My history of Mortal Kombat started with my brother and I playing MK3 on the SNES back in the day. To be honest, I never really got MK for a long while. I don't get why people liked the characters and story, and to this day I do not find the first four games to be fun to play. It wasn't until I watched the 4th snake's videos on the franchise that I gained a new love and appreciation for the series and the lore. While I don't enjoy playing most of them that much, though I do get a kick out of the Deadly Alliance games and MK11, the story and character potential that Snake has shown has opened up to me about how good the series can be. So I present to you:

Wasted Plotential: Mortal Kombat (Original Timeline)

I'll be combining most of the4thsnake's Wasted Plotential ideas about MK, as well as my own ideas, into a somewhat thorough storyline that the Original Timeline could have followed to make it truly the best fighting game story and lore ever. I admit, I'm a rookie writer. I'm sure what I'm going to write isn't absolutely perfect and there will probably be a few errors. I figured this would be some good practice, and why not do said practice on something I'm invested in.

This first chapter served as the introductory. Each game will be a separate chapter of varying length, depending on how much I can get. We will be going in chronological order, starting with Special Forces.

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, was intended to be a prequel, set before even Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Mid-way through development, John Tobias and several of the game's developers left and the game suffered for it. Not only was it a piece of poo, but there ended up being a few inconsistencies with the franchise's continuity. Rather than making touch-ups to the existing plot, I'm going to come up with something entirely different. The idea for Special Forces is for it to feel like a crazy awesome '80s action movie. As a disclaimer, I'll never say my ideas are ideal. I'm certain there are many ways you could improve them and I'm just practicing writing. If you have any criticisms or ways to improve this idea, feel free to share them.

It's never been said when exactly Special Forces takes place, but for my version I'm going to say the story takes place six years prior to the events of MK1, putting the events in 1986 if we go off the common assumption that MK1 took place in 1992, based off details in Deadly Alliance. It's the beginning of the year, Jackson Briggs, a relatively new army officer, has just been promoted to First Lieutenant and is assigned to a U.S Special Forces unit that specializes in countering the Black Dragon, a notorious criminal gang that had been making a name for itself in the last few decades. They have experienced a rise in activity, thanks to Kano, who became their leader 5 years ago.

Jax himself, would look a bit younger than his MK2 incarnation, possibly having slightly longer hair and no facial hair. He would also have the complete version of his uniform seen in the MK2 prequel comic and no metal arms. He is significantly less muscular than he is in MK2.

Kano would largely resemble his MK1 design, but his right eye is still fully intact. He also views Jax as a rookie greenhorn who isn't worth his time.

Jax arrives at the Special Forces HQ in New York City, where he is shown around. He is partnered up with Beran. For those who don't know, Beran was established to be Jax's partner in the MK2 prequel comic who is killed by Mileena off-panel and is never mentioned again. We could have Beran be Jax's partner for the story and develop their relationship, giving his death more impact as well as creating some common ground for Jax and Sonya later on in the timeline. Maybe he also meets and befriends Jake, Sonya's partner from the MK1 prequel comic. Finally, he meets General Frank Marshall who set up this particular Special Forces unit decades ago.

As Jax is settling in, they get an alert on the radio that the Black Dragon is attacking a Museum in Upper Manhattan. Jax and the others are sent in, but there vehicle gets rammed and knocked over by the Black Dragon. Jax gets out of the van, and sees three members; Jarek, Tremor and No-Face. Jarek begins fighting Jax, but grows over confident and Jax takes him down. He rescues Beran and Jake from the van and the three head into museum. They make their way through, taking down some Black Dragon goons along the way. Eventually, they arrive at an exhibit of a priceless blue diamond, where Kano and Kabal are working on removing its case without tripping the alarm. They also have hostages, leading to a possible stealth segment where Jax has to carefully sneak up to them. He gets the jump on the two and tosses away their weapons. As the Special Forces prepare to cuff them, Tasia appears and knocks them away. Jax picks up Kabal's hook swords and uses them to fight Tasia, with Beran and Jake doing some possible backup like trying to shoot her to help do some damage etc. Jax manages to overcome Tasia, but while that fight was going on, Kano and Kabal successfully steal the diamond and activate a bomb to blow the museum sky high. Jax frees the hostages and tries to escape, only to be stopped by Tremor and some goons. They seem doomed, when Sonya Blade, Daniel Wexler, and NYPD officers show up and help them fight off the goons and escape just as the museum blows up.

Sonya at this point is an NYPD officer, possibly a rookie SWAT team member. Daniel his her partner, the one that Kano kills in the future. Sonya is shown to be a bit headstrong and impulsive, much like her incarnation in Defenders of the Realm, while Daniel is a mentor figure to her.

They retreat to the Police Station where Jax learns more about the Black Dragon. The conversation turns back to the Blue Diamond, known as a Jinsei Diamond. It's a mysterious diamond that was unearthed at a mine in China during the 1950s. Examinations reveal that there is strong power inside the jewel and, if harnessed correctly, could wield the power of 15 electrical power plants. Naturally, this could be pretty dangerous in the hands of evil like the Black Dragon and the Special Forces are ordered to retrieve it by any means necessary. The only problem is finding the Black Dragon, but Daniel reveals they have an HQ in an old abandoned Warehouse in the Bronx. Jax, Beran, Jake, and some SWAT officers make arrangements to raid the place, Sonya insisting that she go along but Daniel denies it until Jax convinces him.

They arrive at the Warehouse only to find it mostly empty and booby-trapped. Daniel discovers that their is a whole underground labyrinth beneath the warehouse, that the Black Dragon are no doubt hiding in. They split up and go into the two different entrances. They deal with traps, puzzles, and goons as Jax and Beran make their way to the heart of the Black Dragon underground. Jax and Beran reunite with Daniel and Sonya, and spots some goons alongside No-Face and Jarek heading down a hallway. As they chase after them, Jax hears the sounds of Kano and Kabal down another hall and decides to investigate. He overhears them talking about some sort of heist in Tokyo, but doesn't get to hear anything else as he is spotted by a goon. Jax knocks out the goon and takes the gun, trying to get Kano and Kabal to stand down. Kabal just wrestles the gun away from Jax with his hook sword and the two fight, Jax just narrowly winning with some nasty injuries. Jax attempt to fight Kano afterwards, but loses due to a combination of his previously mentioned injuries and his inexperience compared to Kano's. Kano is about to kill him with his knife, when Daniel suddenly shows up and shoots Kano in the arm. Kano grabs data from his Computer and Kabal, then disappears through a hidden door. Sonya and Beran join back up, with Jax telling them all he heard. As they make their way out, they learn that the Black Dragon as also rigged this place to blow, and the explosion would take out 6 blocks. Jax, Beran, Sonya, and Daniel radio the others about the situation as they go and try to stop the bomb. They end up being attacked by No-Face and Jarek, the former fighting Jax and the latter fighting Sonya while Beran and Daniel go to find the bomb. Jax just barely defeats No-Face and manages to punch out Jarek after he defeated Sonya, just before he finally collapses due to his injuries. Meanwhile, Daniel finds and disables the bomb with Beran's help. No-Face and Jarek escape while Sonya tries to tend to Jax's wounds.

Jax is taken to the Hospital alongside his friends and shares a room with Sonya. The two bond and help develop their future friendship. We also learn here that Jax has a girlfriend named Vera, based off a character mentioned in the X and 11.

A couple of days later, Jax returns to his apartment and we get a scene where he establish some of his and Vera's past and show the two's love for one another.

Heading back to the Special Forces HQ, a member codenamed Gemini, discovers the Black Dragon's plan from Jax's report. There's a huge lab facility in Tokyo called "Riken" that is currently developing some sort of power generator, unlike any the world has seen. The reason they think the Black Dragon is going there is because if the specs they have are accurate, this generator would be strong enough to contain the Jinsei Gem's energy and possibly use it to power whatever they had in mind. He assigns Jax, Beran, Jake, Sparky (a Special Forces member briefly seen in the MK1 prequel comic), and some other soldiers to the mission. Daniel and Sonya want to go, but Marshall denies them for obvious reasons. Jax tries to convince him since Daniel saved his life, but is rejected.

Jax goes back to his apartment, where he discusses the whole thing with Vera, when Sonya and Daniel arrive. The two also express their wish to help, and they talk for a bit, have some character building. Eventually, Jax gets an idea.

The Special Forces officers take a plane to Tokyo, where it is revealed that Jax had Sonya and Daniel stowed away on the plane. Beran points out what they did is highly against orders and that they'll probably be court martialed, but Jax just tells him to shut his yap and for them to get going to Riken. It then cuts to show the Black Dragon gang preparing to raid on the facility.

Jax and crew arrive to find the front gate destroyed and a Black Dragon calling card left behind. They enter the front lobby where they find the dead bodies of several Riken employees. The group splits off. Jax, Beran and some soldiers go check out the East Wing, Sonya, Daniel and another band of soldiers go check the West Wing, Sparky, Jake and the rest go check the North Wing. Jax discovers an elevator leading to the secret underground labs which are littered with traps, some from Riken while others were clearly set up by the Black Dragon. They end up being ambushed by a whole squad of Black Dragon goons, led by No-Face and Tremor. The latter climbs a ladder, onto a catwalk, begins launching shots from above. Jax climbs up to pursue and chases him into another room. He radios the others about what's happening, but Tremor shoots the radio out of his hand, which falls into a vat of acid below. Jax fires his gun at Tremor, who dodges and blocks all the shots with his armor. The two fight hand-to-hand, which ends with Jax uppercutting Tremor off the catwalk and into a vat of acid, to his apparent death. He returns to the other room and saves Beran from getting burned by No-Face. Beran takes down No-Face by shooting a bullet right into the nozzle of his flamethrower, causing it to go haywire and explode, severely wounding No-Face, but he manages to survive while another Special Forces officer cuffs him. The soldiers continue the fight, while Jax and Beran continue further through the labs. Most of it is ransacked and in disrepair thanks to the BD's rampage. They arrive in the room with the generator, only to find it wrapped up. All of a sudden, a hole is blown in the ceiling and a helicopter picks up the Generator while Tasia and Jarek jump down from the Helicopter. Jax questions them on their plans, only for Tasia to say something cryptic about Russia. Jax and Beran prepare to fight.

Meanwhile, Daniel, Sonya, and the others have just entered the underground labs and are sneaking about. They are attacked by goons led by Kabal, and Daniel ends up getting hit in the shoulder by one of his swords, and he flees into a hall to avoid further damage and to tend to his wounds. Daniel suddenly hears the voice of Jax and Beran, and investigates. He follows the voice into a room, where he is suddenly ambushed by Kano. The two engage in a fist fight.

Jax defeats Tasia, who tries to throw her sword at him in desperation. Jax avoids it and roundhouse kicks Tasia, sending her flying into an electrical conductor which fries her. The helicopter takes off and Jarek throws a knife into Beran's leg, and grabs onto the generator, taking off with it. Jax helps Beran and is radioed by Sonya, who informs of the situation. Beran tells Jax to leave him for now and help them, which Jax obliges albeit reluctantly. Sonya realizes Daniel isn't here and goes looking for him, eventually hearing his and Kano's fight. She arrives just to find Daniel having lost and Kano holding up with a knife to his throat. Sonya points her gun at him and orders Kano to put the knife down. He refuses, unless Sonya lets him leave quietly. He muses about he'd hope to catch the bigwig soldiers, but the guy who fed some lead into his arm will do. Daniel tells Sonya to just shoot him, but Kano says that he has observed her. He can cut Daniel's throat faster than she can pull the trigger, to which Daniel responds that he is just bluffing, which Kano counters that if Sonya wants to find out, then just try. Toss the gun, let him leave, and he'll let the boy go.

A standoff for several minutes ensue, eventually Sonya decides to drop the gun let Kano go. He drags Daniel with him to the door, but then Kano says some sort of clever quip to Sonya before slashing Daniel's neck, killing him instantly. Sonya screams, which Jax hears and runs over just to see Kano flee. He finds Sonya crying over Daniel, Jax puts his hand on her shoulder and quietly comforts her.

A bit later, at Daniel Wexler's funeral being held by the NYPD. Despite his questionable actions, the NYPD has nothing but respect for him and his service. Sonya talks to Jax and Vera, where he learned more about Daniel and Sonya's history, possibly implying that she had feelings for him. Sonya expresses to Jax how she wants to get revenge on Kano, which Jax states that he'll get by any means necessary, feeling guilty since he brought Daniel along when he wasn't supposed to, which led to his death. Jax thinks he's just a weakling, and realizes he needs to shape up if he plans on fighting Kano. We also learn that Jax has been placed on 6-month temporary leave by Frank Marshall for his actions.

6 months pass, as the Special Forces haven't found any lead on where the Black Dragon took the generator or what they plan on doing with that and the gem. They are at a lost, when Sparky comes in and turns on the TV. Turns out Jarek was spotted in Moscow, which makes Beran recall that Tasia had said something cryptically about Russia during their encounter at Riken. They do some research, and after a few days, they realize what they could be after is a secret weapons factory in the vast rural wastes of Eastern Russia, where a new super weapon is reportedly being developed by the U.S.S.R. They begin making preparations when Jax returns, having been caught up to speed by Beran. We also see how much Jax's last half year of training has done, as he seems much closer to his MK2 build but not quite there yet. Jax request that Marshall let him join the mission, but Marshall refuses calling Jax disobedient and a maverick. Jax implores him to let him go, saying he can't rest, Sonya can't rest, until Daniel's death is avenged. Marshall thinks it over and recalls his own experiences during his military career, recounting a tale from a similar situation that happened during a war he fought in. He knows revenge is a hollow pursuit, but Jax will never rest without finding out for himself so Marshall gives Jax his blessing and welcomes him back to the force.

We then cut to a hideout in Moscow where we see a russian broadcast of the Jarek story from earlier. Kano slaps Jarek for possibly alerting the Special Forces to their whereabouts. They've been waiting for a long while for their plans to be ready to take place, and Jarek possibly went and ruined everything. To make matters worse, he's a bit concerned due to the deaths of two of his greatest warriors, Tasia and Tremor as well as the arrest of No-Face. Jarek and Kabal reassure him, which Kano ignores. He already sent some goons to free No-Face and begins making their move towards the weapons factory.

Jax and the others are flying towards the Weapons Factory, only for the helicopter to be shot down by Black Dragon goons with a bazooka. Jax, Beran, Sparky, and Jake manage to escape and are the sole survivors so they are the only ones that can stop them. The problem is that the area is heavily patrolled and most of their weapons were taken by the helicopter's destruction. The four have to sneak through the wastes and reach the weapons factory undetected, which they do of course. As they make their way through the weapons factory, they mind a man hiding in a locker room, Dr. Fyodor Mikhailov. He explained the super weapon was some sort of laser cannon that they were developing under orders from their boss, and the Black Dragon attacked a day ago. To prevent them from stealing the weapon they destroyed their sole prototype. Now, they have rounded up and tortured the other scientists in order to get them to give up the blueprints and research notes on the weapon so they can build one themselves. Fyodor gives them ID Cards and codes so that they can reach and take down the Black Dragon. The four divert to grab some weapons to deal with the crooks and eventually reach the room where Kabal, Jarek, and some goons are interrogating the scientists. Beran shoots Kabal in the leg and a fight breaks out, with the scientists also joining in. Jarek flees while Kabal leads the other goons against the four. Despite their strengths and weapons, the four are overwhelmed by the goons and forced to retreat. They reach an intersection in the halls, and Jax tells Sparky and Jake to head down one way to distract them while him and Beran go try and find Kano.

Jarek arrives to Kano and his other goons, informing them of the four. Kano is ready to flee until he learns that there are only FOUR special forces soldiers here and decides to let them come and feel the taste of defeat.

Jax and Beran find themselves in a room containing tanks and other big-scaled weapons. No-Face sneaks up behind them, having been freed a while ago by the Black Dragon, and Jax just barely gets him and Beran out of range of his flamethrower in time. Meanwhile, Jarek is piloting a tank and trying to shoot at them. Jax calls him an insane idiot, but Jarek just keeps firing. Beran goes to work on opening the door at the other end of the room, while Jax tries to fight off No-Face while dodging Jarek's fire. Jax defeats No-Face, grabs his nozzle and fires his own flamethrower at this face. He then picks up No-Face and throws him at the treads of the tank Jarek is piloting, causing him to get run over and killed. Jax jumps on the tank, opens the hatch, and pulls Jarek out. Jarek comments on how Jax has gotten much stronger, and Jax one-liners him before knocking him out and tossing him to the ground. Beran and Jax head through the door to find Kano, who just got the notes and blueprints he needs. Jax fights Kano and manages to narrowly defeat him. Kano compliments Jax on his improved fighting, but says that'll be worthless once his plans come to fruition. He throws a smoke bomb, him and the goons having completely disappeared. Jax throws a bit of a tantrum at Kano escaping, yet again. Then an alarm goes off as the self-destruct is activated, leaving only 15 minutes for them to get out. Jax and Beran inform Sparky and Jake of the situation. They escape, grabbing Fyodor Mikhailov and making it out as the place blows up, leaving Fyodor the sole survivor of the workers their. The group make their way to the shores of the East Siberian Sea, where they are picked up by a United States submarine.

A week later, they return to the Special Forces HQ where Fyodor elaborates more on the laser project. Jax realizes that if Kano can re-create the device, the power of the gem will make the weapon an invincible killing machine that he could use to take over the world. The generator he stole needed to properly contain the Jinsei energy and power the weapon. It is now imperative that they find where they are building the machine and stop them once and for all.

As they work that out, Jax spends the next several days continue his training. He is jogging through Central Park, thinking about the whole ordeal when his thoughts remind him of Sonya. He finds out the location of Sonya's apartment from her friends on the NYPD and visits. When he arrives he discovers Sonya has left for Fort Drum and the tenant gives Jax a package that Sonya had asked for him to mail. He takes it home and opens it, containing a picture of Sonya in military garb and a letter. Jax and Vera read the letter, narrated by Sonya's voice of course. We learn that Sonya could not stop thinking about Daniel's death and her lust for revenge on the Black Dragon and Kano. She quit her job at the NYPD and has joined the army, where she'll train to become the strongest soldier. Maybe a line about how she never expected to follow in her father's footsteps and we close the letter with Sonya wishing to join the Special Forces in the future. Jax and Vera talk about it for a bit, before Jax reaffirms to Sonya that he will take down Kano.

Not long after, the Special Forces receive a transmission from Xavier Stone, an undercover agent among the Black Dragon's ranks. He informs that the Black Dragon have take refuge in a castle in Eastern Europe, where they are constructing the weapon. Before he can confirm exactly where they are, the transmission is suddenly cut short. Gemini believes it was just an issue on his end, but it's revealed to the audience that he was discovered and killed by Kabal.

This time, the Special Forces are pulling no punches. Jax, Beran, Sparky, and Jake load up, they are calling in soldiers from all positions in the army. They are heading to Eastern Europe and will stop Kano's dastardly plan. When Gemini questions where exactly in Eastern Europe could Kano be hiding in a castle, Jax decides he knows where to go on a hunch.

We then cut to Transylvania. As Jax states, castle, Eastern Europe, seemed like the obvious choice for a villain like Kano. They come across a small village that had been raided by the Black Dragon, confirming Jax's suspicion. They head towards the castle where they are greeted by an army of Black Dragon goons leading to a big fight. Jax and Beran fight their way through to reach the castle and are almost gunned down, but are saved by Sonya, now in her MK1 attire. Turns out that she wasn't supposed to come, due to still being in training, but her father pulled some strings. Jax doesn't want Sonya to come help them bust Kano due to her inexperience, but Sonya forces herself along. They make their way through the castle and come face to face with Kabal one last time. The three defeat Kabal, who makes one last super-speed dash at Jax. He gotcha grabs Kabal out of it, before tossing him out the window.

Meanwhile, the weapon is almost complete. Jarek warns that they are suffering heavy casualties, but Kano assures him that once this is finished they'll never have to worry about anything as petty as a "army" ever again.

The three make their way through the castle and are ambushed and attacked by Tremor! He now resembles his MKX design, much to Jax's shock and wonder on how he survived the acid bath. Other than a vague claim of "awakening powers", the answer will be left hanging for a future title. The three fight Tremor, who's new powers overwhelm the heroes. Having enough, Jax summons his first Energy Wave and knocks out Tremor. Jax is shocked that he was able to do that, and displays the ability multiple times to make sure he wasn't just imagining it. When Beran and Sonya question it, Jax just assumes he also "awakened powers" and that they can find it out later.

Jarek is convinced Kano is crazy and decides to abandon the castle, but not before looting some money from his vault. He encounters Kabal, who survived thanks to using his hook swords to slow his fall. Jarek convinces him to hightail it and the two flee the castle through a back exit.

The three finally reach Kano and the weapon. Kano shows it off by shooting a laser at the battle outside, creating a huge explosion leaving a massive crater. Jax points out how he likely just killed a bunch of his fellow Black Dragon, but Kano brushes it off with saying that's the price of victory. He then turns down the power, so that no explosion will go off, but the laser will disintegrate them in one hit. The three dodge around the lasers and Beran notices that the generator is making strange noises. Jax radios Gemini and asks for her opinion and she believes that either Kano did not make it properly or he is overloading it. Either way, this will cause an explosion that will destroy everything in a 500-mile radius unless it is stopped. Sonya and Beran distract Kano who's repeated missed shots are catching the castle on fire and starting to make it crumble. Jax reaches Kano and knocks him out of the weapon's controls and the two get in a brawl. Sonya shuts off the weapon and generator, allowing Beran to open it and remove the Jinsei Gem. Despite stopping it, the castle is still going to collapse due to Kano's cavalier firing. Jax tells the two to escape while him and Kano fight. Kano taunts Jax a bunch, calling him nothing more than a weak rookie who could never beat a crime boss like him. He kicks Jax's butt and it seems like he is going to finish Jax off. Only for Jax to shoot an energy wave at his face, temporarily blinding him. Jax grabs his head and, with his raw strength and anger at all Kano has done, disfigures the right side of his face and the eye, before punching him through a wall. Kano falls to his apparent death.

We then cut to Sonya and Beran with the surviving soldiers, safely away from the castle which then collapses. Jax is believed to have perished, only for him to show up, severely injured. He falls to the ground, exclaims "We won." before passing out.

Sometime later, Jax is in the hospital in casts and bandages. He is visited by Beran and Sonya who commend him for his efforts. Jax is just glad that Kano is dead and that'll be the last of the Black Dragon, hopefully. Vera walks in and the two have a heartwarming scene together, ending with Jax proposing to her.

We then cut to an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. Here, Jax, Beran, Sparky, Jake, and Sonya are presented medals for their actions. As a small detail, Jax and Vera here can be seen with wedding rings on. Jax gives a rousing speech and ends with a massive cheer from the crowd.

After the credits, we have one final scene. We're in the seedy underbelly of Chicago, a year later. Jarek, Tremor, and Kabal are hanging out together in some sort of den with other Black Dragon stooges. Turns out they've been meeting to bring back the Black Dragon, but have disagreements over who should lead. All of a sudden, a figure enters who mentions they had been tipped off about their whereabouts. It's revealed to be Kano, obviously having survived the fall and now sports his iconic metal plate and cybernetic eye.

We could possibly have an unlockable montage showing the next few years in between that scene, leading into the events shown in the MK1 prequel comic, as a fun little extra.

This version isn't perfect, there's a lot you could improve on. For Special Forces, I wanted to make it a proper prequel and showing Jax's journey to the man he becomes by MK2, rather whatever the actual game goes for. We get to see Jax's first encounter with Kano, how he disfigures him, actually see and learn about Sonya's partner, and his death. I found these aspects really interesting and it's a shame we didn't get proper media exploring these.

The next Wasted Plotential Chapter will be on MK1! Look forward to that in the near future, I got a lot of ideas for that and I hope you enjoyed this attempt at making my own version of Special Forces!