Warning: Major Spoilers ahead for Mortal Kombat 1’s story mode.Mortal Kombat1approaches its campaign with ambition and creativity. Not only does NetherRealm introduce a whole new canon with Fire God Liu Kang’s new era, but it maintains a link to previousMKstories through frequent references and Easter eggs. This decision proves to work inMortal Kombat 1’s favor, as it gives all sorts of fans something to enjoy amidst the story’s twists and turns. It all culminates in a battle reminiscent ofMortal Kombat Armageddon, but NetherRealm takes this opportunity to use this seemingly catastrophic conclusion as a jumping off point for future stories.
By the timeMortal Kombat 1reaches its final act, NetherRealm has made it clear that anything is possible in this story. It’s revealed that the benefactor to Shang Tsung and Quan Chi is none other thanTitan Shang Tsung fromMortal Kombat 11’sAftermathDLC. The coexistence of this timeline with Liu Kang’s has major implications for canon in video games, and it culminated in a battle between Titans and Kombatants across dozens ofMKtimelines. InMK1’s mid-credits scene, players are introduced to one such Titan who could factor into futureMortal Kombatstories.
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MK1’s Lord Havik Explained
As the credits roll afterMK1’s final chapter, NetherRealm treats fans to one last cutscene before closing things out for good. This scene returns to the pyramid featured in the final chapter, with several fallen fighters littering its base and steps. As the camera pans up the steps, it focuses on an alternate timeline Jax who has once again had his arms ripped off. As this Jax struggles with his injuries, a group of mysterious warriors make their way down towards him. A few of them are revealed to be fusions ofMK1’s other fighters, but the one leading them is a singular character, Lord Havik.
Lord Havik doesn’t get much screen time inMK1’s mid-credits scene, but he uses every second of it to demonstrate how dangerous he is. He quickly kills the suffering Jax after encountering him, then remarks on the ramifications of the battle on the pyramid. This Havik is a Titan just likeLiu Kangand the Shang Tsung players fight at the end of the campaign, making him a considerable threat given his penchant for chaos. Just before the cutscene ends, Lord Havik asserts that the next time such a battle takes place, the fighting will never end.
How Lord Havik May Affect An MK1 Sequel
It’s hard to say exactly how Lord Havik may factor into anMK1sequel, but it’s possible to speculate based onHavik’s usual characterization. Ever since Havik was first introduced, his primary focus has been sowing chaos. If this Lord Havik is as powerful as the other Titans, he could do irreparable damage to Liu Kang’s new era. Whether he systematically picks off characters like Baraka and Reptile, or starts an all-out war in Outworld, Lord Havik likely wouldn’t be satisfied until everything is in chaos. He could prove to be an even more unpredictable force than Shang Tsung.
NetherRealm loves to tease a sequel, as it’s done so in some way with just about every game since 2011’sMortal Kombat.Mortal Kombat 1continues that tradition with Lord Havik, and for now, players will just have to speculate on his future role and how it may affectMK’s heroes.MK1already has some important tower endingsthat tease the franchise’s direction moving forward, and this mid-credits scene just adds on to the tension. Time will tell if Lord Havik turns into one of the biggest antagonists inMKhistory.
Mortal Kombat 1is available now on PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
