Mortal Kombat X (Comic) Kritique 

say what you want about Skarlet, but she somehow manages to sneak 5 different outfits into the few appearances she has

"Fujin, you fuckup, where were you?" "I was doin' this" *crane pose* Mans got his priorities straight

The fact that the MKX Comics spent so much time on Takeda only to just unceremoniously dump him in the garbage bin for MK11 in is just astounding to me.

Kotal Kahn is treated with respect in the MKX comic but he's a joke in the game stories NetherRealm really buried Kotal Kahn in the games.

" *GET OUTTA HERE!* " -Scorpion

The whole idea of Scorpion being an aspect of Hanzo’s character could have easily been brushed aside as the representation of his rage and hatred, not some overly-done “Superpowered Evil Side” thing.

I think this proves the NRS never check the stories twice

Can we agree that Takeda and Scorpion's relationship is one of the few good parts of modern MK

I just love how it is Christmas and Snake is rocking the Santa hat like a champ In the thumbnail.

Not gonna lie, I almost had a fucking Heart attack when Maximilian suggested that Shawn Kittelsen should start writing for Capcom's Fighting Games... The Sheer Impact of hearing such Nonsense almost floored me

It seems to me that the bulk of MK's current writing boils down to "Did you get that reference? You remember THIS character, right? Isn't it cool that they're here?! Time for another reference!" Like, Aftermath constant use of "Finish him" and call backs to the movies were pretty jarring to me and took me out of the story.

NRS tried to turn mortal kombat into dc comics when they wrote mk11's story and they failed....

Honestly, NRS missed the boat by not making a Shirai Ryu game in the same vein as Shaolin Monks. It would have added a lot of depth to Scorpion and Takeda's characters.

We’ve gotten to play as multiple individual members of the Lin kuei, special forces, black dragon and the white lotus. I would’ve loved to play as someone from the Shirai Ryu beyond Scorpion, we got that with takeda. But Forrest Fox could’ve been a cool new member and best friend to takeda instead of being a mind controlled puppet of havik. “Such wasted potential”

The4thSnake: “God of Useless...” Phelous: “Flawless Reference!”

Not to mention Hsu Hao is revealed to been killed by MK11 Erron Black as part of his forced retcon.

History/Geography mistakes: The comics say that Kortal landed in South America, where he met the Aztecs, but the Aztecs lived in Mexico, which is part of North America. Also the Aztecs were a freaking empire the day the Europeans landed, so definitely not a defenseless peaceful village.

One thing I really dislike about the comics is it’s portrayal of Havik. In the midway timeline he wasn’t a evil character, just a being whose purpose was to bring chaos, while in the comics he’s a generic power hungry villain with little depth.

I can’t believe there was a time I actually defended Shawn Skittles’s writing

Wasted Plotential: Hsu Hao

42:46 I really can't fault his logic. That pose was really impressive

30:20 love how they put sub-zero in the yamcha pose

Characters in MK are either: Introduced just to be forgotten (like Tremor and Ferra/Tor, Nitara, Khameleon, etc), loved just to don't appear or not be playable in later game or in case they were badly receive they just kill them offscreen.

My biggest issue with the comics is what they did with the Shokans. The MKX game says they didn't bow to either Mileena or Kotal which makes sense, they probably didn't see either as fit to rule and Mileena losing the might of the Shokans adds up with how she ends up losing the throne to Kotal. The Shokans randomly serving Kotal, only for Goro to jump back to serving Mileena makes no sense, they pretty much did it just to get Goro out of the way and make Sheeva the new ruler.

Me waiting for the mk11 kritique: sees this video Me: a surprise to be sure but a welcome one

The Mayans actually died out before the Spanish were around. This kind of irks me about the comic because they could’ve done something interesting with it because the reason the Mayans died out is mostly not confirmed yet.

Someone I talked to in another forum once suggested that Frost is older than the Kombat Kids but a combination of freezing herself to preserve her youth and her general immaturity make her appear younger than she looks. I guess this makes about as much sense as anything else.

Cheers for the shout out, was happy to help! Merry Christmas!

The comics aren’t about the story they are about the gameplay

If we're talking about 2nd chances, can NRS please give Kai one. Also, it would be cool if Fox was a character (before he obtained the dagger)

Great. If my favorite character is not getting killed in someone else's ending he's being reduced to random lackey. That being Shujinko. List of easy story fixes. 1. The Blood Code - A type of blood magic that manipulates the essence of the One Being which exist in all beings. 2. The Kamidogu Daggers - That where the 1st versions of the Kamidogu the Elder Gods used against the One Being. Even though they failed because they still possess great power the Elder Gods kept them. 3. Establish that the Scorpion persona in a separate persona created by constantly infusing his soul with Hellfire, and by conquering it his Hellfire is forever his to control with risk of said persona reappearing. 4 Skarlet's Suit - Skarlet's suit, similar to a Red Lantern, is made of blood, and by manipulating the iron is said blood she can make it like a leathery suit, hard as armor, or transparent enough to absorb blood through it. More on the way.....

I like to think the reason for human/scarred Sub-Zero is the theory that when the timeline is altered, the universe will try to correct itself.

So basically the comic series is a whole bunch of bad writing, inconsistent retcons and member-berries...got it. Thanks for the heads-up.

I don't mind that the females in MK 11 have more conservative designs, but at least make it fit the character. Skarlet is one of the few women that makes sense to wear skimpy revealing outfits and she gets covered from head to toe in nearly every outfit.

The Kana/Jubei fuck up could've easier fixed by Scorpion just saying "My Family.."

gotta say, I find the concept of someone dying of blood loss in the mortal kombat universe hilarious, like the games are so cartoonishly bloody im surprised characters dont squirt blood in their idle animations

The4thsnake is now my Santa cause he gave me the best Christmas mass gift ever

One thing that made me so damn confused when reading this MKX comic series was, HOW. THE. HELL. did Skarlet manage to steal Kotal's blood dagger when she was never even shown or hinted to be at the battle between Kotal's army and the Shokans?? When I turned to the next chapter and suddenly out of nowhere, Skarlet had the dagger, I was mad confused.

“Quote from the video we all watched”😂😂😂

Cassie kills Mavado but she didn't want to kill Frost. That was just stupid.

And apparently these writers say Shao Kahn isn't a god now....absolute stupidity

Oh, boy. Whether it’s 4th Snake poking fun at MK or embracing some small elements that are acceptable, I love when he talks about MK. I already got my snacks ready.

I have a new found respect for Reiko at 40:06

As a Stryker Fan i really wish they wouldn't give up on him. Make him a Special Forces member who looks and moves like Chris Redfield. He works in other fighting games. People don't mind human characters using skill and weapons to make up for supernatural powers. Look at Rambo!

But... The comics aren't about the story, they're about the art. XD (Yes, this is a joke to most fans who say "fighting games aren't about the story, they're about the gameplay", in case anyone is wondering.)

I think that Shawn buddy forgot he was writing an MK character and so he transformed Scorpion into a Spawn knock-off. I'm actually really annoyed, cause the comics' art, albeit inconsistent, looks pretty dope. What a waste...

The hu hsao thing is exactly how I feel about it. He’s got so much untapped potential and they never use any of it with a lot of characters

"That, or a bias against the 3D Era" This, because its popular to shit on the games that saved MK from dying as a franchise and are better than people give credit.

This video gave me a headache. The amount of inconsistencies and retcons make Sonic 06 look like a fucking masterpiece. Yeah, I just said that.

I actually thought it was the mk11 critique😂😂 but I’ll take it .....been binging on his previous critiques

I was pretty indifferent to Striker back in the Midway timeline. I ended up liking his new take in MK9. I did originally read maybe the first and second parts of the comic and then just forgot about it. After your analysis, I'm kinda glad I did forget. I found it pretty hard to follow and it didn't help that MKX also had a story jumping around the timeline.

Took you quite a long time, but eh, it should be worth the wait.

I guess the reason why he is called kotal ket is because Shaun was on the substance while making it

This what happens when have a writer who barely knows shit about Mortal Kombat and a company too lazy to actually give a shit about its story.

24:54 It was at this point I was laughing (kinda of a cough and a laugh because I have a cold right now) with my mother about the absurdity of either one or two 17 year old girls sonehow beating a full grown man in his 20s to his 50s in fisticuffs, when said man has decades of experience fighting and also has fought some of the best soldiers on the planet. Like, no. That makes about as much sense as me beating Mike Tyson at boxing. It's not that I can't fight, it's just that he's got the speed, stamina, experience, striking power and resilience proven to at minimum be double my own. It's less than 1% chance. Even with steroids and morphine it would hardly be 1% on a good day.

It's not perfect but despite the many flaws I still like the comic,I enjoy the relationship between Hanzo and Takeda,I like seeing Havik again and it's story is still better than MKX story. Though when it comes to fighting game comics I think Udon Street Fighter does the best.

Ifktotal in mkx was like kotal in this comic, the whole Just Emperor shit in Mk11 would've made alot more sense

45:13 Scorpion: Vengeance will be mine! Hanzo: Vengeance for what? What did I do to you? Scorpion: Oh, nothing, it's just something I usually say. Hanzo: This is stupid. Scorpion: You're stupid! Give yourselves a cookie of you got the reference.

IT'S HERE, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This was the appetizer, I’m so excited for the MK11 critique!

I don't understand Netherealm. They got fans, legacy and money, how difficult could it be to be consistent? You would think Ed Boon, been a co-creator of the franchise would at least try to keep consistency and know the entire lore of the series.

I liked how YOU screamed, "Get out of here!" 😁

It’s not what we all waiting for (THAT review will be out next year), but we love it just as much.

A Phelous "God of Useless!" reference! Brilliant!

I love a good rant. But you know what's better than a good rant, a well read and researched rant that makes complete sense. I did enjoy the comics, but I have the problem of being overly positive. So you do what I can't, which is realistically critique stories, and I love your points and critiques. Well done, this was your best video yet.

I think the intent behind the "seventh Kamidogu" thing was to imply that Shinnok's Amulet was the last one. Doesn't really work, because the Kamidogu are daggers here, but it's a nice nod to Deception... in theory, at least.

1:30 Why does Hsu Hao have normal eyeballs? Didn't he had black eyes and red pupils? Also, I felt disappointed when Hsu Hao and many others were killed out of spite, they could have made them cooler, but like Sub-Zero said. "such wasted potential"

GET OUT OF HERE... this is what I needed for Christmas.

It sounds like this comic was written by Vince McMahon, Vince Russo or Eric Bischoff

Y’know, I think an interesting thing that could be done with Hsu Hao would be to make him more… Mongolian. Not like having him refer to Chinggis every few sentences or some shit, but flesh him out via where he’s from. Now bear in mind I don’t know a lot of MK nor a shit ton about Mongolia, so pardon any inaccuracy. Hell, imagine if they gave him a variety of Bökh fighting style moves- Bökh is Mongolian wrestling btw, and there are multiple types- with him originally having taken it up to make money for his family. During this, he found an enjoyment of fighting. As for his backstory, Mongolia is in a *BAD* place right now, as far as I know. A slow, corrupt government, with officials embezzling money and refusing to do their job. A populace growing more and more exhausted of this inaction, growing angrier and angrier. Hsu Hao could be from a poor family, originally taking the sport up to make them money. As time goes on he takes on harder and more morbid jobs to pay for them, with a growing hatred for the politicians that have condemned his family, his country, and him to suffering for their own wealth and bliss. Now, let’s throw something else in. Let’s say that while he loathes the government, he loves his country and heritage. He is proud to *be* a Mongolian and sees what’s going on as a stain against the legacies of Khorlooogiin Choibalsan, Balinguin Tserendorj, Damien Sükhabaatar, and other Mongolian leaders. This, of course, would include Chingghis, because the latter is still a national hero of Mongolia. This admiration of his furthers his disgust at the current government, and he begins to plan assassinations. Eventually his skill with outright killing is noticed by the Black Dragon, and to join them he needs to carry out a political assassination on a government official. Maybe one that screwed his family, but there’s a twist- it has to be in front of that guy’s family, too. Hsu Hao does it without hesitation, and now his personal goal is to use his rising position in the Black Dragon to overthrow the Mongolian Government and make things better for his family and people. His story would possibly involve him wobbling, trying to not lose sight of his goal as the temptation of money and power keeps seducing him closer and closer to a life of brutal chaos for his own sadistic enjoyment. Will he try and make a better world through horrible means, just create another oppressive dictatorship, or abandon his cause for the joy that killing brings him? Bam. Hsu Hao is at least a little interesting now, and even sympathetic. What do you think, Snake? Bear in mind this is off of the top of my head, and it would definitely need serious refining if canonized, *especially* pertaining to his heritage and backstory. I just want him to be interesting. I also really want to learn about Mongolia, and even plan to travel there to spend a year or two to do so.

You forgot to mention how in this comic, after all is said and done, Kotal is also offered a say in what happens to Shinnok's amulet, and Kotal turns the offer down. Then MKX the game has Kotal claim Outworld was never given such an offer. So either the right hand once again refused to know what the left was doing at NRS, or the game writers randomly made Kotal a petty, childish liar.

Merry Christmas! I wished the MK11 and MKX story is like the comics I love to see a game from Outworld’s perspective

I would describe modern MK as *kitsch.* It's little more than shallow facades. It's exceededly more about topics than actual substance. It appeals to the people that criticize and praise material solely off of topic matter and vain or vague representation. They don't care about the duck being lame; they just care that the duck sits on a certain hill

**grabs popcorn**

The Mortal Kombat X comics should still be non canon because it has nothing to do with the story of Mkx and the timeline so this comic is useless unlike the injustice prequel comics which are actually useful to the story.

they should hire you and history behind the warrior to keep track and write the stories from now on, seems fans do a better job keeping up with the lore than netherrealm does.

This sounds like a trainwreck

So skip the comics then, ok

Seth wasn't really a good example of a disliked character being salvaged. Genderbending just about anything and turning it into a waifu is about the laziest, no-effort method of making people suddenly love a character.

42:42 This single made up intro is better than all of MK11's intros combined.

Always love seeing a Yakuza reference in your videos. Keep up the good work!

All of these video critiques you make about NRS writing are great. If only the writers could watch these

I wish the mkx comics continued so we could've gotten onaga/goro

My biggest complaint about MKX comic is that there was little to no interaction between writers of the game and the comic (thanks WB) and as a result comic and the game are barely compatible. Also, story is overly convoluted and uses Quan Chi as crutch (again), but overall it was not a bad attempt. I wish they allowed Kitelsen to finalize it, but, alas. On the other hand, given quality of the MK11 writing, I'd say, maybe it is a good thing.

I don't know what's up with Ed Boon, but it's like he doesn't respect his own franchise. I get it's just a fighting game, but if you're going to have a storyline to make the game feel immersive (which was the original attitude), then why not stick with it? Or don't have a storyline at all and just have random characters fighting for no reason. Make up your mind, NRS! Which is it? I've never seen such a great storyline handled so poorly.

“What are we, some type of suicide squad?” 45:39

skarlet did survive the battle, but its weird they never say how she died before mk11. in a dialogue with kitana she implies that she was able to save her legs but its never said what has happened to present skarlet ever since

Seth is amazing just from that laugh.

They really Yamcha'd Subzero 30:20

There was supposedly more to explore on this comics like the return of Onaga, but since the comics weren't selling so well and they were getting pirated (you know, so people could read them without paying) they decided to cancel them.

I said it before and I say it again, Netherrealm studios still has the most contradicted and procrastinate story writers. It's why Kronika is literally the worst game boss villain in gaming history.

I find it funny how Moloch and Drahmin are treated as shit tier yet canonically they ALWAYS give Scorpion trouble since they nearly killed him in Deadly Alliance and he had to run away from them here. This also makes Quan-Chi even more of a dumb ass as he kills two people who made Scorpion run away and now has less forces in his weakened state. I also didn't realize that Shawn was already doing the "They didn't really win" bullshit before MK11 as I thought it was just Nightwolf and Fujin being sore losers. This kind of writing just makes the characters seem pathetic when they can't admit a loss. These are suppose to be great and experienced warriors and yet when they lose a fight they're like "I let you win" or "You won due to a technicality" or "You retreated, I didn't have to resort to a failed suicide movie". Its this kind of stupid shit that also makes Noob such a...well, Noob. He was FAR more impressive as Bi-Han and as far as I am aware, he has never had a full win as Noob yet he's like "Quan-Chi has perfected me, I am an Apex Predator". You were fighting gods and beating a newly created Scorpion who is apparently super powerful (except against 'shit tiers' like Drahmin and Moloch) as a human and now you are a bitch who gets beat in every fight you ever have. As for your comment about Raiden seeming weaker by the fact that he could be possessed, I agree and I have a similar moment with Shinnok in MKX. In the opening, Shinnok creates a force field to block bullets fired from Sonya, the issue for me is...why does he need to create a force field? Say he didn't, would the bullets have penetrated his body? Would he be severely injured if the bullets landed? This is a Fallen Elder God we are talking about who was beating up two normal gods (not Demigods, MK11, they are not half human) and I am now under the impression that I could incapacitate him with a gun. This is even sillier when you compare him to MCU Loki who in the Avengers, is bullet proof. So a regular god, who isn't even really a god in the MCU but just an advanced alien, is bullet proof but a Fallen Elder God, one of the first beings in existence alongside the One Being, is not. I understand that for gameplay, Shinnok can't be bullet proof because any gun attacks wouldn't work which would be unbalanced but that can merely be a gameplay mechanic and not a story mechanic. Superman is bullet proof yet in Injustice gameplay, Superman can be harmed by bullets so there is no reason for Shinnok to be threatened by bullets. Either they should have bounced off him or he should have casually caught the bullets or deflected them with his finger, showing not only how fast and durable he is but also how worthless human weapons are. Instead, I now feel like I can shoot Elder Gods in the head and that to be a dangerous thing for them. They also did this with Kronika by having her get defeated by Fire God Liu-Kang. This is a cool concept and evolution of the character but its simply a fusion of a very powerful mortal and a regular god. Two regular gods in MKX couldn't handle Shinnok and powerful mortals needed ancient magic just to beat him and he's a Fallen Elder God, Kronika is a Titan who is apparently above everything yet loses to a mortal/god fusion. It gets worse because at the point that they fight, Kronika should be 3x stronger than an Elder God. She is a Titan which is apparently above an Elder God, she absorbed Cetrion so she has the power of an Elder God as well, and she is wearing her crown which enabled mortals to stand against Elder Gods so she is 3x stronger than an Elder God with one Elder God logically being stronger than a regular god yet she loses to a mortal/god fusion. Even if we assume Liu-Kang even as a mortal is god tier (which fair enough, he has beaten godlike threats), that is still a 2x regular god vs a 3x Elder God, Kronika by all accounts should be stronger but she loses. This makes me think that without Cetrion's power and the crown, Raiden would have stomped her. Her own daughter had a better showing than her and she is AGAIN, lesser than her. Kronika sucks and seems weak despite being a Titan, Shinnok sucks and seems weak despite being a Fallen Elder God and Raiden in modern games seems like an idiot and weak as a god. Remember when gods were capable of destroying worlds? Raiden's MK1 ending had him and the gods destroying the world simply by fighting each other and Raiden's MK3 ending had him and Shao-Kahn shaking the Earth in their battle and yet now gods can be hurt by bullets and things beyond the gods themselves are scared of humans.

38:52 AND IT DIDN'T HAVE A 4 FIGHT CHAPTER LIMIT. THAT WAS PRETTY NICE TOO.

I’ve been waiting for this!

You know...I think the whole "Hanzo vs Scorpion" thing might have worked...just not in the way the comic did. I think the way the comic should have handled it is kinda like how Silent Hill 3 did Heather vs Alyssa. Have it more be more a personification of Hanzo contemplating taking his own life out of both guilt for the horrible things he's done and the loss of the then-current Shiari Ryu clan earlier in the comic. Scorpion just wanting to die so that maybe they can rejoin their family and clan as he thinks it is hopeless whereas Hanzo wants to live on and try to rebuild what's been lost, not let the Shiari Ryu die out and thinking Harumi and Satoshi would not want them to just give up. Sure, it ain't perfect, but it's better than what the comic did.

Thank you for the amazing christmas gift, I have been looking forward to this! Merry christmas 4thsnake.

Well I know where the "Scorpion Origin" is taken from...Blood Omen: Legacy Of Kain (the first game of the saga) Kain gets killed by some assassins, he get chained up in Hell, a necromancer shows up to free him and promise REVENGE , resurrecting him as a vampire...IS THE SAME DAMN ORIGIN!!!

Non of my homies listen to Dominique.

Jesus. Why fan fiction sounds better then official material Netheralm?

It's about damn time