Alternative Character Interpretation for Mortal Kombat 11.
- The Elder Gods get one now that it's revealed that Kronika was always behind the scenes. Were their Jerkass God tendencies because they were a bunch of self-interested scumbags or was it because they had been made to act that way by events? How much of their problems were because Cetrion was doing her mother's bidding? The existence of the Titans and Mythos-style Eldritch Abominations in the Arcade endings means that their responsibilities may be far vaster than implied.
- Is Kronika a Well-Intentioned Extremist who actually sees a reason for her Balance Between Good and Evil plans or just completely insane and utterly evil? Is she blinded about how dangerous her son is or does she see him doing exactly what he's supposed to? Is there a Mama Bear tendency in there that she only acts when Shinnok is decapitated? That it's not 100% clear what her ultimate vision "is" or why she blames things exclusively on Raiden beyond vaguely wanting Shinnok and Cetrion to have equal power. The Arcade endings of different characters hint that making the realms totally free of conflict is not an easy task and, further, there are entities outside the influence of the Hourglass (like the other Titans) who might be an issue anyway, further complicating the issue.
- Shinnok obviously doesn't want there to be any kind of balance to the world, but is that the way he's made or is he planning on being The Starscream to his mother? Or maybe does he think that being the Big Bad is what his mother wants him to be? The fact he doesn't play a role in the story beyond the opening scene makes it debatable. This gets discussed in one of Raiden and Cetrion's fight intros:
- Raiden: Did Shinnok know what you know?
Cetrion: He embraced our mother's deisgn.
Raiden: Willingly? Or was he compelled?
- How much of Raiden and Liu Kang's more Jerkass qualities are the result of Kronika's meddling? Indeed, how much of the entirety of the setting is due to Kronika's actions? Are any of the characters really responsible for their actions or Face–Heel Turn events?
- Is Jax's motivation for siding with Kronika selfish or altruistic? He is at the lowest point of his life and desperately worried about his daughter being killed in another dimension, or ending up like him at some point. However, Kronika's offer to Jax emphasizes he'll be a general and a warrior while his daughter won't be any kind of soldier at all. At best, this is being patronizing to his daughter and at worst is a Stay in the Kitchen crossed with Driven by Envy. It's doubly shocking given that he supports his best friend Sonya's ambitions as well as her daughter. It's very telling that when he confronts Raiden in the penultimate chapter, he cites his own wellbeing in addition to Jacqui's when he tries to justify his motives. On the other hand, in his Arcade ending he focuses on erasing racism from history, and while that's partly due to he himself being a black man and so still somewhat self-related, it's not exactly a "selfish" motive either.
- Shao Kahn's anger at D'Vorah for killing Mileena. Is he angry because he actually cared for her in a way, or does he simply see one of his minions being killed as a personal insult?
- How "evil" is Cetrion? Most characters, both heroic and villainous, regard her to be just as bad as Kronika, but Fire God Liu Kang says that her heart is in conflict with her loyalty. In the end, Cetrion's loyalty is absolute, but one of Cetrion's pre-fight dialogues appear to take place after the main story and imply that Cetrion is now free of her mother's influence. How she might align in such a case is open to speculation.
- When Noob Saibot retorts that he would not allow female Lin Kuei when Frost wishes for him to be Grandmaster in a pre-fight dialogue, is he being genuinely misogynistic or is he merely messing with her?
- The retcon involving Sindel's Adaptational Villainy is suspected as simply being part of the reboot timeline. Since it's revealed there's actually more timelines than just it and the original, it's entirely possible that her original characterization was still part of some timelines, while her current one is what happened in others, which would explain the inconsistencies between the two and how there could be more than them. And since Kronika is responsible for these reboots before her death, one can say that Sindel's drastic personality change was also Kronika's fault, using her time-manipulation abilities to tamper with Sindel's personality. While Aftermath establishes that her Adaptational Villainy has always being her character, its narrative still only takes place in the "new" timeline. A third group of fans suggest the past presented in her ending was what the brainwashed, resurrected Sindel believed happened and Shang Tsung simply lied about resurrecting her as she originally was, something entirely in character for him.
- Kung Lao in Fire God Liu Kang's Aftermath victory ending. It is never stated which Kung Lao this is, leaving it up to interpretation whether this is the Great Kung Lao or Liu Kang's friend now more humble.
- In Rain’s arcade ladder ending, did he kill Argus because he truly cared for his mother, or just because Argus’ deception caused Rain to be denied the privileged upbringing he felt he deserved? Given Rain’s characterization in nearly every other appearance, it is entirely plausible that the latter is true. Supporting this is the fact that there is no mention of him actually bringing her back to life, or changing the timeline to give her a better life, even though he would be entirely capable of doing so. It’s left ambiguous enough to leave it up to interpretation whether or not Rain was being the same selfish jerk he’s always been.
