After becoming a keeper of time following the events of Aftermath Liu Kang restarts history all the way from the Big Bang creating the world and inhabiting it with life, initiating an era of peace, leaving it in the hands of mortals to realize it.
In Outworld we see a traveling merchant, appearing like an old man describing his miracle cures to a captive audience. A man comes out of the crowd, identifies the old man as Shang Tsung and says that he bought magical medicine for his dying daughter from him. The daughter died anyway and an imperial mage identified the potion as having no magic. The angry crowd descends on and attacks. Shang Tsung.
We later see him beaten and scrapped in his traveling cart, being plundered. He takes off a wig and wipes make-up from his face, revealing he is a young man. We see a mysterious hooded figure with glowing eyes and face resembling Kronika, approach and praise him for using an old man disguise to appear more trustworthy. She offers to make him a real sorceror, and says she chose him because he’s uniquely resilient to survive his lifestyle. She tells him he was meant for more but was conspired against since before he was born and then promises to give the realms to him.
We open in Fengjian - a small Chinese village with two young farmers Raiden, now mortal and Kung Lao. Kung is boisterous and arrogant while Raiden is humble and meek. Kung Lao dreams of having great adventures, remembered for generations like their anscestors. The two have a bet of who can fill their cart with cabbages first, with the loser paying the next meal. Kung Lao wins the race..
They go to eat at the local teahouse, run by madam Bo. She has trained both of them in martial arts. They disagree about who won the bet earlier so they decide with a friendly fight while a hooded man with glowing eyes watches them. Kung Lao again is the winner.
The tea house is attacked by the Lin Kuei clan, lead by Smoke who are trying to extort Madam Bo for protection money. After she refuses to pay him a fight breaks out between them and he throws her from the second floor of the teahouse. Kung Lao steps in and with Raiden’s help defeats Smoke, Raiden taking out the Lin Kuei goons. The Lin Kuei’s grandmaster - Bi-Han aka Sub Zero and his brother Scorpion appear. Lao and Raiden first defeat Scorpion and then Sub-Zero. During the fight with Sub Zero, Kung throws his hat and a meta disk at him, giving him an idea.
Madam Bo is shown to not be hurt by the attack. The attack on the teahouse was staged and she was on it. Scorpion and Sub Zero were pulling their punches. The whole thing was set up by the man with the glowing eyes - Earth Protector Liu Kang in order to test Raiden and Kung Lao. The Lin Kuei are sworn protectors of Earth Realm. Liu Kang says that he is gathering warriors for a Tournament.
We cut to what looks like an Indiana Jones style movie with Johnny Cage and his side-kick named Adam. They are exploring the ancient temple of Katara Vala. It involves among other things travercing a river of mercury. They are attacked by mythical creatures called Kalima who are guarding the temple. They look similar to Vaeternians. Adam joins the fight as a kameo. After the fight they approach the remains of Katara Vala himself but Adam is knocked into the mercury and dissolved instantly. Cage fights against Vala, whose model is based on Havik. We then see the set of the movie, which Johnny is filming, called “The Temple of Katara Vala”. The director Stephen who is doing the film as a favour to Johnny wraps for the day. Cage pitches him ideas for a new film (Karate zombie) but the director is not interested at all.
At home, Cage has a fight with his girlfriend Cris about his roles drying up and not being able to keep the lavish lifestyle and also fame going to his head. We learn that Johnny has bought Sento for 3 million dollars.
She leaves and Kenshi comes in, looking for Sento. Johnny beats him and ties him up. Kenshi reveals that he is a descendant of the Taira clan, the original owners of Sento. After they were vanquished they went into hiding, changing their name to Takahashi and serving the bakuto/yakuza for protection. He is disgusted with the lifestyle and wants to get out. In order to gain his clan’s respect he needs to prove himself that’s why he needs Sento.
Liu Kang with Scorpion and Sub-Zero come in. Liu introduces himself as protector of Earth Realm. Cage, who initially thinks that his girlfriend is pranking him, fights Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Liu Kang reveals he is a Fire God and protector of Earthrealm, shedding Cage’s skepticism.
Liu takes them to the Wu Shi academy where they train for months for a tournament to decide Earth Realm’s champion. Kung Lao has a hat with metal rim made after he gets the idea from the fight in the tea house.
Raiden is seen as an underdog who no one believes can win but he ends up beating Raiden, Kenshi and Cage and becoming the champion. Liu Kang gifts him an amulet from the elder gods which gives him power over lighting.
The tournament was started by Liu Kang and the late King Jerrod in order to promote peace between the realms. There has never been any death or injury at the tournament. The Earth Realm and Outworld have been close to even in their win record. Outworld has been gathering strength and Liu Kang is afraid that if they win it will embolden the more militaristic factions which would want to invade Earth Realm. We learn that the Earth Realm population doesn't know about Outworld at this point.
The Earth Realm entourage travel through a portal to Sun Do, the capital of Outworld and are introduced to the Empress Sindel’s daughters - Mileena, heir to the throne and her sister Kitana. With the Ugadi bodyguard Tanya, they are escorted in a cart through the streets of Sun Do while a parade in Jerrod’s honor is taking place. We see a large portion of the population are Shokans, Centaurians and Naknadans.
The road is blocked by the first constable of Sun Do - Li Mei conducting arrests. She used to be Umgadi, but the death of king Jerrod, which happened on her watch, she had to resign in disgrace. She is arresting people for harboring Tarkatans - people infected with the Tarkat disease who are banished from Sun Do. Mileena chastises Li Mei because she doesn’t want the Earthrealmers to know about the disease.
At the palace we meet General Shao, who is militaristic and prejudiced against Earthrealmers and also empress Sindel herself. Li Mei goes first in the tournament. After her it’s Reiko. He was orphaned and survived while imprisoned during a war. Shao took him in, molded him into a soldier and made him his second in command. Raiden wins against both of them and the tournament is adjourned until the next day, when Mileena is supposed to fight and a feast is held.
We learn the Umgadi are an elite force taken from birth and trained to be royal guards. Outworld used to be ravaged by war but is now in the past. We learn Sindel has reigned for 1000 of years and has brought in a Golden Age. Kitana is 10 000 years old. Rain is a High Mage in the empresses’ court and he has power over water magic.
General Shao makes a scene at the feast, acting threateningly against the Earthrealmers. In private Sindel chastises him for embarrassing her. He reveals his ambitions of invading Earthrealm and invokes a prophecy of OutWorld being betrayed by Liu Kang and invaded by EarthRealm, foretold by a mysterious sorcerer.
Mileena feels sick and excuses herself from the table. She has the Tarkat disease. She contracted it when she left the bounds of the city, when she wanted to have a moment alone. Sindel is worried the disease might act up during the tournament, revealing Mileena’s secret. Since Tarkatans are banished from Sun Do, she can’t allow that.. Sindel makes up an excuse and has Kitana take her place.
We are told that offscreen on the second day of the tournament Raiden has defeated Motaro, Sheeva and Kotal. Then he wins fights against Kitana and General Shao and is declared champion.
Liu Kang meets with Geras who he has made “in his image”. We learn that Kang relinquished his role as Time keeper, opting instead to be a demigod and protector of Earthrealm similar to Raiden before. He was afraid of going mad like Kronika did.
Before that though he put safeguards in predetermining some people’s destinies, preventing them from doing in this timeline. Shang Tsung has however defied his destiny and has gotten access to Sindel’s palace and has the empresses’ ear.
Liu Kang sends Kenshi together with Kung Lao and Johnny Cage to find Shang Tsung. Raiden can’t go because as a champion of the tournament he is too recognizable. To avoid complications they must keep their mission secret from empress Sindel. He gives them an amulet that can trace Shang Tsung’s by his Chi.
Cage has Sento with him and refuses to give it to Kenshi.
They find Tsung in a Tarkatan colony. He captures Baraka and extracts some of his bone marrow. We learn he does this once a month. Other Tarkatan arrive and Baraka is about to kill Stang Tsung.
Kenshi stops Baraka because Liu Kang Tsung needs him alive. After a fight he is able to explain himself to Baraka. Baraka explains the disease and introduces the colony.
Baraka knows where Tsung’s laboratory is and he takes them there. They go inside and they see Princess Mileena tied to a slab with Tsung ready to inject her with a serum derived from the Tarkatan marrow, Tanya and Rain, by his side. Believing that he is infecting the princess with Tarkat, Kenshi and the party intervene and knock the syringe out. A fight breaks out and Kenshi takes out Tanya and Rain.
Shang Thung claims that he is treating the princess’ disease and not infecting her. Mileena undergoes a Tarkat transformation and loses control, just as Kenshi is untying her. Kenshi beats and they try to subdue her while Tsung prepares another dose of the serum. He injects Mileena just as she gouges Kenshi’s eyes out with her sais and she goes back to normal.
Kitana walks in with Shao and his cohort. Shang Tsung says that the Earth Realmer were sent to interfere with the treatment and reveal Mileena’s illness to the public. They and Baraka are detained.
Quan Chi appears. We learn that he was the one who told the prophecy of Earth Realm and Liu Kang turning on Ourworld. The “attack” is used as confirmation for the prophecy and emboldens Shao’s distrust of Earthrealm.
Shang Tsung delights in the good luck of the politically opportune attack. We learn that the same “benefactor” who guided Shang Tsung has been guiding Quan Chi also. Before she found him, he was toiling in the mines. She also desires a war between the realms.
Shang Tsung decides to eliminate the heroes, which would also provoke Earthrealm. They are taken below to Shang Tsung’s “real” laboratory where there are abominations made from human flesh. (Cage remarks that it reminds him of a movie he was in called Flesh Pits).
Baraka tells the story of how his whole family contracted Tarkat and died with him being the only one who survived.
We meet Syzoth (Reptile) who is unwillingly serving Shang Tsung because he has captured his family and threatens to kill them.
Tsung details the experiments he’s going to perform on the heroes which will leave no trace of them. He releases Tarkatan clone servants who put Kenshi and Johnny in cages. while Syzoth zaps the cages with electricity Baraka with Kung Lao defeats the clones, a super Tarkatan and then a reluctant Syzoth.
Syzoth asks to be killed because he knows that if Shang Tsung sees in the hope that if he’s dead, Shang Tsung will spare his family after the prisoners escape.
Shang Tsung appears, locks the doors and releases a toxic gas. He reveals he killed Syzoth’s family a long time ago and teleports away.
Baraka forces the door open (using a Test your might test). They escape and take Kenshi with them even though he is now blind and try to make their way to the portal to Earth Realm to meet Liu Kang.
Baraka explains that in the nearby Living Forest the trees house the ghosts of diseased people. But they are only “good” and not evil.
Syzoth reveals that after being exiled from his Zataran community because of his shapeshifting abilities he became a sideshow attraction in a traveling circus. That’s where he met Shang Tsung who was just a huxter then.
After he got his magic powers he took interest in Syzoth because he wanted to study and copy his ability to shapeshift. Syzoth refused and that’s why he took his family hostage.
They come across Ashrah who is killing Tarkatan clones in the forest. She mistakes them for Quan Chi’s minions. After Baraka beats her in a fight they explain that they are enemies of Quan Chi. (Baraka also mentions that he was an Edenian)
Ashrah reveals that she was part of Quan Chi's sisterhood of shadow. She was condemned to a life in the Netherrealm and then she found the beauty of Earth Realm and OutWorld. Her sisters Kia and Jatakka were furious and hunted her. Asrah’s kriss named Datusha purifies her corruption with every demon it slays.
Ashrah says that Shang Tsung and Quan Chi’s benefactor is a powerful sorcerer and she taught them everything they know. Quin Chi is an Outworlder but mastered the dark magic needed to travel to the Neatherrealm. He is building machines which steal souls. A single machine can steal thousands of souls and the energy it unleashes can kill millions.
Datusha glows which means that Quan Chi is nearby. The party decides to go after him, since he can lead them to Shang Tsung.
They find Quan Chi with Nitara, Sareena Havik and Darius and his soul stealing machine. They give red crystals as tribute to Quan Chi.Havik has his whole face intact at this point.
Havik and Darius have struck a Quan Chi because they need his sorcery to bring down the oppressive government of their realm Seito. Quan Chi says that he will only help them after the invasion of Earthrealm.
Nitara is working with Quan Chi in order to save her starving race of vampires from Vaeternus. Quan Chi’s magic already removed their curse that made sunlight poisonous to them.
Johnny Cage gives Sento to Kenshi because he saved his life.
Ashrash beats Nitara / Sareena. Quan Chi uses his Souls Stealer machine to suck the souls out from the trees. Coalesce into a Soul-nado, forming Ermac who are bound to obey Quan Chi.
Ashrah then takes out Havik with Darious. She then fights Qua Chi furious, because he is forced to kill her own sisters, defeating him
Each of the heroes tries to take on Ermac, but fails because they are too strong.
While trying to help, the blind Kenshi is knocked out and Sento falls off his hands. While trying to find it, the souls of his ancestors inside the blade call to him and grant him a supernatural vision. He faces Ermac and Sento siphons some of his souls, weakening him.
For a brief moment Ermac reaches out and calls: “Sindel I’ll find you” implying that Jerrod is inside them.
Ashrah destroys the souls stealer machine. They decide to take the unconscious Quan Chi to Earth Realm and take Ashrah to Earthrealm.
Meanwhile Geras is shown studying the record of the hourglass in order to find the mysterious benefactor.
Shang Tsung meets with his benefactor. The Soul Stealers are almost construsted at this point Their plan is to harvest the souls collected with the machines and use them to fuel a “Dragon Army''. Shang Tsung say he has a plan to make the Lin Kuei break away from Shang Tsung and betray Earthrealm
Back in Sun Do during the festival Kitana and Milleena are attending the festival, accompanied by Tanya and Khamelion.
Kitana has noticed that Tanya and Mileena share affection for each other. She brings it up to Mileena. The Umgadi’s vows forbid any romantic relationships. If Mileena becomes empress she would be able to change the rules, but until then they need to keep their relationship secret.
Meanwhile Li Mei and General Shao with forces are looking for the Earleamers and their allies.
The heroes are trying to reach the portal to earth realm without getting noticed. They take up disguises to blend in with the revelers, including the knocked out Quan Chi, who they are dragging around with them
Reptile runs out using his invisibility to create a diversion by bringing down lanterns. Li Mei and Shao notice him.
Syzoth tries to talk with Li Mei. She is ready to listen but wants to first take him in and question him in the palace. Joined by Kenshi he reluctantly fights Li Mei (aided by Reiko), Kitana and Tanya (Khamelion appears as a kameo), apologises and escapes.
The team is accosted by Shao and his entourage as Quan Chi comes to and manages to escape. Kenshi and Syzoth rejoin them. They manage to stave off Shao and Goro. The group finally manages to fight their way to the portal and go to Earth Realm to reunite with Liu Kang.
Liu Kang learnes that in this timeline, like in previous Kenshi has lost his sight but reunited with Sento which gives him vision. Ashrah tells him that Quan Chi and Shang Tsung are working together.
Liu Kang rewrote history to give them meaningless lives yet they gained power and joined forces. Geras has uncovered that both sorcerers were visited by the same benefactors who interfered with their destinies. We see scenes from the hourglass of her meeting them. Her identity is obscured from the hourglass. Geras says it is impossible for it to be Kronika because Titans once destroyed can’t be revived. They deduce that someone must have survived from the previous timeline.
We see Lin Kuei, waiting for an assignment from Liu Kang. Bi Han speaks skeptically about the teaching of his father - the previous Lin Kuei Grand Master and acts dismissively towards Tomas (Smoke) because he was not related to him by blood.
Liu Kang gives the Lin Kuei a mission to infiltrate the ruins of the Ying Fortress in Outworld where the Dragon Army is located. Scorpion and Sub-Zero dismiss the help of Raiden and Kung Lao. They are instead sent to train in the Wu Shi academy
Along the way to the fortress Bi Han relays his ambitions to lead Earthrealm instead of being a servant.
Nitara appears and knocks Smokes down a wall and he barely stops himself from falling but is out for the fight. Sub Zero and Scorpion defeat Nitara and Sareena. In her dialogue she mentions that Veternous starves and they are coming to Earthrealm to feed.
Sub Zero is attacked by Ermac. There is a test your might test to resist having his arms pulled off.
Smoke stays back to stop the souls stealers from being activated.
The fortress is full of golden treasure which Bi Han takes a liking to.
Shang Tsung arrives at the fortress and discusses the construction of the machines with Quant Chi.
Scorpion and Sub-Zero attack them with the intention of breaking the facilities. Quan Chi says that the Lin Kuai were expected. Bi Han and Kuai Liang fight off both of the sorcerers.
Shao arrives with his army and Sub-Zero and Scorpion are captured. With Bi han forced to listen, Shang Tsung makes him an offer to break free of Liu Kang and lead Earth Realm if he assists them. The souls collected from the Soul Stealer machines are used to power a crown that Stang Tsung has which can control the dragon army.
Emperor Yings dragon army is a terracotta army (think Qin Shi Huang’s army). The dragon soldiers were imbued with magical powers so they could help emperor Ying in the afterlife. Shang Tsungs is offering control of the Dragon Army to Bi-Han.
Bi Han shares that he thinks his father was a dithering old fool and his actions doomed the Lin Kuei. We learn that when his father died in an accident, Bi-Han saw it and was able to intervene and save him but chose to let him die.
Distraught and disappointed, Kuai Liang breaks away. He defeats Shao and Tsung. (While fighting Kuai Liang uses a “fire elemental” as a kameo.)
He then sees Quan Chi and Rain melting gold in a forge which can be used for magic means. Kuai fights them.
He gets attacked by Havik and Darrius. You need to pass a Test Your Might as not have your face plunged in the melted gold. Instead Kuai holds Havik’s face in the gold, burning it away and giving him the half dissolved look.
After dealing with them, Sub-Zero comes after him. They have a scuffle and Bi-Han slashes Kuai Liang’s face, giving him the iconic scar. Sub Zero is using an ice elemental as a kameo.
After defeating his brother Kuai Liang pulls off his Lin Kuai insignia in disgust, leaving the clan and disowning Bi-Han. Cyrax and Sektor are both Bi-Han loyalists and they will sooner abet Bi-Han’s corruption that let Kuai to lead the clan. He and Smoke take the unconscious Bi-Han with them and flee.
Meanwhile Geras gathers that the mysterious benefactor is not from any previous timeline but must be coming from a second parallel timeline which is happening concurrently with Liu Kang’ own.
Liu Kang travels to Outworld with the intention to talk with Sindel. Li Mei meets him at the Portal in Sun Do. She is open to listening and Liu Kang convinces her that Quan Chi and Tsung are plotting against Sindel so she agrees to try and arrange an audience with the Empress, even though Li Mei doesn’t have a good standing with her anymore. She says Shang Tsung has Sindel’s favor because he is helping treat Mileena’s disease.
On the way Li Mei’s cart is accosted by Motaro and Reiko. Liu Kang is not welcomed in Outworld. After defeating them with Liu Kang’s help, Tanya arrives with the Umgadi and surrounds them. Li Mei beats Tanya and then gives an impassioned speech which makes the Umgadi agree to take her to Sindel’s court.
At the court Li Mei starts to make her case but Tanya attacks her and a fight breaks out. Kinata steps out to defend her family and Li Mei has to fight her too.
Meanwhile Mileena has another bout of Tarkat and in raging out attacks Sindel. Li Mei holds Mileena off, and fights her, saving Sindel. Tanya injects her with the serum, making the disease subside once again.
Li Meu saving Sindel’s life wins her, her trust back. Liu Kang says he has evidence of Shang Tsung’s treachery and to prove it, he takes her to Shang Tsung’s real laboratory, showing his flesh experiment.
Liu Kang then reveals how he used to be a titan and time keeper who sculpted this timeline but relinquished his role after he saw how it drove Kronika mad. Geras teleports in and explains the previous timelines - and Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Shao and Sindel’s roles in those timelines.
General Shao arrives with Goro, Rain and Nitara carrying Shinnok's amulet. The amulet shouldn't exist in this timeline as Liu Kang designed its maker to be powerless. Liu warns Shao he doesn't truly understand its power. Shao says that he is prepared and familiar with the amulet and he traps Geras, Tanya, Mileena and Kitana along with several Umgadi inside it.
Sindel, with Li Mei’s aid, fights Nitara and Goro, disgusted that Shao would align with the Vaeternus vampire race. With Li Mei at her side she fights against Reiko and Rain who she says she thought of as her own son. Rain says that Tsung allowed him to unlock a new level of power. Finally she beats Shao and Liu retrieves the amulet, releasing the people trapped inside.
At the Ying fortress Shang Tsung uses the souls collected by the machine to power the crown.
Liu Kang, Sindel and her court arrive at the fortress. Tanya and Mileena are attacked by Ermac. After Tanya gets hurt Mileena steps up and leads the fight against Ermac. Defeating him breaks the spells that bind the souls inside and allows king Jerrod to take control of Ermac as his soul resided in the living forest, Ermac’s face changing to that of Jerrod. He says that Li Mei was not to blame for his death.
Mileena pretends to have collaborated with General Shao in order to get close to Shang Tsung and let the others surround and surprise Tsung and Quan Chi’s entourage. Mileena defeats both of them, knocking down the crown.
Shang Tsung introduces his mysterious benefactor named Damashi. Damashi is revealed to be another Shang Tsung from a timeline where he was the victor in the final battle against Kronika and became a Titan and time-keeper. It took him milenia before he knew that there was any other timeline besides his own.
His goal is to destroy all life in Liu Kang’s timeline and merge it with his own. He also did not need to have control of the Dragon Army. He just needed the collected souls.
Evil Sindel and Raiden from his timeline appear. Raiden is old and a demigod, his face and voice are similar to MK11.
Shang Tsung and Quan Chi from Liu Kang’s timeline are disappointed at being taken advantage of and reluctantly join Liu Kang’s side.
Mileena serum wears off and she transforms again but this time seems to regain control and fights the Dark Raiden with Tanya at her side. Dark Sindel fatally stabs Sindel from Kang’s TL. Milleena fights against the Dark Sindel. Liu Kang’s Sindel dies and her soul joins Jerrod inside Ermac. Mileena is now empress.
Titan Shang Tsung is marching the Dragon Army heading toward Earthrelm. To transport them he is building a Nexus of portals. With the Lin Kuei not joining the fight, Earthrealm’s forces are underpowered.
Shang Tsung Liu Kangs theorizes that there may be more than two divergent timelines with a different person becoming a Keeper of Time in each one of them. Other timelines can be used to gather allies to fight.
The only way to explore other timelines is having the powers of the Keeper of Time. Geras reveals that back when Liu Kang gave back his power he collected the power and hid it inside a jade jaguar statuete which was a gift by the great Kung Lao, and h kept this secret from Liu Kang. But taking his power back would be irreversible and Liu Kang will be left a keeper of time permanently.
Titan Shang Tsung has amassed forces consisting of the animated Dragon Army and Dark Versions of characters from his own Timeline. We see dark versions of Geras, Shao, Reiko, Sub Zero, Smoke, Scorpion, Kenshi, Rain and Ermac (they all have unique costumes). Johnny Cage uses his drone to spy on him
Scorpion takes charge leading Earthrealm’s champions into battle. Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and Raiden are tasked to close the portals using their magic powers while the others fight the army. Ermac and Kenshi use their telekinesis to weaken the army, crushing them with boulders.
Tsung, Chi and Raiden try to destroy one of the portals but dark Ermac and Kenshi are keeping the portals up. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi defeat the dark characters which allows the trio to close the first portal. They are then attacked by Dark Smoke and Dark Rain. After getting saved by Raiden, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi defeat them too. After closing a second portal, Dark Shao jumps at them. The trio subdue him and Quan Chi realizes that the Portals are being held together by Shao’s lifeforce.
Shang Tsung and Quan Chi defeat Dark Scorpion and Dark Sub-Zero, then save Raiden from Shao and fight against him and Dark Reiko. Shang Tsung drains Shao’s soul which closes all the remaining portals.
Meanwhile Liu Kang retrieves his powers and becomes a Titan once again. He searches the timelines and finds Titan Kitana. She realizes that he is the Liu Kang she once loved and they are reunited once more.
He also calls upon Titan Raiden (once again with the face of his MK11 version) and Kung Lao.
Titan Shang Tsung with his versions of Kitana, Mileena, Reptile, Nitara, Baraka arrive to destroy Liu Kang’s hourglass, which would obliterate this timeline. Liu Kang fights Baraka and Reptile, then Tanya and Li Mei and himself with Kung Lao while Shang Tsung with his versions of Kitana and Mileena are trying to empty the hourglass.
Lu Kang then fights Mileena and Kitana, while Geras is holding the hourglass off. The Good Titans join Geras and Li Kang and save the hour glass. Left Alone Titan Shang Tsung leaves the timeline.
Liu Kang takes the battle to Shang Tsung’s timeline but before that he amasses allies from different timelines. We see him with an army of hundreds of combatants come to Shang Tsung’s timeline in front of a giant step pyramid with a wide staircase. It visually resembles Argus’ pyramid.
Then the player has the choice to select every playable fighter in the roster.
Shang Tsung summons a great army of different unique versions of combatants.
The ending then involves Liu Kang and Shang Tsung’s forces battling on a pyramidal temple with the player character ascending the stairs. It looks a lot like the opening to Armageddon. The intermittent cut scenes are identical but every character just with the player model being different. One of them involves the dark versions of Jaqui, Cassie, Takeda and Kung Jin getting killed by Kitana. (Takeda has the same skin as the Kombat Pack 1 version)
But between that you stop at different floors and fight and have single round fights with Tsung’s combatants. There seems to be a predefined pool of enemies and every time you play the chapter you fight a random series of those. One fight which appears in every playthrough is Ninja Mime. The rest of the fights include:
Titan Shang Tsung and his side-kick Quan Chi sit at the top of the pyramid. A different version of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi attack them but are quickly dispatched by the villains.
The Player character reaches the top. He and Titan Liu Kang battle Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. Quan Chi subdues Liu Kang using his magic. The Player character must fight Titan Shang Tsung with Quan Chi alone. After defeating them Shang Tsung’s timeline is disintegrating and Liu Kang tells the player that they must return to “their own timeline”. The player characters seem to have the same skins as the default Liu Kang versions and don’t have the glowing eyes that the Titans have.
If you play as Kitana the dialogue suggests that she and Liu Kang were lovers so maybe the player character is the Titan version of the character. Liu Kang’s ending is identical with two versions of him present. Both have glowing Titan eyes.
Epilogue: We see Raiden, Kung Lao, Kenshi and Johnny Cage at Madam Bo’s teahouse with Liu Kang. Cage says that he is making a movie based on the events of the game (throughout the game he was taking videos of outworld on his phone). This time he is not an actor but a writer and director. Raiden and Kung Lao go to the Wu Shi academy to train new recruits. Kenshi is reviving the Taira clan. We learn that the Lin Kuei has left their role as Earth Realm defenders, and Kuai Liang left to start the Shirai Ryu clan.
Mileena rules over Outworld with her sister and father by her side to guide her. Quan Chi, Shang Tsung and General Shao are imprisoned for their crimes. Liu Kang leaves the teahouse, knowing that Earth Realm is in Good hands.
Mid Credits scene:
We see the aftermath of the battle with vultures pecking at the bodies similar to the start of MK9. We see Jax laying on the stairs, his metal arms torn off. We see Havik in an impressive ass helmet approach with an entourage of combination fighters. He murders Jax and expresses joy at all the chaos and bloodshed that took place but laments that it all ended so fast. He vows that the next time it wont.