Mortal Kombat 11's first Kombat Pack has had a stellar showing so far, with more fighters set to join the roster over the new few months. Up next is Sindel, the former Queen of Edenia and mother to Kitana, but not the same Sindel fans have come to love. For Mortal Kombat 11, it seems developer NetherRealm Studios thought it best to retcon her background, creating a slight controversy for longtime fans of the franchise, but it doesn't seem like many newcomers will fully grasp the change. Sindel, for some time, has been seen as an evil character, but that hasn't always been the case.
For the uninitiated, Sindel has played a major role in the overarching lore of the franchise since Mortal Kombat 3. In the 2011 reboot, her story seems to follow her past timeline, with the sole exception being that she was revived by Quan Chi, not Shao Kahn. She then kills a few Earthrealm warriors before Nightwolf sacrifices himself to kill Sindel. Come Mortal Kombat X, she is seen as a revenant serving Quan Chi and Shinnok.
But, prior to this retcon, she has never really embraced this evil nature. It's quite the opposite, in fact. There have been times where Kitana has reached out to what remains of her mother, and it's succeeded. This is because her mother never wanted this life, with her storyline beginning 10,000 years prior to the events of Mortal Kombat. Shao Kahn invaded Edenia after it lost ten consecutive tournaments, with the two realms essentially becoming one. As such, Sindel witnessed the cruelty of Shao Kahn first hand: he enslaved her people, murdered her husband, King Jerrod, and adopted Kitana. She took her own life rather than bear witness to this, which is what prompted the need for her resurrection.
Now, however, Sindel has apparently been power hungry from the very beginning. Sindel's new bio states that she loves power and wealth. When invaded by Shao Kahn's armies, she turned on her husband and her people, simply allowing the atrocities to occur in order to keep her position of power. The Queen has become the Dark Empress, as she willingly became Shao Kahn's wife.
"The former Queen of Edenia will stop at nothing to keep her place. When threatened with the loss of her throne when Shao Kahn conquered her realm, Sindel betrayed her husband, and her people, to keep her privileged position. Now Shao Khan's wife and Queen of the Outerworld, she enjoys power and wealth beyond most people's imagination. Good luck to anyone who tries to take it from her."
The exact motive for this change in Mortal Kombat 11 is unclear, but it has some interesting prospects. For example, in past games where Sindel was able to change certain events, she reunited with her long-deceased husband. Her ending in MK11's Towers of Time will not likely be a happy one. Luckily, players won't have to wait much longer to find out, as her release during MK11's Season of Sorcery is only a few weeks away.
In the meantime, players should expect a Sindel trailer to drop at some point soon. These have previously happened within two weeks of the DLC character's release date, so that should take place sooner rather than later. Perhaps Mortal Kombat 11 fans will even get clarification on the Gothic Horror skin pack that is releasing alongside her.
Mortal Kombat 11 is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.