Shao Kahn is a
bossA boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle...
and recurring
playable characterA player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
from the
Mortal Kombat fighting gameFighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in one-on-one close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena...
series.
About Shao Kahn
One of the primary villains in the
Mortal Kombat series, Shao Kahn (often misspelled as Shao
Khan) is the Emperor of Outworld. He resembles an Asian warrior-king in many respects, and embodies evil in many forms. He is known for his godlike strength, extreme callousness, brutality and his enjoyment of executions, but rises above the level of a mere warlord through his intelligence and knowledge of black magic. Like his subordinate
Shang TsungShang Tsung is a video game character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He was the final boss in the first Mortal Kombat game.-About Shang Tsung :...
, he has the power to consume others' souls. Later in the series, his abilities were toned down to make other bosses appear greater.
Pre-Mortal Kombat
Shao Kahn originally served as an advisor to Onaga when the latter ruled Outworld as the Dragon King. Onaga's Empire had become the most powerful in the realms and so he began searching for a way to become immortal. Before his goal could be realized, Shao Kahn made his move by poisoning Onaga and taking his kingdom. Leading whatever troops that remained loyal to the Dragon King, Kahn continued many of the former emperor's plans. He continued to add lesser realms to Outworld, either through direct conquest or through Mortal Kombat.
A milestone in his military victories was the merging of Edenia with Outworld. After his warriors had won in Mortal Kombat, Kahn invaded the realm. On the battlefield, Kahn killed King Jerrod, and took Queen Sindel as his wife, raising her daughter, Princess
KitanaKitana is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-Overview:A primary hero in the Mortal Kombat saga, Kitana is the princess of Edenia and the daughter of Queen Sindel. She is 10000 years old, although she appears to be in her early to mid twenties...
, as his own. He had the young princess trained as his personal guard and as an
assassinAn Assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure.Assassinations may be prompted by ideological, political, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by financial gain, revenge, personal public recognition, or mental illness....
. Sindel took her own life in an attempt to escape subservience to the Emperor. Unwilling to be denied, Kahn held her soul in Outworld, stopping her transition to the afterlife. Kahn had also instructed his sorcerer Shang Tsung create a Tarkatan based clone of Kitana (called
MileenaMileena is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-Overview:Mileena was brought to life by Shang Tsung using Tarkatan race physiology to be a clone of Princess Kitana. She looks just like Kitana when her mask is on , but when it is off, her true visage is exposed...
), just in case Kitana ever turned on him.
Prior to Earthrealm, Kahn's greatest challenge was a Shokan village. Kahn promised to let the village remain in peace if Prince Goro represented him in the Mortal Kombat tournaments. This promise was not upheld, but it is not clear if Kahn was responsible for this. Goro would then win 9 of the 10 consecutive tournaments needed to dominate all of the realms.
Mortal Kombat II
In
Mortal Kombat, Kahn had entrusted Shang Tsung with the task of making sure Outworld won the 10th consecutive Mortal Kombat tournament. But when Liu Kang defeated Shang Tsung, Kahn exercised a loophole in the rules of Mortal Kombat. As Outworld had won the previous tournament, they had the right to challenge the lastest winners (Earthrealm) to another tournament. This victory would overrule the previous tournament and allow Kahn to rule all of the realms.
Shao Kahn spared Tsung's life and restored his youth. Kahn concocted a plan to lure the Earthrealm champions to Outworld; if they could be killed, they would not be able to cause further damage to his plans. He captured
KanoKano is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-About Kano:Kano made his debut in the first Mortal Kombat, in which he is one of the incarnations of evil. A portion of Kano's face is covered with a metal plate, with the plated eye being a glowing red orb capable of emitting...
and Sonya Blade to use as bait, and enraged Liu Kang by sending Baraka and his troops to destroy the Shaolin temples. Despite Kahn's vast power, Liu Kang's determination saw him through, and he defeated the despot. Unwilling to accept defeat, Kahn called his armies to destroy the Earthrealm warriors, who fled back to Earthrealm, out of Kahn's clutches.
Mortal Kombat 3
By this time, Shang Tsung was able to resurrect Queen Sindel in Earthrealm, and Kahn would be able to cross the border to claim her. Kahn had Tsung proceed, and once he invaded Earthrealm, he began to merge it with his own realm of Outworld. Nearly every living being in Earthrealm had their souls ripped from their bodies by Kahn, claiming them as his own. Only a few managed to avoid this fate. Kahn's day finally seemed to have come. But not all hope was lost, as Lord
RaidenRaiden is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-About Raiden:The thunder god of the Mortal Kombat universe is also a protector of Earthrealm. Raiden commands many supernatural abilities such as the ability to teleport, control over lightning, and flight...
had protected the souls of a handful of warriors (and some like the robots Sector and Cyrax had no souls to take and he also couldn't detect them). Kahn sent extermination squads to hunt them down and kill the remaining survivors. It would be these chosen warriors task to try to stop Kahn, and return Earthrealm to its normal state. In the ensuing fights, Kahn was confronted by
Kung LaoKung Lao is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.- Overview :Kung Lao is a former Shaolin monk and a member of the former White Lotus Society. He stands in the shadow of his great ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, but unlike his great ancestor he has no desire to be champion...
, another Shaolin monk and descendant of the warrior Goro defeated to become champion of Mortal Kombat, but Kahn crushed him. It was Liu Kang who again managed to defeat Kahn. Worn down from the battle, Kahn recalled his squads and retreated back to Outworld. This stopped the merger with Outworld, and restored Earthrealm to its original status. To make matters worse for Kahn, many of his loyal soldiers had abandoned him, and Kitana had succeeded in turning Sindel to her side, restoring Edenia as an independent realm.
Deadly Alliance and Deception
The emperor was now greatly weakened, and would remain so for a period of several years, remaining inactive during Shinnok's war against the gods. The Edenians had in the meantime made peace and military treaties with the Shokan, on whom Kahn had always heavily relied, and were ready to attack Outworld a few years later. It was only through his new commander Kano's ingenuity, and the stealth of his unreliable assassin
Noob SaibotNoob Saibot is a video game character and a recurring antagonist from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He debuted as a hidden character in Mortal Kombat II , although the later game Mortal Kombat: Deception established his true identity as that of the original Sub-Zero from the first...
(who critically wounded Goro) was Kahn able to save the day (in a manner of speaking) and force the Edenian army into a draw. Soon afterwards, the sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung entered his throne room, and swore false allegiance to the emperor. Quan Chi and Shang Tsung caught Shao Kahn off guard and seemingly killed him. This would appear to be the demise of the mighty Kahn. In the GameCube version of
Mortal Kombat: DeceptionMortal Kombat: Deception is a fighting game developed and published by Midway as the sixth installment for the Mortal Kombat series. Deception was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004, while a Nintendo GameCube version was published in March 2005. Mortal Kombat: Deception...
it is revealed that Kahn did not die, and that it was a clone that Quan Chi and Shang Tsung killed. The real Kahn appeared to the wounded Goro and, using what little power he had left, revived him, thus gaining Goro and the Shokan as allies once again.
Armageddon
In the events of
Mortal Kombat: ArmageddonMortal Kombat: Armageddon is the seventh title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The PlayStation 2 version was released in stores on October 11, 2006 while the Xbox version was released on the October 16, with a Wii version released on May 29, 2007 in North America.The game was not...
, Shao Kahn is the Emperor of Outworld once again. It was revealed in the bios of Shang Tsung and
MileenaMileena is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-Overview:Mileena was brought to life by Shang Tsung using Tarkatan race physiology to be a clone of Princess Kitana. She looks just like Kitana when her mask is on , but when it is off, her true visage is exposed...
that Shao Kahn had regained power after Onaga's defeat, by storming his own fortress (then under the command of Mileena who had earlier deceived and used Kitana's Edenian force to capture the fortress) with the aid of Goro and Shang Tsung. When he succeeds in using his own brute force to storm the throne room, Mileena surrenders to him and Shao Kahn becomes Outworld's ruler once more.
Later on, he would go on to form an uneasy alliance with Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, and Onaga in the hopes of defeating Blaze and seizing his godlike powers. In his ending, Shao Kahn makes his way to the top of Argus's Pyramid for the final confrontation with Blaze. Shao Kahn proved to be too powerful for Blaze and easily defeated him. Shao Kahn's armies destroyed what was left of his enemies, and with the power Shao Kahn received from defeating Blaze, he merges all the realms with Outworld. With his main goal completed and having complete control over all the realms, Shao Kahn grew insane with boredom, as he had nothing else left to conquer.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
At the beginning of
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Shao Kahn is shown after his defeat limping into a graveyard where he meets with his secret ally Quan Chi. Where they are shortly confronted by Raiden, who uses a lightning bolt on Shao Kahn, which knocks him into Quan Chi’s portal. This event, along with a similar event between
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
and
DarkseidDarkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby. The character was ranked number 23 on Wizard magazine's Top 100 Greatest Villains Ever list...
in the DC Universe, results in the creation of Dark Kahn, who serves as the main villain in the game. After Dark Kahn is defeated, Shao Kahn ends up on earth, where he is powerless. Superman smiles and imprisons him in the Phantom Zone. In his ending however, being in the Phantom Zone actually revitalizes his powers, and breaks free. He frees an army of prisoners from the
Phantom ZoneThe Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
who swear allegiance to him so he may conquer the universe.
Character development
Kahn's attire for
Mortal Kombat II was developed by Mark Runion, and worn by bodybuilder
Brian GlynnBrian Glynn is an American actor who was best known for playing as the physical body of Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy...
.
Kahn started out unmasked and with large gnashing teeth similar to Baraka, since everyone from Outworld was originally to be of Baraka's race. The idea of all inhabitants of Outworld being Tarkata was later dropped.
It was originally stated that Shao Kahn is a demonic character, and his monstrous visage from the official comic books, as well as
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks lends credibility to that. However, in the most recent games he appears to be more along the lines of a large, powerful human. His face has only appeared in
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, in which he is hit with his war hammer and his helmet breaks.
In
Mortal Kombat II, Kahn was digitally resized to a taller height to make him tower over the playable characters. Ironically, the actor who played him, bodybuilder
Brian GlynnBrian Glynn is an American actor who was best known for playing as the physical body of Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy...
, was not nearly as imposing in comparison; a photograph published in
GameProGamePro is an American video game magazine published monthly. The magazine was first established in Redwood City, California in 1989 by Pat Ferrell, his sister-in-law Leeanne McDermott, and the husband-wife design team of Michael and Lynne Kavish....
in 1993 of Glynn and
Mortal Kombat co-creator
Ed BoonEdward J. Boon is a video game programmer, who works for Warner Bros, where he is the Executive Producer of the Mortal Kombat series.-Biography:...
standing side-by-side, which was snapped during production of the game, showed that Boon was taller.
In many official depictions of Shao Kahn made by Midway, he is shown wearing a cape, though he never wore one in his original digitized appearances.
Mortal Kombat: Deception was the first time in which he wore the cape in-game. In
Mortal Kombat Annihilation, he once throws it at Liu Kang as a weapon.
Mortal Kombat sound designer Dan Forden explained that the reason for Kahn not wearing the cape in earlier games, in addition to Kabal not being able to wear a trenchcoat in
Mortal Kombat 3, was that loose flowing clothing took up memory.
Film
Shao Kahn appears in both
Mortal Kombat films. He is referred to simply as "The Emperor" in the 1995
first movieMortal Kombat is a 1995 action film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson that was based on Mortal Kombat series of fighting games. The movie was filmed in Los Angeles and on location in Thailand....
and makes a brief appearance at the end, but only as a special effect.
Kahn was the main villain in the 1997 sequel,
Mortal Kombat: AnnihilationMortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 martial arts action film directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film. It is the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, seeing the return of only Robin Shou and Talisa Soto as Liu Kang and Kitana, respectively. The...
, and was played by
Brian ThompsonBrian Thompson is an American actor. His distinctive square-jaw profile, powerful voice, and imposing stature has led him to star in many action films, often as a villain....
. He kills
Johnny CageJohnny Cage, whose real name is Jonathan Carlton, is a main video game character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-Mortal Kombat:...
in the film's opening scene, and then Raiden (later brought back to life) near the end prior to his final climactic fight with Liu Kang. In addition, Kahn and Raiden were portrayed as brothers, with Shinnok their father, though neither of them shared any relation in the games. The only subplot taken directly from the games' storyline was his past relationship with Kitana and Sindel; a segment in the film featured Kitana, imprisoned in Kahn's fortress, mentioning the destruction of her family and Sindel's subsequent suicide under his rule.
Silver Screen Reviews commented that Thompson
"[acted] his part as if he had a sore throat throughout production [...] he says a few words of dialogue, pauses, then says some more."
Kahn's name, incorrectly hyphenated in the closing credits of
Annihilation, was additionally misspelled as
"Shoa-Kahn" on the DVD release's fight scenes menu.
Television
Shao Kahn was played by
Jeffrey MeekJeffrey William Meek is an American actor. Meek and his family moved often; as a child, Meek lived in Zweibrücken, Germany, Michigan, Texas, New York and San Francisco....
(who also played Raiden) in
Mortal Kombat: ConquestMortal Kombat: Conquest was a TV series that aired for one season from 1998 to 1999, and was based on the popular Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The program was filmed at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and acted as a prequel to the first MK movie.-Storyline:"In each of us there burns a...
. Despite having lost much of his physical stature from the games and movies, he has a much more threatening disposition. He served as the mediator of the Mortal Kombat matches. Meek played opposite himself in the series finale, where Kahn battled Raiden in a void seemingly between the realms. With Kung Lao dead, Shao Kahn forced Raiden into submission and commenced full military assault on Earthrealm. The series was discontinued following this event.
Shao Kahn made several appearances in the animated series
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the RealmMortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm was an animated series based on the popular Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Produced by Threshold Entertainment and Film Roman, it aired on the USA Network's Action Extreme Team animation block for one season of thirteen episodes from September to December...
, playing his usual role of Outworld's emperor and leader of the enemy troops. He was voiced by
John VernonJohn Keith Vernon was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada.-Early life:...
and
Michael Des BarresLord Michael Philip Des Barres, Marquis Des Barres is a British actor and rock singer. He is known for playing the recurring role of Murdoc on the television show MacGyver and for replacing the late Robert Palmer in the band Power Station, fronting the band at the 1985 Live Aid concert...
in separate episodes.
Comic books
Shao Kahn makes his first appearance during the
Battlewave
The Mortal Kombat comic books series included three official game tie in comics by Midway and a licensed adaptation by Malibu Comics, published between October 1994 and August 1995.-Overview:...
series of
Malibu ComicsMalibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California...
, though he already was present during the first,
Blood & Thunder. Shao Kahn remained mostly faithful to his game counterpart, being the Emperor of Outworld and attempting to take Earthrealm for himself. During the two series, he never appears wielding his trademark helmet, instead always shown with his visible face and design taken from the official
Mortal Kombat II comic written by John Tobias. However, in
Kitana & Mileena, a comic about Kitana's past, Shao Kahn does appear wearing his helmet.
Shao Kahn appeared during
Blood & Thunder while communicating with Shang Tsung by means of a big purple orb. He became disgusted by Shang Tsung's hold of the tournament, so he used his powers to bring all the kombatants into Shang Tsung's palace, triggering the big fight shown in the
Tournamend Edition final issue.
In
Battlewave, Shao Kahn would arrange a different plan to open the portals. He kidnaps Sonya and, by means of
hypnosisHypnosis is a mental state or set of attitudes usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be...
and brainwashing, convinces her to marry him. The marriage would weaken the barriers between realms enough to allow Shao Kahn to seize Earth easily (and make Sonya the queen of both realms and his wife). During the wedding ceremony held, however, the wedding would be crashed and he would be stopped by the Earthrealm warriors' interruption, ending with Sonya becoming free from Kahn's influence. Shao Kahn then would devise a tournament of sort: a race to reach a Medallion high into a frozen cliff. Two teams were arranged, with the ultimate victor being Sub-Zero for Earthrealm.