The sorcerer Shang Tsung was
imprisoned in the depths of Shao Kahn's fortress, punished for
failing to win the MK tournament in Earth realm. Periodically he
was released to perform tasks for the emperor, until he
eventually regained Shao Kahn's favor and was given his freedom.
He remained in Outworld risking his life to drain the souls of
kombatants in order to sustain his youth. All this changed the
day the sorcerer Quan Chi returned from the Netherrealm.
The Deadly Alliance was successful in
reviving the mummified remains of the Dragon King's undefeatable
army. Shang Tsung, however, began to realize that his relevance
in the partnership had evaporated once his talents for soul
transplantation were no longer needed. The balance of power
within the Deadly Alliance had seemingly been undone. Fearing
betrayal, he secretly instructed Kano to steal Quan Chi's amulet
in an attempt to gain control of the army. Since part of the
soul-transfer spell included the command to obey 'He who
possesses the amulet,' the army would obey only Shang Tsung, and
not Quan Chi, once the amulet was in his possession.
Amulet in hand, Shang Tsung revealed his
betrayal to Quan Chi and commanded the army to destroy the
sorcerer. Shang Tsung would succeed where others had failed. He
would conquer the realms. He would conquer Earth.