A Mortal Kombat II theory suggests that one major Earthrealm hero may not actually be who he appears to be. There will be plenty of new characters in Mortal Kombat II, such as Kitana, Baraka, Sindel, and Shao Kahn. As is teased in the trailer for the highly anticipated sequel, these characters and many others will participate in a Mortal Kombat tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld.

In the upcoming Mortal Kombat II, which releases this fall, Earthrealm will be represented by Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs, Liu Kang, and Cole Young. All of these fighters are very strong, but they are definitely still the underdogs in the tournament. In order to come out victorious against the villains, they will need all the help they can get.

Thankfully, the movie’s trailer suggests that Kano will help the Earthrealm champions in Mortal Kombat II, which is surprising. Furthermore, the trailer seemingly confirms that Kung Lao will return from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the movie. However, rather than this being the case, an intriguing Mortal Kombat II theory suggests that Shang Tsung actually shapeshifts into Kung Lao in the sequel.

Kung Lao Will Return In Mortal Kombat 2 After Dying In The First Movie

At the end of the first movie, which was released in 2021, Shang Tsung sucked Kung Lao’s soul out of his body after he and his Outworld fighters invaded Raiden’s temple. This is one of the coolest fatalities included in the movie, but the death of Kung Lao was a devastating loss for Earthrealm.

The first movie established that Kung Lao was a dedicated Earthrealm champion who spent years training with both Liu Kang and Raiden. He would definitely be an ᴀsset who could increase Earthrealm’s odds at winning the tournament and successfully stopping Shao Kahn and his Outworld forces from invading.

Once the credits rolled for the first movie, it seemed like Kung Lao was permanently ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. However, the trailer for Mortal Kombat II confirms that he will indeed appear in the long-awaited sequel. Kung Lao can first be seen walking towards Liu Kang in front of a blue portal, which seems to be inspired by a popular arena that first appeared in the second Mortal Kombat game.

Then, towards the end of the trailer, Kung Lao can once again be seen throwing his hat towards Liu Kang and an unknown third fighter in this same location. Even though he previously trained with Liu Kang, the trailer suggests that Kung Lao may fight against him. With the filmmakers keeping most twists under wraps, it is unclear whether Kung Lao will be a hero or villain in Mortal Kombat II.

After watching the trailer, some fans may be confused about how Kung Lao returns in Mortal Kombat II, but his appearance isn’t entirely unexpected. It is quite common for characters to return from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the franchise. Other characters like Kano and Bi-Han will also be revived in the sequel. However, instead of being revived, perhaps Kung Lao is actually Shang Tsung in disguise.

A Mortal Kombat 2 Theory Suggests Kung Lao Is Actually Shang Tsung

Ever since the release of the Mortal Kombat II trailer, fans have theorized exactly how Kung Lao returns from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. More than likely, the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi, who is left out of the trailer, will be the one responsible for bringing characters like Kano and Bi-Han back to life. However, he may not be involved in Kung Lao’s return.

Instead, it would make more sense for Kung Lao’s return to be directly tied to Shang Tsung, who is also a powerful sorcerer. In the video games, Shang Tsung is capable of shapeshifting into other characters. This theory suggests that Kung Lao doesn’t actually return from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, and that Shang Tsung simply shapeshifts into him in Mortal Kombat II.

Since Shang Tsung previously swallowed Kung Lao’s soul, he will be able to perfectly mimic his actions and fighting style when he shapeshifts into him. There’s a chance that Liu Kang won’t even be able to tell that Kung Lao isn’t acting like himself, which could potentially give Shang Tsung the perfect chance to take down Earthrealm’s strongest champion.

If this theory is true, it would allow Shang Tsung to redeem himself in the eyes of Shao Kahn after he previously failed to kill the Earthrealm fighters. Shang Tsung’s Mortal Kombat role was underwhelming, so it would be great to see him use more of his powers and actually fight in the sequel, rather than just sending other warriors to do his bidding.

Furthermore, this theory explains why it appears that Kung Lao attacks Liu Kang in the trailer. Instead of being his closest ally, like he was in the first movie, Kung Lao might challenge Liu Kang to a fight in Mortal Kombat II. This could potentially affect how Liu Kang performs in the tournament, which could weaken Earthrealm significantly and make Shang Tsung a more menacing villain.