DIO has declared that this article has stopped in time, and any or all information on it may be outdated. Help improve this article by checking and updating its info wherever necessary And now time resumes! |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
|
“ | Let's see what you're made of. | „ |
~ Kabal's Battle Cry in Mortal Kombat (2011). |
“ | I'm about one thing: what's best for me. | „ |
~ Kabal to Scorpion, Mortal Kombat 11. |
Kabal is a warrior who is the leader of the Black Dragon Clan, and a supporting character of the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Portrayals[]
- In Mortal Kombat 3, he was portrayed by Richard Divizio, who also portrayed Kano and Baraka in the same game and Shang Tsung and Quan Chi in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.
- In Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, he was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, who also voiced Ermac in the same series, Goro in the 1995 movie, Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tartarus in Halo 2, Sarevok Anchev in Baldur's Gate, Captain Gantu in Lilo & Stitch, Joker in The Batman, Skulker in Danny Phantom, Kamek in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Deus Ex Machina in The Matrix Revolutions.
- He was voiced by Jarod Pranno in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
- In Mortal Kombat (2011), he was voiced by David Lodge, who also voiced Grigori in Dragon's Dogma, Villamax in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Loki in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Choobo and Moltor in Power Rangers Super Legends and Nene in the Blue Dragon anime.
- He was voiced by Jonathan Cahill in Mortal Kombat 11.
- He was played by Daniel Nelson in the 2021 movie.
- In Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, he was voiced by Keith Silverstein, who also voiced Hawk Moth in Miraculous Ladybug, Johan Liebert in Monster, Hisoka Morow in Hunter x Hunter, Coyote Starrk and Aaroniero Arruruerie in Bleach, Kimimaro in Naruto, Hammerhead in Marvel's Spider-Man, Dr. Wily in Mega Man 11, HUNK in Resident Evil, Rumble, Frenzy and Blast Off in Transformers: Fall of Cybertron and Wolfram in My Hero Academia: Two Heroes.
History[]
Original Timeline[]
Mortal Kombat 3[]
Kabal was the leader of the Black Dragon Clan until Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. His soul was spared and he discovered that he was one of the chosen fighters. Kabal was attacked by one of Kahn's extermination squads and severely mutilated, surviving only through artificial respirators. He still had an unbroken will to fight and left behind his life of crime, swearing to become a force of good.
Between Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance[]
Kabal fought and was wounded severely by Mavado, who was a leading member of the Red Dragon that sought to wipe out the Black Dragon. He also took Kabal's hookswords as trophies.
Mortal Kombat: Deception[]
Havik found Kabal on the brink of death and saved him, in exchange for him bringing back the Black Dragon as a force of chaos and anarchy. In spite of his vow to give up crime, Kabal did exactly as Havik asked, trained with him for a few years, and returned to Earthrealm to reclaim his hookswords from Mavado.
He then began searching for new recruits and eventually found Kira, a weapons dealer whose ruthlessness in battling her enemies impressed him. Afterwards Kabal and Kira rescued rouge martial artist Kobra from imprisonment. Kabal and his recruits accompanied Havik to Outworld, Kabal secretly wanting to test the pair of recruits and he then tested their progress in the battle against the Dragon King.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon[]
Kabal encountered Taven in Argus's temple after the demigod beat Kobra and most of the other Black Dragon. He offered him a place in the clan, but was turned down and defeated by Taven.
Kabal joined the Forces of Darkness in the battle of Armageddon, and was seen trying to stop Stryker from climbing the Pyramid of Argus. However, it backfired and Kabal was thrown off of the pyramid. Along with most of the kombatants, he was killed.
In his non canon ending, he defeated Blaze, imbuing his hookswords with great power. Kabal challenged Mavado to battle and overpowered him easily, causing him to perform Hara-kiri. He held Mavado's head as a sign of the Black Dragon's superiority.
Second Timeline[]
Mortal Kombat (2011)[]
In an alternate timeline, Kabal was formerly a police officer and a close friend and partner of Kurtis Stryker. Both of them were about to fight Kintaro, but Kintaro burned Kabal with a fireblast. Because of this, his skin and lungs were left heavily burned. When Stryker came back after he beat Ermac, Kabal was nowhere to be found. It turned out that Kano (an old friend of Kabal from his time as a member of the Black Dragon Clan) rescued him and Shang Tsung healed most of his wounds while Kano outfitted him with his mask and respirator.
Kabal escaped and fought Kano, Mileena, Noob Saibot, Sheeva and a Cyborg Sub-Zero (while still being controlled by the Lin Kuei). He joined Raiden so he could help defeat Shao Kahn, but ultimately, he along with Nightwolf, Sub-Zero, Kitana, Jax, Smoke, Jade, and Stryker were killed by Sindel. However Kabal and the others souls, including Kung Lao, and Sindel, were claimed by Quan Chi and were forced to serve the evil sorcerer forever. Kabal was among the revenants who attacked and were defeated by Raiden in the Netherrealm.
Mortal Kombat X[]
For the next 25 years, Kabal continued serving Quan Chi as an undead slave. many years before the main events of the game, Kabal, Sindel and Kurtis Stryker attacked Raiden and Fujin at Raiden's temple. Along with Quan Chi and his demon army. Raiden and Fujin defeated the demons first and then Kabal, Stryker, Sindel and Quan Chi, but not before Quan Chi summoned Shinnok into Raiden's temple. When Shinnok was defeated, Quan Chi and his revenants retreated.
He was seen with the other revenants versions of Smoke, Stryker, Sindel, Kitana, Liu Kang and Kung Lao escorting Quan Chi to his fortress to await D'Vorah. Kabal, the other Revenants and Quan Chi traveled by horse due to Quan Chi's powers being weaker than what they were before. They were ambushed by the Special Forces, Jax, Kenshi, and Sareena. Kabal charged in on his demon horse and attacked the solider while the others attacked for a safe distance before getting closer and into the fight. Kenshi rushed in to protect the Special Forces soldiers, while Kabal and Kenshi fought each other during amidst the battle between the Revenants and the Special Forces.
After the battle, Kabal retreated with the rest of the revenants to Quan Chi's fortress, and he wasn't seen again for the rest of the story. By the end of the game, a darker, crueler Raiden entered the Netherrealm with Shinnok's living, decapitated head, where he warned the realm's new rulers, Kitana and Liu Kang, what fate awaits them and anyone else who pose any danger to Earthrealm (including Kabal).
Mortal Kombat 11[]
Kabal returns as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 11. He was revealed on February 5, 2019. He first appears in chapter 1, where he and Jade were seen bowing before Shinnok's head during Raiden and the Special Forces invasion of the Netherrealm. Kabal tore through an Earthrealm soldier and fought Cassie but was defeated.
After Kronika manipulated time to merge past and present, Kabal's younger self, during a time when he leads the the Black Dragon, was among those present, and participates in the ambush on the Special Forces Desert Command base and captures the younger Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Kabal was lied to by the older Kano, who told him that Sonya was the one responsible for his burns by torturing him to get information on the Black Dragon. He attacked Sonya to get some "pre-emptive vengeance" before being defeated by her. His fate after the Special Forces storm the Black Dragon is unknown. However, given the presence of his Revenant, he presumably survived and was taken into custody.
The Revenant version of Kabal, along with Jade, were guards of Kronika's crown in Shang Tsung's island. The Revenant version of Kabal began circling around the younger Jax and Jacqui in the courtyard, but was stopped by Jax. Kabal and Jade confronted the two Briggs, and he taunted them. However, the Briggs went onto defeat him.
In his non canon ending, the human Kabal defeated Kronika, but decided that he did not want the responsibility of keeping time, so he went back and returned it to Kronika. In return, Kabal was allowed to take out all those who could burn him, and left the Black Dragon. Presumably using riches from the clan, Kabal retired from the Black Dragon clan to live a life of domestic bliss with two sons, living in a mansion armed with military grade weaponry to take out Shao Khan or Shinnok in case they ever showed up.
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath[]
After Shang Tsung, Fujin and Nightwolf revisit the timeline, The Revenant version of Kabal and Jade ambush them on the island before the Briggs arrive. The Revenant version of Kabal battles Fujin, but is defeated by the wind God.
Mortal Kombat: Onslaught[]
Other Media[]
Mortal Kombat (2021)[]
Main Article: Kabal (2021)
Mortal Kombat Legends[]
Powers and Abilities[]
Kabal is a ruthless, but level-headed fighter and wields his hookswords with great skill. His face is so hideous it can scare people to death, as evidenced by one of his fatalities. Kabal can also fire a plasma blast from his mask and use his superhuman speed to perform a dash, that spins his opponent around like a top. As shown in one of his fatalities, he can move up to speeds far quicker than the speed of sound though his top speed is unknown.
Powers[]
As a Human[]
- Superhuman Strength: Kabal has proved to be very strong enough to take on super-powered characters. He is strong enough to pull the top of someone's head off. He is also capable of kicking opponents to send them flying at greater distances than how a peak human can.
- Superhuman Speed: Kabal's most defining trait is his immeasurable speed. He's able to run at such blinding speeds that makes him appear as a blur, making him one of the fastest characters in the series. His speed has been compared to The Flash from the DC Universe. It was revealed in MK 2011 that his speed is due to his brief time in Outworld, his ravaged body exposed to the magic-heavy atmosphere of that realm granting him so much power.
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Endurance: Kabal is able to resist large amounts of physical pain that could severely injure him. He was able to survive after being burnt my Kintaro's fire breath but has damaged his lungs which forced to have a respirator system.
- Superhuman Reflexes: With his speed, Kabal is able to evade projectiles with his reflexes.
- Magic: During his time in Outworld, Kabal has been gifted with magic capabilities like firing purple energy projectiles.
As a Revenant[]
- Undead Physiology: After being resurrected by Quan Chi, all of his attributes as a human has increased and he is now a Revenant who cannot age.
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Speed:
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Endurance
- Superhuman Reflexes
- Magic
- Immortality
Abilities[]
- Master Martial Artist: Kabal is a formidable combatant even without using his speed. He can use his speed combined with his martial art skills in order to defeat his opponents. He has been able to best Kano, Noob Saibot, Mileena, Cyber Sub-Zero, and Sheeva.
- Sun Bin
- Goju Ryu
- Acrobatics: Kabal does have impressive acrobatic skills. Besides his agility, he can also perform flips.
- Weaponry: Kabal is very proficient in wielding hook swords and sending saw blades toward his opponents.
- High Intelligence: Kabal does have impressive intelligence when making strategies and analyzing his opponents' movements and skills
- Indomitable Will: Before MK11, he redeemed himself as a Black Dragon leader and has joined the police department in order to serve and protect. But ever since Kano succeeded in turning Past Kabal away from the police, he became the ruthless warrior he was before. After his past self returned to the Black Dragon, all he cares about is getting paid and will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.
Paraphernalia[]
- Hook Swords
- Sawblades
Quotes[]
“ | As the life trickled from my body, a stranger rescued me: a cleric of Chaos who called himself Havik. He convinced me to return my clan to its former glory. Never again will I deny my devotion to the Black Dragon. Inspired by Havik, I set out to find and kill Mavado of the Red Dragon. His organization is secretive, but not invisible. It feels good to have hookswords in my hands once again. | „ |
~ Kabal's Deception bio. |
“ | You fight well. I don't know who you are but there is always room in the Black Dragon clan for another ruthless warrior. | „ |
~ Kabal makes an offer to Taven to join the Black Dragon, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. |
“ | Shao Kahn: Beg for my forgivness! Kabal: I don't grovel, whimper or give a shit. Shao Kahn: Then die fool. |
„ |
~ Kabal's intro dialogue to Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 11. |
“ | You're a dead ringer for your mother! | „ |
~ Revenant Kabal before fighting Cassie Cage. |
“ | Hope you're ready for some pre-emptive vengeance! | „ |
~ Human Kabal to Sonya after Kano lied to him that she burned him when she never did. |
“ | Jax Briggs. We were partners under Quan Chi's command. You'll join me again. | „ |
~ Revenant Kabal before fighting Jax. |
“ | It's only you and me, this time. There's no castle to bury me under. | „ |
~ Revenant Kabal vs Jacqui Briggs. |
“ | Too slow! I expected better, Fujin. | „ |
~ Revenant Kabal to Fujin. |
Trivia[]
- One of the hints in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is "Kabal says thank you very much". This may be a reference to a side mission players can perform, where he will reward them with his hookswords.
- While all the other characters must perform "mercy" to use their Animalities, Kabal can do so automatically on the Sega Genesis ports, however, this makes his head fall off.
- In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Kano states that the Flash was so fast, he would give Kabal a run for his money.
- Because Kabal is possessed as a revenant while his past version is evil due to his brainwashed state which disappointed some fans, both are believed to appear in the sequel of Mortal Kombat 11 where the revenant Kabal would be snapped out from the influence.
- Curiously, the younger Kabal is depicted with superspeed, even though he should come from a time period before he gets them.
- The human Kabal wasn't really a villain nor a crime lord, he wasn't really a Black Dragon member either, he was just getting brainwashed by his hated archnemesis Kano.