I will never understand how some people can look at Bi-Han and see some vile, evil bastard with no redeeming qualities.
All I see is a tragedy.
I invite you to take one good look at this character and tell me that he isn't tormented. His expression is one of suffering, not malice.
It's right there, written all across his face. Bitterness. Loneliness. Hatred. And underneath all that, the Lin Kuei pride that doomed him in every other timeline.
You can tell this man has lived a joyless life, that he doesn't know how to smile, how to show kindness, not because he doesn't want to, but because he never experienced kindness himself.
No one is just born that bitter and full of hatred. People don't become that way for no reason either.
Bi-Han was the eldest son and heir to the grandmaster title. Without a doubt, his father was strict with him and intended to "perfect" him, leaving little room for Bi-Han to develop a personality of his own. The Lin Kuei's ideals — probably his father's ideals too — were drilled into his mind — including the "Lin Kuei blood only" mindset he throws in Smoke's face and that people like to fault him for.
I don't think Bi-Han ever had a real childhood. I doubt that he got to make friends or play with his brothers and that's why he never really bonded with Tomas and Kuai Liang.
Aren't we slowly entering headcanon territory here?, you may ask. Maybe, but I'll try to stick as close as possible to the canon facts we know.
Bi-Han's poor social skills are pretty much proof that he's not used to a lot of human interaction. Between studies and training, which his father must have definitely expected him to excel at as the future grandmaster, he probably didn't have much time to enjoy any hobbies or socialize. His father's high expectations and the responsibilities that come with being the grandmaster's heir must have been a heavy burden on young Bi-Han. Maybe heavy enough to crush anything that was once good in his soul.
Bi-Han's mind was corrupted by ideals that were forced onto him by the Lin Kuei and fueled by his need for the recognition he apparently never got from his father. He's power hungry because he wants to prove himself. Yes, he is arrogant, but I think that he deals with a lot of self loathing deep down. Just think of how hostile he is towards himself in mirror match intros. It seems to me that only few people hate Bi-Han as much as he appears to hate himself.
It's canon that Bi-Han was never evil and born a good person as suggested in MK11 dialogue between Fujin and Noob. Kuai Liang's MK11 ending literally had Kuai Liang going back in time to find the root of the problem and figure out how his brother ended up corrupted.
Ashrah believes in Bi-Han's redemption. If he was truly evil, wouldn't her blade have detected that? Wouldn't Ashrah be trying to kill him as she seeks to eliminate all that is evil? Isn't Bi-Han expressing regret over Sindel's death proof enough that he feels empathy? That he isn't the cold and unfeeling monster the fandom sees him as?
Bi-Han became like this because of something that happened to him. Something made him like this and while we don't know for sure what it was, I have a feeling it has something to do with his father.
Let's not forget that in previous games both Sub-Zero brothers refused to even speak of their father. We know that according to the old game lore, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang were kidnapped by their own father and forced to become assassins for the Lin Kuei and we're suddenly supposed to believe their father is a good man who has never done anything wrong in this new timeline? Something about that doesn't sit right with me.
"But it's a reboot."
Yes, but the characters are still essentially the same. Scorpion is still vengeful, Kung Lao is still overly ambitious, Geras is still loyal to his creator. Why shouldn't the same thing apply to Bi-Han's and Kuai Liang's father?
"But everyone respected the previous grandmaster."
That may be true, but who do you think knew him better? Strangers like Liu Kang and Sindel or Bi-Han, his own son and heir who lived with him and grew up around him? Bi-Han's father represented the Lin Kuei. Would it seem so unlikely for a man in his position to put on a mask around people? Bi-Han's "Father was a man of many secrets." from the mirror match intro leaves a lot of room for the assumption that the old grandmaster was a very illusive man. I'm not saying that he was necessarily a bad person. Kuai Liang and Tomas obviously looked up to him, but it wouldn't surprise me if their father was very strict, especially towards Bi-Han as the eldest son. Being the future grandmaster, I'm sure that Bi-Han got to see a side of his father that his younger brothers didn't see.
As for Bi-Han's mother, I don't think she was innocent in all of this either. I think she was coddling Bi-Han as mothers often do, telling him he was special as the grandmaster's heir and deserving of respect from everyone around him. It explains why he's so confident that she would applaud his actions.
To be honest, Bi-Han is like one of those kids who grew up really sheltered and then go to college and experience independence for the first time. He tasted freedom once, it went to his head and now he's obsessed with the idea of freeing the Lin Kuei, even if it means burning all bridges with his allies and even his family.
Bi-Han is a tragic character.
Even with everyone against him, with multiple people wanting him dead, including his own brother, he still can't see the error of his ways. He's so blinded by his own ambition that he's willing to die for it. In his mind, he doesn't believe that he's done anything wrong and even if he were to regret his actions, I don't think his pride would allow him to ever admit that or try and make amends.
No matter in which timeline, Bi-Han is and always will be doomed. Even with no enemies to kill him, he will doom and destroy himself.
Is Bi-Han a good person? No. He's far from that actually, but he doesn't deserve it to be hated. He deserves sympathy.
