Liu Kang/Current Timeline

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Liu Kang
General Information
Gender	Male
Status	Alive
Origin	Henan Province, China, Earthrealm
Resides	Fire Temple, Earthrealm
Species	God (formerly Titan)
In Mortal Kombat
Affiliations	White Lotus Society
Occupation	Keeper of Time Protector of Earthrealm
Allies	Geras Raiden Kung Lao Johnny Cage Kitana Titaness Kitana Mileena Sindel Kenshi Li Mei Reptile Ashrah Scorpion Smoke Tanya Baraka Jerrod Ermac Sareena Madam Bo
Enemies	Shang Tsung (& alternate counterpart) Quan Chi General Shao Reiko Rain Nitara Sub-Zero Motaro
Alignment	Good

“	Lord Liu Kang. Protector of Earthrealm. God of Fire.	„
—Introducing himself to Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1.

Biography

• Mortal Kombat 1: "Having won control of the Hourglass, Liu Kang restarted history. He neutralized the threats and dangers that had come before, crafting a New Era in which all beings would have the opportunity to find peace. But that peace is now threatened by an enemy that Liu Kang could never have anticipated. It will take all of his wisdom and experience to save not only Earthrealm, but all of reality."

Storyline

This Liu Kang is the same person as in the previous timeline, and thus his story continues after the events of Mortal Kombat 11, when he trains the Great Kung Lao in Raiden's stead.

Mortal Kombat 1

After restarting history and crafting fates for every mortal of each realm, Liu Kang feared going mad like Kronika had, and thus relinquished his power as the Titan of Time and left a reborn Geras as the guardian of the Hourglass. Then, Liu Kang took the role of protector of Earthrealm and worked with King Jerrod of Outworld to establish the Mortal Kombat tournament as a friendly and peaceful exchange between both worlds. He later met with the Great Kung Lao, who became the first Champion of Earthrealm. The two would form a lasting friendship until the Great Kung Lao passed of natural causes.

Some time after the Great Kung Lao's death, Liu Kang discarded Raiden's thunder powers and transferred them to the same amulet the old Raiden had forged by the Elder Gods.

Over many millennia, Liu Kang oversaw the mortals of all realms to make sure no threats to the peace he envisioned would emerge. Although many Outworlders opposed Liu Kang's authority and wished to engage in open warfare with Earthrealm, none dared oppose Liu Kang and Jerrod (or, after Jerrod's assassination, Empress Sindel). On the horizon of the tenth great tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld, Liu Kang worked with Madam Bo and the Lin Kuei to create a test for both Raiden and Kung Lao. After they passed, he later recruited both Johnny Cage and Kenshi Takahashi and took them to the Wu Shi Academy to prepare for the tournament. From their preliminary matches, Raiden emerged victorious as Earthrealm's champion.

Despite some friction between General Shao of the Outworld Army and Liu Kang's new champion, the tournament went smoothly and was supposed to ensure another generation of peace between the two realms. However, Liu Kang was warned by Geras that Shang Tsung somehow escaped his meaningless life as a huckster and returned him to the role of the manipulative sorcerer he once was. To learn more and prevent Tsung from posing a threat, he sent a team consisting of Cage, Kenshi, and Kung Lao to infiltrate Outworld and covertly take Shang Tsung captive, hopefully without Queen Sindel knowing of the violation of their treaty.

The infiltration team ran into many problems. Firstly, they were framed for "intentionally" interfering with Mileena's secret Tarkat treatment, and were all nearly killed, with Kenshi being blinded by a Tarkat-infected Mileena. Upon returning to Liu Kang, he was happy to see his allies return but dismayed by both Kenshi's disability reoccurring, and the news that Outworld now viewed himself and Earthrealm as enemies. Along with welcoming their newest allies, Syzoth and Ashrah, Liu Kang learned that Shang Tsung was working with Quan Chi, and he thus feared the onset of a new Deadly Alliance. Liu Kang consulted with Geras again, learning how both sorcerers came back to their old selves, despite restarting history. Geras reveals to him of his discovery, that an unknown benefactor was the reason for the sorcerers return, along with involving General Shao in their cause. Liu Kang wonders if the benefactor is Kronika who somehow came back. But Geras denies it, saying that Titans, once destroyed, cannot be revived. Liu Kang then suspects the benefactor could somehow be someone who came from the previous timeline wanting revenge on him.

Liu Kang sent the Lin Kuei to sabotage the attempt and neutralize Quan Chi, but their efforts failed, and Shang Tsung coaxed Bi-Han into betraying Earthrealm and revealing that Bi-Han allowed his father, the previous Grandmaster, to die. This led Scorpion and Smoke to turn against Bi-Han and defect from the Lin Kuei.

Liu Kang traveled to Outworld himself to entreat Queen Sindel, convincing First Constable Li Mei of Earthrealm's innocence implicating General Shao as a traitor. Li Mei hesitates at first, but after learning of how Shang Tsung gained the trust of the royal family by treating Mileena's Tarkat condition, Li Mei agreed to help & grant Liu Kang an audience, fighting with him against a misled Tanya, as well as Rain, Reiko and other Outworld soldiers loyal to Shao. Upon reaching the throne room, Li Mei tried to reason with her queen but was attacked by Tanya and forced to defend herself against her, Kitana and Mileena. When Mileena's Tarkat disease manifests again and she nearly killed Queen Sindel, Li Mei saved the queen and neutralized the insane crown princess until the serum for the disease could be administered. In gratitude of her help, Sindel forgave Li Mei and allowed Liu Kang to make his case, demanding proof of Shao and Shang Tsung's treachery -- which she would find in Shang Tsung's lab.

Reeling from the revelation of the treason, Sindel is further stunned as Liu Kang reveals himself as the previous Keeper of Time now demigod that created all reality and the mortals which dwell within. She questions if Liu Kang expects worship, but he declines and states that his role was thrust upon him by circumstance and in no way divine. Just then, General Shao arrives with the Amulet of Shinnok and traps the two princesses, Tanya and Geras within it. Liu Kang and Sindel battle against Shao's forces and force them to retreat while Liu Kang frees the captives from the amulet. When Liu Kang asks Sindel to help him foil the plans of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, she asks if this is the command of a creator, but he states that it is only the request of a friend.

Mileena offers to be a distraction for the Deadly Alliance, and once their allies are in place, they attack Shao Khan and Quan Chi's forces en masse. Gaining the upper hand, Liu Kang demands to know who the Alliance's benefactor is, and Shang Tsung reveals the hidden manipulator to be "Damashi". However, the "benefactor" instead appears in the form of another Shang Tsung, who reveals himself as the same Shang from the previous timeline who battled Liu Kang for Kronika's Hourglass. Their battle tore time apart, resulting in two outcomes: one where Kang won, and another where Tsung did. Titan Shang Tsung betrays the Deadly Alliance, revealing his intention not to conquer this timeline, but to destroy it with the Dragon Army and merge it with his own.

Liu Kang's allies (including a defecting Deadly Alliance) battle against Titan Shang Tsung's, and Queen Sindel is mortally wounded in the battle. They are forced to retreat and regroup, realizing how dire the odds are. Sorcerer Shang Tsung poses the theory that if two timelines emerged from the battle against Kronika, then perhaps there are more, and some of the Titans of those divergent timelines may prove valuable allies. Geras poses that the theory may be possible but can only be attempted by a Keeper of Time. Liu Kang repeats that he gave up that power long ago, but Geras reveals that he stored it away in the figurine gifted by the Great Kung Lao instead of allowing it to dissipate, as he feared Liu Kang may have need of it again. He also warns Liu Kang that retrieving the power this time will prove permanent, meaning he can never again become merely a demigod.

When Liu Kang asks why Geras never told him about this, Geras reveals that he did not want Kang's joyous life as the Protector of Earthrealm and his own happy life to be ruined by the temptation of a Titan's power. Liu Kang also realizes that Geras could have taken the power for himself at any time, but Geras also states that he is content as a guardian and has faith in Liu Kang's vision for the New Era. Upon reaching the figurine and the Hourglass, Liu Kang once more becomes the Titan of Time and searches for other timelines and other Titans, finding a Titan Kitana, who is the same one he's known & loved in his past life. In the meantime, their allies disrupt the Dragon Army and destroy the portals that would allow it to invade other realms.

While initially wary, Kitana soon realizes that this is "her" Liu Kang -- they are both from the same timeline where he fought her in Shang Tsung's courtyard, battled against Shao Kahn in the Koliseum, and she became the Kahn of Outworld. The two kiss and embrace, regretting that fate continues to keep them apart, but Kitana realizes that Liu Kang would not have reached out for her without a pressing need. First, he summons more allies, their old friends (including a Titan Kung Lao and Raiden) and informs them of their mutual enemy in Titan Shang Tsung.

Realizing that it's only a matter of time before Shang Tsung realizes that other, potentially infinite, timelines exist, they resolve that he must be stopped. However, Tsung interrupts their meeting with his minions, pleased to learn that there are other timelines for him to conquer, and decides to simply destroy Liu Kang's purely for spite. Though Liu Kang's allies are victorious, they realize that Shang Tsung is gathering his own group of Titan allies to do battle against them and must prepare for the mother of all battles.

They arrive at the Pyramid of Argus and declare a new Battle of Armageddon for the fate of the multiverse. Liu Kang (alongside an ally of the player's choosing -- including, possibly, a different Titan Liu Kang) fight through Shang Tsung's forces summoned across the timelines and do battle with the evil Titan himself. Liu Kang fought the Titans, but was defeated and taken prisoner by the evil Titans, forcing his ally to do battle in his stead. Once freed, Liu Kang uses his power to erase both of them from existence hopefully not to be seen again. It resulting in the supposed destruction of his timeline. Liu Kang thus sends his allies back to their homes just as the timeline is destroyed. Other incarnations of Liu Kang also appear, including a few villainous ones allied with Titan Shang Tsung, an amalgamation with Kano called Red Dragon, one with Johnny Cage called Fire Cage, one with Quan Chi called Kang Quan, and many more.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Raiden and Kenshi reunite at Madame Bo's and share where their fates have led. They all decline taking cameo roles in Cage's newest films due to their duties and Liu Kang reveals that he is assisting Kuai Liang and Smoke to build a new clan to oppose and replace the traitorous Lin Kuei: the Shirai Ryu. As Johnny thanks Liu Kang for all the help Liu Kang gave to him and his friends, Liu Kang leaves Madame Bo's saying that he is glad, and knows that the realms are in safe hands.

Endings

• Mortal Kombat 1 (Canonical): "My loyal partner had warned me. Reclaiming my power as Keeper of Time might have unforeseen consequences. In this, as in most things, he proved prescient. The process I had undergone did irreparable harm to my body. Taking back my power had cost me my immortality. While my life span would still stretch across eons, I would one day perish. And if the war with Titan Shang Tsung taught me anything, it is that this timeline is not safe without a protector. Yet I had never given thought to choosing a successor. Who is it that could replace me and protect my New Era? The answer, of course, is Geras. Tireless and meticulous, he is perfectly suited to be entrusted with this grave duty. And no one knows better the temptations of the Hourglass. I have no doubt he will be above them."