Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero is the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei and a hero from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

Mortal Kombat 2
After the first Sub Zero’s failure to assassinate Shang Tsung, his younger brother was given the name of Sub-Zero and sent to Outworld to complete the mission during the tournament hosted by Shao Kahn. He was accompanied by his friend, Smoke, and some of the other Lin Kuei and soon discovered the vendetta that Scorpion had against his brother. Sub-Zero soon found himself the target of the specter’s hatred since he believed that his enemy had survived. But when he saw the ice ninja spare the life of another fighter, Scorpion became extremely confused. However he soon realized that this Sub-Zero was a younger brother and swore that he wouldn’t harm him.

The ice ninja had no idea why Scorpion spared his life and despite his and Smoke’s efforts, they did not succeed in their mission. They did however aid Liu Kang and his allies in their battle with Shao Kahn and returned to the Lin Kuei empty-handed.

Mortal Kombat 3
The Lin Kuei managed to obtain advanced technology that they could use to transform their warriors into far more effective cyborg assassins. They chose four members of the clan to undergo the transformation procedure, Sub-Zero, Smoke, Cyrax, and Sektor. Determined not to become mindless cyborgs, Sub-Zero and Smoke attempted to flee from the clan, but only Sub-Zero escaped while Smoke was captured and transformed. The three cyborgs were then programmed to hunt down Sub-Zero, who had received a vision from Raiden and joined the rest of the chosen warriors to fight against Shao Kahn. As Outworld’s attack began, Sub-Zero survived thanks to Raiden’s protection, but unfortunately, so did his cybernetic hunters due to their lack of souls.

The ice ninja eventually had an encounter with Smoke and convinced him that he still had a soul, which overrode his friend’s programming. Together, Sub-Zero and Smoke fought and defeated both Cyrax and Sektor. The ice ninja reprogrammed Cyrax so that his target became Shao Kahn, but Smoke was captured by the emperor’s troops and transported back to Outworld. However Sub-Zero and the rest of Earthrealm’s forces were victorious nonetheless and the realm returned to normal.

Mortal Kombat 4
When Shinnok, the fallen Elder God, made his return, Sub-Zero was summoned once again by Raiden to help in Earthrealm in defense. He donned his older brother’s uniform in tribute to him and brought valuable battle information to the thunder god, which may have proven essential to Shinnok’s defeat. However Sub-Zero found himself faced by the hostilities of Scorpion once again when Quan Chi convinced the specter that the ice ninja was at least partly responsible for the destruction of his clan, the Shirai Ryu. They battled in Goro’s Lair and Scorpion managed to gain the upper hand in the fight. But just as it seemed that Sub-Zero was about to meet his end, he told Scorpion that he had no part in the Shirai Ryu’s destruction.

Quan Chi, believing that the ice ninja was going to die anyway, appeared and admitted that he was the one Scorpion was after. But the sorcerer’s attempt to send the specter back to the Netherrealm backfired when he dragged Quan Chi back with him, allowing Sub-Zero to survive.

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
Some time later, Sektor killed the Lin Kuei Grandmaster and took over the clan, so that he could transform the entire clan into cyborgs like himself. Sub-Zero fought him for leadership of the clan and won, becoming the grandmaster. He was also given the mystical Dragon Medallion, which brought his cryomancy powers to whole new levels. Now the grandmaster, Sub-Zero changed the Lin Kuei greatly, moving the clan to a remote part of the Arctic and trained them as a force for good. He taught them all the value of life along with great fighting skills, changing the Lin Kuei from mindless assassins to seasoned fighters. So as to find formidable warriors, Sub-Zero held a tournament and was surprised when the winner was a woman named Frost with freezing powers very much like his own. She became his apprentice even though this broke Lin Kuei tradition, but while she had great fighting skill, Frost didn’t agree with any of Sub-Zero’s philosophies. When Liu Kang was murdered by the Deadly Alliance, Sub-Zero was called in by Raiden to help him fight once again.

Though surprised at the tragic news of Kang’s death, the ice ninja agreed to join the fight, but mostly for his own reasons. He wanted to gain the respect of the rest of the Lin Kuei and prove his worth to the clan, as well as himself. However when Sub-Zero and Frost were separated from the rest of the fighters of Earthrealm, Frost attempted to take the Dragon Medallion from her master. But she was unable to control its power and was consumed by her own ice powers, seemingly dying. Sub-Zero blamed himself for this, believing that he should have done a better job of teaching Frost humility and his philosophies.

Mortal Kombat Deception
As Sub-Zero searched for a place to bury Frost, he found the ruins of a civilization able to manipulate cold as he did. Through study and examination of it, he realized that he and Frost were descended from these people, the Cryomancers. After burying and forgiving Frost, Sub-Zero donned an ancient set of armor that he found and headed to the Earthrealm portal to rendezvous with Raiden and the rest of their allies. When Shujinko began rallying what remained of Earth’s forces, Sub-Zero ventured once more into Outworld, where he ran into Sareena. Because she had helped his brother defeat Quan Chi before, the ice ninja offered her a place amongst the Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero gave her an object that would guide and grant her access to the clan’s temple. However they spotted two shadowy figures leaving Shao Kahn’s fortress, one was Sub-Zero’s older brother, Noob Saibot, and the other was his old friend, Smoke. The two disappeared into Netherrealm and Sub-Zero ordered Sareena to wait at the Lin Kuei temple before following them. But they knew fully well that they were being followed and ambushed the ice ninja.

It seemed that Sub-Zero was doomed, until Sareena arrived and drove off his attackers, but not before he lost consciousness. When the ice ninja awoke, Sareena had transformed back into her demon form and he attacked her, dazed and confused, sending her fleeing into the depths of Netherrealm. Upon returning back to the Lin Kuei temple, Sub-Zero found many of his Lin Kuei slain by Frost, very much alive and now delirious, seeing everyone as Sub-Zero, whom she had come to seek vengeance against. The ice ninja froze her solid in a block of ice and placed her in a Lin Kuei tomb deep in the temple. Sub-Zero knew that Frost would one day recover and then she would have to paid for her crimes against the clan.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon
After Taven invaded the Lin Kuei temple, Sub-Zero challenged him to battle, but before the fight could finish, the ice ninja noticed Taven’s dragon tattoo and how it was similar to the one on the vault door that contained the armor Taven’s mother had left for him. After the demigod opened the vault and acquired the armor, the Lin Kuei temple was attacked again, now by Noob Saibot and Smoke who were turning the Lin Kuei’s warriors into cyborg demons. Sub-Zero told Taven to choose which side he was on and the demigod helped fend off Noob Saibot’s forces.

Taven defeated both Smoke and Noob Saibot and in thanks, Sub-Zero told him where to find the Red Dragon Clan, who had been attacking him throughout his quest. Sub-Zero then began the process of cleansing his brother, but it was unknown if he succeeded. In his ending, the powers granted to him by the defeat of Blaze was amplified by the Dragon Medallion, making him a ice god. However he was a false god and the Elder Gods sent their champions to destroy him.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Liu Kang first thought that the Lin Kuei were responsible for the disappearance of a number of the shaolin monks and went looking for Sub-Zero. The ice ninja appeared before Liu Kang and challenged him to fight, convinced that Liu Kang was responsible for the disappearance of a number of the Liu Kuei. Sub-Zero was defeated, but allied himself with Liu Kang after finding out about the disappearances of his forces as well. Scorpion appeared and attacked Sub-Zero, but Liu saved him and the ice ninja retreated to the Lin Kuei temple, where he found the Fortress of Solitude. He battled and froze Superman, but Wonder Woman arrived and defeated Sub-Zero. She brought him to the U.N. orbital station, where she was beaten by Jax, who freed the ice ninja when he offered his help. He decided to seek out Raiden and said that Quan Chi might be able to explain more about these new warriors and what was going on.

Raiden didn’t trust the Lin Kuei or Sub-Zero and challenged him to battle, but the ice ninja proved stronger than his older brother and defeated the thunder god, earning his trust. Raiden ordered Sub-Zero to seek out Scorpion, who could be used to get them to the Netherrealm. He followed the specter to Gotham City, where he got into a brief fight with Deathstroke, before ending up in the Batcave. Sub-Zero was attacked by a rage fueled Batman, but defeated him and was pulled into the Netherrealm by Scorpion. The two fought each other and their battle freed Quan Chi, but the sorcerer managed to convince the two and Raiden that they needed to put all past animosities aside and unite to stop these new invaders. Sub-Zero teamed up with Scorpion to fight Catwoman and Lex Luthor at the White Lotus temple. He succeeded in freezing Catwoman, but he and the specter were both defeated by Lex Luthor. Afterwards, Sub-Zero went with the other Mortal Kombat universe fighters to the fusion of Outworld and Apokolips. However Dark Kahn appeared and filled them all with combat rage, making them fight the DC universe warriors again.

In the battle, Sub-Zero fought against Batman again, but ended up back in the Mortal Kombat universe after Dark Kahn’s defeat at the hands of Raiden and Superman. In his ending, Sub-Zero realized that he was no longer an assassin, but was uncomfortable amongst the rest of Earthrealm’s defenders. Taking inspiration from Batman, he decided to defend his realm, but on his own and he would become a solitary figure, blending into the cold and dark. Sub-Zero left the Lin Kuei and donned a fitting new costume, but the Lin Kuei did not tolerate desertion as he would soon discover.

Mortal Kombat (2011)
After learning of his older brother's death in the Mortal Kombat tournament, Kuai Liang, taking his brother's code name, Sub-Zero, went to Outworld with his friend, Smoke, to find his killer. Upon arriving, the two split up, but Sub-Zero was confronted by Cyrax, who'd just been changed into a cyborg, who commanded him to return to the Lin Kuei temple for automation. The ice ninja said he was sorry for what they had done to Cyrax, but he would not comply and the two fought with Sub-Zero successfully defeating the cyborg. Cyrax teleported away as Jax and Sonya, who'd been tracking the cyborg, arrived and were shocked to see Sub-Zero (having seen Scorpion kill him). The ice ninja told them the man they saw die was his older brother and told them he'd come to learn of Sub-Zero's fate.

Sonya told Sub-Zero Scorpion was his brother's murderer and he asked where he would find the specter. She suggested he try the Coliseum when suddenly Ermac attacked them, destroying Jax's arms before fighting Sub-Zero. The ice ninja beat him and told Sonya there was a portal to the south she could use to get Jax help, before leaving for the Coliseum. He arrived as Kitana won a fight, but did not kill her opponent, and Sub-Zero demanded that Shao Kahn bring Scorpion before him. Shang Tsung said no one made demands of the emperor and had Reptile fight the ice ninja, but the Zaterran was defeated.

Sub-Zero addressed Shao Kahn again saying his followers held him in high esteem, since they fought and died for his amusement. He went on to say his brother participated in this folly, but he did so only to find his killer. Shao Kahn had Quan Chi summon Scorpion, who said the ice ninja was not Sub-Zero, and Kuai Liang said he was Sub-Zero's family and clan and he fought for his honor. Scorpion angrily declared he had no honor and the ice ninja would die as he had before the two fought. Sub-Zero managed to beat the specter but before he could finish him, cyborg Lin Kuei members appeared and captured him, bringing him back to the Lin Kuei temple for automation. Sub-Zero was transformed into Cyber Sub-Zero, Unit LK-520, and as the invasion of Earthrealm began, he fought for Shao Kahn alongside the other Lin Kuei cyborgs. After Kabal escaped from Outworld, Cyber Sub-Zero confronted and fought him, but was defeated. Kabal and Smoke brought him to Jax and Sonya, who managed to restore his free will by deactivating his slaving protocols. They decided they could send Cyber Sub-Zero in as a spy to find out their plans and he returned to Outworld. Sektor asked him what happened to the intruder and the ice cyborg said he'd been forced to kill him.

The two went to Earthrealm for a new mission and Cyber Sub-Zero asked why they were here, but Sektor revealed he'd scanned him to find his neuromodulators had been re-calibrated. Sektor told him to remove his access panel, but the ice cyborg punched him away and Sektor said his programming had been corrupted. Cyber Sub-Zero said his soul had been corrupted, but now it had been cleansed before fighting his former comrade. Upon winning, he said artificial enhancements were no replacement for the soul, before scanning Sektor's CPU to find out something was going on in the clock tower. Cyber Sub-Zero headed there where he found Kano, Goro, and Kintaro torturing a group of soldiers and Kano told him they had to get the soldiers to St. Dominic's cemetery.

The ice cyborg asked for what purpose, but Kano said he didn't know or care and Cyber Sub-Zero froze Goro, Kintaro, and Kano, allowing the soldiers to escape. Goro and Kintaro broke out of the ice and fought the ice cyborg, but he defeated both of them. Suddenly Ermac appeared and fought Cyber Sub-Zero as well, only to be beaten and the soldiers thanked the ice cyborg for his help. He headed to St. Dominic's graveyard and watched as Noob Saibot and Quan Chi performed a ritual, contacting Raiden and the others about what was happening. Nightwolf told Cyber Sub-Zero he'd be there momentarily and the ice cyborg told him to hurry since the spell seemed almost complete. Noob Saibot confronted him, saying he was not worthy of the name Sub-Zero, and the ice cyborg asked him who was he to judge. The wraith said he wore the colors first and Cyber Sub-Zero realized the wraith was his older brother. Noob Saibot said Quan Chi restored and perfected him, but the ice cyborg said they were both flawed copies of their former selves.

The wraith said he'd been perfected and Cyber Sub-Zero asked him to what end to which Noob Saibot responded it suited his purposes. He went on to say they may have shared blood, but they were not brothers and the ice cyborg said he would not regret the wraith's defeat. They fought and Cyber Sub-Zero won, saying Noob Saibot was right, they were not brothers, but at the same time, Quan Chi was completing the ritual. Nightwolf told him to leave since his soul was not protected and Cyber Sub-Zero rejoined the others to discuss their next move. After Nightwolf returned and Raiden left with Liu Kang to speak with the Elder Gods, the ice cyborg suddenly sensed the Lin Kuei cyborgs were amongst them. Cyber Sub-Zero and the others managed to fight them all off, but then Sindel appeared and managed to strike them all down. Their souls ended up in the hands of Quan Chi as his slaves.

In Sub-Zero's ending, Raiden told him that ultimately, it was the Lin Kuei who were responsible for the demise of Sub-Zero and Scorpion's family members. The ice ninja joined forces with Scorpion in a quest for revenge and with the elements of both fire and ice at their command, they were an unstoppable storm of vengeance. After cutting down their enemies, Sub-Zero and Scorpion disappeared into legends, only appearing to exact revenge on those who hurt the innocent. Evil would never be able to stop this new Deadly Alliance.

In Cyber Sub-Zero's ending, he is seen clutching his head as a green transparent version of Shao Kahn is apparently transferring his soul into the ice cyborg. Cyber Sub-Zero then appears a fusion of himself and Shao Kahn.

Powers
Being the descendant of the cryomancers, Sub-Zero possesses power over ice and the ability to control it in many forms. He can flash-freeze people and create an ice statue of himself to act as a scapegoat that can flash-freeze opponents. With the Dragon Medallion, Sub-Zero can form a large sword made of ice called the Kori Blade, which he uses for his alternate weapon fighting style. He also has great martial arts skills thanks to his training with the Lin Kuei and these skills are increased by the Dragon Medallion and his ancestral armor. Sub-Zero can even freeze the moisture in the air into any form, including an icy mist, indicating that he can freeze molecules.

In his ending in Deception, his Cryomancer armor was shown to speak to him and guide him in battle. As Cyber Sub-Zero, his skills were greatly enhanced and is apparently the strongest of the Lin Kuei cyborgs, able to fight off both Goro and Kintaro, two of the strongest Shokan, at once. Cyber Sub-Zero retained his cryomancy powers and could form a large sword made of ice, drop ice bombs from his chest, and cover himself in a sheet of ice, causing anyone who hit him to freeze. He had a teleport move where he separated in a flash of light and reformed behind his opponent.

Trivia

 * In an Malcolm in the Middle episode, Resse mentioned that no one believed he beat the secret level of Mortal Kombat and Hal responded by saying, “No one beats Sub-Zero”.


 * Sub-Zero was inspired by Glacier, a professional wrestling character in World Championship Wrestling.


 * The name of his weapon, the Kori Blade, comes from the Japanese word for ice.


 * Sub-Zero has appeared in every Mortal Kombat fighting game to date in one incarnation or another, the same as his brother.


 * His name was originally going to be Tundra.


 * Sub-Zero is the only character in Mortal Kombat to show signs of natural aging.


 * His primary costume in Deception resembled Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.


 * In Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks’ Vs. mode, when a player picks Sub-Zero’s second costume, he resembles Noob Saibot.


 * In the Mortal Kombat Conquest TV series, Sub-Zero had an sister named Peron, but this is the only universe where he had a sibling aside from Noob Saibot.


 * In the intro to Mortal Kombat Armageddon, Sub-Zero is seen clashing blades with Scorpion then being blasted off the pyramid along with several other character by Shang Tsung’s fireball attack.


 * Sub-Zero was voted number 2 on Screwattack's list of Top 10 Mortal Kombat Kharacters, just losing the top spot to Scorpion.


 * Cyber Sub-Zero was the result of Raiden seeing a glimpse of the future where Smoke became a cyborg as was part of the original time line. Because he saved Smoke, Sub-Zero was captured to become a cyborg instead.


 * There is no actual dialogue in Cyber Sub-Zero's ending, only images with no narration.


 * Cyber Sub-Zero has the lightest build of all the Lin Kuei cyborgs and also has a unique tint of blue for his blood. This may be some form of anti-coolant or antifreeze so his cyborg components can work with his freezing powers.


 * The announcer does not say the "Cyber" part of Cyber Sub-Zero's name.