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Kung Lao is a character in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film. He is portrayed by Max Huang.

Profile

A descendant of The Great Kung Lao, Kung Lao is one of Lord Raiden's most respected warriors. His razor-brimmed hat is his primary weapon, which he uses to great effect via teleportation. Somewhat aloof in nature, he does not talk much. He works with other champions of Earthrealm to train Cole Young in Lord Raiden's temple in order to prepare him for Mortal Kombat against the enemies from Outworld.

Biography

When the champions of Earthrealm being their training at Lord Raiden's temple, Kano is especially interested in what sort of superpower he will get by unlocking his arcana. He suggests that it might be lightning or fireballs, or a "frisbee hat," seeing Kung Lao, then comments "No offense, whoever you are." He then introduces himself as "Kung Lao, descendant of the Great Kung Lao." Liu Kang explains "the grand champion of the Order of Light," but Kano, nonplussed, replies "Never heard of him." Kang then explains that both he and Lao have discovered their arcana and that they are tasked with helping the champions unlock theirs.

Cole Young Training With Kung Lao

Kung Lao trains Cole.

The training begins with Cole Young battling Kung Lao one-on-one. Although Cole seems to hold out fairly well at first, Lao eventually waylays him using his razor-brimmed hat, explaining that talent can only take one so far in Mortal Kombat. He then lets Liu Kang spend some time battling Kano and when the rogue does not perform well at all, comments dryly that they have their work cut out for them. Later, they return to the training, but Lao once again easily defeats Cole.

That evening, during dinner, Kano mocks Kung Lao as "Kung Pao," asking him to pass him an egg roll. Lao instead takes the egg roll for himself, telling him that he might want to lay off the egg rolls and that he would not be ready to fight if he had a hundred days to train. He calls Kano a fat, lazy pig and a terrible fighter with zero skill. He continues that combat takes intelligence, but Kano is like a dog that fails his training classes. He and the others continue to mock Kano until, in his anger, he unlocks his arcana, the ability to shoot energy beams from his right eye.

Flawless Victory

"Flawless victory."

Following this incident, Cole Young, having failed to find his arcana, is sent back home to his wife and child. Meanwhile, Shang Tsung and his forces of Outworld attack Raiden's temple, the group having been betrayed by Kano. During the fight, Kung Lao attempts to take out Shang himself but the sorcerer simply uses his magic to push away his hat, declaring him beneath him. He then summons Nitara to take him out, saying "now destroy him, my beauty." As she prepares to swoop, Lao centers himself, such that he is more than ready when the attack comes. He transports his hat to the ground and spins it up, such that when Nitara dives, she is too late to stop herself from careening right towards it. It splits her in two, her blood splattering his face. He then picks up the hat and restores it to his head, declaring "flawless victory." He spins the hat and Shang grunts in anger.

Afterwards, Lord Raiden transports Cole back to the temple when he finds his arcana after defeating Goro. Shang Tsung orders Sub-Zero to attack him and Kung Lao attempts to stop him. Shang, however, uses his magic to drag Lao over to him, declaring his soul to be his. He shouts for Liu Kang, who is being held by the throat by Kabal. Kabal explains to Kang that Lao is about to get his soul sucked out, saying that he loves the scream. Kang punches him out and runs out, but can only watch as Shang sucks Lao's soul in a green mist, leaving his body a withered husk. Cole restrains him and then the remainder of the fighters are transported to the Void by Raiden, a safe area where Shang cannot touch them. Here, Kang expresses that he and Lao were supposed to die together. He says that Earthrealm is lost without Lao, but Cole replies that it is not over and that they must still fight.

Quotes

  • "The name is Kung Lao. Descendant of The Great Kung Lao, the grand champion of The Order of Light."
  • "You're welcome to stay with us, Miss Blade, but the training area is for the Chosen Ones only."
  • "Be still and listen."
  • "In Mortal Kombat, talent will only get you so far."
  • "FIGHT!"
  • "Maybe you should lay off the egg rolls, seeing how you wouldn't be ready to fight if you had a hundred days to train." (to Kano)
  • "I'll dumb it down for you. Fat lazy pig."
  • "Terrible fighter. Zero skill."
  • "Combat takes intelligence. But you... you're like a dog. A dog who fails his training classes."
  • "You failure."
  • "Flawless victory." (after killing Nitara)

Behind the scenes

Unlike many of his fellow stars, Kung Lao's actor Max Huang was first introduced to Mortal Kombat via the earlier films of the franchise and then became a full-fledged fan. He played the game in order to refamiliarize himself with his character's fighting style. His appearance is based on the Shaolin monks of China, though his hat is actually a Korean-style hat.[1]

Gallery

References

  1. Mortal Kombat - Official Production Notes. Pop Culture Fun (April 4, 2021). Retrieved on April 20, 2021.

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