A character bio for Rain, who was revealed to be playable in yesterday, has confirmed that Shao Kahn does exist in the new timeline but that he's now a general instead of a Kahn.
NetherRealm Studios promised that yesterday's Kombat Kast would kick things off with a bang and it certainly wasn't wrong about that. Not only did we get a brand-new story trailer detailing the Lin Kuei's place in the new timeline, but we also got confirmation of two fan-favourite ninjas making a fully playa🔥ble return to the roster - Smoke and Rain.
Those two being confirmed was already big news for Mortal Kombat fans, but information that's come out since their reveal has teased even more characters who might play a key role in Mortal Kombat 1. Take Rain's character bio, for instance, which outright confirms that Shao Kahn is alive and well in this new timeline, albeit with a less prominent position.
, Rain and Smoke's character bios were shared on the Mortal Kombat discord following yesterday's Kombat Kast. Smoke's bio is fairly innocuous, but Rain's info reads, "As a student at Outworld’s exclusive Imperial Academy of Sorcery, Rain amazed his peers with his singular aptitude for water magic. Rain’s skills drew General Shao’s attention, who honed his water magic into a great weapon. Rain’s victories so impressed Empress Sindel that she appointed him as Outworld’s High Mage".
Not only does this confirm that Shao Kahn is alive in this timeline (god it's going to be tough not calling him Kahn), it also suggests that he still has a position of power in Outworld as a general. Why Liu Kang allowed Shao to come back in a timeline where he's trying to keep the peace is beyond me, but perhaps he only had a certain level of control over the hourglass and fates of certain characters.
Although it's not confirmed that General Shao is going to be a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1, it seems like an obvious choice considering how important the character has been to the series for some time now. We also don't have any heavy characters on the roster at all so far, which makes his return even more likely. Making him a general also opens him up to a completely different moveset, another key reason why he'll likely be playable.
Interestingly, the confirmation of General Shao being in Mortal Kombat 1 also suggests that the plot leak that has been circulating for nearly two years n🐼😼ow is accurate, as one of the details that it mentions that I didn't highlight because of potential spoilers is that Shao is a general in this timeline and not Kahn.