I'm gonna facepalm so hard I'll decapitate myself if Jacqui is the champ this time.

Liu Kang or Kung Lao are my guess for now

I will follow you man...

Why does it have to just be ONE person?

Yeah Kronie seems like she might require a tag team approach

My bet is Raiden again

I predict a Raiden vs dark Raiden ending with two factions and Kronika defeated.

It sure would be nice if it was Liu Kang or Kung Lao; their past selves seem pretty cool and seem to be searching for Kronika's keep. But I think it would be really cool if the revenants find their way back to the light somehow and turn against Kronika. It would be nice to see them redeem themselves.

Probably Liu Kang, but I'm still hopeful NRS will surprise me this time around.

Bi Han, Reason just because it would be out of left field.

I thaught about that to. However, wuldn't it be too much Injustice 2?

MK and Injustice have a lot in common in terms of story and style.

Injustice 1 had heroes and villains dealing with their counterparts from an alternative reality.

Mk11 will be all about characters dealing with their counterparts from the past.

Injustice has the greatest hero and Earth protector become villain. MK has Liu Kang and Dark Raiden filling the same jar.

I'd bet on it, but for fun I'll say ZEBRON will come in and save the day!

Let it be someone unexpected.

Jade or Skarlet even. Or even sexy Kano.

Take a risk.

I'm looking forward to the Dark Kang vs Dark Raiden match up that's been brewing since MK(2011). And I kinda want things to get so bad that Dark Raiden realises himself how much he screwed up and that he redeems himself. Having Good version kill/defeat Bad version just isn't satisfying from a story / character development point of view, because they aren't learning anything or developing as a character that way.

They arguably took a risk by making Johnny/Cassie the new champions when you consider how poorly Johnny was treated in story after MK2 until MK9. I remember, painfully, that most of the fans who started playing in the 3D era who believed that Johnny was MKs equivalent to a DAN HIBIKI(!!!) instead of being closer to Ken Masters' role.

Meh. I guess.

But something about a morally gray character or a villain taking another villain down seems like a much more daring and fresher approach rather than having Raiden/Liu/Sonya/Johnny/KungLao/Cassie/Jaqui solely taking down the big bad.

Or better yet- have Kronika prevail...at least until MK12.

Something. Anything other than *Insert Earthrealm Goodie Goodie* saving the day.

Shao Kahn realises he had been corrupted and used as a pawn by Kronika and the One being for millenia, defeats Kronika and saves the day, and goes back to being the Protector Deity of Outworld and relinquishes his status as Emperor, freeing Edenia and other realms, freeing up the cosmos to other conflicts and threats.

My serious guess is Cetrion.

She supposedly has ties to Kronika and Shinnok if rumours / leaks are true.
What if she fights off Kronika while Raiden and other heroes destroy her sand timer - which is what the Elder Gods tell Raiden to do to restore the flow of time or whatever it was.

This has nothing to do with the new hero, but for some reason MK9's Sindel fiasco sprung to mind and I don't want anything like that in the story. Killing of half the cast with ease by a single character.
Now Kronika would be more powerful, but even her killing off most of the characters for the sake of putting an and to the story mode, would leave a bad taste. Because that is what Sindels fight in MK9 felt like "Oh, we've gone to long with the story mode, let's just kill them already so we can move on to the end".

The new hero... don't have anyone on my mind yet. Don't even know if it has to be a hero. Why not make it a joint effort of several?

Mk9 had a great ending. It required raiden to defeat one of the strongest characters. Mkx had a great stoey but they left the fate kf the world to the kombat kids, and had cassie defeat the strongest character so far. I hope they dont repeat this mistake.

I would like to see a group effort honestly

Now that's a breath of fresh air!

Not only would that open up the story to go new places- but it definitely rejuvenates Kahn's character in a way that has never been done befo...well...maybe ever.

I love that!

Lol. Fair enough. I love the Shao Kahn face turn idea. Would be an amazing twist.

Me too. Kahn the conqueror becomes Kahn the savior

I'm not sure they could really go for a full redemption arc with Shao Kahn at this point in the series, but I definitely like the idea of him defeating Kronika. We know she's involved now because of the instability in the timeline caused by Raiden's meddling, and it would be a hell of a callback to Armageddon - the launching point of this altered timeline - to have Shao Kahn once again claim victory at the end. Maybe as an added twist, that could turn out to be Kronika's intent as a way of restoring the balance. Whether or not Kahn's character turns on a path to becoming a force for good, he could still be the necessary counterbalance to an increasingly dangerous Raiden.