RK

Compare both men and really tell me which of them is more equipped to deal with the pressure of being the Chosen One? Even I, as a Kung Lao fan, can say it really just goes to Liu Kang. I'm not saying Kung Lao can't be a champion, quite the opposite, I'm just saying that being the Champion of the Realms isn't his fate. As we know, he's full of himself and likes to showboat, but that arrogance is to hide his insecurity and his fear of not being able to live up to his ancestor, TGKL. However, this also makes him the more brazen monk between the two and is more likely to ask the questions Liu Kang is sometimes too respectful for.

Some see it as arrogance, others as disrespect, or lack of discipline. But he knows what he is, what he's fighting for, and who is fighting alongside him. Kung Lao is very confident in his abilities if we don't count his insecurities about his lineage. He was chosen by the Thunder God, Raiden, the authority of the heavens. That is not to be taken lightly. Yet, he still refused in favour of a peaceful life. That in itself speaks volumes. Kombat requires violence, effort, and puts a pressure on one that lesser (wo)men would crumble beneath. Perhaps his instincts knew then what his conscious mind did not, but that title was never meant for him.

Kung Lao has proven more than enough that he can stand toe-to-toe with Liu Kang—having defeated the DA, Goro, and Kintaro b2b (correct me if I'm wrong). Those are not just things a kombatant can say with ease. Yet, his biggest weaknesses are not physical, but psychological/emotional. He struggles with a deep inferiority complex, the fear of not being able to live up to TKGL, and the resentment of being seen as second best. This isn't a journey he can solve by proving to others that he is Liu Kang's equal. It has already been proven he is (though, we have to take the shitty writing in consideration). He lets the way others view him affect him and shape the way he sees things when he has already proven he can and will again.

So, his path lies with self-discovery, with his heart so he can prove to himself that he is who he believes he is (meant to be) . But until he can see that, he will always be stuck in someone's shadow, because he does not see his achievements clearly.

Take a good look at how he absorbs the insults thrown against him. Sure, he gets defensive and is quick to snap back with being an equal, but it isn't as retaliating as one would expect. The Kombatants forget that Kung Lao is a highly trained, highly lethal shaolin monk (and master) and that one of his key virtues is patience. He is patient in ways most don't see and even I didn't see. That patience gets overshadowed because so much focus is put on his arrogance that it clouds the other virtues he genuinely possesses. The sheer humanity in him, his emotions, act as an odd tether to Liu Kang's own humanity. He is flawed and he knows he is, but he tries not to be. Liu Kang also knows he's flawed, but he is constantly met with the pressure of not allowing to be or it all goes downhill.

The sheer human nature of Kung Lao's feelings is what ultimately acts as the odd anchor Liu Kang needs, even if he doesn't see it clearly. Without Kung Lao, Liu would have crumbled beneath the pressure. Kung Lao is one of the few living men who knows what he's gone through. He knows how much he's suffered, how he struggled with his own insecurities, the nightmares, and more. He watched him bleed to get where he is and he never once left him. They were chosen together for a reason. They are constantly presented as equals for a reason. Liu Kang creates the path, yes, but Kung Lao's heart creates the will to walk it, something he does constantly regardless of how insecure he may feel.

It's no wonder why in Kung Lao's introduction he's seen teleporting inside the temple lol

In the interview with entertainmentie, Kung Lao's actor, Max Huang, notes that Kung Lao doesn't give everything away and act's like he's hiding something— on the outside: Kung Lao is tough, "but on the inside he's very vulnerable." Unfortunately, we don't have a scene where Kung Lao opens up to anyone or gives an insight to how he views the situation or the world our characters are in, so in order to learn more about him, you have to watch him closely and pay attention to what people say around him.

If we keep in mind what Max says about Kung Lao, in regard to projecting the image of strength while being vulnerable internally, the characterization of Kung Lao becomes richer when you pay attention to how Liu refers to him VS what Kung Lao says to others.

As I mentioned in Liu Kang's post analyzing his Identity, he sees Kung Lao as THE Chosen One from birth. This isn't without reason, Lao's introduction shows why he would be the Ace of the Champions. Before fully teleporting into the temple he manages to hit Subzero with his hat to save Liu from being killed. Liu is visibly frightened is unable to compose himself until Kung Lao puts his game face on, and Liu follows suit. When Liu describes his origin to Cole, he throws in a comment about how Kung Lao was the one with the lineage, while he was the stray. When Kung Lao is killed, Liu is shown to firmly believe Kung Lao was the key to Earthrealm's fate and without him, Outworld will win before the tournament starts.

Now we don't hear about Kung Lao's past or self-image directly from him, but Lao says a few interesting things to others that can give us an idea:

"In Mortal Kombat, talent will only get you so far" he says to Cole after winning their second match. My interpretation: Kung Lao wasn't born with great talent himself, but since he would've been born with the mark, he would've been training from a young age. Kung Lao therefore attributes his abilities to his hard work. When you look at the way he fights, it's further proven by the insane level of precision needed to wield his hat.

When he insults Kano at the dinner table, Kung Lao's most direct insults are "Terrible fighter, No Skill" and straight-up throwing in "You Failure" (completely unprompted) when Liu tries to take over the confrontation. From a psychology standpoint, people will most often insult someone over things they have value in. As stated before, Kung Lao takes pride in his abilities since he would've had to work hard for it; but by throwing in "You Failure", when Kano has made no indication of being afraid of being seen as one before, it shows "Failure" is the worst insult Kung Lao thinks someone can be called. Considering how much expectations Kung Lao has placed on him, it makes perfect sense that not living up to them would be what he's afraid of most.

Personality and Behaviors

Defining Trait: Patience

Something I noticed while paying close attention to Kung Lao for these notes is how extraordinarily patient he is in canon.

Typically he is seen as the more brash between him and Liu, but in this movie it's the opposite. Liu will throw a fireball at you just for coming at him, no hesitation or question about it. Kung Lao on the other hand tends to wait for his opponent to act first, then he strikes. He's more calculated in battle with Subzero, Shang Tsung, Nitara, and even in how he trains with Cole for the first time. Cole was the one going to strike first, not Lao.

His tendency to stand back and observe also shows with Newcomers after Raiden sent Shang Tsung and Co away. Kung Lao doesn't try to introduce himself or speak at all until prompted. Then when they all go to the fight pit for the first time, he stands back and lets Cole, Kano, and Liu step down first, only speaking up to stop Sonya entering the fight pit herself (more on that later). Afterward, he stands above them, watching (menacingly) as Sonya leaves.

Another aspect of him showing patience is in his interactions with Kano.

As iconic as the dinner scene is, what's typically not brought up is how the tension had been brewing on Lao's end the whole day. This is why I say, Lao is extraordinarily patient, especially when his number one pet peeve is shown to be insolence. Something Kano has in spades.

His first instance of showing annoyance with Kano's brazen demeanor is when he makes fun of Sonya for not being able to train with them and then tries to rush into training. Kung Lao's irritation is shown when he tells Kano to "Be Still and Listen", when he had previously left the information sharing to Liu. (I know Lao is looking at Kano and thinking ‘You would’ve had your ass beat at the academy for being this rude").

Later, when Kano makes fun of Cole for being beaten by Kung Lao, he gives Kano a dirty look, but says nothing— instead chosing to shift the attention to Liu and Cole about the work needed to get Cole ready for the tournament. Lao delivers it in a way that's supposed to make light of the situation. When Liu is training with Kano afterward, and decides to try to humble Kano as well by spamming the leg sweep, Lao is not amused by the joke, most likely because he already clocked that Kano WOULD NOT learn his lesson in a nonexplict and humiliating way, which is proven to be the case when Kano slaps Liu's hand away afterward. Despite this, Lao still holds off on telling off Kano.

That doesn't happen until dinner.

When the scene starts, Kung Lao, Liu, and Kano are at the table. Jax, Sonya, and Cole have just arrived. Kung Lao has broken his pattern of observing his surroundings because he is already chowing down on his food, he's not looking up for NO ONE. Eyes on the prize.

Something funny to note in this scene, is that Kung Lao and Kano are as far apart as possible at this table. I bet Kung Lao waited for Kano to sit down first and went to the far side on purpose! This adds to why Kung Lao finally got angry enough to deal with Kano. ANYONE else could've passed him food, and Kano STILL chose to bother Lao! My man was entranced with his food and peaceful thoughts, and was ripped out of it the moment Kano said “Kung”. He was ready to deal with Kano for bothering him, period, Kano getting Lao’s name wrong and lacking manners was the cherry on top.

From here we see Lao at his most fed up. He gets his moment of pettiness out of the way, and then jumps into insults. (Two of which he brings animal analogies while making it clear as to why he picked those specific ones.) He challenges Kano's fighting abilities with 4 insults. When Kano threatens Lao with violence, Lao isn't intimidated in the slightest, and let's Liu intercede. The breaking point for Lao was when Kano, insults both him and Liu. Lao throws his chopsticks down and stands up to fight. He let's Liu get some words in, but at this point, Kung Lao 's patience has worn thin. He's choosing violence and psychological damage, aka "You Failure".

Other Personality Notes:

Kung Lao is protective. He enters the movie protecting Liu from Subzero, and dies after protecting Cole over himself. I wish we were able to have a shot of Lao's face before jumping down to help so I can better determine if he thought this would be something quick before escaping with Cole, or if he registered the possibility that he could die and chose to save Cole anyway.

Kung Lao does NOT show his fear as easily as the others. This is seen when Kano first gets his Arcana. Everyone is startled for sure. Kung Lao has a brief moment of shock seen after blocking the laser with his hat, but he's also the first to bounce back from it, especially compared to Liu Kang who still looks worried after. Despite this Kung Lao puts his hat on afterward. He most likely put it on incase Kano decides he's angry again and still wants to fight. The only other time when Lao is seen scared was when he's getting killed by Shang Tsung and he called for Liu.

He does not flinch at the idea of being covered in blood at all. He seems kinds into it honestly

When Kung Lao is impressed, he smiles and grabs his chin.

His smugness has its moments of coming out, but it's very subdued. This Lao values humility more than other variations

Despite being the more stoic of the two, Kung Lao tends to smile so he doesn't come off as harsh. First being when he has to stop Sonya from entering the fight pit, then with Cole after beating him. He makes a joke that they have their work cut out for them in regard for training.

Speaking of Sonya:

While quick to block her path, Kung Lao is doing his best to be polite about not letting Sonya join training, calling her Miss Blade, and even stating outright she can stay and watch. Based on what Liu says after, I genuinely think that “Chosen One’s Only” is a legit rule (it seems like a rule Raiden would have and Raiden IS their master). When Cole says Sonya is “one of us” Kung Lao audibly sighs. After Liu confirms the rule, Kung Lao stays in his spot and watches her leave. To me, it seems like Kung Lao REALLY doesn't want to be the bearer of bad news. (This can also be why he jokes and smiles while saying they have their work cut out for themselves in regard to training Cole and Kano. Cole was already beaten down and Kano made fun of him, so he wanted to make light of it while calling attention to it to Liu.)

I genuinely wonder if the writers wanted a conflict between Sonya and Kung Lao. In a deleted scene, Kung Lao recommended to send Sonya home— after expressing his and Liu’s concern about the other champions not unlocking their Arcanas in time. He doesn’t seem to do it out of malice or condescension. My interpretation is that he wanted to keep her from the crossfire, since she can't just get a mark.

Nonetheless, Sonya is allowed in the Fight Pit after Cole left. My guess: Liu and Kung Lao let her train with them since they would be down a fighter and/or Jax said he wouldn’t train with them if Sonya wasn’t allowed. Considering how dire it is to be down one chosen one and Jax hasn't trained in the pit before, Kung Lao and Liu Kang must've seen it as necessary to give into his request despite what Raiden's rules may be.

It's no wonder why in Kung Lao's introduction he's seen teleporting inside the temple lol

In the interview with entertainmentie, Kung Lao's actor, Max Huang, notes that Kung Lao doesn't give everything away and act's like he's hiding something— on the outside: Kung Lao is tough, "but on the inside he's very vulnerable." Unfortunately, we don't have a scene where Kung Lao opens up to anyone or gives an insight to how he views the situation or the world our characters are in, so in order to learn more about him, you have to watch him closely and pay attention to what people say around him.

If we keep in mind what Max says about Kung Lao, in regard to projecting the image of strength while being vulnerable internally, the characterization of Kung Lao becomes richer when you pay attention to how Liu refers to him VS what Kung Lao says to others.

As I mentioned in Liu Kang's post analyzing his Identity, he sees Kung Lao as THE Chosen One from birth. This isn't without reason, Lao's introduction shows why he would be the Ace of the Champions. Before fully teleporting into the temple he manages to hit Subzero with his hat to save Liu from being killed. Liu is visibly frightened is unable to compose himself until Kung Lao puts his game face on, and Liu follows suit. When Liu describes his origin to Cole, he throws in a comment about how Kung Lao was the one with the lineage, while he was the stray. When Kung Lao is killed, Liu is shown to firmly believe Kung Lao was the key to Earthrealm's fate and without him, Outworld will win before the tournament starts.

Now we don't hear about Kung Lao's past or self-image directly from him, but Lao says a few interesting things to others that can give us an idea:

"In Mortal Kombat, talent will only get you so far" he says to Cole after winning their second match. My interpretation: Kung Lao wasn't born with great talent himself, but since he would've been born with the mark, he would've been training from a young age. Kung Lao therefore attributes his abilities to his hard work. When you look at the way he fights, it's further proven by the insane level of precision needed to wield his hat.

When he insults Kano at the dinner table, Kung Lao's most direct insults are "Terrible fighter, No Skill" and straight-up throwing in "You Failure" (completely unprompted) when Liu tries to take over the confrontation. From a psychology standpoint, people will most often insult someone over things they have value in. As stated before, Kung Lao takes pride in his abilities since he would've had to work hard for it; but by throwing in "You Failure", when Kano has made no indication of being afraid of being seen as one before, it shows "Failure" is the worst insult Kung Lao thinks someone can be called. Considering how much expectations Kung Lao has placed on him, it makes perfect sense that not living up to them would be what he's afraid of most.

Personality and Behaviors

Defining Trait: Patience

Something I noticed while paying close attention to Kung Lao for these notes is how extraordinarily patient he is in canon.

Typically he is seen as the more brash between him and Liu, but in this movie it's the opposite. Liu will throw a fireball at you just for coming at him, no hesitation or question about it. Kung Lao on the other hand tends to wait for his opponent to act first, then he strikes. He's more calculated in battle with Subzero, Shang Tsung, Nitara, and even in how he trains with Cole for the first time. Cole was the one going to strike first, not Lao.

His tendency to stand back and observe also shows with Newcomers after Raiden sent Shang Tsung and Co away. Kung Lao doesn't try to introduce himself or speak at all until prompted. Then when they all go to the fight pit for the first time, he stands back and lets Cole, Kano, and Liu step down first, only speaking up to stop Sonya entering the fight pit herself (more on that later). Afterward, he stands above them, watching (menacingly) as Sonya leaves.

Another aspect of him showing patience is in his interactions with Kano.

As iconic as the dinner scene is, what's typically not brought up is how the tension had been brewing on Lao's end the whole day. This is why I say, Lao is extraordinarily patient, especially when his number one pet peeve is shown to be insolence. Something Kano has in spades.

His first instance of showing annoyance with Kano's brazen demeanor is when he makes fun of Sonya for not being able to train with them and then tries to rush into training. Kung Lao's irritation is shown when he tells Kano to "Be Still and Listen", when he had previously left the information sharing to Liu. (I know Lao is looking at Kano and thinking ‘You would’ve had your ass beat at the academy for being this rude").

Later, when Kano makes fun of Cole for being beaten by Kung Lao, he gives Kano a dirty look, but says nothing— instead chosing to shift the attention to Liu and Cole about the work needed to get Cole ready for the tournament. Lao delivers it in a way that's supposed to make light of the situation. When Liu is training with Kano afterward, and decides to try to humble Kano as well by spamming the leg sweep, Lao is not amused by the joke, most likely because he already clocked that Kano WOULD NOT learn his lesson in a nonexplict and humiliating way, which is proven to be the case when Kano slaps Liu's hand away afterward. Despite this, Lao still holds off on telling off Kano.

That doesn't happen until dinner.

When the scene starts, Kung Lao, Liu, and Kano are at the table. Jax, Sonya, and Cole have just arrived. Kung Lao has broken his pattern of observing his surroundings because he is already chowing down on his food, he's not looking up for NO ONE. Eyes on the prize.

Something funny to note in this scene, is that Kung Lao and Kano are as far apart as possible at this table. I bet Kung Lao waited for Kano to sit down first and went to the far side on purpose! This adds to why Kung Lao finally got angry enough to deal with Kano. ANYONE else could've passed him food, and Kano STILL chose to bother Lao! My man was entranced with his food and peaceful thoughts, and was ripped out of it the moment Kano said “Kung”. He was ready to deal with Kano for bothering him, period, Kano getting Lao’s name wrong and lacking manners was the cherry on top.

From here we see Lao at his most fed up. He gets his moment of pettiness out of the way, and then jumps into insults. (Two of which he brings animal analogies while making it clear as to why he picked those specific ones.) He challenges Kano's fighting abilities with 4 insults. When Kano threatens Lao with violence, Lao isn't intimidated in the slightest, and let's Liu intercede. The breaking point for Lao was when Kano, insults both him and Liu. Lao throws his chopsticks down and stands up to fight. He let's Liu get some words in, but at this point, Kung Lao 's patience has worn thin. He's choosing violence and psychological damage, aka "You Failure".

Other Personality Notes:

Kung Lao is protective. He enters the movie protecting Liu from Subzero, and dies after protecting Cole over himself. I wish we were able to have a shot of Lao's face before jumping down to help so I can better determine if he thought this would be something quick before escaping with Cole, or if he registered the possibility that he could die and chose to save Cole anyway.

Kung Lao does NOT show his fear as easily as the others. This is seen when Kano first gets his Arcana. Everyone is startled for sure. Kung Lao has a brief moment of shock seen after blocking the laser with his hat, but he's also the first to bounce back from it, especially compared to Liu Kang who still looks worried after. Despite this Kung Lao puts his hat on afterward. He most likely put it on incase Kano decides he's angry again and still wants to fight. The only other time when Lao is seen scared was when he's getting killed by Shang Tsung and he called for Liu.

He does not flinch at the idea of being covered in blood at all. He seems kinds into it honestly

When Kung Lao is impressed, he smiles and grabs his chin.

His smugness has its moments of coming out, but it's very subdued. This Lao values humility more than other variations

Despite being the more stoic of the two, Kung Lao tends to smile so he doesn't come off as harsh. First being when he has to stop Sonya from entering the fight pit, then with Cole after beating him. He makes a joke that they have their work cut out for them in regard for training.

Speaking of Sonya:

While quick to block her path, Kung Lao is doing his best to be polite about not letting Sonya join training, calling her Miss Blade, and even stating outright she can stay and watch. Based on what Liu says after, I genuinely think that “Chosen One’s Only” is a legit rule (it seems like a rule Raiden would have and Raiden IS their master). When Cole says Sonya is “one of us” Kung Lao audibly sighs. After Liu confirms the rule, Kung Lao stays in his spot and watches her leave. To me, it seems like Kung Lao REALLY doesn't want to be the bearer of bad news. (This can also be why he jokes and smiles while saying they have their work cut out for themselves in regard to training Cole and Kano. Cole was already beaten down and Kano made fun of him, so he wanted to make light of it while calling attention to it to Liu.)

I genuinely wonder if the writers wanted a conflict between Sonya and Kung Lao. In a deleted scene, Kung Lao recommended to send Sonya home— after expressing his and Liu’s concern about the other champions not unlocking their Arcanas in time. He doesn’t seem to do it out of malice or condescension. My interpretation is that he wanted to keep her from the crossfire, since she can't just get a mark.

Nonetheless, Sonya is allowed in the Fight Pit after Cole left. My guess: Liu and Kung Lao let her train with them since they would be down a fighter and/or Jax said he wouldn’t train with them if Sonya wasn’t allowed. Considering how dire it is to be down one chosen one and Jax hasn't trained in the pit before, Kung Lao and Liu Kang must've seen it as necessary to give into his request despite what Raiden's rules may be.