Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi) is a playable character and occasional boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise created by Midway Games. Making his debut as one of the original seven playable characters in Mortal Kombat in 1992, he is an ...

Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi) is a playable character and occasional boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise created by Midway Games. Making his debut as one of the original seven playable characters in Mortal Kombat in 1992, he is an undead ninja specter seeking revenge for his own death at the hands of Sub-Zero, making him an anti-hero which has been his main role throughout the course of the series up until Mortal Kombat X but still remains neutral. 'Scorpion' is the alias of Hanzo Hasashi, formerly one of the finest warriors of the Shirai Ryu, a Japanese ninja clan. After he was killed by Sub-Zero, a member of a rival clan of Chinese assassins known as the Lin Kuei, Scorpion became a hellspawned revenant residing in hell (later the Netherrealm) and seeking vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his clan and the death of his family, including his wife and his son. Although essentially neutral in allegiance, Scorpion will join forces with anyone who can assist his plans of revenge. He was once manipulated by Quan Chi, whom he promised his life in exchange for his impressive kombat abilities in order to defeat Sub-Zero. In his initial backstory, displayed in the first game's attract mode, he is described only as having enmity towards Sub-Zero that was attributed to rivalries between opposing ninja clans. His ending revealed that he was actually an undead specter who had been killed by Sub-Zero and was survived by a wife and child. This was further explored in a tie-in comic book written and illustrated by MK co-creator John Tobias and published by Midway; in a one-page scene, set aboard a junk en route to tournament host Shang Tsung's private island, Scorpion shocks Sub-Zero with his unexpected return exactly two years after his death, declaring that his 'demons' had allowed him to return and avenge his demise, while he would not kill Sub-Zero there on the spot and instead wait until the tournament because he was 'not a murderer.'