Shao Kahn (portrayed by Brian Thompson) is the main antagonist of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the sequel to Paul Anderson's 1995 Mortal Kombat film. As the tyrannical ruler of Outworld, he seeks to conquer the realm of Earth, but has always been held at bay thanks to the sacred rules of Mortal Kombat. Aided by his father, the Elder God Shinnok, Kahn manages to resurrect his former bride Sindel on Earth, thus allowing him to open the portal between realms in order to retrieve her. However, he and Shinnok are able to keep the portals open so that Earth begins to merge with Outworld.
When Shao Kahn invades Earthrealm, he confronts his brother Raiden and Earth's champions at the Temple of Light where he personally kills Johnny Cage. As the days pass, Kahn organises the abduction of his adoptive daughter Kitana and plants Jade amongst Raiden's forces as a spy. He arranges for the Earthrealm warriors to travel to Outworld in order to lure them into a trap and destroy them, but Jade fails her mission and Kahn has her executed.
At the end of the film, Shao Kahn and his three remaining lieutenants - Sindel, Motaro and Ermac - gather at a ruined temple for the final battle against Raiden and his warriors. Kahn kills Raiden with a magical attack and then he battles against Earthrealm's champion, Liu Kang. During their fight, Liu Kang transforms into a dragon, but Kahn counters this by transforming into a hydra. The two battle savagely, eventually turning back to their humanoid forms, and eventually Shao Kahn is defeated. Upon his death, the dragon tattoo on Kahn's back comes to life and rips out of the emperor's body before suddenly disappearing. With Kahn dead and Shinnok imprisoned by the Elder Gods, the merger between Outworld and Earthrealm is reversed and the Earth and its people are restored to normal.