Great Kung Lao

Great Kung Lao is a character frequently referenced in the Mortal Kombat series and featured as the protagonist in the television show Mortal Kombat: Conquest. He is the ancestor of the present-day Kung Lao, Kung Jin, and Liu Kang in both the original and alternate timelines. Great Kung Lao was the first person from Earthrealm to represent the Order of Light in the Mortal Kombat tournament. He battled the evil sorcerer and shapeshifter Shang Tsung (500 years before Liu Kang). Despite Shang Tsung having won nine consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments, Great Kung Lao defeated him, becoming Grand Champion and saving Earthrealm. As champion, Lao could not age. Fifty years later, he was defeated by the Shokan prince Goro. Afterward, his soul was taken by Tsung. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, his soul was freed after Shang Tsung was killed by Raiden's failed attempt to destroy the Dragon King, finally granting his soul peace after over five centuries of torment. Great Kung Lao appears as an ancestral spirit for some of Kung Lao's special attacks in Mortal Kombat 11, and in Kung Lao's Arcade ending. In the Aftermath Story Mode expansion, Liu Kang, after seizing the Hourglass and creating his own timeline, designated Great Kung Lao as his first champion. He served as Liu Kang's champion before dying peacefully of natural causes instead of being killed by Goro as in other timelines.