Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa)

Best Villains of All time (2386 items)
list by Ognen Vasileski

Played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in the first Mortal Kombat movie, Shang Tsung serves as the primary antagonist.

Although a powerful warrior, Shang Tsung regularly resorted to intimidation and trickery when dealing with his enemies. He lures Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade to the Mortal Kombat tournament by playing on their insecurities and desires. He kills Liu Kang's younger brother Chan Kang to lure the Shaolin monk to the tournament. He lures Johnny Cage in by telling the film star (in the form of one of his teachers) that if he wins, no one in the world will think of him as a fake. (It is unknown if he killed Master Boyd or not, as he takes his form.) He also hires Sonya's nemesis Kano to lure her to the tournament; however, Shang warns him that if he does so much as to touch her, he will apparently make Kano need a seeing-eye dog. Later, he betrays Kano and allows Sonya to kill him. Shang Tsung shows a particular interest in Sonya, as he plans to face her in the final battle of the tournament, seeing her as easy prey. (This interest is implied in the story mode of Mortal Kombat (2011), as shown in several scenes.) In the film's official magazine, it is stated that he wanted to make her his queen once Earthrealm was conquered, revealing that he was in love with her after all.