Shinnok is a major antagonist in the Mortal Kombat franchise. He is an ancient Elder God and personification of evil in the universe, ruling over the infernal Netherrealm where the souls of the damned reside. Representing death and darkness, Shinnok betrayed the other Elder Gods when he waged a war against the Heavens, only to be imprisoned in the Netherrealm for eternity. Over eons, he has plotted to escape and take his revenge by destroying the realms.
Mortal Kombat Legends[]
Scorpion's Revenge[]
While Shinnok does not appear in the first animated film, his influence can be felt through the actions of the sorcerer Quan Chi, who does the Mad God's bidding. In the film, Quan Chi sends Scorpion to Shang Tsung's island to compete in Mortal Kombat on Netherrealm's behalf. Scorpion's true mission, however, is to obtain a magical artifact from Shang Tsung's treasury: a key that will restore Shinnok to power and allow him to escape from the Netherrealm. After finding out that Quan Chi orchestrated the massacre of his clan, Scorpion turns against the sorcerer and kills him in battle. After helping Raiden's chosen warriors win the tournament, Scorpion then remains inside Shang Tsung's palace as it collapses.
Battle of the Realms[]
Shinnok makes his physical appearance in the sequel where he is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. Following Scorpion's demise on Shang Tsung's island, his soul returns to the Netherrealm where the Mad God greets him with an entourage of demons. When Scorpion "died", the magical key he was carrying became anchored to his soul. Shinnok explains that the key will open the Temple of Elements where the Earth Kamidogu is being kept. The artifact is a fragment of a primordial entity known as the One Being which Shinnok intends to resurrect, thus bringing about the end of the universe as the entity will absorb all the realms into itself. Scorpion refuses to obey Shinnok and flees through a portal to Earthrealm. However, the fallen Elder God has other pawns in play.
When Scorpion returns to Earthrealm, he finds himself being pursued by the Lin Kuei, the long-time enemies of his own clan, the Shirai Ryu. The Lin Kuei have now embraced modern technology and had its warriors augmented into cyborgs which have been programmed to capture Scorpion and use him to open the Temple of Elements. Scorpion finds himself an unlikely ally in the form of Kuai Liang, younger brother of Bi-Han, whom Scorpion had killed in Mortal Kombat. Though this new Sub-Zero wants to kill Scorpion to avenge his brother, he sees the danger in allowing his former comrades to take the Kamidogu and tries to help Scorpion keep it out of the Lin Kuei's hands. Unfortunately, the duo fail in this mission and the cyber-ninjas successfully retrieve the Kamidogu.
Later, the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, Sektor, Cyrax and Smoke meet with Shinnok and give him the Kamidogu. The Grandmaster was unaware of the identity of his client, however, and upon realising the truth turns against the Mad God. Shinnok summons a horde of demons that kill the Grandmaster and the cyber-ninjas while he places the Earth Kamidogu among the five other Kamidogu he has collected, beginning an arcane ritual to unite the artifacts and restore the One Being. The One Being appears, resembling an outline of a humanoid being made entirely of light. The entity reaches out to Shinnok and engulfs him, taking the evil god's body as its vessel and transforming into a towering demonic creature made of molten rock.
As the One Being rises, the realms of reality begin merging into one, creating a space of utter chaos comprised of fragments from various realms. Scorpion and Sub-Zero meet with Liu Kang and the heroes of Earthrealm who have just won a Mortal Kombat tournament against Outworld and witness the appearance of the Elder Gods as they bestow their power upon Liu Kang. Transformed into a mighty divine dragon, Liu Kang battles against the One Being while his friends try to rescue innocents caught up in the calamity. Scorpion and Sub-Zero assist in the battle as well, using their powers to attack the One Being and distract it, giving Liu Kang the opportunity to overpower it. After managing to bring down the primordial monster, Liu Kang shatters the green crystal in its head, causing the One Being to fade out of existence and the realms to return to their former states. Shinnok, presumably, ceases to exist following this event.