Mortal Kombat: Legacy

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A Web Original series directed by Kevin Tancharoen loosely based on his pitch video, Mortal Kombat Rebirth. While the pitch video was more realistic, this series is closer to the source material.

Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung are obsessed with ruling over the various realms, and by winning the Mortal Kombat tournament, they can do just that. The Earthrealm, (the realm that contains Earth) has found itself an unwitting participant, with only a few humans who understand just what losing the tournament means.

It debuted on April 12, 2011, and the series can be seen here.

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This work contains examples of:

• A Day in The Limelight: The different episodes have different character focuses which comes along with the Genre Shift:
  • Episodes 1 and 2 focus on Jax, Sonya and Kano.
  • Episode 3 focuses on Johnny Cage.
  • Episodes 4 and 5 focus on Kitana and Mileena.
  • Episode 6 focuses on Raiden.
  • Episodes 7 and 8 focus on Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
  • Episode 9 focuses on Cyrax and Sektor.
• Alien Blood: Raiden has blue blood.
• Alternate Universe
• Art Shift: Done during episodes 4 and 5; most of the narration and exposition about Kitana's and Mileena's backstories are done in a minimalistic animated fashion, acting as segues between live-action dialogue and fight scenes.
• Badass Normal: In keeping with its grittier, less cartoony tone, a lot of the characters who appear do so without their trademark powers from the game. Jax doesn't have his cyber-arms yet, Sonya lacks her kiss of death, Johnny Cage is without his shadow powers, and Kitana is missing her Steel Fans.
  • Of particular note is Hanzo Hasashi, the then-future Scorpion, using nothing but a simple rope and kunai to fend off a very true-to-form Elder Sub-Zero who is actually Quan Chi in disguise. Hasashi is then killed by Quan Chi to pave the way for his resurrection as Scorpion.
• Badass Beard: Raiden sports a pretty awesome bit of two-tone chin bristle.
• Bedlam House: Raiden finds himself mistakenly committed to one, after showing up one day.
  • In a typical fashion for this trope, the people in charge of the asylum don't find it strange that a man of whom they have no record suddenly appear in their courtyard and proceed to hold him, despite the fact that he was never officially committed. He also gets a lobotomy for his trouble.
• Big Bad: Shao Kahn, natch.
• Canon Foreigner: Several of them, Blue and Hydro, for example.
• Curb Stomp Battle: Episode 2's fight between Kano and Briggs. After Kano taunts Briggs that he's going to enjoy this as much as he enjoyed torturing Sonya, he promptly fails to land one blow as Briggs beats the tar out of him.
• Cyborgs: Sektor and Cyrax are featured in the final episode of season one.
• Deal With the Devil: Shang Tsung goes to Johnny Cage, promising that he can get away from it all.
• Does This Remind You of Anything: A thunder god falls to earth and ends up confused for a mental patient?
• Doing in The Wizard: Not to the extent of Rebirth, but still present.
• Eye Scream: Kano's beat-down by Jax and the subsequent surgery.
  • Raiden's "treatment" in the mental hospital.
• False Flag Operation: Quan Chi impersonates the Elder Sub-Zero and slaughters Hanzo Hasashi and the rest of the Shirai Ryu, in order to give Hasashi sufficient motivation to join the Mortal Kombat tournament (that is, revenge on Sub-Zero) upon resurrection as Scorpion.
• Genre Shift: Each time the story shifts perspectives to different characters, the genre shifts as well.
  • Episodes 1 and 2 (Jax/Sonya/Kano) play out like 24.
  • Episode 3 (Johnny Cage) is a Biopic.
  • Episodes 4 and 5 (Kitana/Mileena) have a Fairy Tale vibe going.
  • In Episode 6, Raiden is put in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.
  • Episodes 7 and 8 (Scorpion/Sub-Zero) are pretty much Jidai Geki.
  • Episode 9 (Cyrax/Sektor) has a Sci Fi tone.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: When the SWAT team raids Kano's warehouse in the first episode, Stryker and Jax are the only ones who don't wear helmets.
• Jerkass: One of the executives Johnny Cage beat up after he heard they're using another actor. As Johnny Cage walks away, the executive showed his true colors and threatened to make sure Johnny will never get another job again.
• Luke I Am Your Father: Jerrod to Kitana. But of course, you already knew that.
• Mythology Gag: Johnny Cage hits the Squirrel in the crotch with a move similar to the one he used on Goro in the original movie.
• Nice Hat: Raiden, naturally.
• Oh Crap:
  • Lance the producer, right before he gets Caged.
  • Also Sonya and Jax after they realize the guy Sonya just shot dropped a live bomb.
    • Also when Jax and Kano are fighting over a gun and accidentally shoot an explosive charge into the ground and their feet.
  • The asylum orderly after Raiden not only shrugs off the taser, but it actually makes him stronger. Maybe pumping electricity into the god of thunder isn't such a great idea.
• Precision F Strike: Jax to Stryker about protocol, right before heading off to rescue Sonya. Followed two seconds later by Stryker's own, when he takes Jax's side.
• Psycho Psychologist: The guy who runs the Asylum Raiden is commited to. While believing a man who thinks he is the God of Thunder might need medical help is not unreasonable, that is no excuse for acting like a total dick to him for the duration, or any of your other patients, mocking his apparent delusions and controlling everyone with violence and intimidation. Not to mention Raiden is locked up in his institution not so much for that, as for magically appearing on the aslyum grounds, and they make no effort to inform the authorities of the fact, both of which qualify this as kidnapping.
• Real After All: Meta version. Based on the Rebirth trailer, many thought that this would entirely forgo the mysticism of the series in favor of scientific, gritty explanations for the series' characters. And the first couple episodes featuring Jax and Sonya back that up, as does most of Johnny Cage's episode, then Shang Tsung shows up at the end and casually stops time.
• Recycled in Space: Invoked. Johnny Cage makes a last-ditch pitch for a series, complete with on-spec pilot, to TV executives. They said they can't help him, and the network already decided that before they showed up. After they leave, he heads out, only to accidentally hear them pitching the exact same thing he just showed them to a female action star, only she's in the title role. He beats up one of the executives, plus several security guards, then walks away.
• The Scapegoat: Elder Sub-Zero for Quan Chi with regards to the slaughter of Hanzo Hasashi's clan
• Screw the Rules I'm Doing What's Right: Jax
• Slasher Smile: Mileena, when showing her Tarkatan side.
• Tempting Fate:

Kano: I'm going to enjoy this as much as I enjoyed torturing your sweet Sonya.

• Time Stands Still: Shang Tsung apparently has this power.
• What Happened to The Mouse: The girl who helped Raiden escape.