Mortal Kombat 1 EVO Trailer Introduces The Banished

gameranx.com:

NetherRealm Studios have shared their Banished trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 at this year’s EVO.

The Banished is an interesting trailer for Mortal Kombat fans, certainly showing that the studio has become confident in how they have moved forward with the franchise, and in the new direction that they are taking it.

Each character introduced in this trailer is a deep cut in Mortal Kombat lore, but NetherRealm has seen it fit to introduce them as if they were household names like Sonya Blade and Goro. If you didn’t know who they were before, NetherRealm seems confident you’ll care about them now.

Let’s start with the most famous one. Reptile has been around as long as the original 1992 Mortal Kombat, but as a hidden character that was literally added in with a version update (which involved literally shipping and upgrading arcade boards all those years ago). In the original timeline, Reptile was the last of his race, and enslaved by Shao Khan, and later Shinnok. In Mortal Kombat Deception, he even took center stage as the vessel for that game’s lead antagonist, Onaga. But of course, like everyone, he died in the events of Mortal Kombat Armageddon.

In the 2011 alternate timeline, Reptile is humanized. First serving under Shao Khan, and then Kotal Khan, Reptile proves his loyalty to Kotal is one of the few genuine things about him.

In this new timeline, it seems we will see what Reptile could be like as a hero. This time, Liu Kang’s intervention has made it so that Reptile’s species thrives, but he himself is outcast for his ability to shapeshift into a human appearance.

Ashrah was introduced in Mortal Kombat Deception, one of many characters that fleshed out its complex mythology. She was a demoness serving Quan Chi, but