Who Are the Elder Gods in Mortal Kombat?

For all of time, the Mortal Kombat tournament has balanced the realms to a certain degree. A fighting tournament set about by the Elder Gods in order to temper the indomitable force of Outrealm. Throughout Mortal Kombat’s multiple timelines and reboots, the Elder Gods have always been a point of contention in the story. What’s more, many newcomers to the series might have heard of the Elder Gods and wonder how they play into the new timeline. Or perhaps you want to understand better the events of the games from an omnipotent viewpoint. So, let’s get ready to fight and answer the question: who are the Elder Gods in Mortal Kombat?

What are Elder Gods in Mortal Kombat?

In layman’s terms, the Elder Gods are divine beings who oversee the realms as well as the fighting tournament called Mortal Kombat. Think of them as your parents who are busy all the time and don’t really care if you and your siblings knock each other to pieces. Furthermore, their true purpose is to balance the realms, ensuring one doesn’t overtake the other. This is why in Mortal Kombat (2011), the Elder Gods sat idly by while Shao Khan invaded Earthrealm and only intervened when he was about to merge it with Outworld.

Related: How to Practice Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1 (MK1)

While in separate timelines, the Elder Gods have been all but decimated by other beings of higher power. For example, in Mortal Kombat 11, the Titan Kronika erased the Elder Gods from time. Aside from these NPCs seen throughout the games, there are playable Elder Gods in the games.

Shinnok is a fallen Elder God, and Rain is an Elder God sent away by Kronika during the events of MK11. It’s unknown what role Elder Gods will play in the MK series past Mortal Kombat 1, as they aren’t really shown off in the game at all. But if you think of the Elder Gods as Judges of all the realms, they’re sure to come around when the realms turn into mayhem and disarray.

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