Mortal Kombat is many things. It’s a very solid video game series, with some of the best fighting games ever. It is also a very beautiful reminder of the 90s, with its “extreme” cast of characters and replacing every hard ‘c’ with a ‘k’. It is also the only good video game film out there. But most importantly, Mortal Kombat is known for not being kid-friendly. From charred bones to intense attacks, the finishers of Mortal Kombat gained a🃏🐷 reputation with how over-the-top they are.
None were as infamous as Sub-Zero’s spine-rip; his finisher alone cements Sub-Zero as one of the big icons of the arcade scene. Sub-Zero was one of two playable ninja characters in the original Mortal Kombat. The other ninja, Scorpion, was a yellow pallet-swap version of Sub-Zero. The two ninjas would become the mascots of Mortal Kombat.
Sub-Zero’s ice powers have made him a fan favorite for decades. Nonetheless, there is a lot about Sub-Zero that doesn’t make sense. For instance, he controls ice, yet chooses to end people by simply taking out their spine? That’s not even possible, and Mortal Kombat is a worl✱d where ninjas, cyborgs, and𝕴 the undead co-exist.
19 ꦕThere Are Two Sub-Zeroes
It is not that this doesn’t make sense, it is just way too convenient. You see, the Sub-Zero in the first Mortal Kombat game isn’t the same Sub-Zero that appears in the subsequent games in the series. The original Sub-Zero perished by Scorpion’s hands in the first game, a fact that is proven canon in Mortal Kombat II. Scorpion ended the original Sub-Zero for revenge ag✃ainst his clan.
Good thing that the original Sub-Zero has a younger brother, who has the exact same powers as him, and would take his place soon afterwar💫d. Seriously, what were the odds that would happen?
18 Sub-Zꦗero Can Play Basketball (NBA Jam 🅷Tournament Edition)
What do NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat have in common? They were both developed by Midway Games Inc. during the nineties. NBA Jam was a series of popular basketball games around that time period. Since Midway owned both properties, the developers came up with the brilliant idea to incorporate several Mortal Kombat characters in NBA Jam Tournament Edition. Sub-Zero was among those honored tᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚo play b-bal▨l with the best athletes of the nineties.
In case you aren’t aware, Mortal Kombat is a very violent game series. Of course, the real-life NBA would have issues with being associated with games like MK. NBA would force Midway to take out the Mortal Kombat characters in later releases of NBA Jam Tournament Edition.
17 ﷺ Sub-Zero Can Beat Superman 🔯
Sub-Zero versus Superman? Well, there have been crazier cross-ov🐭ers.
Sub-Zero would tangle against the Man of Steel in a few fighting games. They first came to blows in the Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe crossov🌜er game. Sub-Zero froze Superman in a block of ice. There is an in-game reason for how Sub-Zero can possibly go toe-to-toe with Superman, and it is well-established that Superman has a weakness towards magic. However, Sub-Zero’s abilities shouldn’t be magic-based. He inherited his powers from his ancestry, thꦗe Cyomancers of Outworld. So his powers are genetic, not mystical. So Superman should have properly pummeled the ice ninja when they first fought.
16 Sub-Z✤ero Perishes In A Dumb Way In The Mortal Kombat Movie
Sub-Zero didn’t really do much in the original Mortal Kombat movie. He was under the control of Shang Tsung and fought Liu Kang in the Tournament. H﷽e perishes in a pretty dumb way in the film. Sub-Zero is shown using his freezing powers several times in the movie. Usually, it is instant, yet in his fight with Liu Kang, Sub-Zero felt the need to charge up his freeze ball. This gave Liu Kang the opportunity to throw water at him. The water froze into a spear, and stabbed Sub-Zero, freezing him. Not only did Liu Kang cheat by using a bucket of water, Sub-Zero shouldn’t have left himself wide open for an attack like that.
15 Sub-Z𝓡ero’s Incon♏sistent Backstory Before Joining The Lin Kuei
There is some inconsistency with Sub-Zero’s backstory in the games. It was heavily suggested in the original Mortal Kombat games that Sub-Zero’s family were always a part of the Lin Kuei. In the 2011 version of Mortal Kombat, it is revealed in Sub-Zero’s arcade ending that the Lin Kuei abducted the Sᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚub-Zero brothers and even ended their parent’s lives.
Even though the 2011 version of Mortal Kombat is considered to be a reboot, it is actually a different timeline. Whereas the events of Mortal Kombat I through III were greatly altered, the history that took place before the first game should have not changed in Mortal Kombat 2011. Meaning, Sub-Zero’s backstory should have been the same as 🎀it was in the original games.
14 𓆏Sub-Zero Is A Terrible Teacher ✨
During the course of the franchise, Sub-Zero w🌼as able to become the Grand🤪master of the Lin Kuei. While Sub-Zero is undeniably a talented warrior, he is actually a bad teacher. To be fair, we only get to see Sub-Zero mentor one person. Everyone else in his clan are nameless nobodies without any distinguishable personality.
Frost, a playable character introduced in Deadly Alliance, is the only student of Sub-Zero we ever see. To be fair to Sub-Zero, Frost was an arrogant fighter long before being trained by him. Of course, Frost’s betrayal is still a poor representation of Sub-Zero as a teacher, especiall🥀y considering that Frost has been his only s🍒tudent.
13 Sub🎃-Zero Turns Into A Cyborg, And Then Into A Wraith, And Then Somehow Becomes Human Again
In the 2011 reboot of Mortal Kombat, Sub-Zero was turned into a Cyborg. Later on in the game, he i🐭s slain by Sindel along with most of the other main characters. He is resurrected by Quan Chi as a wraith a♊nd became a servant for the Netherrealm. Quan Chi decided to revive Sub-Zero with his flesh and organs intact.
So this is the part that doesn’t make sense to me. Quan Chi also revived Jax, and Jax had robot arms. Even though Quan Chi gave Sub-Zero his flesh back, he still let Jax keep his robotic arms. Why didn’t he just give Jax back his original arms? Furthermore, how did that random𝕴 green mist in Quan Chi’s chamber somehow turn Sub-Zero, Jax, and Scorpion back into humans?
12 The Original Sub-ꦦZero Was A Good Guy… Or Maybe He Wasn’t
While the second Sub-Zero is undeniably a good guy, the allegiance of the first Sub-Zero is a little bit more dubious. I assume he was also a good guy, as he did prevent Shinnok from invading Earth in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. ꦯHow♛ever he only did it because he was chastised by Raiden, and he was the one who stole Shinnok’s amulet from the gods of Earth.
He later becomes Noob Saibot after perishing, and Noob is definitely a bad person. It could be because he was corrupted after turning into Noob Saibot, but he appears to have no remorse whatsoever when he confronts his brother in the 2011 version of Mortal Kombat.
11 How Did The Original ꦫSub-Zero Turn Into Noob Saibot
Before the 2011 reboot of Mortal Kombat, it is never specified how Sub-Zero turns into Noob Saibot. When Noob first appeared in Mortal Kombat II, he was nothing more than an enigma. He was a hidden, non-playable enemy that you can fight in the game. It was suggested that he may have been a fallen warrior from the first Mortal Kombat game. It wasn’t fully revealed that he was the first Sub-Zero until Mortal Kombat Deception.
The assumption was that after Sub-Zero passed away, his soul went to the Netherrealm and he was corrupted into becoming Noob Saibot. 2011’s Mortal Kombat also suggests he was revi🀅ved by Quan Chi to serve Netherrealm.
10 Where Does 🦄The Name Noob Saibot Come From?
So I get the behind-the-scenes reasons of where Noob Saibot’s name comes from. Noob and Saibot are the names of Mortal Kombat creators, Boon and Tobias, spelled backward. It is a nice little Easter egg that celebrates the men who created Mortal Kombat. However, there is never an 🧸in-game reason why he is named Noob Saibot. Many of the characters don’t go by their real names; for example, Scorpion’s was born as Hanzo Hasashi. But the difference between a Noob Saibot a💧nd a Scorpion is that a scorpion is a real thing. A Noob Saibot isn’t anything, so it makes no sense for Sub-Zero to change his name when he became part of the undead.