Gameplay footage and intro dialogues from 's appearance at Summer Game Fest have confirmed a number of fan theories regarding the game's story, including the identity of Sub-Zero, Mileena's status as ruler, and even the mention of several unconfirmed characters.
Mortal Kombat 1 made a big splash at Summer Game Fest earlier this week as we finally got to see how the next entry in the s🧔eries plays. That wasn't all, however, as the game was also playable as part of Play Days, with multiple outlets uploading gameplay footage that gives us a better idea of the new mechanics. Most interestingly of all, however, , which confirm numerous theories, tease unrevealed characters, and potentially even spoil some of the plot.
Let's start out with one of the big ones first - Sub-Zero's identity. It's confirmed via one of the intro dialogues with Liu Kang, , that this version of Sub-Zero is indeed Bi-Han and not Kuai Liang. This becomes quickly apparent with his intro dialogues, as he's very clearly edging towards being a villain and even seems to have some beef with Liu Kang that hints at a betrayal in the story.
All the real Sub-Zero fans are probably mourning Kuai Liang right now, it turns out that he's still alive in this universe and still active somewhere, just not as Sub-Zero yet. While fighting Liu Kang, Kenshi will note that Kuai Liang told him to avoid the Black Dragon, something that Liu Kang agrees with. The mention of the Black Dragon also seems to support the idea that Kano might be more than a Kameo, as he's one of the main characters associated with the group.
Moving on to Kitana, her intro dialogue confirms several fa🥃n theories about her relationship with Mileena. Kitana notes that she's happy to serve her sister, confirming that Mileena is either ruling or next in line to rule. Sindel could actually be spotted in the background of the gameplay reveal, but it's possible that Mileena is ruling Outworld instead. Again, the intro dialogue might be teasing some sort of betrayal in the works, as Kenshi says to Kitana that she had a "snake hissing in your ear".
One of the biggest teases out of all the intro dialogues is one between Liu Kang and Kitana. Once they clash, Liu Kang says that Kitana needs to "keep Countess Jade close" as she is "critical" to her future. This could just be a reference to Jade like how Kenshi mentions Kuai Liang and Suchin, but considering how popular she is as a character and the fact she's not pertinent to the timeline like Kuai Liang is, it seems more likely this is a tease.