Why Sub-Zero’s So Much More Powerful Than Earth’s Champions In Mortal Kombat

Despite his status as a henchman of Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung, Sub-Zero is, for all intents and purposes, the central antagonistic force of Mortal Kombat.

It’s by the Lin Kuei leaders’ hands, after all, that Hanzo Hasashi is defeated and cast down into the hellish NetherRealm, but why is this depiction of the character, who traditionally is no stronger than the likes of Scorpion or other Earthrealmers with extraordinary abilities, so head and shoulders above the rest? The short answer is simple; we don’t know. The speculative explanation, on the other hand, has myriad outcomes.

As self-professed followers of the franchise, both director Simon McQuoid and co-writer Greg Russo would undoubtedly have been aware of Bi-Han’s strengths and weaknesses, his power relative to that of his fellow combatants and the overall pecking order, which typically names Raiden, Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn as some of the universe’s most formidable entities.

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Han is certainly capable of going toe-to-toe with the likes of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, but not when he’s outnumbered and certainly not in a manner befitting that of a 400-year-old ninja. The latter of these has become something of a particular head-scratcher for fans of the source material, as the cryomancer has never been referred to as immortal or ageless, with the film itself doing a poor job accounting for Han’s appearance in 2021 being identical to that seen in the 17th century.

An obvious oversight? Perhaps, but theorists have attempted to account for the snafu in-universe with the suggestion that Sub-Zero has managed to maintain his youth by tapping into the dark magics of Outworld. It’s worth noting, after all, that warrior canonically becomes the undead specter Noob Saibot upon his first death, suggesting that a latent force is responsible for his exceptionally long life and superhuman qualities.

At the end of the day, however, the circumstances matter little if they’re not conveyed to the audience succinctly. Should Mortal Kombat ever get the sequel it arguably deserves, one can only hope Russo and McQuoid elaborate on this aspect of the character.