Or more specifically, Wait, people care aboutMortal Kombats story?

Of course they do.

Havent you been paying attention?

Its martial arts grindhouse mythology has been seen in comic books, movies, TV, and more.

Rather than a streamlined story, it took place over the course of various miniseries and one-shots.

They were pretty bad, though still a step up fromMalibus attempt at aStreet Fighterseries.

Still, events from the comic were referenced inMortal Kombat 11.

Okay, so comics are out of the way.

Most notable, in my opinion, is this wonderful, haunting song about the Chinese ninja warrior Sub-Zero.

Not that one is all that much better than the other.

It was put together by David Anderson and Bob Keen (director ofLost World).

In 1995, a novel was released by Jeff Rovin known simply asMortal Kombat.

I myself have read it, but that was over 20 years ago, so my memory is shoddy.

Sadly, Johnny Cage didnt get mentioned even once.

The only weird thing I recall about the book was Scorpions backstory.

Then his ghost merged with his adult son Tsui Park and they became Scorpion.

Finally, we gotMortal Kombat: The Movie, directed by Paul WS Anderson.

People have lots of differing opinions on this one, but I absolutely love it.

It understood the ridiculousness of the games and didnt take a stab at be something else.

Thats why people constantly refer to it as one of the best or possibly only good video game adaption.

Part of it comes from how much fun everyone was having with it.

There are so many great performances that have since become iconic for some of the characters.

Christopher Lamberts Raiden added a loving smirk to everything going on.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawas Shang Tsung chewed almost all the scenery.

Goro, created with animatronics and voiced by Kevin Richardson, was a delight to watch.

Then there was Scorpions hand snake.

The first movie was based on the first game, which itself borrowed a lot fromEnter the Dragon.

The second movie was based on the third game, which had a complete mess of a storyline.

It didnt help that the great cast and characters from the first movie were long gone.

Robin Shou as Liu Kang and Talisa Soto as Kitana were the only ones to return.

Kano, Shang Tsung, and Goro were already killed.

Sonya and Raiden were recast.

Johnny Cage was both recastandkilled within the first few minutes.

It was cheesy, but without anything holding it together to make it good on any level.

Characters from the games would just show up, do something, then leave and never be mentioned again.

Dialogue, acting, and most definitely special effects were worse than before.

Years later, people are still laughing and cringing at this cry for help.

Speaking of laughing and cringing, its time to discussMortal Kombat: The Live Tour.

Ive never been to one of the shows myself and its something that will forever haunt me.

All I have to go on is footage like this.

It was pretty crappy, but not the worst thing out there.

If anything, the episode where Shang Tsung was resurrected was legitimately good.

There were a few notable things about the show.

It gave us the very first appearance of Quan Chi in any media, including the games.

Kurtis Stryker was voiced by Ron Perlman while Luke Perry played Sub-Zero.

And no,Wreck-It Ralphdoesnt count.

Defenders of the Realmlasted a mere 13 episodes in the end with the finale being a cliffhanger.

Mortal Kombatwould return to television in 1998 withMortal Kombat: Conquest.

In other words, it took place roughly 500 years ago, making it easier on the budget.

Kung Lao hung out with his buddies Siro and Taja (played byTerminator 3s Kristanna Loken).

Otherwise, there were some legacy characters like earlier incarnations of Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and the Black Dragon.

It was your usual second-rateHercules/Xenafare.

Less-than-stellar fight choreography, bad acting, awful special effects, and try-hard sexuality.

It also had an appearance by pre-famous Eva Mendes.

Much like its animated brother,Mortal Kombat: Conquestlasted a single season and also ended on a cliffhanger.

I guess he didnt need Goro after all.

The gag was that they were doing auditions for replacement housemates and Scorpion tried out.

Xandir, a Link pastiche, was happy to see another video game character and…

You know what?

Im just going to let the clip speak for itself.

Didnt know Scorpion was Jewish.

Created by Kevin Tancharoen, the short film acted as an introduction to a rebooted take on the series.

Theres no Outworld or fight to save Earthrealm or anything so fantastic.

Its a pretty inventive take on the mythos, reminding me of MarvelsNoircomics from around the same time.

WithMortal Kombatonce again a big enough name, were FINALLY set for another movie.

It will be rated R and its already begun filming.

Wow, somebody remembers Nitara?

Now if they could just give us a new techno soundtrack, that would be just super.