Sub-Zero & Scorpion | Wasted Plotential

The eternal rivals that stopped being rivals in game 2.
Script - www.deviantart...
Patreon - / the4thsnake
Twitter - / 4thsnake
Discord - / discord
Fan Fiction - www.fanfiction...
Archive of Our Own - archiveofourow...
DeviantArt - the4thsnake.de...
#MortalMay

[@liukang1716]

I will get rid of quan chi

[@The4thSnake]

Thank you, My Lord. Praise be to Liu Kang!

[@OneYuDBZSlayers]

I am sure you will try your best because writers.

[@rjmunster9600]

Can you bring back Fujin please?

[@mkdemigodzillawarrior]

All hail Our Lord and Savior, Liu Kang!

[@toob46]

Hot dang it’s Liu Kang

[@anotherdude5974]

Also, really expecting that Noob Saibot wasted potential

[@Jose-se9pu]

Still cant believe how wasted he was in MK11

[@shawklan27]

@@Jose-se9pu one scene he brags about how he and kronica are gonna win did the shot he laids down on the ground like a drunken sailor and is never seen again. What the fu-

[@censahh-9588]

WE NEED A WASTED POTENIAL QUAN CHI

[@ramaanansley4906]

Right I can’t get over how he has no ice powers

[@bossviper2833]

@@ramaanansley4906 There is a reason why he doesn't.

[@thedeviousdimwit4251]

The new reboot will have Quan Chi be behind everything: The Mortal Kombat tournament; Quan Chi. Liu Kang & Kitana’s romance; Quan Chi. Liu Kang rewriting the timeline. Well now it’s Quan Chi. How is this possible? Simple. NRS retcons everything and I mean EVERYTHING.

[@The4thSnake]

Liu Kang will erase Shao Kahn, preventing Outworld's rise to prominence (Onaga who?), thus allowing the Netherrealm to rise with Quan Chi building an empire.

[@Ticketman99]

And then D'vorah is the one who kills Quan Chi because Netherrealm🤣

[@SandwitchZebra]

Quan-Chi being an Elder God might as well be added to the list

[@aydenburgess905]

YOU THOUGHT LIU KANG WOULD DEFEAT SHAO KAHN? TOO BAD! IT WAS ME, QUAN CHI!

[@Eshtian]

This comment, Quan Chi...

[@Cdr2002]

I’ve always liked the idea of seeing Kuai Liang get the whole Lin Kuei family back together: Bi-Han, Smoke, Frost, Cyrax, and Sareena all by his side again, and having Hanzo help him achieve this goal would make it even better. It could symbolize not only the death of their rivalry but the end of animosity between the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu, now ending that century old feud on a more powerful note with all the Lin Kuei characters aside from Sektor accepting it. Maybe they could even form a new clan, with the brothers and Hanzo running the thing while the others are teachers. Or we can just have Frost hate the Shirai Ryu for no reason, use Noob for filler fights, rehash Cyrax’s role from the MKX comic, and not mention Smoke or Sareena at all. That works to I guess.

[@draindeimos]

or just use sareena as a love interest for a character she’s never met🤭

[@tiaaaron3278]

NRS is content to make Sub-Zero Scorpion's bff even though Scorpion has hurt him countless times and never earned this friendship.

[@luckysix1015]

I have two reasons for why people like the scene in MKX. One it’s an actual cutscene with voice acting, while back in 93 it was some text. It’s satisfying to literally see and hear this feud being worked out instead of just reading about it. Two everyone that’s not into super into the lore think of all of the trailers were sub-zero gets wrecked by scorpion, which has inbeded this sense of a rivalry between the two subconsciously.

[@belinskiparadox7687]

Sub-Zero and Scorpion's reconciliation, as well as their working together are probably the best things to come out of MK X and 11. Besides Johnny Cage.

[@belinskiparadox7687]

@@phoenixpoole7667 "time to make the fanbase hate me even more"

[@legionbeast]

D'vorah isn't a bad character in concept, I like unique species being brought into MK, but the problem is that they gave her the mary sue treatment; she's exceptionally powerful and able to kill off very powerful characters (Baraka and Scorpion were killed in kombat while Mileena was tied up and executed), she is nigh unkillable (her body is a collective of bugs that all share the same mind so if even one survives, it can reproduce a new hive and has been outright torn apart and got back up from it), she's "in it for herself" (she backstabs EVERYONE, sometimes literally), and worst of all, gets away with it scott free. The thing is, she could have been a fairly good supporting character and started off rather decently: 1: Kotal's general. This worked well. Kotal, being a new rival to the leadership of outworld, would naturally have different species supporting him than Mileena or Shao. The problem was that she was deemed the most powerful instead of someone like Reptile, who gains strength the more he is trusted and, for some, has an open rivalry with Baraka. One could argue that showing her killing Baraka shows her strength and how she would be "Kotal's Goro", but we know so little and she doesn't LOOK powerful. Kotal intended to kill Mileena (and from his perspective, this was needed), he could have done it himself or had anyone around him do it, he just happened to pick D'vorah, so while people like to pin that one on her, I can't very much since it was Kotal's idea. 2: Traitor for Shinnok. This is where shit gets bad. Kotal has reason to distrust earthrealm since they bungled keeping Shinnok's amulet safe. With Mileena dead and Kotal on the throne while Quan Chi is captured in earthrealm, Outworld is a safer place to keep the amulet. The Kombat Kids, being idiots, try to take the amulet back with them and Kotal tells them "no" and detains them and wants to talk to Raiden and basically say "you can have your kombat kids back if you let me keep the amulet so that Quan Chi can't take it." A twofold problem happens here: 1: D'vorah turns traitor and kills a pair of guards to steal the amulet and escape into earthrealm. 2: The Kombat Kids break detainment, which makes Kotal and everyone in outworld guess it's a combined act of treachery. 3: MK11. Just... everything she does in MK11. Saves Shao from Kotal, is suddenly working for Kronika, is able to not only sneak up on Hanzo but issue a lethal stab, and then escape his undead self because fuck you. Liu Kang, please fix this shit in your new timeline...

[@Canalbiruta]

Is funny cuz while 4thsnake most painful plot fuck up was sindel (which i get, i like sindel, and what they did to her character was inexcusable), mine was dvorah specifically because i adored everything related to her that wasn't what they did in story. Her mkx design was sick, very creative, and although hating bugs, i loved the idea of a bug lady that use bugs to kill her enemies. Her voice acting also didn't bother me and i actually adore what they did with the whole talking funny shit. Even her gameplay was fun and creative, and her fatality where a bug grew out of the characters was super cool... And than she's a traitor who fucked up the plot and killed major powerful characters out of a sudden, and even ruined one of my possible fav moments of scorpion, where his past version could have killed himself from the future out of anger and learned a valuable lesson by that, setting his character change in a powerful note... But nah, funny talk lady should kill everyone even millena who i just learned to like. God damnit i only wish she comes back with a better role (I don't even mind still being a villainess, cuz most of my fav female characters are bad girls).

[@AriGrande]

Noob should have killed Scorpion, not D'Vorah.

[@nono9543]

That would have made much more sense and would have been more impactful.

[@emilstoqanov3270]

Soo Bi Han kills Hanzo then Hanzo kills Bi Han then Bi Han kills Hanzo?Did I got that right?

[@coreymckee4844]

But but but..ReSpEc WaHmEn 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@1Sky1]

@@emilstoqanov3270 Close Bi-Han kills Hanzo then Bi-han kills Hanzo then Hanzo kills Bi-han then Bi-han kills hanzo. In mythologies sub zero kills scorpion twice in a row

[@emilstoqanov3270]

@@1Sky1 oh right forgot about that....but then does Bi Han deserve to kill Hanzo again?

[@unknownuser8967]

I just realized it's Wasted PLOTential not POTEntial. Nice detail.

[@ajs4836]

Wow

[@mongoliandeathworm2994]

Dang your right.

[@anibalrodriguez2626]

Really, Now!? It's all on his wasted plotential videos

[@Missrena1000]

Me too

[@tayojones9460]

Yes it is. Every bloody video. It be nice to hear something positive from him for once. It seems like everything is wasted pore Rial in his eyes.

[@azistis_5539]

Noob and Smoke wasted potential MK 11. I mean they could have introduced Cyber Smoke, when Noob attacked Scorpion in the Cyber Lin Kuei factory. To match MK's Deception and Armageddon story for Noob and Smoke. Or they could have used, at least Smoke model for Noob's shadow clone.

[@cooperdonahue3837]

Sentinel XS woulda been so easy to put him in this game

[@JMadlock108]

Was thinking the same. Then have them working together and kill scorpion instead of dvorah. That way the old rivalry would of been there and the weight of the situation would of been stronger.

[@joynelbonetdelgado4952]

That is what i am saying, they did a fatality in Mk9 where if used the Klassic costume for Noob and perfom the fatality smoke come out of the ground instead of the shadow.

[@TheSwordsman100]

No matter what timeline Smoke is utterly wasted.

[@joynelbonetdelgado4952]

@@TheSwordsman100 same as Baraka

[@nono9543]

Man. People think D’Vorah got a push. Quan Chi went to being just a cool new character to being one of the most influential characters in the series. Completely rendering Shang Tsung a lesser threat. Kind of weird. I guess the creators like John Tobias loved him. He basically became an all encompassing plot point. A magic character who was behind almost everything.

[@The4thSnake]

I think Tobias knew to use him sparingly. I'd be interested to see what diection he'd have taken the character if he'd stayed on.

[@nono9543]

@@The4thSnake Same. I often wonder how Mortal Kombat Lore would have changed if he had stayed on. He seemed like the guy who cared more about the story. Ed Boon always seemed more hands-offy. Why DO you think Quan Chi got such a big push personally even though Shang Tsung was the first main villain? Does it all come down to the design? Also, I love your videos.

[@6ixlxrd]

Sonya: *Casually Spreads Legs* Quan Chi: "No...PLEASE."

[@nono9543]

@@6ixlxrd Lmao

[@The4thSnake]

@@nono9543 Thank you. Maybe they wanted Quan Chi to be there as setup for MKX so it would feel like a natural next story instead of just pulling a new threat out of nowhere.

[@edwardramos4591]

At least have Hanzo be killed by Noob as that would be more thematic and book-ending than just having him be killed by some bug lady with Iron Spider arms.

[@kolsveinnskraevolding]

According to Daniel Pesina or Richard DeVizio, Sub-Zero and Scorpion were originally supposed to be brothers from the same ninja clan , with Sub-Zero being an ice guy and Scorpion being a fire guy. So what was going to happen was that their dad was supposed to like Sub-Zero better and make him the next leader, which causes Scorpion to get pissed and murder their father and flee the Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero was then going to swear eternal vengeance on his father's murderer and his motivation for entering the MK tournament was supposed to be to kill Scorpion. So, it was actually SUB-ZERO who was going to be the Hunter Ninja and Scorpion who was supposed to be the Hunted. Unfortunately, one of the other actors told Tobias that this story didn't work because 'in real life', 'brothers would never kill each other'. I personally wished they'd gone with this story myself, because it feels like one of those cheesy as fuck late 80s early 90s American ninjasploitation movies starring Sho Kosugi. Edit: It was Dan who said that. Here's the reddit: www.reddit.com/r/MortalKombat/comments/69kbwj/i_am_master_daniel_pesina_original_mortal_kombat/

[@memestealer2561]

that sounds kind of cool but i like the dynamic between kuai and scorpion we have a bit more even if it's not really done much with

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

plenty of brothers have murdered each other through out history,so whoever said that they don't, are wrong.

[@kolsveinnskraevolding]

@@GhostFan-ev4di Apparently, it was Dan's brother Carlos who said it.

[@The4thSnake]

And then, Noob tried to kill his brother.

[@kolsveinnskraevolding]

@@The4thSnake He sure did. Anyway, I'm curious, what do you think of the original idea for Sub and Scorp?

[@maximumoverdrive3520]

D’Vorah is Such a Horrible Character Like wth y would they have Scorpion die to THAT!

[@noitsnot239]

New scorpion should burn that hive and her

[@maximumoverdrive3520]

Creative Warhawk That would be PERFECT!!

[@noitsnot239]

@@maximumoverdrive3520 fire is best solution to bugs

[@RoronoaZoro-ur6hr]

MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE I agree with you that they should just kill off D’Vorah in the next video game because there’s no reason to keep her alive in the next Reboot.

[@caseybarrett8352]

yes i hate dvorah she can eat shit and burn in hell and be tortured by new scorpion because she is disgusting

[@anotherdude5974]

In the next timeline it will turn out that: -Quan Chi revived Scorpion, Noob Saibot and Sindel -Quan Chi was actually the son of Shinnok -Quan Chi always planned for there to be 2 reboots -Quan Chi was actually Shang Tsung's master -Quan Chi created Mileena -Quan Chi created D'Vorah -Quan Chi planned the entire MK tournament -Quan Chi killed King Jerrod -Quan Chi killed The Great Kung Lao -Quan Chi actually serves Onaga -Quan Chi wins Armageddon -Quan Chi forms the deadly alliance with an alternate dimension Quan Chi -Quan Chi is actually The One Being It's almost the "It's always Ocelot" MGS logic, just that here it's all about retcons baby

[@The4thSnake]

Except Ocelot is a fun character.

[@dominiquerosemond5682]

What would be wrong with this 👀

[@suddenllybah]

... I mean, like all of the cetrion relations, he is also blad.

[@Thelastairbendy]

i mean that is the natural progress for mk12 is for scorpion to confront noob on a larger scale he didnt even acknowledge him in the old timeline

[@Jose-se9pu]

MK12 is going to be another reboot, they are re-telling the story of MK1-MK3 for the third time, because they dont know what to do with the story without Tobias writing it.

[@ShiftyGuy777]

@@Jose-se9pu what a shame this timeline only lasted 3 games

[@gabrieltejada1697]

Jose 84 well then I hope they don’t do Ermac dirty this time by making him remain bad after Shao Kahn's death instead of being freed by Kenshi.

[@Haseo55]

There's also the fact that since the reboot both have been pushed more and more to the background despite being the face of the brand, playing second fiddle to Liu Kang and then to Raiden, Sonya, Cage and finally the kombat kids.

[@pious83]

Mascot doesn't equal star. Liu Kang is supposed to be the main character of the overall MK story. Sub Zero and Scorpion are only important to their own stories.

[@tiaaaron3278]

@@pious83 And yet trash like Special Forces got so much focus in X and 11. They're not the protagonists, they're not the mascots. They're disgusting and steal the screentime from more worthy characters such as Noob and Sub-Zero.

[@Jose-se9pu]

The hatred was always between Hanzo and Bi-Han, the rivalry ended in MK1...it came back in MK4 because Hanzo though Kuai Liang was Bi-Han because...he was wearing his costume (yeah, I know). In Armaggedon they fought again (with Kuai winning, as seen with his sword impaled in Hanzo's corpse) because Scorpion wanted to end existence in revenge against the Elder Gods, not because he wanted to kill Sub-Zero. So yeah, they basically were rivals for 1 game. A shame they never explored Scorpion and Noob's rivalry, because those two DO hate each other, but hey, Noob had to become a generic edgelord and Hanzo had to be killed by *sigh* D'vorah.

[@corpsemachine6949]

I don't understand why scorpion fought sub zero in Armageddon,I think he should've fought raiden or shinnok or some other God

[@LelouDX]

I eagerly await your hours long critique of MK11's story.

[@marshalleldergill4007]

But there is not much to critique about

[@Grandtarkus]

@@marshalleldergill4007 oh boy, have you played the story? Is horrible

[@marshalleldergill4007]

@@Grandtarkus I mean I loved it, and I'm in the majority for that but I do respect your opinion and if you don't like it then that's fine

[@cerbzzz7147]

@@marshalleldergill4007 um

[@thatperson1022]

@@marshalleldergill4007 it's not an opinion, it's objectively bad

[@6ixlxrd]

Would've been nice to see Scorpion's son as a resurrected spirit after all these years. Imagine his reaction towards seeing his father all buddy-buddy with the guy who he thinks "murdered" him, his clan, and his mother.

[@mkdemigodzillawarrior]

I know! That would have been awesome!

[@Millweed]

In a parallel universe where this is canon, 4th Snake makes videos theorising how much better would be if he had the plotline that we have now :P

[@xmarc360]

Thank you! Finally someone that actually pointed out that this rivalry was not even much of a thing back then.

[@1Sky1]

patiently awaits for a bi-han/noob saibot wasted potential. seeing my favorite character get his ass kicked constantly hurts

[@Sullisk]

Now you know how us Baraka fans feel. To my knowledge Baraka has never canonically won a fight.

[@1Sky1]

@@Sullisk Oh, I totally agree man. Seeing him rip through people in the colluseum in mk11 was really cool, but of course he got owned immediately after. that's a problem MK has. their bad guys always lose so they never feel threatening. they're basically like team rocket or bowser and the goombas

[@Sullisk]

@@1Sky1 true shit bro, like honestly when Johnny Cage fought Baraka in the tournament Baraka should have bodied Johnny Cage even if not killing him, I mean come on, some Hollywood star who just got pulled in because of some ancient power versus the leader of Tarkata, the fiercest warrior out of a tribe of people whom are half human half demon hybrids born with the instinct to fight and kill.

[@The4thSnake]

Bi-Han is suppoosed to be one of the canonically best fighters. He was the second person ever to beat Goro originally. Now, he jobs to Jacqui Briggs.

[@alanaf3622]

@@The4thSnake He was interesting emotionally too. He was afraid that he might be evil.

[@BlackTheBerserker]

I think the people who cite MKX aren't just newer fans, but also older fans who don't feel like it really ever went through before. Yes scorpion vowed to be his protector, but in MK4 he just believes that Sub-Zero is his enemy again just because quanchi told him. They leave each other alone for a while sure, but when they interact again there fighting against each other in the battle of Armageddon. I know you allude to these things in the video, but the game seemed to have dropped the protector roll and their peace the first chance they got in the original timeline. They always went back to the Rivalry if they were written to ever interact with each other

[@ShiftyGuy777]

I think midway was starting to have this whole scorpion vs sub zero where even when scorpion and sub zero are friends their still going to make them fight

[@ecentertainment3437]

I love the idea of them both restoring Bi Han & taking down quan chi

[@JohnSydney225]

NRS fan: "I like seeing Scorpion and Sub-zero bury the hatchet." The4thSnake: "Yeah, I like that moment too. Back in 1993." Me: "Shots fire."

[@annakimoramargaretsantos2407]

4th snake: This is a problem in fighting game rivalry. Also 4th snake: Literally explaining tekken rivalries in a nutshell.

[@duncananderson2113]

Scorpion and Sub Zero should have done more against major threats instead of letting Cassie get all the glory

[@tiaaaron3278]

But NRS and WB wanted to push their ugly Mary Sue as the next big thing overnight!

[@dixienormus2802]

Sad you didnt use the clip of sub zero saying wasted potential during the raiden part of mk11s story

[@The4thSnake]

That one's seeing use in another episode.

[@olympian1884]

You really hate quan chi from the deepest of your guts😂😂😂

[@JahlisMan]

Thanks for clearing up Scorpion's motivation in MK4! For the longest time I couldn't grasp why he was after Liang after all the "protector" stuff in 2 and UMK3. He kept saying, "now I have avenged my family *and clan*" after defeating Sub-Zero in 4, which also didn't help. They really could've delved into Liang/Noob's dynamic back in Deception, but chose to merge Noob with Smoke for... reasons? This triangle, with Scorpion and 2 Sub-Zeros, has infinite potential. never realized, though.

[@001athf]

Sub-zero: This is for Hanzo D'vorah: Scorpion was your enemy once Sub-zero: He was my equal

[@BigJubble]

Since MK11's ending is basically a timeline reset I wonder if Netherrealm studio could hire The4thSnake as a story consultant.... As someone who only started the MK series from MK9 and only really knows about the difference between the two timelines from these videos I'd love to see a more accurate version of past events updated.

[@jamjars865]

i didnt like the fact that noob was a jobber in the mk11 storymode. he should have been the one to kill scorpion. and ye i liked that the rivalry came to an end but id rather them fight continuously then have kano and sonya continue their crappy rivalry. just kill of kano in the first game and bring his son in that was teased in his mkx ending...that way he can have a rivalry with cassie.

[@iskoconquers]

Seriously, even if that leak was fake last year, it would have been interesting for Kano's son to fight Cassie. Hell if it were true, something happen in the development of MK11s story that turned it into today's reboot abortion

[@raptormage2209]

Bi han might actually be as strong as Hanzo or perhaps even stronger. i apologise if i sound like a fanboy but he did manage to fight quan chi, fujin, a fire god, defeated scorpion once, i think even goro and only lost to scorpion and an demi god , then here he is pretty much turned into EDGY MCEDELORD thats only porpose is to show how strong a hero is. because netherrealm's moto is '' if you aren't a protagonist or the main villian in the story or the chapter isn't focusing on you, then prepare to suck the dick of the plot''

[@jamjars865]

raptormage no i agree with you. noob was underutilized in this storymode. in the previous timeline he was so strong and now he's reduced to this...it is bullshit. ita not just him tho cos ermac got the same treatment. these two ninja were probably the strongest out of all of the mk ninjas and they are just jobbers now....it really is a shame.

[@darksigma0282]

Really wish that MK11 could have made a thing where we see a Past Sub-Zero like Bi Han or Kuai Liang just react to their future selves and wonder what they're doing. Probably pissed that Grandmaster Subby is friends with Shirai-Ryu and is enraged at first but then comes to understand why they are allies. Bi Han would wonder is he going to accept his destiny as Noob or is he going to do something else. Would have been a cool dynamic to see where it's not just Johnny Cage getting mad at his younger self.

[@SinCity2100]

There should be Noob Saibot Wasted Potential.

[@The4thSnake]

You say that as if he's not on the list.

[@keithcreatesmedia6503]

Noob has been handled fairly well actually. The problem is Netherealms studio just keeps using the New Sub-Zero is shocked to see his brother is Noob saibot. And then kicks his ass. *HARD* 🙄 I'd rather Noob interact with Scorpion more than his brother. You know the guy who killed him...

[@metagross9092]

@@keithcreatesmedia6503 and that easily could've been achieved in MK 11 but nope wasted

[@SinCity2100]

@@keithcreatesmedia6503 He was Severally Underutilized in the new timeline, he is just getting his ass kicked in every fight he's in, even in MK11 he makes two appearances and he got washed just like that, they even wasted an opportunity for him to be the one who kills Hanzo so that stupid Bug kills another Popular Character much to our dismay.

[@SinCity2100]

@@The4thSnake Sorry , I wasn't paying attention cuz I'm busy these days.

[@DrakeVagabond]

I only think there rivalry didn't become a reoccurring plotting because the tournament structure of the original series is two games long. Im sure if Mortal Kombat stayed a thing in Mortal Kombat, there would be some sort of plot reason why the two must fight. But since they ditched the tournament structure, there's no real reason for there paths to cross.

[@ethankelly8862]

Something that I found interesting is that some pre fight dialog is implied to be after story mode; said dialogue also implies that the time merger has basically become permanent and the past and future characters are together now. Now what if instead of having the universe rebooted again, Liu Kang stops Kronika from doing so...by destroying the hour glass completely at the last second. Then before the boss fight, Kronika breaks her calm and proud demeanor and gets visibly pissed off for the first time in the story(probably screaming " WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!", her voice actor could probably pull that line off and make it really chilling.) Liu Kang's justification would be that Kronika's era of endless war is meaningless, citing that Outworld and Earthrealm working together to stop her is proof that the realms can work together in harmony. But mainly it would make it so all of the plot progression in this game wouldn't be all for nothing and that the characters will have to live with the way things are. Plus they could've followed up on some of the plot points they were setting up in the future; Jacqui marrying Takeda and joining the Shirai Ryu sounds like it would've been awesome(it was even hinted at in MKX with her Scorpion Kosplay costume). On the topic of Scorpion and Subzero, past Scorpion would now live in the present with future with the knowledge that his clan will live on as well as seeing how Kuai Liang redeemed his clan. However there will always be the ever lingering thought that his quest for vengeance had a hand in the death of the current scorpion and that he could never replace "there" Hanzo Hisashi. Who knows, maybe with outworld basically united as well as the Shriai ryu and Lin Quei being active, they could've actually stop Armageddon in the future.

[@The4thSnake]

Scorpion could hand the clan over to Takeda and wander for a bit before coming back and becoming Takeda's apprentice.

[@iskoconquers]

Scorpion should go with Kenshi for Soul Searching oh wait, he's dead Fuck you Netherealm

[@mkdemigodzillawarrior]

@@iskoconquers Well, in the Krypt yes, but in canon, probably looking for the Red Dragon. Hey, he needs to satisfy his vengeance somehow. He didn't get to kill Shang Tsung in either timeline, so yeah.

[@UnifiedEntity]

The real wasted potential was them honestly actually working together in both old and new time line. Mk11 we didn't get enough honestly.....

[@FrizzKid05]

The best Scorpion-Sub Zero story was the one in Morty Kombat. "HEY! THAT'S MY SANDWICH, PENISBALLS! *FIGHT*" 🤣🤣

[@tko1770]

There's two continuity in Mortal Kombat there's Midway continuity and NetherRealm Studio continuity.

[@shawklan27]

I perfer the former

[@tko1770]

SHAWKLAN 27 Of Course

[@tonirivers12345]

SHAWKLAN 27 why in the world lmao It was way choppier, poorly told, and retconned every character every game..

[@Jose-qu9qk]

@@tonirivers12345 we're talking about midway not nrs

[@musicalknight4900]

Now I feel bad since I completely forgot the 90's already settled the rivalry. Me, having only gotten into mortal kombat since MKDA I didnt know much about the 90's ideas to do with the two. Honestly I think it would be much more interesting if Noob Saibot killed Scorpion, not D'vorah. Buuut that timeline is already done. New timeline? Shang Tsung hosts a new mortal kombat tournement where in this case, Shang has already murdered Bi han. Utilizing this new appearance, Shang Tsung orders the Lin Kuei to finally destroy the Shirairyu. Now Scorpion seeks to murder Sub-Zero, Sub-Zero wants to avenge whoever killed Bi-Han and possibly bring him back to the light or put his soul into rest. Plus, Shang Tsung is viewed to be the main antagonist with a new minion, Scorpion. Unless they want Quan chi back, which I don't mind.

[@lilduder]

For me, I knew that they made up in 1993, but I thought it was nice that they actually explored it more.

[@mmirlas2820]

MK continuity is a headache.

[@joseurbina3835]

M Mirlas It's better to just play the game and ignore the damn story.

[@jennifercorbett8640]

@@joseurbina3835 In what way is it unreasonable to like a good story?

[@metalmario991]

I love these videos. I didn't care much about MK characters until I watched these and the critiques. It actually inspired me to write my own on fanfictionet. Keep up the good work and I can't wait to see more of the Lin Kuei videos.

[@Williebandz]

DAWG I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THAT A REVIVED BI HAN AND HANZO VS QUAN CHI WAS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

[@jinkazama7587]

It was cool that Scorpion and Sub-zero became allies in X and 11... Hanzo being no longer "dead" removed everything that made him a "specter" (most moves/fatalities won't make sense, etc.) - hence MK11. Just like the entire story, everything is restarted, nothing made sense or

[@suddenllybah]

Human Scorpy is kinda rough on how his fire moves work. Human Sector and Cyrax are easier to make mimic robot powers.

[@BDevilScholar]

There's literally nothing wasted on these two, especially when Ed Boon is spunking over Scorpion's face every poster he's on and always op's him.

[@Zero-jv7lb]

I was about to say can Quan -chi not be born this time 😂😂😂

[@mkdemigodzillawarrior]

If that happens, Scorpion and Sub-Zero never meet and Scorpion won't be killed by Bi Han...you know, that would be interesting to see actually: Having the original Shirai Ryu as playable characters in future games.

[@volt8091]

I agree with the fact that bi-han should've been turned into a spectre instead of a wraith, but it should've also tied into Kuai's and Scorpion's timeline.

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

@The4thSnake for the next Wasted Potentials will you be doing jax as one of them?

[@nono9543]

Jax was handled really weirdly in MK11. I still find it shocking that Kronika would go out of her way to recruit a human suffering from PTSD. Even if he is a strong dude, that seems beneath someone who is beyond Elder God status.

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

@@nono9543 honestly when I saw kronika recruiting jax,I was expecting mk11 to reveal some dumb twist that jax is geras,because of some leaks,which thankfully turned out to be fake. I still think jax's character arc had been wasted.

[@nono9543]

@@GhostFan-ev4di Omg. Because they were both black? Thank God that wasn't the case. That would have been legit offensive if they did do that. I know power levels in MK are a mess at best and borderline nonexistent at worse but I still can't get over that a time Goddess decided to recruit Jax of all people. She's a Time Queen, can't she just summon a stronger character from the past or an alternative timeline that's way stronger? It feels like a weird choice. I guess the idea was to give Jacqui Briggs trouble but then why bring back past Jax is that was the purpose? It just raises too many questions. lol.

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

@@nono9543 that's a good point,kronika as a character herself seems wasted because,there's not much that we really know about her apart from that she has relations to shinnok and the story never reveals what her plan is. as for jax I don't understand how he was easily convinced to join kronika's side,he betrayed jacqui,raiden and basically every ally he was close with.

[@nono9543]

@@GhostFan-ev4di Yeah this whole event started because of the Death of her son but like... she doesn't seem to care that much about it. It's not like that should have been her WHOLE character but it would have helped strengthen her motivation. As of now she just seems like a perfectionist whose very full of herself.

[@thewintersoldier8387]

Hate how ed boom keeps putting scorpion and sometimes with sub zero (mk9) cover but they end up getting screwed somehow in the story... Smh

[@MegaJetty1]

I have to ask, can you please do a WASTED POTENTIAL regarding how to further continue Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe? It got me back into MK after I lost interest by MK3 and I feel the story & characters could've been further explored with the crossover dynamic. The idea that a new timeline could have DC heroes & vilains in the MK1 tournament also comes to mind. I know it seems like fanfiction but the possiblity is there.

[@theos_revenge]

This is my favorite show on youtube lately

[@The4thSnake]

I hear it's quite good.

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

We actually could have Scorpion/Sub Zero VS Noob/Smoke in MK11 and have them fight in Lin Kuei temple. Man, NRS dropped the ball again. And i don't care about Frost, she is a boring character that adds nothing to the MK11's story other than being (another) Sub Zero's rival even though he already had 2 (Noob and Sektor) in the game. NOTE: I actually liked Frost in old timeline, the one from new timeline is awful.

[@SandwitchZebra]

Honestly I like the concept of her being Cyber, just one problem. She's forced to be a threat. We don't know why she's a Cyber. Or in charge of them. And she appears only twice, even with her new "upgrade", and dies unceremoniously. Granted, everyone does, but you get my point. She was wasted.

[@The4thSnake]

You two should keep an eye on this channel...

[@mikeyjaysnake7052]

@@The4thSnake Speaking of cybers, where the hell was Cyber Sub-Zero? Didn''t he become cyber around the time of the merger?

[@The4thSnake]

@@mikeyjaysnake7052 Yep. Neither Sub-Zero has a past version.

[@mkdemigodzillawarrior]

@@mikeyjaysnake7052 Yeah, I was wondering that myself! If all of the Cyber Lin Kuei were brought in, why did Kronika decided to not bring Cyber Sub-Zero? That just sound odd for her to do such a thing.

[@Nej901]

imo MKX character designs are better than MK11. I wish I could’ve seen Noob in MKX, especially Baraka.

[@gerison320]

Baraka has a cameo appearance

[@Miguelnoriega2]

I can't imagine all the brain damage the4thsnake would have if he realized about the plot-holes in the midway era lol

[@The4thSnake]

I got brain damage reading this comment, if that counts.

[@magikplissken3158]

The thing that pisses me off is that the rivalry changed from an iconic original story narrative to Quan Chi playing Revolver Ocelot and the patriots while making iconic characters his bitches, the rivalry will be so much better if Quan chi never got involved, it wouldve made the redemption more built off

[@mr.checkyourself4672]

Scorpion and Noob Saibot should of had a rivalry but Bi Han loves being dark and having a shadow and whatever so he doesn't care about getting revenge on Scorpion and Noob suppose to be a good guy to.

[@Jrockk999]

I'm hoping we can get a Scorpion Wasted Potential. By himself Scorpion in the old timeline was a neutral party that just wanted to the death of Quan Chi for his family, while it never went anywhere thanks to Armageddon, it would have been interesting to see this dynamic played out. I don't much mind Quan Chi being the one to resurrect Hanzo as Scorpion because of the betrayal plotline, but one thing that always bothered me is the extent of Scorpion's resurrection. In the old timeline there are hints suggesting that Scorpion is a bit of an unusual specter, is essence is the tied to the Netherrealm itself thus why destroying his body doesn't kill him. In MK Shaolin Monks we Scorpion can freely manipulate the fires of the Netherrealm, almost like he is its true master. Not to mention that in MK 4 and in the original comics it's told that when Scorpion's essence returns to the Netherrealm he become stronger than last time the longer he stays a spirit before his body is remade, not to show favoritism but this could be some interesting lore that again never goes anywhere. New timeline Scorpion is a bit of a disappointment for me, especially since he is my favorite character in the series, besides Onaga. To see him just pushed as this lackey that is reduce to second rate under Quan Chi hurt. I would have liked to see a situation where Scorpion and Noob are to meet Quan Chi and they meet for the first time since Scorpion killed Bi Han. I like to think Scorpion would refuse to work with him and believe that Quan Chi intends to replace him thus leaving and vowing to kill them both. Could have the family aspect brought up revealing Quan Chi actually did it with Scorpion feeling shame over Bi Han's death thus him becoming Noob. There also needs to be a big big BIG clarification on Scorpion. He is not a Revenant but a Specter, I don't know why NRS decided to just group all undead together but Scorpion is not the same as the others. He's always this free will of his hence trying to kill Quan Chi and he doesn't even look the same in appearance.

[@chartsol5923]

Honestly I completely agree. I've always felt Quan Chi's involvement was a piss take.

[@dradonie]

why having Quan Chi when we already have Shang Tsung? he can literaly do everything Quan Chi can do, even better

[@tiaaaron3278]

The problem is NRS refuses to hold Scorpion accountable for his actions. He doesn't show any regret remorse for killing Bi-Han in the new timeline, he doesn't care about Revenants' fate in MKx and kills Quan-Chi despite knowing what would happen and he also horrifically abuses Kuai Liang in MKX comics. Not to mention he betrays Kenshi and is all around a horrible protector to Takeda. New Scorpion always messes up and is never held up for it. He really start atoning for his crimes.

[@Nassit-Gnuoy]

MK11 bout to give us a bunch of these Wasted Plotential vids.

[@The4thSnake]

Especially the newcomers.

[@destinyseeker9477]

What's funny is in the original timeline Scorpion became a good guy after finding out Quan Chi killed his family and made up with Sub-Zero he still joined the Forces Of Darkness in Armageddon for some reason and battle Sub-Zero for whatever reason I wish we actually see how all the kombatants came together and go to war but we'll never see that.

[@fiendwithoutaface6833]

For some reason? Alright, so Scorpion was resurrected after being thrown into a soul nado in deadly alliance, as the elder God's Champion in deception. He wants them to being his clan back, and they do, as revenants like him. This pisses Scorpion off to no end, and he wants revenge on the elder God's. That's why he joins the forces of darkness at the battle of armageddon.

[@The4thSnake]

The same side as Quan Chi. Armageddon was arguably the start of the dumbing down of the characters.

[@supremacyattitudefiller9895]

The4thSnake Nitara as well she transition to become a hero but for some reason she chose to join the Forces Of Darkness she supposed to have been on the Forces Of Light and Chameleon and Khameleon didn't take part in the war well you can say they did and died the male Chameleon is evil and the female Khameleon is good.

[@ThatStupidSodaJerk]

The idea of them going on a conquest to restore be-han and what not is fucking brilliant. I would read, play, watch any media with THAT plot line.

[@The4thSnake]

That's what MK Fire and Ice could have been.

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

or maybe Fujin

[@KilamajaroKen]

One thing you didn't mention. At the end of Mythologies, Shang Tsung is shown inviting Bi-Han to the tournament. Retconing the entire assassination plot.

[@The4thSnake]

I view that as the Lin Kuei being hired after the invitation is sent.

[@moseslalmuanpuia8988]

One thing I never grasped was how exactly quan chi exterminated the shirai ryu. Did he use destructive magic, or did he use clever schematic diplomacy. That detail kept changing as far as I know

[@The4thSnake]

I don't think we've ever been given any real indication. I don't accept anything from his fake vision as real.

[@Donotaro22]

I kinda knew about the original rivalry but I'm still new to the franchise. I played Armageddon when I was little, then I played MK9, MKX, then MK11. I remember 9-11 more so I kinda grew up on the "new" rivalry so to speak.

[@The4thSnake]

ha get out loser lol Someone once told me I'm not a true fan because I didn't play MK3 in the arcades as a teenager in 1995.

[@Donotaro22]

@@The4thSnake Shame. I'm only a slightly casual fan. I stuck around due to 3 things. The character designs (which ended up being ruined in MK11), the female characters (which got toned down) and the fatalities which remain untouched to this day. I think I'll stick with Injustice next time because I was hyped for months on end for this game due to the marketing. Now it feels average and grindy. 😕

[@The4thSnake]

@@Donotaro22 That sucks.

[@Donotaro22]

@@The4thSnake I'll manage. Thanx.

[@shamm12_]

The concept between sub and scorpion helping each other to restore noob and smoke and then confronting quan chi should be another Shaolin monks game

[@raymond4568]

Considering how they made Kronika behind literally everything, I wouldn't put it past them to make Quan Chi behind everything in the next reboot.

[@TheJayspyder]

I can appreciate the old school MK music you use. A lot of the music in MKX and MK11 feels really forgettable compared to that of the older games.

[@The4thSnake]

There is exactly one notable track: Tournament Round 1, which is just Techno Syndrome.

[@matteozambetti4373]

As much as I hate Quan Chi in 2011 and find his beatings in X so satisfying, I do thing that X's treatment of Quan Chi only works because he was a Gary Stew in 2011. But I really enjoyed him in deadly alliance and somewhat in mk4.

[@terminatorofbaal7853]

I prefer the idea that by bi han actually killed hanzo as enimes if war scenario. And Hanzo killed bi han out of vindictive vengeance. To repent for his sins, he spares Bi han and becomes his protector in the shadows. I still like them being friends. As for quan chi, im not against him resurrecting scorpion. I would prefer him doing it from the shadows. Rather making himself known , he uses an illusion to manipulate him for the 1st tournament, as a way to get vengeance against bi han, and to insure neitherrealms assistance for outworld. After killing bi han, Scorpion should have a moment where he doesn't want to take orders and is influenced by liu kang about his actions. He decides to forfit the fight. Returning to hell.

[@tayojones9460]

Next time on wasted Potential: Nether realm studios.

[@sein7381]

Mythologies was the best plot .. damn MK ambient and music , the story and rivalry itself made more sense .

[@izunadara3638]

I was born in 93! Surely I'm older than you, lol! In the newest timeline, Sub zero vs Scorpion wasn't put to rest until MKX.

[@The4thSnake]

I was born in '91. And yes, I said it wasn't.

[@izunadara3638]

@@The4thSnake I stand corrected.

[@nicholasfallbrook9810]

In all fairness, while Scorpion and Sub-Zero buried the hatchet originally it was dug up again in Armageddon. So the last non-crossover appearance of these two characters pre-reboot had them fighting each other again because "fire vs ice" looks cool.

[@starpaladingoldbug2282]

it would have been cool to have fire and ice released instead you know being canceled

[@ShiftyGuy777]

Honestly Scorpion's true rival is clearly Quan Chi.

[@gloomykasumi8580]

Can’t wait for Noob Saibot

[@rebirth2526]

I still believe reconcilation arc of Sub-Zero and Scorpion would make much more sense if it is Bi-Han and Hanzo instead of Kuai-Liang and Hanzo (as Bi-Han should be Grandmaster in this timeline instead). Quanchi made both Bi-Han and Hanzo killed each other and done doing so and both become slave under Quanchi unlike Kuai Liang who never really kill Hanzo and Hanzo never really kill Kuai Liang. If NRS still want to sell Noob Saibot then it could become its own character like Zato and Eddie from Guilty Gear.

[@wakkaseta8351]

Scorpion and Sub-Zero only have a "rivalry" for marketing purposes. It's like wrestling.

[@ThePlagueWarden]

The thing about Anna and Nina is that between the time of 6 and 7 is that Anna was finally ready to leave her sister behind her, and have a family and such. However she was dragged back into the fight when Nina killed the husband-to-be.

[@slenderslayer_]

Does it count if they're just brothers now?

[@camextra9226]

I'm waiting for the Kabal wasted potential

[@joaovitor10yearsago]

Sub-zero and scorpion fought more in non canon promotional media and game intros than in the actual story 💀

[@enigmatic7303]

are you doing a long mk11 story critique?

[@The4thSnake]

Eventually.

[@mkdemigodzillawarrior]

@@The4thSnake I'm presuming after all the DLC are released/announced?

[@The4thSnake]

@@mkdemigodzillawarrior Yes.

[@insanemakaioshin]

Think about this he hires the 2 best ninjas, because he wants the best as a servant, so he tricks them into killing each other so the weaker one becomes his servant & can get revenge turning the stronger one into his servant & he can dismiss the weaker one

[@gilgamesh5450]

Personally I think they shouldn't really have to do with each other like in the 3d era. Their stories there honestly had more going on separately.

[@aaronbrandon4662]

huh sub zero my favorite and I agree 100%

[@dariancoleman7184]

Both of them working together is the best thing possible for the newer Era.

[@digitalkid5623]

Got a MK11 ad right before this video. You better check yo self Snake!

[@StudentOfKasumi]

Spectacular wasted potential video as always 4th snake and your funny jokes at the end are. Getting better and better ❤️🥰🤣👏🏽

[@mitchellphillips9166]

Considering geras couldn’t even work the hour glass I feel next timeline might be fucked

[@vanessabetty29]

I don’t agree with you but I see why you disagree Anyway you have pretty good editing

[@MrDavicovic]

At least someone disagrees in a good way.

[@The4thSnake]

Thank you. Why do you disagree?

[@vanessabetty29]

The4thSnake I guess it’s just because mk9 was my first mk game All I knew was that sub zero and scorpion were rivals and it was a reboot

[@dariusreyes797]

Patiently waiting for that awesome Mk11 critique....it is NEEDED

[@rozasupreme]

I just can't take MKX Hanzo seriously because he looks just like Cr1tikal.

[@Eshtian]

Gey I a request for a video, can you look over the mk 9 story on its own without looking at previous canon, I'm not saying your wrong in your opinion or how you got your opinion, I'm just curious how it stands as a seperate story in your opinion?