Portals (Mortal Kombat)

Portal MK — Portal (gateway from Mortal Kombat)

Portals are supernatural gateways located across the Mortal Kombat universe making their first appearance in Mortal Kombat II.

Theme songs[]

Portal (Mortal Kombat II)
Hidden Portal (Mortal Kombat 3)
- The Lost Portal (Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3)
Acid Bath & Portal (Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance)
The Portal (Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks)
The Portal (Mortal Kombat Deception Unchained)
Chess Kombat - The Portal (Mortal Kombat Deception Unchained)
Warp Rooms (Starfox Adventures) - Ikran's Mortal Kombat Khronology

Overview[]

Portals are dimensional gateways into the time-space continuum used for the sole purpose of transportation across vast distances, or more commonly, other realms. They are a pivotal plot device in the Mortal Kombat story, used primarily by the forces of evil to invade realms. Since their inception in Mortal Kombat II, every game features a stage with a portal, signifying their importance and influence.

In Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, they're named as rips as sudden portals for Kahn's forces on invading Earthrealm.

Description[]

Portals are depicted as dimensional rifts with a distortion in the atmosphere resembling a visible swirl with a black hole in the middle, akin to a vortex. Only powerful individuals such as gods and sorcerers or groups can create these rifts. They often contain inside intense electrical torrents that occasionally whip about in the middle with an audible crackle. When one enters a portal, they are transformed into energy where it is displaced and then reforms into solid form and exits out of another portal. Traversing between portals seems to leave an unpleasant feeling in the travelers. Portal traveling in itself is dangerous. If the intense torrent of energy is not toned down, the traveler will be torn asunder before their bodies can be transferred through the gateway. The larger portals used for realm-jumping often remain open for longer periods of time, though their energy torrents are more powerful so the energy around them must be lessened in order to travel safely or unless the traveler is protected by something as well as having taint. Starting in MK4, particularly in the prequel comic, it was revealed by Sonya that she and the Special Forces developed gizmos to rip open portals, but only to have them return to the starting point during a second use.

Portals are made whether conjured by Raiden's electricity, Fujin's whirlwinds, the Special Forces' experimental gizmos, fiery portals conjured by Lord Liu Kang, rips conjured by Kahn before and during his Earth invasion, or by the Edenian dragons Orin and Caro. Even Kano's portal spider giving Earthrealm defenders a wild goose chase.

Notable areas with portals[]

Portal (Mortal Kombat II)[]

A barren and chaotic area in Outworld devoid of natural life. This area is riddled with many portals leading to different areas across Outworld as well as a portal leading to Earthrealm for Shao Kahn's invasion. Shadow Priests stand guard while maintaining the gateways.

Portal (Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks)[]

The Portal is the third stage of the game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks and is accessed after having removed the Tarkata hordes from the Wu Shi Academy at this stage players can access a number of portals and are sent to certain points in the game where they must stop the warriors of Shang Tsung. The main enemies of this stage are the already-known Shadow priests, who use their dark magic to try to put an end to the players as well as attempting to stop Liu Kang and Kung Lao's access to any portal. At this stage of the game, you can access other areas found in the same way. To get there you have to be very fast as far as combat is concerned since Shadow Priests will have the help of other killers like the Tarkata or other enemies such as the Demon Captain and other guards of Shao Kahn.

Portal (Deadly Alliance)[]

A hidden portal located somewhere in Outworld known only to sorcerers and deities. The Deadly Alliance would use this very gateway to enter Earthrealm on their mission to kill Liu Kang.

Portal (Deception)[]

In Mortal Kombat: Deception, the Portal appears as a combination of its II and 3 incarnations. One side displays the MK3 version, complete with filled ladder spaces using portraits from MK to MK4, and the other shows its MKII incarnation. Unlike MKII, five Shadow Priests will watch battles between players there. Choose Your Destiny towers can also be seen. This version is very similar to the Hidden Portal.

Nexus[]

Also known as The Void. The Nexus serves as a hub for all realms. It contains concentrated portals for safe traveling.

Edenian Ruins (Armageddon)[]

The portal in the Edenian Ruins; however, it's used as a trigger by Taven to raise the Pyramid of Argus where Blaze awaited battle.

Mortal Kombat X[]

There was one smack dab in the center of the Refugee Kamp, in which the Revenants emerged from to pledge to Shinnok as he obtained his amulet.

Mortal Kombat 11[]

The Portal reappears as one of the many arenas in the Retrocade arena that appears on the monitors in the background.

Ikran's Mortal Kombat Khronology[]

Portals had been used many times during Ikran's stories. Although the portal areas are as far as the Portal from Shaolin Monks, the Celestial Portal, the portal gates leading to the Nexus, or the Refugee Kamp as seen once during Aiko's dystopian future. It was also mentioned that the Yin Yang and Shang Tsung's Islands each share a portal between Earthrealm and Outworld. There was also a white portal within the eye of the Hourglass, not just for observing time.

Aside from the Hourglass, several others can generate them: most notably Raiden with electrical portals, Fujin made with wind or just teleporting twisters, or experimental portals that're literally generated by the Special Forces; those could only take passengers one place and return to the previous pinpoint. Shao Kahn generated a massive portal in the sky as Earthrealm was merging with Outworld, the Deadly Alliance generate them easily, even the Soulnado! Lord Liu Kang uses fiery portals aside from illumination. Thanks to manipulating souls, Ermac/Jerrod can generate them like Shang or Quan. There tends to be a rift in Outworld and Edenia where they used to be merged, same deal with Zaterra. The dragons, Orin and Caro, make them but often at the cost of their stamina. So too with Kano and the Black Dragons as they find destructive ways like making a large power source explode into one or use the aforementioned portal spider.