emotions and was now free from compassion.

I also think it would be more fitting for Scorpion and Noob Saibot to be nemeses. It'd create a full-circle sense. In the end, it comes back to Scorpion and the original Sub-Zero.
Sub-Zero created Scorpion. Scorpion created Noob Saibot.
But it's not about revenge anymore. By this point, it would just be a genuine hatred between the two, and sooner or later they're going to collide. Scorpion's become Champion of the Elder Gods, Noob Saibot's becoming the Ruler of Hell.

In the past, many considered Scorpion the "good guy" by default. Now he really is the "good guy" here. Scorpion is fire(light), Noob Saibot is shadow(darkness).

IMO, when it comes time to confront Noob Saibot and put an end to him, it'll be Scorpion who puts him down. Sub-Zero will play a crucial role, as will Sareena I'm sure, but I think in the end it'll come down to Scorpion vs. Noob Saibot.