Board Thread:Mortal Kombat (Alternate Timeline)/@comment-25166563-20171213120107

Kung Lao is said to have been a popular character among the Internet community forums for his unique razor-rimmed hat apart from his Shaolin Monks backstory, but he is usually overshadowed by Liu Kang, whom many in the MK universe deemed a better choice to represent the Shaolin for MK Tournaments and is also overshadowed by Kitana and Raiden. Liu Kang (at least pre-second timeline) was deemed a boring hero because being a fighting champion was all he had going for him back in the original timeline to the point that Liu Kang's true calling card is as a boastful villain and current ruler of the Netherrealm. Unfortunately, being a revenant did nothing for Kung Lao, storyline wise. Some say NRS missed the big money on a potential Kung Lao vs. Liu Kang (Noble Shaolin v. Renegade Shaolin) feud (with Kung Lao as one of the top heroes against a renegade Shaolin Monk who now resides in the Netherrealm) if it weren't for the emergence of the Special Forces Kids saga.

As for Jax. He works for the Special Forces alongside Sonya for so many years, and Cyrax (in the original timeline) was a member of the SF for a while. Jax and Sonya are now both joined by Johnny Cage, Kenshi (a new member of the Special Forces in his debut during Deadly Alliance) and the Kombat Kids (starring Cassie, Takeda, Jacqui and Kung Jin). Much the same way Kung Lao is often overshadowed by the likes of Liu Kang, Kitana and Raiden, Jax is probably overshadowed by Johnny Cage and Sonya. It's a shame Cyrax (in the new timeline) is currently deceased after his MKX Comics storyline with Sektor, Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei came to a close. The only game that revolved around Jax as a main MK protagonist was a 1999 spin-off game called MK:Special Forces.

Liu Kang was the top MK protagonist from the 1990s, while Johnny Cage is the top MK protagonist from the 2010s for his Hollywood box office persona + funny arrogant humor, and Sonya is MK's most relatable human female character of the MK franchise. Kung Lao could've established himself as the top MK protagonist in the 2000s when Deadly Alliance happened if it weren't for Earthrealm's new mindset of "teamwork system trumps one-man star power" after Liu Kang's death, and being overshadowed by Raiden, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Cyrax and Kitana.

So anyway, are Jax and Kung Lao realistically classified as second-tier complementary protagonists because either those two never really got a chance to establish themselves as MK's top protagonist at differing points, or maybe because when many think Liu Kang is most synonymous with the White Lotus Society/Shaolin Monks faction and Sonya being the most synonymous with the Special Forces faction? 