I may have not played Mortal Kombat 1 yet but I'm literally a Spoiler Addict. The opening scene features Shang Tsung meeting with Kronika. In this timeline, Shang Tsung has become a quack salesman who sells fake cures. In the Midway continuity and Reboot Trilogy continuity - he was still the same evil sorcerer. Shang Tsung gains some power from Kronika. Yet, this one comes with what might be a dirty finger to Kronika due to her probable poor fan reception. Personally, I think Kronika's concept was interesting since her resetting timelines to start new ones causes so much trouble. Kronika ends up killing countless in the process. The cycle of reincarnation would cause Shiva (who I believe is among the Elder Gods here) to weep, "How horrible is the creation!"
Secretly, I was hoping Kronika from Mortal Kombat 11 was returning with that intro. Come on, we just saw Kronika give Shang Tsung his status as an evil sorcerer again in this lifetime. I think Fire God Liu Kang wasn't too careful in directing the wheel of reincarnation. Why not have Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Shao Kahn (reincarnated as General Shao), and many others reincarnate into worms? I guess if that happened then there's no story to tell. I was also hoping that Onaga from Mortal Kombat Deception would be the final boss. Instead, the game's title gave what I might call a not-so-surprising plot twist.
It turns out that the Kronika we meet isn't Kronika at all. Instead, it's SHANG TSUNG better called MK11 Shang Tsung. The MK11 Aftermath story had Shang Tsung steal Kronika's soul. MK11 Shang Tsung explained two timelines namely the one where HE WON and the other where Fire God Liu Kang WON. The battle between them caused splintered TIMELINES which might fit into Hindu cosmology which has innumerable universes. Buddhism also teaches the concept of the multiverse.
One such teaching is from the Atavamsaka Sutra which says:
These Buddha realms are not just parallel universes — they are also interconnected, with each realm containing an infinite number of other realms. Furthermore, each plane contains an infinite number of beings, and each being includes an endless number of Buddha realms. In other words, everything is connected to everything else, and reality — as we think we perceive it — is ultimately beyond our current understanding.
It's also taught in the Mahavairocana Sutra:
In the Mahavairocana Sutra, time is cyclical — it goes on forever and is never-ending. Furthermore, everything exists simultaneously — past, present, and future all exist at the same time. This idea may be hard to wrap our linear minds around, but it’s actually not that far-fetched.
When Gautama Buddha sat on the Bodhi Tree - he saw all past lives, all times (timelines), and all universes and dimensions. Quite interestingly, in the Legend of the Eight Immortals, Gautama Buddha also provided help to the legendary heroes when they battled the fallen elder god Tongtian Jiaozhu. Tongtian Jiaozhu is a fallen Elder God and Shinnok clearly comes to mind. The Singaporean TV series also featured Pangolin who eventually betrayed Tongtian Jiaozhy. Doesn't Quan Chi come to mind? The concept of timelines goes with Armageddon (Kali Yuga) and then it restarts. Kronika was using the time cycles until she found the "perfect timeline" as a villain with OCD. The concept of the multiverse would explain the messy final battle!
MK1 Shang Tsung says, "You are me." MK11 Shang Tsung says, "You're a flawed copy of me." Fire God Liu Kang must gather several heroes from SEVERAL TIMELINES to rid all timelines of ALL EVILS. Since most of Mortal Kombat's storyline revolves around the Shaolin Temples - I think the sutras might help explain what was going on. Lord Liu Kang revealed to Sindel her previous self, General Shao's previous self and Geras mentioned billions of timelines. Cassie Cage (or Carlton) was confused in MK11 when Raiden explained it. That's what the Atavamsaka Sutra would say that it's beyond our understanding. The conditions in Mortal Kombat in their game settings could only be set in the Kali Yuga.
That would explain the messy setting. MK11 Shang Tsung brings corrupted versions of several characters. You have a Goro that has four hammers. You have evil versions of the Kombat Kids. You have Dark Raiden and Evil Sindel showing up. Eventually, MK11 Shang Tsung is defeated (with multiple possible endings) which confirms what the Mahavairocana Sutra says that everything exists simultaneously.
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