Shang Tsung
Shang Tsung returns in "Mortal Kombat 11" as both a DLC character and the central character of the DLC story expansion "Aftermath". In the game's story mode, his now abandoned island is the site of several battles as opposing factions fight over the countless souls that he has stored there. It is also revealed that Kronika, the game's antagonist, had long been supporting his efforts to accumulate souls so that she could use them as a power source in the event she needed to restart time. Shang Tsung also appears as the guardian of the Krypt, also based on his island, narrating the player's progress. In his non-canonical arcade ending, Shang Tsung used his knowledge of the dark arts to seize control of Kronika's power and steal souls from infinite timelines. To ensure his survival, he manipulated the Titans to scour the realms for more souls. In "Aftermath", Kronika imprisoned Shang Tsung in the Void once his purpose was served, during which he formulated a plan to get revenge. Following her death, the sorcerer emerged alongside Fujin and Nightwolf to stop Fire God Liu Kang from using Kronika's hourglass without the Crown of Souls. As Liu Kang had destroyed his version, Shang Tsung convinced the Fire God to send him, Fujin, and Nightwolf back in time to retrieve a past version of the Crown. While in the past, the sorcerer orchestrates events to ensure that he could gain the Crown with little to no opposition from Earthrealm, Outworld, and Kronika's forces. Once they are all defeated, Shang Tsung attempts to restart history for himself, only to discover that Liu Kang had manipulated events to ensure the sorcerer's victory over Kronika. The Fire God demands he turn over the Crown, but Shang Tsung refuses, resulting in a final battle between the two warriors. In the bad ending, Shang Tsung defeats Liu Kang and absorbs his godly power to conquer all of the realms. In the good ending, he is defeated by Liu Kang, who erases the sorcerer from existence.