WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
One of Mortal Kombat‘s central characters wasn’t in the original screenplay for the 2021 reboot, according to writer Greg Russo.
During an interview with Inverse, Russo revealed that the first draft didn’t have Hanzo Hasashi — better known to fans as the hellish ninja Scorpion. “I felt [he] needed to be there,” he explained. “One of my mission statements was, as much as I loved the ’95 movie — I went opening night — Scorpion and Sub-Zero get a disservice. They don’t speak. So I wanted to do it right, do it justice.”
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“One of the most emotional parts of the lore, I argue, is Scorpion’s backstory,” he continued. “I make sure we started and end there. We didn’t get it in the ’90s, and [it was] something I wanted to build the emotional stakes around. When you’re a screenwriter, you’re always asking, ‘Where can I get emotion?’ Scorpion’s backstory was where I knew I could get some.”
Mortal Kombat opens with Hashashi battling Bi-Han — who becomes the cryomancer Sub-Zero — and suffering fatal wounds. Hashashi later returns from the Netherrealm to help his ancestor Cole Young battle Scorpion and burns his rival to ash with his flame breath. Russo previously discussed how Cole was a part of the original script due to Warner Bros’ insistence on a new fighter. He also said that Mortal Kombat turns on the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young. The film is now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Inverse
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