Kung Lao was a supporting character in Mortal Kombat (2021). Like his video game counterpart, he was a Shaolin warrior monk and one of several fighters chosen to defend Earthrealm in the Mortal Kombat tournament. This incarnation of Lao is not as arrogant as most of his other variants, demonstrating a greater level of humility, as one would expect from a monk.
History[]
Kung Lao was a member of the Shaolin Order of Light and cousin to Liu Kang. He was one of several warriors from across the Earth chosen to defend the realm in Mortal Kombat. Under the guidance of Raiden, he would discover his arcana; his razor-rimmed hat, his signature weapon, would become enchanted and fly to his hand when willed to. Lao could also control the hat's trajectory while in flight and could even teleport to its location.
When Cole Young, Sonya Blade and Kano arrived at Raiden's temple, Kung Lao showed the newcomers around and would later spar with them in the temple's fighting pit, training them up in the hopes of unlocking their arcana. However, Cole's arcana would not emerge and Kano would later gain his arcana power during a heated argument in the temple's dining hall.
Death[]
When Shang Tsung and his warriors invaded Raiden's temple, Kung Lao fought against the vampire Nitara. After losing his hat in the fighting pit, he evaded Nitara's swooping attacks and jumped onto her back before willing his hat to spin like a buzzsaw. Grabbing Nitara's wings, Lao directed her towards the spinning hat and she was sheared in half.
Though Lao had defeated one of Outworld's champions, the battle was not yet over and would turn in the enemy's favour. When Cole returned to the temple after slaying Goro, he was ambushed by Reiko and knocked aside. Lao tried to help him, but Shang Tsung telekinetically dragged the Shaolin warrior towards him. Grasping Lao's throat, the sorcerer then used his dark magic to consume the Shaolin fighter's soul. Lao's body appeared to decay rapidly as his soul was sucked from his body.