Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge is the newest animated project to adapt the franchise, and in the process it completes Scorpion's long transformation into an anti-hero. Scorpion has been the face of the MK franchise since its beginning back in arcades in 1992, partly because he embodies the bone-crushing combat and unique character designs that define the series to this day. The undead specter has also long been confirmed to be the favorite of series creator Ed Boon, which is why he has the distinction of being in nearly every single game in the franchise.
Despite his intense popularity, nobody could have guessed that Scorpion would be the main character in Mortal Kombat Legends back when the first trailer was released at the beginning of the year. Retelling the story of the first game, the animated Mortal Kombat movie showcases the events of the tenth tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld from the lens of Scorpion (Patrick Seitz), as he attempts to complete a quest for the necromancer Quan Chi (Darin De Paul) as well as the promise of revenge. Mortal Kombat Legends features an ensemble of characters, including Liu Kang (Jordan Rodrigues), Shang Tsung (Artt Butler), Johnny Cage (Joel McHale), Sonya Blade (Jennifer Carpenter), and many others.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge presents Scorpion as a justified anti-hero, who's on a self-destructive quest for revenge until he realizes he can embrace another path. This is the culmination of a shift in the character's story, one that has occurred slowly over the course of the entire series. Despite starting out as a straight villain, the Mortal Kombat series has veered sharply in the other direction and turned Scorpion into something more.
In the character's first appearance in the original Mortal Kombat, the backstory provided gave a glimpse into his motivations. He was an undead wraith, a murdered ninja from the Shirai Ryu clan seeking revenge on Sub-Zero, an acclaimed assassin from the Lin Kuei. This dedication to vengeance brings him to blows with the altruistic Earthrealm warriors, setting him up as a villain for the first game. This changes slightly in Mortal Kombat 2, when Scorpion discovers that Sub-Zero has somehow returned after being killed at his own hands in the first game. He re-enters the tournament to hunt him down only to discover that he's actually the younger brother of the first Sub-Zero, a reveal that causes Scorpion to swear allegiance to him as penance for his kin-slaying.
Despite this decision, Scorpion has a complex relationship with morality throughout the rest of the original timeline. In Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, he works alongside Shao Kahn's forces with the promise of his family being resurrected. However, the biggest turn comes in Mortal Kombat 4, when Scorpion is manipulated by Quan Chi into helping him resurrect Shinnok, only to discover that Quan Chi was actually the one who murdered his family. This vendetta carries him throughout the rest of the original series, all the way up until Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, the last game in the original timeline.
2009's Mortal Kombat 9 was a time-traveling reboot of the franchise, which saw Raiden sending his consciousness back in time to rewrite the history of the first three games. Despite attempts by Raiden to change the outcome of Scorpion's first battle with Sub-Zero, Scorpion indulges his rage and kills the first Sub-Zero, which leads to his younger brother Kuai Liang to enter the tournament to avenge him. While it seems like Scorpion will pursue his same violent tendencies, at the start of Mortal Kombat X, Scorpion is resurrected back to life as Hanzo Hasashi by Raiden, who gives him a second lease on life by doing so.
Scorpion takes this opportunity to turn his life around, recreating the Shirai Ryu and turning the ninja clan into a force for good. He even trains Kenshi's son Takeda, teaching him how to control and use his inner rage as a force for self-discipline, much like he's learned to do himself. In the Mortal Kombat reboot timeline, Hanzo Hasashi becomes a valuable ally to the forces of Earthrealm, marking the completion of his arc from a vengeful specter into a wise hero capable of self-reflection and inner control.
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