Mileena is possibly the most intriguing character in my opinion. There's something about her that makes her stand way out. After her MKD story, I'm positive that the MK team can make her into a great character for MK8. She's been receiving plenty of screentime so I would be a bit surprised if she didn't come back. She needs to stay away from Kitana and especially Baraka though. I like the idea of her continuing to be one of Kahn's generals with the plan on overthrowing him. I also like the idea of Mileena working with Kitana and maybe Sindel to kill Kahn, and then becoming a neutral wild card. Here are the characters she can interact with.

Shao Kahn - If both return, I'm sure that Mileena's story will be intertwined with him somehow. Most likely she will work for him again, but like most of Kahn's henchmen, plan to overthrow him. However, it's also a great possibility that he expects Mileena to betray him. Kahn's not stupid. He's smarter than Mileena. Which is why if either Kitana or Mileena want to defeat Kahn, they need to work together.

Onaga - Alternatively, she could betray Kahn and work for Onaga in hopes of taking over Edenia or Outworld, should he take control.

Shujinko - A long shot, since no one thinks Shujinko will return, but his Armageddon story does revolve around Mileena posing as Kitana.

Kitana - The only way I'd like to see them interacting is a temporary alliance to get rid of Kahn. If that happens, they should no longer have anything to do with each other.

Baraka - Predictable, but Baraka is very stale. He needs a brand new story, one that doesn't involve Mileena to continue.

Jade/Sindel/Taven - They all stand in the way of Mileena conquering Edenia.

Reiko/Rain/Tanya/Shang Tsung - These are all possible alliances Mileena can have. Reiko is completely loyal to Shao Kahn and I could see Mileena deceiving him into helping her achieve her goals. Rain and Tanya both want to take over Edenia and they both need allies. Shang Tsung also wants Kahn dead, so they might work okay together.


This quote from Mileena's bio nicely summarizes the path she should take in the next game.

"I do not relish serving Shao Kahn. I am destined for greater things. An entire realm was once in the palm of my hands — and I will not rest until I regain that status! Though it will be impossible to rule Outworld now that Shao Kahn has returned, there are other realms ripe for the taking. Edenia will be mine!"

This does confirm the idea of Mileena as power-hungry. It also makes it seem like she doesn't even care about Outworld. An interesting story for Mileena to take is to actually conquer Edenia. The only problem with that is getting past Kitana, Jade, and Sindel. Maybe they could be distracted by Onaga like Leo said, giving Mileena the opportunity to take the realm over. However it would also be necessary to remove Kahn from this situation, since he wouldn't like Mileena taking Edenia for her own. It might also be too much of a rehash of her MKD story.

Maybe it would be best if she took a game off. While I really want Mileena back, she needs to come back with a fresh story. To tell the truth, I don't know what the best path is for Mileena to take. If you haven't noticed, I listed like 5 possible scenarios. The problem is, none of them are perfect. Mileena's character has been too heavily dependent on Kitana, so removing Kitana from Mileena's story would leave her pretty plain. However, I still have faith that she can continue being a great character.

New character: JAX

Oh yay... Im the first to respond to jax..

Get Rid of him!

Im sorry, Jax has had his run. Its time we got rid of the stereotype cliche character.. I mean Jesus, a backwards hat and a giant clock as his alternate?!

I like Jax, but he is definately not needed to take mortal kombat in a new direction. Hes another character that should fall after Armageddon. He doesnt need to die, but he shouldnt be one of the few returning characters in the next mortal kombat game.

Jax fans, go ahead and flame me, but its true. The next mortal kombat game will not feel like its missing anything if Jax isnt in it.

I think that Jax's chances of returning are more against his favor. He's one of my least favorite characters, and despite having more to him lately, I'd rather he die and never return. If he does return, I'd like to see a darker path in his story and to have him step out of Sonya's shadow. I know that some will say that he already has stepped out of Sonya's shadow, but he doesn't have much else going for him anyway. I like what XiahouDun84 did with Jax's character, and while it's well-done, I still wouldn't want Jax to come back.

Gameplay-wise, I was disappointed he didn't get any more specials in MKA. I prefer his Sonic Wave as his projectile instead of the machine gun, missles, or energy ball. It would be cool to have his Dash Punch and Gotcha Grab back as well. The throw he had in MKA should've gone to Kano and it really gives Jax that thuggish feel. I would've preferred something from the Thai martial arts or something that would be used by the U.S. Special Forces.

Style-wise, Muay Thai does fit him, and I assume they mocapped the more modernized version. I would like to see him with Muay Korat, one of the Muay Boran (ancient Muay Thai) styles. It's from Eastern Thailand and specializes in strength and powerful techniques.

He could also use the U.S. Army Combatives techniques, which are derived from Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, along with some other styles, if I'm not mistaken. In terms of weapons, I don't think he really needs to use any, but if they were to give him something, they should give him the Mae Sun Sowks, which are basically the Thai equivalent to the Tonfa and are made either out of hard wood or bone.

Look-wise, Jax needs revamping. First of all, he needs to ditch the stupid "gangsta" look and really look like he's actually part of the Special Forces. His beret should be green, if I'm not mistaken, and he should wear the full uniform that a Special Forces Major would be wearing. I also feel that he should ditch the bionic arms as I hate them.

For someone who is supposed to be the strongest man on Earth, donning bionic arms is a bit silly. I know that they are meant to amplify his strength to take down Shao Kahn's powerful and numerous forces as well as other threats to Earthrealm, but still, he doesn't really need them. So overall, his look should be very militaristic.

Like I said before, I don't like Jax, and I don't want him to return. He shouldn't even have the chance to live even if he were to not return, namely because him being alive would probably lead to something bad, with him being a loose cannon and all.

Honestly, Jax has run his course. While he isn't a bad character, he doesn't really have anything left to contribute. I have a feeling the MK team likes him, so I still could see him coming back, although I really don't care. Oh, and if Sonya doesn't come back, Jax doesn't have ANY chance at all. I guess if the two return, I'd like to split them up, but be after the same goal. Sonya can go with Sub-Zero or Johnny Cage, Jax can go with Cyrax or Kung Lao. I see Jax strongly opposed to Raiden and being the loose-cannon he is, fight Raiden and lose...possibly die. Or they could have Sektor or Kira kill Jax as a way to enhance Sonya's story.

Sonya - The obvious. Sonya and Jax should separate and each have different stories, but be linked when going up against the main threat.

Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Sub-Zero, Kung Lao, Cyrax - All possible allies. Among all of them I see Cage and Cyrax being most likely to partner up with Jax.

Raiden/Liu Kang - I see Jax having opposite views from Raiden's. If Liu Kang sides with Raiden, I could see him standing in Jax's way.

Sektor - According to Sonya' bio, Jax has most likely been captured by the Tekunin. I believe the weird brain behavior is another violent outburst, similar to the one he had in his MKU ending, even if it was non-canon. He may have killed the Tekunin including Sektor...or he may have been killed by them.

Kira/Kobra - If Sonya has involvement with these two, Jax may as well.

Others are Hsu Hao, Jarek, and Kano, who are most likely dead, as well as Mavado, Daegon, and the new Deadly Alliance of Shao, Shang, Quan, and Onaga.

Jax is a good character, but they've done everything they can with him. I won't be surprised to see him return, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see him die. And I just don't care. Jax should be retired once and for all.

New character: Baraka

Baraka's chances of returning are likely going to strongly be against his favor. I personally wouldn't want him to return, because as a character, he's very stale, redundant, 1-dimensional, and flat out boring. I'm aware he's a fan favorite, but what he has going for him are his looks, moves, and the fact that he's a bloodthirsty monster, that's it. He has no real substance to him.

If he comes back, his story and character STRONGLY needs improvement, otherwise, we'll get the same redundant garbage that I'm sick of. He has to be taken in a more unexpected and plausible direction, namely because the most obvious and likely story paths would be either for him to continue doing the same thing or for him to try to take power for himself.

The first path would still make him stale and redundant. The second path is kind of predictable and something that's been done before by other and more interesting characters (e.g. Mileena, Noob Saibot). There is a third, somewhat less likely path of him just wanting to go on an all-out killing spree or something along those lines. It would also go with his character, but there probably wouldn't be too much depth to it.

Perhaps Baraka could do something to save his race or maybe interact with Havik and have some interaction with the Order/Chaos side of the story. But either way, I'm simply not interesting in seeing him return.

Gameplay-wise, he's always been pretty decent, as far as I know. One thing I actually do like about him is that he is fun to play as. For his unarmed style, I would've liked for him to use something like San Soo or Bokator, which are both viciously aggressive styles. Silat is fun to use though, but I would've liked a bit of specification as to which of the many Silat styles he uses. His throw, voice, get up animation, and victory pose are all good. His looks are memorable for MK, I suppose, but he's not exactly that original of a character to begin with.

Overall, Baraka needs to die and stay dead. I don't care for him or the Tarkatan race. They all seem the same to me, and they have only really had one purpose, which is to go from master to master due to their so-called tradition. It's very worn-out and there are more interesting villains that are far more deserving to continue on, such as Drahmin.

Meh. Can't say much for Baraka besides the fact that he might be better off dead. I mean, his gameplay is kinda cool, but that's it. Unless he finds a better purpose in life besides being a mindless minion, he doesn't have much chance at survival.

R.I.P. B-Man. You had one helluva run. May the next Tarkatan be much cooler than you ever could be...

I'd like Baraka to be killed off and be done with. This is not to say that there shouldn't be another Tarkatan in the game at some point, but I digress.

New character is Kintaro.

So much for Baraka.

Anyway, now that we're on Kintaro....

I'd say that his chances of returning are slim. I'm sure that they brought him back for completion reasons, and if I'm not mistaken, Ed Boon isn't really a fan of him. To me, Kintaro was kind of cool back in the day, and while he's somewhat fun to play as in MKA, I'd rather not see him return. He's a highly underdeveloped character with very little story to him.

Sure, some might see that as an opportunity to give him development by bringing him back, but honestly, I'm not interested in seeing that happen. He should just be one of the warriors who is destroyed. If he does return, I have no idea what the hell he should/could do, and I hope it won't be about 4 magical swords. *shakes head*

That's all I'm really going to say about him.

Personally, I'd like to see him return, specifically as the new leader of the Shokan. Goro's been whored out to death, and with him switching back to Shao Kahn's side, I just have a hard time believing that he won't go unpunished by the rest of his race. The fact that we know so little about him (and what we do know about him is contradictory) means he's a clean slate to work with, storyline-wise. Besides, Shokans are a huge part of MK mythos, and if and when Goro gets killed off, it just wouldn't do, in my opinion, to just toss someone like Kintaro aside for a brand-new guy.

One thing that tips me off that he might stick around is his vast redesign; I know, all the other characters got redesigns, too, but seriously, with a semi-popular character like Kintaro, you don't just change his look THAT much without intending for people to like him and want him to stick around. It also brings him back to his original concept, which I doubt Midway would do unless they intended him to stay.

I would LOVE for Kintaro to return! Do I think its likely? Nope If he does return however, I would be really interested to see how his story was developed and a little more background information about him would be great as well! Moves wise, he needs to have his teleport stomp back!

*I would also like to see his INTENDED design for MK2. That would be awesome

Even though I personally think Kintaro has some potential left in him, I wouldn't bet on him returning. Not many people really like him and would pick between Goro (Who's had his time and should die for good) and Sheeva (Also has some potential but not as much.).

kintaro needs to betray khan and become a good guy

Kintaro should die because there simply isn't much of a niche for him to fill. Kintaro has too defining qualities:

1. He is a great Shokan leader.
2. He is a great Outworld General.

Kintaro sucks mainly because Goro (and to a lesser extent, sheeva) is a way better shokan. In addition, Shao Kahn has (excuse me, had) several generals, all of which are more interesting than kintaro. Reiko and Kano come to mind right away.

This may be a little off topic, but I think the whole realm of Outworld should become embroiled in a civil war. In the wake of Kahn's death, All the generals and advisers go to war with each other. Kintaro may have some role to play in this world, but I doubt it.

Whoops, I forgot about this thread, lol.

Discuss Shao Kahn

Kahn is the definitive bad guy in MK. He will always be involved with the baddies one way or another.
Overall, I like him and want him to stay in some form...even a spirit possessing a person...

Shao Kahn is one of my favorite characters. Like I said in the past, one thing I like about him is that he isn't the stereotypical "big, dumb brute". Instead, he's a powerful, ruthless, and cunning warlord who uses brains and brawn together. I think that Shao Kahn will likely die and not come back, which is fine by me. Sure, I'm a fan of him, but he's one of those characters that's better off dying so that he won't be dragged out any further. I think it's best that he die mainly at the hands of Kitana, which would make that story of hers come full circle.

If Shao Kahn does return, his story needs to take a different direction. Perhaps he could side with the heroes as a means of taking down a bigger threat or maybe he could forge a new path for himself. Even though he's been in MK for a while, he's one of the most mysterious MK characters since we don't know much about his past. I'd actually like to see an adventure game that explores his backstory.

Gameplay-wise, I like a lot of his special moves, and I'd want him to have moves like Emperor's Shield, Uplifting Knee, etc. His projectile needs to be toned up, because it sucks. If they bring back the use of real martial arts styles and use of weapons, he should of course keep his Wrath Hammer but with combos. Although I think Tai Tzu fits him, they did a horrible job of portraying it in MKD and MKA. It's actually a very fluid and agile martial art that uses more external methods and linear techniques.

If they were to have him use Tai Tzu again, they should portray it accurately. If they use martial arts in a different way, perhaps similar to Tekken with the hybrid styles, I'd like to see Shao Kahn's fighting style be a mixture of Tai Tzu Changquan, Bajiquan, and Si Tong Chui.

Look-wise, I'd like to have him with kind of pants like in his alternate costume. I'd also like to see his older helmet return. He doesn't need too much revamping, imo, but I feel he needs some touchups here and there.

Overall, I like him a lot, but I'd rather have him die.

I really think that Shao Kahn has really run his course as the main bad guy in mortal kombat. He should either be killed off, or become a spirit and posess some one else, or he goes into exile and comes back in a later game kinda like what Onaga did in MKD in a way. But other than that there is not much use for him.

It's really uncertain to me which role Shao Kahn will take should he return. It's quite likely he won't be emperor any damn longer, he has had that role ever since the game was created, and in the timeline of the game - for over ten millenia. So, even if he returns, which I wouldn't favor and expect too much, he will be some servant to arch-villain (and no, I DO NOT want Kahn to be Tsung's centaur slave, fuck MKA's endings! ) or be upgraded to a status of a god/ghost/elemental... Whatever, I don't think he should be ruler again, otherwise it would show how completely unoriginal Midway was.

And please, don't moan if you don't see Kahn as the emperor again because I know 90% of you is also bored with it. Am I wrong?

I think the best way to take Shao Kahn's storyline is to continue with Havik's MKD storyline. However, rather than be truly resurected, Shao Kahn is Havik's slave (just like Kitanan and friends to Onaga; it's a downside to resurection). Havik uses puppet kahn in a bid for power in outworld. The hurdle is that word of Kahn's death traveled quickly, so Havik was only able to establish Kahn in the isolated frontier of outworld where nobody knows about the recent events.

Havik poses as Kahn's advisor, when he is actually the master. I mentioned the civil war idea in the Kintaro section. Ironically, Kahn becomes one of the many powers fighting for his own thrown with the few warriors that are unaware that he is just a dead pawn of Havik. Men like Kano and Reiko keep some of Kahn's warriors loyal to them with a mix of propaganda and truth about the newly risen Shao Kahn.

Ironically enough, that's what I did for Kahn in my fanfic, MK: The Seat of Power, except for the Havik piece.

I made it so that Kahn possesses an Earthrealmer due to his body's destruction at the hands of Onaga (Who survives and regains humanity). After Onaga realizes that he Kahn never left an heir to the throne and that over ten years have passed in Outworld, a tournament had to be held in order to find a new emproror. Several fighters from the realms were chosen, from a human Onaga, to a criminally insane Mileena to a one-armed Chaosrealmer who was able to survive Noob's automation and escape enslavement.

for me Shao Kahn is the ultimate ruler and by far the best boss the game has ever seen, shoot me down if you like but thats what forums are, discussions and opinions, i feel the game would have a huge hole left in it without Shao Kahn he is the ultimate evil and should remain ruler for the foreseeable future, i am not filled with joy at the prospect of losing him and his array of brutal taunts, he is mr dont give a fuck epitomised.

Kahn was cool, but there's needs to be a finality associated with death. It would be propostrous to just give him back the throne as they did in Armageddon's konquest which hopefully won't be cannon beyond what was essential to Taven's storyline (friends with sub-zero, hates Quan Chi)

Being the main defining bad guy of this current era, Shao Kahn should logically end with it as well. As said before, it think Kitana (alongside Mileena and Sindel) should be the one(s) to destroy Shao Kahn once and for all. Makes the most sense story-wise and I think they deserve it the most.

If however, they should for some reason decide to bring Shao Kahn back, he must NOT be the Emperor of Outworld again. It's past time to move on and switch up the story a bit. If he's to continue on, Kahn's time as the "big evil" is over.

If he's to return, what I would like to see is a severely depowered Shao Kahn on his own trying to regain his strength and/or survive. His power cut down, no more army, no more empire, and on just about everyone's hit list, Kahn would be in an interestingposition of having everything to gain and nothing to lose. That's a situation I'd be interested seeing Kahn in: everyone is his enemy and he's his only ally.

Where he goes from there would depend on where the overall story goes. He could find himself fighting alongside the good guys against a larger threat...not because he's turned good or anything, but for his own self-interest.

If Kahn is to continue, I would like it if they explore dhis background and character a bit more. We still know very little about his past and where he came from. I've always been inetrested in his weird love/hate relationship with Kitana. I'm also intrigued by the suggestion that he was once like Raiden a long time ago. If Kahn returns, these are questions I'd like to see addressed.