Revenants are a type of undead creature that appear in the Mortal Kombat franchise. These beings were once mortals who had died, only to be resurrected via necromancy and turned into inhuman warriors. The creation of a revenant requires the soul of the deceased subject to be bound to a magically forged body; the body of the revenant generally appears much how it used to in life, but with glowing eyes and withered, gray skin covered in scars.
Revenants are bound to serve whoever created them, carrying out whatever duties are assigned to them. They may exhibit behavior similar to their former living selves, but their thoughts and personalities are corrupted by their transformations. They possess whatever abilities they had in life but are greatly amplified. If a revenant's master should die, then the revenant may act independently without being influenced by another but still maintain their corrupted personality from when they were transformed.
All of the revenants to appear so far in Mortal Kombat were created by Quan Chi.
Ikran's theme song: The Fanatics' Tower (Final Fantasy VI)
Sub-types[]
Other types of revenants also exist that differ significantly to standard revenant described above. The first is the Specter, which not only possesses the skills it did in life but also commands the power of hellfire.
The other revenant variant, the Wraith, is a dark, sinister entity that holds power over darkness and shadows.
Known Revenants[]
- Scorpion (Specter) - A warrior of the Shirai Ryu ninja clan, Hanzo Hasashi was murdered by Quan Chi while the latter was impersonating Sub-Zero of the Lin Kuei. Driven by rage and a desire for revenge against Sub-Zero, Hasashi became Scorpion so that he could exact retribution. He killed Sub-Zero during the Mortal Kombat tournament, only to find out the truth later on. He has since regained his humanity and taken revenge on Quan Chi.
- Noob Saibot (Wraith) - In life, he was known as Bi-Han, a warrior of the Lin Kuei clan who also bore the codename "Sub-Zero". He was killed by Scorpion in Mortal Kombat only to be resurrected as Quan Chi's servant and spy. Since Quan Chi's death, Noob has sought to take over the Netherrealm and establish himself as a new god of death.
- Liu Kang - Earthrealm's reigning champion of Mortal Kombat. Originally regarded as a hero, this Shaolin monk lost faith in Raiden during Shao Kahn's invasion of Earth. When Raiden decided to allow Shao Kahn to merge Outworld and Earth, Liu Kang attacked him. Raiden fought back, but in doing so killed his former pupil. Upon his death, Kang was recreated as a revenant by Quan Chi and would serve the Brotherhood of Shadow for many years. After Shinnok was defeated by Raiden, Liu Kang took the former Elder God's place as ruler of the Netherrealm.
- Kung Lao - A member of the White Lotus Society along with Liu Kang, Kung Lao had been selected by Raiden to represent Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat. During the Outworld Tournament, Kung Lao fought in the Koliseum and defeated Shao Kahn's champions. Outraged by Lao's success, Shao Kahn stepped up to the Shaolin monk after his match with Kintaro and suddenly snapped his neck. Lao was then reborn as a revenant in Quan Chi's service. During the temporal crisis instigated by Kronika, Kung Lao sided with Kronika in order to take revenge on Raiden. He was defeated by Liu Kang, who had become a Fire God, who then reset the timeline.
- Sub-Zero - The younger brother of Bi-Han, Kuai Liang took up the mantle of Sub-Zero after his brother was killed in the tournament. During the Outworld Invasion of Earthrealm, Sub-Zero was killed in battle and resurrected as a revenant by Quan Chi. A few years later, he was restored to his human self by Raiden.
- Jax Briggs - A Major in the U.S. Special Forces, Jax was killed during Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. He spent the next five years as a revenant in Quan Chi's service before being restored to normal by Raiden but would suffer from lingering guilt and trauma over his actions during that time.
- Kitana - Shao Kahn's adopted daughter and former Crown Princess of Edenia. She sided with the warriors of Earthrealm and fought with them during the invasion, only to be killed by her resurrected mother Sindel. She was then turned into a revenant by Quan Chi and served him until his death, after which she became Liu Kang's queen when he took Shinnok's throne.
- Jade - An Edenian warrior and close friend and bodyguard of Kitana. She was killed during the invasion of Earthrealm and turned into a revenant by Quan Chi. After Liu Kang reset the timeline with Kronika's Hourglass, Jade's revenant self was erased from history.
- Enenra - Formerly known as Smoke, a ninja of the Lin Kuei clan. He was killed during the invasion of Earthrealm and turned into a revenant by Quan Chi.
- Sindel - Former Queen of Edenia who was taken as Shao Kahn's bride when the Outworld emperor conquered her realm. She would die sometime later, but would be resurrected thousands of years afterward in Earthrealm by Quan Chi. Her resurrection allowed Shao Kahn to breach the dimensional barrier between Earth and Outworld in order to reclaim her and she would become the emperor's most lethal weapon in his attempt to conquer Earth. Sindel was ultimately killed by Nightwolf and resurrected by Quan Chi as a revenant. After Quan Chi's death, Sindel became subservient to her daughter Kitana, who ruled as Queen of the Netherrealm beside Liu Kang.
- Kurtis Stryker - A New York City riot cop who was killed during the invasion of Earthrealm.
- Nightwolf - A shaman of the Matoka Tribe. During the invasion of Earthrealm, he sacrificed himself to stop Sindel's murderous rampage. He was later resurrected by Quan Chi and served the Brotherhood of Shadow for years until the timeline was reset.
- Kabal - A former member of the Black Dragon who sided with Earthrealm's heroes against the forces of Outworld. He was killed by Sindel and later resurrected as a revenant.
Ikran's Mortal Kombat Khronology[]
The Revenants first invaded Earthrealm during Aiko's dystopian future; specifically, after she left the Kombatants at a very young age, and during 2008. Word got around of the undead hordes, as were the identifications, in which she knew most of them... Aiko lived as a nomad as the undead legion led by two powerful sorcerers kept on marching and destroying Earth! At one time, Aiko was escaping from the horde, until she was abruptly sent back 16 years into the past via flash by an unknown source! Aiko since then dreaded on revisiting her warped time and kept on mentioning it to her startled kompatriots. Kung Lao grew curious on what she dealt with, and thru a heart meld they both konjured before infiltrating Kahn's Fortress, both warriors were stupefied, especially the devastated Aiko! She nearly lost her will to fight...
Sindel was resurrected by Quan Chi, Shang Tsung and a pair of Shadow Priests in the deserts of Egypt. She was enslaved by them and nearly created deja vu as she unleashed her deafening screams onto the heroes from Kahn's Fortress. Fortunately, due to her enhanced cardiokineis, Aiko and Lao muffled them before Liu Kang and Kitana chased after her. They arrived and found her in the perverted Church, and thanks to his resourcefulness, Liu incapacitated Sindel after he burnt her elongated hair suffocating Kitana! They eventually came to, and little by little with some reassurance, Sindel broke out of her spell gradually.
In Shinnok's invasion over Edenia and the heavens, Lao, Aiko, Nightwolf and Fujin had night terrors of the two culprits, Shinnok and Quan Chi! Disguised as a hapless Kai, the fallen Elder God broke his facade and exploited Lao's and Aiko's hearts making them relive their worst fears! Thru dark magic, they were sent to the Fire Well, and he kept feeding their hearts assurance they shall be saved from that tragic fate by serving him, after they shall take care of the Champion and the brother Gods. Fortunately, their fate was averted, and while they recovered in the Jinsei Chamber, Raiden assured their undead fate remained secure!
During the Celestial Portal trial, Kung Lao decided to accept them, and in came his Revenant self; the same one he and Aiko dreaded after having their hearts melded and seeing their dystopian future! Lao did put up a fight, but he was at a standoff, until Liu's spirit intervened inside his body! Lao dreaded this, but it was the best thing to do. With their new aerosol abilities, Liu and Lao overpowered the abomination! Even combusting him from within after he was diced by Lao's hat! However, the resulting merge caused Lao's body temp to skyrocket, allowing the cryomancers tend for him with frigid liquids.
There were times Hanzo dreaded on becoming his wraith form if he should meet up with Quan Chi again, after he was humanized in the end of the Netherrealm War. He remained as a specter until then, and even Kuai was just as anxious. Unfortunately, Hanzo caved into his rage as he transformed while he took his vengeance on Quan. Sadly, since the sorcerer was more powerful in Outworld, with Hanzo no longer being in Hell, his powerless korpse was thrown into the Soulnado, with his body and soul torn to shreds!!
It's likely Onaga has the same capabilities of necromancy much like Quan Chi, making his undead slaves as revenants instead of the usual, downgraded zombies; it's been revealed that Kitana, Johnny, Sonya, Jax and corrupt Raiden had fallen prey to him with Lao, Nightwolf, Liu, and Fujin still intact, and Raiden's benevolent self on life support in the Jinsei.
That was until he contacted Nightwolf to develop the secret weapon, the EMP, which disabled Dark Raiden temporarily and was electrocuted by the rainstorm the shaman created by his ancestors' spirits. It restored Raiden back to health and retaliated his doppelganger.
Johnny was impaled by the Kriss, a holy dagger possessed by the demon, Ashrah; he wasn't able to collect Shinnok's Amulet. Oh, and Noob Saibot was decimated in the Netherrealm by Ashrah allowing her to be emancipated, along with Sareena and Kuai. Jax and Sonya assisted the Tarkatans during the massacre of Sun Do, and soon were involved in the Outworld melee in the Living Forest. The Special Forces agents were ambushed by traps made by the Saurians, and soon confronted by their generals, the Chameleons. Even when Jax conjured a quake stunning and soon breaking the Shokans' and Centaurs' limbs. By the time the geomancer was bested and thrown into a pile of downed trees, and Sonya was acing over Khameleon, they too were impaled by Ashrah's Kriss.
Moments later, all 3 revenants were transported to the Jinsei Chamber after Onaga was defeated.
The Revenants were seen once more as Aiko was having a night terror over her dystopian future. She wound up within a destroyed city and beside an abandoned sanctuary scavenging for any leftover resources with her elder leader of the refugees. He suddenly alarmed Aiko the Revenants, the culprits on destroying the world, shown up and demanded for ransom. Stryker actually shot him with Liu leading the charge. Aiko screeched upon his death after she watched the murder unfold thru a closet. She ran and spotted a defective car and was about to make a suicidal attempt to destroy herself along with her zombified allies! That was until she was instantly transported into another world where the buildings were dazzling and intact, and none of the undead legion was around before she escaped!
There was another vision as she saw the Revenants bow to Shinnok with Liu praising him, only it turned out to be a warning via her heart gem while the weakened Shinnok was transmitting thru her heart gem. That was before she saw an engraving lose its head and Caro stated that Blaze was capable of erasing his victims, soul and all.
Before there was Armageddon, two realities started to converge via Aiko's heart gems, both from her living and her undead form! Both Aikos were under a deep self-trance as the living form heard the Matoka drums emitting from the East Coast, and out of curiosity and intrigue she began to succumb to them as she listened and hit her mattress rhythmically, urging her to join them and her distant family... Meanwhile, the undead Aiko was also beating her own hand drum with the Evil Emperor Liu Kang until she was the first to notice her living being! The sudden interruption made the human snap out of her thrall and was shocked to see herself as a doppelganger! The undead explained reality's been disrupted and the two converged as a glitch, and the human was surprised she's in March 1996, she's in the Netherrealm and in an altered dimension! She stated she governs the realm with her lovers Liu Kang and Kung Lao, with her and Liu being the chieftains and prepping for the war onto the Elder Gods. The emperor actually praised Aiko's living form, and he was the one who killed then converted her to join his ranks. Since then, she'd been the dark heart of the Revenants increasing their numbers, even recruiting the Makeba, Matoka and all tribes! She advised her to use her weakness as her strength, to accept and wield it as a part of herself and no longer fear it! Liu mentioned that Raiden did the same embracing both the light and dark cohesively thus never slaying him. She and Liu were looking forward to the upcoming Matoka ceremony after she warned they can't talk for too long when the dimensions swap! She ended the transmission leaving the human bewildered.
Unaliving War[]
The first Revenant seen was actually Fire God Liu Kang who was converted as the undead used to be known as. Aiko was shocked to see his random transformation and Darkseid assimilated him. She was too horrified to fight, but Liu bit and scratched her, giving her lacerations that began to grow and corrode. They soon altered her psyche, and she began to embrace her dark side, realizing this was what they wanted her to do... Taking his accepting hand, she reveled in the new darkness she attained. The Bone Temple became their own home turf, even Nightwolf and soon Kung Lao were there. Reuniting their brethren and gathering recruits for the war onto the Elder Gods, as Liu declared the living was way past due for revenge, she suggested to head to Outworld and enthrall the Makeba, to give them more momentum on converting many others without fighting. More denizens joined the cause, even Dark Raiden and Fujin. They eventually followed Aiko's suggestion on beating within the Nexus to convert more to their dark side and give a warning to the Elder Gods. Armageddon commenced, and according to the Chieftain, it was him and Aiko, with her empowering their troops and motivating them to enter the frontlines. Their forces caused some Elders to perish while others surrendered. Still, Liu wasn't satisfied, as he must take his revenge to Darkseid who would eventually turn.
Trivia[]
- More intel shall be found here about the true origins of Revenants.
- Aiko became a Revenant during a roleplay known as the Darkseid/Unaliving War. She first saw Liu as his undead self unexpectedly. She was too horrified to fight him, and so...Ikran decided to make a change of pace. She wanted Aiko to cave into the same darkness that consumed him as he made some stinging lacerations onto her, then her perception changed. Since then, she accepted his declaration onto the petty, meddling Elder Gods, and she planned to unite their brethren for the cause. By not fighting, she'd rather use her black heart to manipulate everyone and follow the customs of the Makeba from Outworld by listening and being entranced by their powerful tribal drums... At first, Ikran hated the Revenants, but sometimes exploring the darkness can be invigorating...
Gallery[]
