Mortal Kombat Rebirth

A planned new take on Mortal Kombat, taking the series to a more realistic setting. In Deacon City, crime is running rampant, forcing Police Captain Jackson Briggs to reach out to assassin Hanzo Hasashi. Briggs informs Hasashi of the presence of two madmen, codenamed Reptile and Baraka, as well as the man believed to be employing them both, Shang Tsung. The plan to deal with these men is simple; Tsung is holding an underground fighting tournament where it is believed that they and other undesirables will gather. Hasashi is to enter the tournament and eliminate everyone involved. Initially, the assassin is uninterested in this plan, until Sonya Blade reveals to him that a man named Sub-Zero will be there as well. His curiosity piqued, as he believed Sub-Zero to be dead and buried, Hasashi agrees before dropping his old name in favor of a new one - Scorpion.

Originally a short film intended to generate interest in a version of Mortal Kombat not unlike Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Rebirth was greenlit to become a ten episode web series. The original short/trailer can be viewed here.

The series made its debut on April 12, 2011, with Episode 1 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

This work contains examples of:

 * Alternate Universe
 * Blade Below the Shoulder: Baraka still has them, but this time they're telescopic, making them a little more realistic. Still not clear how he extends them, though.
 * Doing in the Wizard: The original games were set in a Fantasy Kitchen Sink multiverse with magic, mythical creatures, and alternate dimensions. This idea for the series? Not so much.
 * Even the nickname "Jax" is too unrealistic for this series.
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Reptile keeps the heads of his victims in his fridge and eats them when he's hungry.
 * In Name Only
 * Killed Off for Real:, in Rebirth,.
 * My Greatest Failure: Baraka is a former plastic surgeon who accidentally killed a patient. The next two dozen were not accidents.
 * Mythology Gag:
 * Reptile's penchant for eating heads is a reference to one of his Fatalities.
 * The name on Capt. Briggs door has a few faded letters. The darker ones spell 'Jacks,' a play on his in-game name of Jax.
 * Possibly
 * The word "fatality" and the phrase "Finish him!" are both spoken.
 * Off with His Head: kills  this way.
 * One Last Smoke:, right before takes his head off.
 * Red Right Hand: Reptile has a birth defect that causes, amongst other things, diamond-like 'scales' to appear on his skin and his eyelids to be formed inside out.
 * Most people were unaware that this is a real condition.
 * Serial Killer: Both Baraka and Reptile are re-imagined this way.
 * That Man Is Dead: Scorpion, in regards to Hanzo Hasashi.
 * Wolverine Claws: Baraka still has them, only now they're surgically implanted in his forearms. How he pops them out has yet to be revealed.