I think it's a way to pave their future in whatever they want, but not reboot all that have been don until now.

Like, they can keep everything just the way it was, but something prevented Shao Kahn's death so he's back now

Yeah, timeline convergence seems like a convenient way for them to pick and choose what they want to keep from both timelines. I think we're basically going to end up with the post-Armageddon MK that MK9 should have been to begin with. Finally moving forward.

Worst case scenario is that they use it as an excuse to remake MK1-3 again. I don't want that future.

I wonder as well if this is in some way to correct MK Armageddon.........in Deception we find out that Onaga and presumably every other major villain has been under the thrall of a malevolent entity known as the One Being, who plans to resurrect himself using the previous major villains as pawns .

MK Deception implied that TOB would be the final boss of Armageddon although in some kind of half formed/weakened state...........but that never happened and we instead got a story about edenian demi gods and Blaze as the final boss of the saga

Now in MK 11 we seem to have a similar scenario. We have yet another powerful villain that has been masterminding events from behind the scenes in order to alter reality.......infact both Kronika and The One Being seem to have variations on the same plan. TOB wants to unmake reality so that I can be whole again. Kronika wants to unmake the current reality and create one more to her liking

Ed Boon says she wants Shinnok to win and as Shinnok also wanted to wake the One Being......maybe she is its next instrument or an actual physical manifestation

Im sure im overthinking it

It does seem like it. I know that I would like to see certain character progressions over the years bought back into canon, such as Ermac's freedom and Liu Kang's death/revival.

Do u guys remember the rumors we used to get 10 years ago about the post Armageddon game where everybody died except Scorpion, sub Zero and Raiden ?

I am sure we aren't getting there, but I'd be very interested in a scene that shows us what Shao Kahn ended up doing after Armageddon.

Also, bring in the great Kung Lao.

I could certainly see Kronika as a story device used to skirt Armageddon, but wasn’t that the whole point of MK9 to begin with? I mean, there doesn’t HAVE to be two timelines given that Raiden prevented the old one from even existing.

My guess here is that Kronika is more of a way to undo the story elements created in MK9 and MKX. Maybe they don’t want younger characters replacing older ones. Maybe this is just an excuse to keep the original characters and have them be young again in the story. Maybe like MKA, they discovered that having a cast full of aging originals was sort of a dead end in and of itself.

I think they could use this story to retcon the Cassie/Shinnok story or perhaps even retcon the Kombat kids entirely if they choose, but I doubt they’d go that far. If anything, we’ll probably get some time hijinks that involve Cassie meeting her young mom and dad and stuff like that.

So yeah, story-wise, I think they want the originals young again, and any plot goofs or plot issues or undesirable deaths that occur will likely be fixed as well. No more remnants, no Cyber Sub Zero, no Quan Chi death, no Shinnok beheading etc.

My biggest question though is what Kronika’s goal or endgame is. Does she want a balance between good and evil? Because that clearly wasn’t happening at the opening of MK9. Evil won. So is she just evil and wanting to help evil by running things back the way Raiden did, just in a different, more literal way?

Or is she trying to fix all the damage Raiden caused by altering the timeline and if that’s the case, is she evil at all?

It’ll be interesting. She seems to have a firm grasp on what SHOULD happen, even if we don’t at this point since all we’ve seen is Armageddon and this new timeline that Kronika clearly believes is wrong. Will we find out what’s supposed to happen and will that finally set the story on the path it should be on?

I'll be happy if they let Kroni retcon MKX and kinda start from 9 and fix the stupid things that happened in there like the whole Raiden screw ups and just let it go from there.

My guess is they'll merge timelines, removing some things and keeping others. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cassie or Kotal Kahn running around during MK 3.

Hopefully it’s the final retelling of the trilogy era though I doubt it. Ed Boon mentioned after MKX he didn’t know what to do next with MK.

The next instalment is probably like MKX with MK11 as MK9, only DA / Deception instead of MK4 combined with some new elements. MK13 is then probably another trilogy remake.

I like this story if they finally settle some story lines, undo some of the horrible MK9 and MKX plot points and move forward once and for all! They can do what MK9 was supppsed to be.

That's what I've been thinking - that MK11 is the Rebirth to MK(2011)'s Flashpoint. Reverting the changes people didn't like while keeping the stuff that was liked. The biggest issue with this is that it is yet another retelling / revisiting of the MK1-4 era - and with it, all the same old characters and storylines.

Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn will be back to try and invade Earthrealm yet again (rolls eys). Quan Chi will be back, and with it: Scorpion's revenge arc. No doubt they'll throw in more Scorpion vs Sub Zero for no reason again. Screw giving us an evil Raiden - seems like they're side-stepping that one for a second time with Kronika being the main villain in direct conflict with Raiden.

Hopefully we’ll get original Mileena (raised with Kitana) back if that’s the case! :)

That is a great comparison. And it's got me wondering if NRS actually took inspiration from Rebirth. Kronika = Dr. Manhattan? I might be overthinking it. lol.

I personally think that this time bending theme is NRS’ way of continuing to keep the characters that we know and love young.

I think NRS, a long time ago, (back at mk9) made the decision that they would revisit the series and cut a lot of fat. They wanted to move forward with the series in a new way and not be tied to a butt load of excess characters that had been built up over the course of mk1- Armageddon.

They only kept the essential plot plot relevant characters to propel the stories... Quan chi, shinnok, Fujin, etc. (they brought back Kenshi because he was a fan favorite... they barely wanted to bring back Tanya but the fans were too loud and NRS threw them a bone on DLC.

The time bending ding is a means to keep the series characters in tact while also propelling the story.

End the game with the likes of all the revenants in this timeline and the characters they never want to touch again from the original timeline like Hsu Hao, Kobra and Mokap turning to dust like the end of Avengers. lmao

I can see it now. Mokap holding onto Johnny, "I don't wanna go, Mr. Cage." lol

if theres any fighter they did this to bring back it would be kobra . if it was to erase characters it must have been to get rid of havik and reiko and also probably tanya

His very last words as he fades: "OW MY BALLS!"

Kombat kids sent back in time to participate in MK1-3...

Ka-Tra

you are smoking something or just being sarcastic..

Well we we seem to be getting differing info. The first is she’s neutral and wants to maintain a balance between good and evil but with all the major villains dead or indisposed.....she’s giving darkness some help to readress the balance.

Then an we are told she wanted shinnok to win which seems to contradict any idea of balance as shinnok Sunday end game was to destroy all creation as vengeance for the elder gods locking him away

Perhaps they thought about it and realized “Hey remember how we turned Sindel into She-Hulk and she killed, like, everyone? Yeah...maybe we didn’t think that one through? We should def do something about that mess.”

On a serious note though, I’m pretty sure Kronika isn’t evil (given a few things that have been said here and there this could be a bit murky)...she’s just a bit pissed off that things have swung a little too much in one group’s favor. And that it happened because a certain god didn’t learn his lesson from the last time he meddled in the grand scheme of things. She’s one of those super powerful beings who preserve balance above all else. Raiden, as far as she’s concerned, screwed with that balance again and now she feels it necessary to step in and spank him. At least that’s the impression I got of her from the intro. (Which, when looked at from that perspective, kinda paints Raiden as the villain, IMO)

As to why NRS is doing the whole time dive again? Well I stand in the corner of those that are saying it’s a convenient way for them to fix some of the stuff fans feel they broke and make it better....or, you know, much worse depending on what happens this time around. Eh, I’m confident it won’t turn out too badly. Cause what’s the worst that could happen when messing with time, right? Right? Yeah...pretty much screwed, huh?

IF they reboot then this is my wish:

Destroy:

Jarek, very boring design even in Armageddon, no special powers to set him apart, just a Kano replacer in MK4, nobody likes him. = Destroy

Meat + Mocap = Both jokes to be destroyed, nobody would care anyway, spare for a couple of very strange people.

Kombat Kids = Personal preference I know, but I really hate the kids, keep their parents, they are good enough, with the kids (spare for Kung Jin though) their specialty becomes less and they are less special to me.

Li Mei = Never liked this bland character, hope they kill her off, we already have Tanya for the deceptive traitor department, we don't need this mileena-color stealing Tekken character in the game.

Bo Rai Cho = My least favorite character ever, he needs a complete revamp to get my interest, lose the farts, puke, alcohol and fat, then come back as the trainer of Liu Kang and others.

Hsu Hao = I don't see his purpose, don't hate him like other people, but hell is he hated, so cut him.

Moloch = While I see some potential in Drahmin, Moloch is a lost case.

Motaro = I know they hate him and his design, so better get rid of him, I think this will hit most fans, but be real, a centaur in a fighting game doesn't work.

Chameleon Male = Stupid character, keep Khameleon and give her her own moveset.

Dairou and Darrius = Almost forgot about them like always, boring and bland characters.

Nitara & Onaga = Vampires and Dragons are not as popular anymore, Nitara is kinda replaced by Skarlet anyway.

Shujinko = So boring I almost forgot, no need for him in this timeline.

Kobra & Kira = THe idea behind them was cool, two competitive new Black Dragon members, but if they do this again, at least give us some original characters, no Kano/Sonya clones and Ken Masters.

Blaze = Enough other fire characters, so cut this boring character, Armageddon doesn't return anyway.

Ashrah = I Love her name, but she needs a complete revamp. Maybe give the redeeming herself stuff to Sareena, which I like much better.

Keep all others.