I read all of it. Awesome work, dude. Awesome. Some things I never even thought about.
Well, to put it blank, we'll just have to wait and see. There's not much I can add, you said everything. Out of those two, I think Mileena would have to be the deeper character. She's an evil, psychotic woman, but that's what makes her more interesting. I don't think she's what you portrayed her as, but I do agree with alot of things you said.
But, I don't agree that Kitana and Mileena are the deepest most complex characters in MK. I think that title would belong to Sub-Zero and Scorpion, and no I'm not saying that cause they're my favorite characters. I say it cause I truly believe it.

PsychoFight Wrote: I read all of it. Awesome work, dude. Awesome. Some things I never even thought about. Well, to put it blank, we'll just have to wait and see. There's not much I can add, you said everything. Out of those two, I think Mileena would have to be the deeper character. She's an evil, psychotic woman, but that's what makes her more interesting. I don't think she's what you portrayed her as, but I do agree with alot of things you said. But, I don't agree that Kitana and Mileena are the deepest most complex characters in MK. I think that title would belong to Sub-Zero and Scorpion, and no I'm not saying that cause they're my favorite characters. I say it cause I truly believe it.

Thanks for the feedback and good thoughts. Evil characters do tend to be the more interesting or dynamic characters.
I think Scorpion and Sub-Zero (the original more so than the current) are among the deeper characters, but IMO there are some things about them that are missing or not clear enough.

wow, good work. Along with Tanya, Mileena and Kitana have always been my favourites...partly cos I'm a twin and its kinda fun playing on the whole good twin/bad twin thing, and partly because i find them so interesting.
I love the bad girls though and with a bit more mystery to her, I'd say Mileena was maybe slightly deeper...but they both have great stories and their development has been awesome.
We'll just have to see how their stories develope this time around to see who really is the more complex of the characters.

OMG! I LOVE THE theories!They are awesome and i agree 100% with wat u said about Mileena.
She is my favorite characters and i have a feeling that she is going to soon become a neurtral character like scorpion.
I began to think a lot about wat u said, and i was wondering about Kitana's......ok, in Tanya's MKD biom it says that Onaga was
present when Shao Kahn FIRST invaded Edenia....so at that time, Kitana was a young girl and Sindel was present also.....do u think that
Ongaga has something to do with that, because i know that Onaga probably doesnt like Shao Khan....so.....maybe Onaga was trying to take Edenia,
but instead Kahn invaded him and after went to Edenia???
What do u think??? Alot of unsolved MK mysteries are beginning to be solved...
And about MIleena, i feel bad for her, shes so cool, i think that she thinks shes doin the right thing by helping evil
and doing evil things, but to her, the bad guys are Kitana and friends cuz she sees her as a traitor, a spoiled brat, maybe even conceited, and etc?

Man, thats the most complete and interesting thread ever...... you put a lot of hard work in it, and I copied/pasted these analysis so I can read them whenever I want: you rule XiahouDun !!

This has to be one of the Top Best threads I have ever seen in my MKO life. I really want to congratulate you for such an amazing explanation and depth into every single aspect of this 2 characters.
I don’t think there is anything I could add Great job bro! This thread is Outstanding!!!
I must say I have always agreed with you that MILEENA is the DEEPEST Mk character of the entire roster, there is no doubt. While others like Sub-Zero and Scorpion stand high in the list, none of them come as intriguing, powerful or as interesting story-wise.
I have to say I still stick to what I have said many times before, there is no doubt Mileena is the deepest character of the 2.
There were so many amazing things you said in those 3 long pages that got me thinking a lot, analyzing every corner of this 2 characters. You pointed out some very interesting facts about Kitana, but her story makes her look so weak when compared to the one of Mileena.
Don’t get me wrong, I 100% agree that Kitana is a deep character, no doubt, and your post proves it. But when you compare the 2, their tragedies, their feelings, their thoughts, their emotions, Mileena stands above Kitana as the ULTIMATE Female Ninja.
There is just so much depth into her entire story. Her being a clone instantly makes her story one of the top, but all the depth that evolves inside that “issue” makes her the supreme champion.
Once again, I congratulate you for such a fantastic thread. NO ONE could ever give such a perfect explanation of the 2 characters! I really hope you get some dragon points.
WELL DONE!

Wow. Very nice analysis of both.
However, I'll have to go with Mileena, just because of whats happening with her and Baraka, which is rare to find any kind of romantic story in MK. The relationship between Liu Kang and Kitana was lukewarm at best. Mileena is quickly becoming a favorite of mine...
Besides, can you imagine Mileena and Baraka having sex?

Bro......that was absolutely amazing, one of the best threads i've ever red here. I enjoyed reading the depths of Kitana and Mileena. Damn man, i pray that you get dragon points because thats a heckuva lot of writing, and you made dozens of awesome points in there. Truly outstanding.
I love Kitana and Mileena, 2 of the best MK characters ever. However, i like Mileena MORE because of what she is and what shes trying to accomplish. I also like her story better, its just awesome and intriguing. I cant wait to see how her story will turn up in MKD, especially with Baraka and such. I wonder if she'll turn against him......meh, probably, because she would do anything to be better than Kitana. IMO Mileena is a deeper character, but that was very hard for me to say after reading your Kitana paragraph(note that i ALREADY thought Kitanas was deep, but i think its even MORE now that i red your points). But ya, I'm still with Mileena.
Great job bro, that was awesome. Kudos to you.

I've always found the younger Sub-Zero to be the deepest. He's the only MK character that's been constantly changing; the rest are pretty static.
Sub-Zero went from cut-throat assassin, to heroic vigalante, to wisened grandmaster. He's gradually fought with the evil of his upbringing and overcome it.
At the same time, he's had to deal with the loss of many close companions; His older brother, Smoke, Frost, and one time ally Sektor. He has had to deal with constant betrayal, from the Lin Keui, from his prized Pupil Frost, and yet he's never been yet his resolve has never weakened.
In that sense, Sub-Zero is more stronger than a character like Sonya, Kung Lao, Kenshi, or Scorpion; Sub-Zero has lost a brother thanks to Quan Chi's trickery; but instead of becoming a vigalante obsessed with revenge, he fights for the good of humanity, not for himself.
I'd put Kitana as a close second as far as character depth goes.

Very well done, I only read the Mileena 1 because i dont really like Kitana. I think that was a really good build up to Deception, maybe we will find out if she finnaly achives her goal. Also when u said that if she becomes perfect she would become what she hates, i dont think thats true because I think that Mileena would appreciate more then Kitana because Kitana never knew what its like not to have all the things that she has.

I hate Kitana and Mileena. I'll say that straight up. I don't like either of them, haven't liked them since UMK3. In MK2 they were ok but they just... I don't know how else to say this other than "blah."
The deepest and most developed character of Mortal Kombat is the current Sub-Zero. Next I would probably put Shang Tsung.

Great thoughts. I want to thank everyone for the feedback.
Judging from most of the responses, Mileena's remains the deepest character. I personally am still considering, but I'm enjoying reading everybody's thoughts.
One thing I'm glad about is that some people are now looking at Kitana in a new light because I noticed many fans don't know or forgot that Kitana is much more than a typical princess character.
I would like to say about those who think others are deeper than Mileena or Kitana. First and foremost, I respect your opinions. But when I say Kitana and Mileena are the deepest characters, it's because that can be backed up with facts from the game.
Like truth said Shang Tsung was one of the deepest characters. I won't say that's wrong because he may be, but can we prove it with facts from the game? How much do we know for certain about Shang Tsung and what conclusions can we make? Shang Tsung wants to be young forever and take over the world. Okay, but why? Why is he the way he is? What is he afraid of? Just death? Kind of generic, IMO.
There are a lot of characters who seem deep and complex, but we have no way of knowing for certain. Shao Kahn seems very deep, but we have no way of proving it.
Or take Jade. She may be a deeper and more complex character than anybody, but how can we prove it? All we know for certain about Jade is that she once an assassin, she's friends with Kitana and she was reluctant to turn against Kahn. How did Jade become an assassin? Why is she such good friends with Kitana?
For all we know Reiko is the deepest character. Still waters run deep.
Again, I'm not bashing anybody's opinion, but if someone else is deeper than Mileena or Kitana, how and why?

Hmmm never knew there was so much words to say about 1 digitally created character....you must've been insidee alll day thinking of thiss.

XiahouDun84 Wrote: Great thoughts. I want to thank everyone for the feedback. Judging from most of the responses, Mileena's remains the deepest character. I personally am still considering, but I'm enjoying reading everybody's thoughts. One thing I'm glad about is that some people are now looking at Kitana in a new light because I noticed many fans don't know or forgot that Kitana is much more than a typical princess character. I would like to say about those who think others are deeper than Mileena or Kitana. First and foremost, I respect your opinions. But when I say Kitana and Mileena are the deepest characters, it's because that can be backed up with facts from the game. Like truth said Shang Tsung was one of the deepest characters. I won't say that's wrong because he may be, but can we prove it with facts from the game? How much do we know for certain about Shang Tsung and what conclusions can we make? Shang Tsung wants to be young forever and take over the world. Okay, but why? Why is he the way he is? What is he afraid of? Just death? Kind of generic, IMO. There are a lot of characters who seem deep and complex, but we have no way of knowing for certain. Shao Kahn seems very deep, but we have no way of proving it. Or take Jade. She may be a deeper and more complex character than anybody, but how can we prove it? All we know for certain about Jade is that she once an assassin, she's friends with Kitana and she was reluctant to turn against Kahn. How did Jade become an assassin? Why is she such good friends with Kitana? For all we know Reiko is the deepest character. Still waters run deep. Again, I'm not bashing anybody's opinion, but if someone else is deeper than Mileena or Kitana, how and why?

Why is Shang Tsung (for example) deep and complex? There are a number of things really. First of all, Shang Tsung isn't what he appears to be, both physically and metaphorically. Shang Tsung doesn't even have a natural human appearance, he's actually a very disgusting monster (Tobias I believe drew a picture of his true form). He's been Shao Khan's most trusted sorcerer for ages not because of his sneakiness but because he can get things done... Only problem is that some unforseen and unexpected thing always brings his dreams and plans crashing down.
Why is he evil? I'll tell you why he's evil, he's evil because he's been alive for thousands upon thousands of years wielding incredible power. Over a life span such as his and with his powers I'd grow a bit evil myself, let me tell you. Being able to take someone's soul to not only prolong my own life but to gain the knowledge and abilities of the person whom soul I just consumed? Forget about it.
Most of all, Shang Tsung wants power. Absolute power. It's why he joined with Shao Khan in the first place and why he turned on him when Quan Chi came to him in DA.
Why does he want to conquer the realms? He's a major villain for crying out loud! You know what I'm talking about, if a villain is in a video game, comic book, movie, etc. then it's his right to try to conquer/destroy the world. It's what villains of his type do, it's what they were made for lol.
He's also petty and holds grudges because we all know the story between him and Kang and Raiden. We've also seen his treacherous side (Shao Khan), his cruel side (Li Mei's people), his manipulitive side (Kenshi). He's got all the basic and most important evil traits that make a villain a villain.
As for Sub-Zero... I'll let somebody else type it. I don't care to type anymore lol.

XiahouDun84 Wrote: Great thoughts. I want to thank everyone for the feedback. Judging from most of the responses, Mileena's remains the deepest character. I personally am still considering, but I'm enjoying reading everybody's thoughts. One thing I'm glad about is that some people are now looking at Kitana in a new light because I noticed many fans don't know or forgot that Kitana is much more than a typical princess character. I would like to say about those who think others are deeper than Mileena or Kitana. First and foremost, I respect your opinions. But when I say Kitana and Mileena are the deepest characters, it's because that can be backed up with facts from the game. Like truth said Shang Tsung was one of the deepest characters. I won't say that's wrong because he may be, but can we prove it with facts from the game? How much do we know for certain about Shang Tsung and what conclusions can we make? Shang Tsung wants to be young forever and take over the world. Okay, but why? Why is he the way he is? What is he afraid of? Just death? Kind of generic, IMO. There are a lot of characters who seem deep and complex, but we have no way of knowing for certain. Shao Kahn seems very deep, but we have no way of proving it. Or take Jade. She may be a deeper and more complex character than anybody, but how can we prove it? All we know for certain about Jade is that she once an assassin, she's friends with Kitana and she was reluctant to turn against Kahn. How did Jade become an assassin? Why is she such good friends with Kitana? For all we know Reiko is the deepest character. Still waters run deep. Again, I'm not bashing anybody's opinion, but if someone else is deeper than Mileena or Kitana, how and why?

I think it’s safe to say characters like Shang Tsung and Sub-Zero could easily take the No 2 spot.
I for one, think Shang Tsung and Sub-Zero have 2 of the most deepest storylines in MK, which can be backed with facts AND opinions/thoughts (like in your posts), much more deeper then Kitana, but for that, I would need the time to make a perfect analysis like yours, and Im too lazy to do that.

The_Truth Wrote: Why is Shang Tsung (for example) deep and complex? There are a number of things really. First of all, Shang Tsung isn't what he appears to be, both physically and metaphorically. Shang Tsung doesn't even have a natural human appearance, he's actually a very disgusting monster (Tobias I believe drew a picture of his true form). He's been Shao Khan's most trusted sorcerer for ages not because of his sneakiness but because he can get things done... Only problem is that some unforseen and unexpected thing always brings his dreams and plans crashing down. Why is he evil? I'll tell you why he's evil, he's evil because he's been alive for thousands upon thousands of years wielding incredible power. Over a life span such as his and with his powers I'd grow a bit evil myself, let me tell you. Being able to take someone's soul to not only prolong my own life but to gain the knowledge and abilities of the person whom soul I just consumed? Forget about it. Most of all, Shang Tsung wants power. Absolute power. It's why he joined with Shao Khan in the first place and why he turned on him when Quan Chi came to him in DA. Why does he want to conquer the realms? He's a major villain for crying out loud! You know what I'm talking about, if a villain is in a video game, comic book, movie, etc. then it's his right to try to conquer/destroy the world. It's what villains of his type do, it's what they were made for lol. He's also petty and holds grudges because we all know the story between him and Kang and Raiden. We've also seen his treacherous side (Shao Khan), his cruel side (Li Mei's people), his manipulitive side (Kenshi). He's got all the basic and most important evil traits that make a villain a villain. As for Sub-Zero... I'll let somebody else type it. I don't care to type anymore lol.

LOL! Exactly what I was talking about! I fully agree with your post The_Truth.
Shang Tsung stands high above Kitana IMO, when it comes to having a deeper storyline, but not just deep, also, very very original.
Shang Tsung is one of those very few unique characters of the game.

Awesome work on the in-depth bios, mann. I appreciate them both.
Kitana is my favorite Mortal Kombat character. I love her. Loved her since I first got introduced to Mortal Kombat back when I was younger and always said to myself that no other female would take her place. No Sonyas. No Mileenas. No Jades. No Sindels (even tho I love her also), and no Frosts.
I always loved her weapon of choice. The fans. The fans aren't a common weapon like swords, daggers, and blades. I could easily beat someone in a game by doing the fan lift and throwing the fans over and over. Haha.
I think Kitana has the most complex story of the two.
The mysteries about Kitana are lengthy. Mileena's situation is pretty obvious. She wants revenge from being killed off by my girl. She wants to know her true identity. She wants Kitana's status and hell, Mileena was created because of Kitana.
Kitana is more complex. More hard to figure out. Her reason is more difficult to understand.
Mileena is pure evil and her reason is based on jealousy and revenge. Her story revolves around Kitana and lets face it; she wouldn't have a story or reason if Kitana wasn't in the picture.
Mileena isn't a stand alone character. Her story and image walks in the shadow of Kitana's, and if Kitana wasn't introduced, Mileena wouldn't be around.
Mileena is my pick of the ultimate bitch and awesomely crazy jealous chick.

Great Job!
I wish I could add sumthing useful but u jus said it all.. U really made me think and i never did realise how deep the MK world can be.. Thank you for giving me a new outlook on MK....
Cheers

Analysis of Liu Kang
Liu Kang is a goodie two-shoes, people may say. Kind of a stereotypical hero rather than a deep complex character. Let's have a look-see:
Liu Kang has morals. He grew up in the Shaolin temples and therefore strongly believes in all of the things they believe in, including the Mortal Kombat tournament. Hell, he hated Shang Tsung before he even met him.
It is obvious he takes friendship very personally. Look at his relationships with Kung Lao and Kai. Probably the biggest testament to how seriously he takes his friends is what he did in MK4. Liu Kang heard about Raiden's crisis. Raiden didn't even ask or want the Earth warriors to be in this battle. Nevertheless, Liu Kang rounded up the Earth warriors - some by meeting (Kai), some by coincidence (Sonya, Jax) to help Raiden in this battle. He wanted to pay him back for all the times Raiden had helped them because let's face it, without him they would've been dead long ago. Quite obvious that Raiden and Liu Kang have a strong mentor-student relationship. Also, his relationship with Kung Lao is a testament to this as well. The two are bonded brothers - Liu Kang's rage over him "dying" in MK3 is proof, and Kung Lao's rage over Liu Kang dying in MKDA shows that Kung Lao returns the favor. They would do anything for eachother. Then, of course, there's Kitana...
Liu Kang is in love with Kitana. This we all know. Thanks to XiaohuDun, we probably have a clue as to why Kitana fell for Liu Kang, but him for her? Well, I guess her looks could've helped (hahaha), but other than that, I don't know. The games don't give too much insight into that. Perhaps he admires Kitana's goals as well as feels for her tragedy, sees Kitana as a person that needs someone because she's been traumatized her whole life? Whatever the case, Kitana makes him question himself too. He is torn between his feelings for her and his duty to Earthrealm. His ending in MK4 proves this. It's quite obvious nothing more would please him than to have a lifetime with her, and yet he knows he has to stay on Earthrealm because anything can happen.
There is nothing more that can be found out about Liu Kang. He is a good man with a strong conscience, complete with morals and a sense of duty, brought up with the discipline of the Shaolin temples. However, mess with his loved ones, and you are crossing the line. YOu are evoking a fury that you do not want to see. Liu Kang's biggest weakness is his strong feelings for his friends and loved ones (when he first found out Kitana was kidnapped, he literally tried to rescue her by himself! Then, we have Kung Lao's thought death in MK3, which inspired Liu Kang to kick the crap out of Shao Kahn).
Overall, Liu Kang is a confident man. Nothing can shake him, and he watches everyone's back as well, cause if you touch anyone he cares about, you will be freaking sorry. He believes in the good principals, and that's all there is to it. The only person that could make him ever question himself is Kitana.

Hmm... I really don't know what to say... 1st and formost, I should say, I'm not trying to be a jerk here okay... you seem like an okay enough guy, and you have as much right to your opinions as anyone else, but... I feel the need to protest...
I really don't think your thread is about proving Mileena and Kitana are complex, so much as it is theorizing that they are.
Though intially based in facts from the story, a large portion of what you say is being based around your own personal conjecture and opinion. What you say isn't so much showing that they -are- complex, as it is showing why -you think- they are complex. That being said, anyone with a fairly good flare for writing could potentially take an MK character, write up a lengthy hypothosis on their psychosis, and make them seem complex to the unsuspoecting public.
Case in point, just off the top of my head, I'll do Reptile...
(Warning: This will also be long)
------
Let's start off with what we know of Reptile Pre-MK1. We know that sometime before the first tournament, Reptile's race was enslaved, and subsequently obliterated by Shao Kahn, and that at the time he is known to be the only surviving member. We also know that sometime before the 1st tournament, Reptile entered into the employ of Shao Kahn. Now the question begs to be asked, how could Reptile possibly in good concious work for the man that annihilated his people. It has been said that Reptile has no memory of his kin, but never why. He has been seen to have basic memories of his people, as is expressed by the fact that he rcognizes their traditional weapon when one is given to him by Nitara, so the memories -are- there, and do come back to him, but why are they dormant at the beginning of MK1? Either his mother or his father must have been a Saurian, he didn't just pop out of a hole in the ground, so you would think he'd have at the very least basic memories of them, and his people. So why doesn't he? Perhaps the trauma of seeing his people wiped out caused Reptile to supress his memories. Maybe Shao Kahn's position of authority over the Saurians caused him to take over the role of a father figure in Reptile's eyes, and this is why Reptile has been know to show undying loyalty toward Kahn. In any event, sometime after the genocide of his race occured, Reptile lost all allegiance to them, and gained devotion to Kahn.
Now, with that allegiance, as we know, Kahn ordered Reptile to protect his head sorceror Shang Tsung during the 1st tournament. Reptile obviously failed in his mission, as Tsung was defeated by the Earthrealm warrior Liu Kang. However, Reptile has been known to be the jealous type. How could he, an extremely loyal follower of Kahn, be placed into a subserviant role under the treacherous sorceror Shang Tsung. Reptile was known to remain hidden and skulk about the shadows in the 1st tournament. Perhaps he didn't fail in his mission to protect the sorceror, so much as he ignored it. With Tsung out of the way, Reptile would gain favor in Kahn's eyes. With one of his weak colleagues gone, he would no doubt gain favor as a survivor. Tsung survived however, so his hopes would go unfulfilled.
Now upon their return to outworld Reptile was given orders to participate fully in the Outworld tournament, proposed by Shang Tsung, while still remaining Tsung's personal protector. This must have enraged Reptile to no end. Would he never get due recognition from Kahn, this pseudo father-figure? Reptile once again allows the Earthrealm warriors to overtake Tsung, and thus win the tournament, once again ascerting Tsung's status as a failure to Shao Kahn. With Tsung's second failure, Reptile would soon get the praise he so craved...
During Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm in MK3, Reptile is finally promoted out of his subserviant rank as Tsung's protector. Finally, his master has given him the recognition he so craved, by entrusting to him the vital mission of capturing the renegade Princess Kitana. Not only this, but Kahn shows great trust to Reptile, in that he gives him secret orders to bring Kitana in dead if need be, orders which conflict with those given to his colleague Jade, whose loyalty toward Kahn has come into question. Reptile now knows that he is favored by Kahn above all others.
Jade indeed betrays her emporer and aids Kitana, and combined he is no match for them. He fails to reclaim the princess, and the Earthrealm warriors succeed in defeating Kahn's invasion. Beliving his master dead, and horribly ashamed with himself for his failure, Reptile develops a pathological need to redeem himself, to a new master, -any- new master. He was finally taken out of his role as a servant, and given a chance to prove himself as a champion, but he failed, so now he feels the need to punish himself, and remain in the role of a servant forever. A fugitive, he goes into hiding until this new master can be found. During this time, he begins his first stages of devolution after being cut off from his race for so long. With this devolution, his memories slowly begin to come back to him.
During the time of MK4, Reptile's memories of his race have returned to him. He soon meets with Quan Chi, and pledges his loyalty to Quan's master Shinnok, the new master he had been seeking, in the hopes that he might redeem himself, and that he might earn the opportunity to be transported back to when his race thrived if he can gain Shinnok's favor. He doesn't get this oppotunity however, as Shinnok is defeated by the Earthrealm warriors like so many of Reptile's masters past. Reptile has once again failed his master.
Soon afterward, Reptile learns that Shao Kahn lives. He now remembers full well that Kahn is responsible for his people's demise, but he has become so disgusted with himself, and so accustomed to this subserviant, bootlicking role his life has become, that he quickly pledges his life to Kahn once again.
Reptile is then given basic orders to go and recruit Shang Tsung, so Kahn might rebuild his army. At this time, Reptile is the 1st to learn of the formation of the Deadly Alliance. Determined to make up for his past failures, he tries to hurry to Kahn to warn him of the Deadly Alliance's coming assassination attempt, but is sidetracked by Nitara. Having continued to degenrate into a very simpleminded warrior, Nitara easily delays Reptile by showing him the location of Kitana's armies, information that would surely have pleased Kahn, had Reptile not already unwittingly failed his master once again. Without Reptile's warning, Shao Kahn has been killed by the Deadly Alliance. Reptile was thrust headlong into his ever deepening madness.
At 1st he blames his anger on others. Shang Tsung for his trechory, Kitana for her distraction. He soon realizes however that he is once again at fault. Tsung could not have betrayed his master had he dealt with him himself. Kitana could not have if he had caught her years ago when he had the chance. His entire life has been a failure, he is both disgusted and enraged at himself at the same time. However, the manipulative Nitara is able to sooth him, and as such, he pledges his loyalty to her, once again seeking the favor he has craved for so long.
We however, know Nitara to believe Reptile a fool, as she is manipulating him to her own needs. After being ordered to attack Cyrax by Nitara, Reptile is defeated by him. Failing yet AGAIN, he flees, broken, dejected, and at this point, filled with a whole lot of maddess. Soon however, he learns of Nitara and Cyrax's alliance. He was tricked. He was betrayed. How can this be? He pledged nothing but loyalty to Nitara. All his life he has been nothing but loyal, and it has brought him nothing but deepening madness. For the 1st time in his life, he is not at fault. He didn't fail! He was tricked! For the first time, Reptile is right! Reptile is justified! Reptile is PISSED!
Brimming with a newfound independance, Reptile finds an outlet for the madness he has built up inside himself for so many years. He seeks revenge on Nitara and Cyrax! He hunts them, stalks them, he must have his revenge. Finally Reptile will get, what Reptile wants. But he never finds them. He follows them to a chamber of lava, and well, we all know our story ends there. Your guess as to what happens next is as good as mine. But of course we all know the one possibility...
What if Reptile's quest finally ended. What if by achieving his independance, Reptile was given the Ultimate reward. By finally bowing to no man, Did Reptile claim the ultimate power some of us suspect he may have? Of is he once again the ultimate servant to the ultimate servant to the ultimate master, a channel for outworld's true leader.
I guess we find out in two weeks.
-----
But there you have it. Daddy issues, Moodswings, Delusion, Depression, Repressed Memories, Fits Of Rage, Self-Hating. All pulled fresh out of my head. *Shrugs*
I mean did anyone really get a sense of "Daddy Issues" from Reptile before? Of course not.
So once again, you are very much entitled to your opinion, but it is just that, your opinion. The characters are only as Complex as we make them. Just because you choose to make two characters more complex then they actually are, doesn;t make it so. : )
In any event, It was a nice read, and I appreciate your theories, but I take them as just that, your theories. Thanks for sharing them, and I hope you continue to in the future. : )
EDIT: See, and that fella right there beat me to the punch on Liu Kang. Just supports my thoughts: Any character can be made complex, so long as some one can take the time to do so. Hehe.

*Browses the thread one more time*
Haha, so wait, wait, we have Mileena, Kitana, Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, & Reptile so far.
Hell, haha, let's just get together and write a friggin' book, hahaha.
YOU HEAR THAT MIDWAY! PAY US! Put us overthinking fanboys to work. The Kombat Kommunity needs a bible. Hahahaha... *Trails off laughing*
Heh, and oh yeah, will someone please explain to me what the hell this has to do with MK: Deception? : )

Gillbob316, you're right. I can't say that what I posted is canon fact that everyone must agree with.
Some of it is opinion, I tried to do was draw conclusions from what we know as you did with Reptile, which was very good btw. But again, just because I can back up everything I said, doesn't make it a fact.
There is the chance that everything I said about Mileena and Kitana is wrong and Mileena is just a mindless bitch and Kitana is just a typical princess. Based on what we know about them in the game, they don't seem to be, but there is still that possibility.
And who is deeper than the other is an opinion. Kitana and Mileena may both be equally deep, but some find Mileena more interesting for one reason or another. The_Truth and queve see Shang Tsung as a deep and complex character and that's cool. But I still don't think he's any deeper than Mileena, Kitana, Scorpion, or Reptile.
I think it also depends on who's writing the anylisis. I rambled on and on about Mileena and Kitana at great length and it made people think. I could probably do one on Scorpion or Sonya and some may feel that they are the deepest characters.