10 MOST Powerful Mortal Kombat Characters Of All Time

Shao Kahn is the original big bad of the Mortal Kombat series. As the Emperor of Outworld, he is one of the most formidable foes in the series, with powerful sorcery and brute strength, backed by his sizeable war hammer.

But aside from his physical prowess, the Emperor also possesses a keen mind when it comes to strategy. This is seen when he resurrects Sindel in Earthrealm - a move that allows him to break through interdimensional barriers and invade Earth without the use of a Mortal Kombat tournament. Another example of his intellect is when he tricks the Deadly Alliance into killing a decoy to lure them into a false sense of confidence.

But Shao Kahn's crowning achievement would be best seen in 2006's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - the final entry in the original MK timeline.

Here, the iconic villain actually wins the climactic duel and defeats Blaze, gaining the elemental's immense power, granting Kahn the ability to conquer the realms. His victory forces Dark Raiden to send a message to his past self in order to stop Shao Kahn from causing Armageddon in the first place, starting a whole new timeline in the process.