WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, now available on Blu-ray and on digital HD.
Mortal Kombat fans are having a fantastic year, with a live-action film released earlier this year in theaters and on HBO Max, a new animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms now available on home video and rumors of a new installment in the fighting game franchise being developed by NetherRealm Studios. And while many fan-favorite characters have enjoyed their chance in the multimedia spotlight over the course of the year, one fighter, in particular, has had a violently rough go of things across his numerous depictions this year: Kung Lao.
Introduced in 1993's Mortal Kombat II, Kung Lao is the best friend and fellow Shaolin monk Liu Kang and the last living descendant of the Great Kung Lao, a Mortal Kombat champion from centuries past who was eventually deposed by Prince Goro and Shang Tsung. Identifiable by his signature, bladed hat, Kung Lao has been a staple in the fighting game series ever since as a prominent defender of Earthrealm. The 2011 Mortal Kombat video game reboot saw Kung Lao killed by Shao Khan before rising from the grave as an undead revenant to serve Shinnok, while in Mortal Kombat 11, a past version of Kung Lao appeared, alive and well, as Raiden and the heroes worked to save the timeline from the machinations of Kronika.
Kung Lao made his big-screen debut in this year's live-action Mortal Kombat film, portrayed by Max Huang. Depicted as being one of Raiden's early recruits for the coming martial arts tournament against Outworld, many of Kung Lao's classic moves and techniques were demonstrated in the film, including an especially gory fatality that he used to finish off Nitara. However, of all the defenders of Earthrealm -- not counting the traitorous Kano -- Kung Lao is also the only hero to die over the course of the film, with his soul consumed by Shang Tsung.
Kung Lao doesn't fare much better in the animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, despite showing his aptitude for combat in the opening sequence as he leads his fellow Shaolin monks against an attacking army from Outworld. In the subsequent tournament between Outworld and EarthRealm, Kung Lao faces off against Shao Khan, only to be brutally ripped in half by the hulking despot as Liu Kang watches horrified from the sidelines, fueling the warrior to claim his martial arts destiny and defeat Outworld's champions once and for all.
Between the live-action film and Battle of the Realms, Kung Lao has become something of a plot device to remind audiences of the gruesome stakes in the conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld. His deaths in both films, be it at the hands of Shang Tsung or Shao Khan, also serves as a motivator for Liu Kang to step up and tap into his full, fiery potential against the conquerors. That said, Kung Lao has been thrilling gamers for nearly thirty years and has earned a vocal fanbase hoping for more from the martial artist. And while death is not necessarily the end in the Mortal Kombat Universe, there's no mistaking that Kung Lao has had a particularly rough 2021.
To see Kung Lao's untimely demise, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is available on Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital HD.