Mortal Kombat's Mileena is one of the most recognizable fighters from the franchise, rivaling the likes of Scorpion and Sub-Zero in terms of fans. She continues to be a fascinating character, boasting some of the greatest development between timelines. She has some bite to her, with a powerful moveset, gory fatalities, and a fascinating story, regardless of which timeline you look at.
If you're set on facing her in battle, you should look at our Mortal Kombat 1 kameo fighters, Mortal Kombat 1 characters, Mortal Kombat Sonya, Mortal Kombat Sub Zero, and Mortal Kombat Scorpion guides to see if these fighters can help. If not, well, it's been nice knowing you and all that.
Here's what you need to know about Mortal Kombat's Mileena:
Who is Mortal Kombat's Mileena?
Mileena is a household name in Mortal Kombat. Many people who don't even enjoy the games have heard of her. She's so popular that her initial absence from Mortal Kombat 11 shocked everyone. Sure, she arrived as a DLC character down the line, but the choice to omit such a fan favorite from launch was a surprising one. Mind you, she dies a most painful death in MKX, so canon-wise in that timeline, it makes sense.
We might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves. We should tell you about her debut and early appearances before going on a rant about her absence from one of the more recent games. Mileena debuted in Mortal Kombat II, going on to be a prominent presence in the series. She's a genetic experiment from Shang Tsung, making her Kitana's clone and an adopted daughter of Shao Khan. Mind you, she doesn't look exactly like Kitana due to her also having Tarkatan DNA – the reason she has huge, nasty, sharp teeth.
For all intents and purposes, she's an antagonist in this universe, and there's certainly no love lost between herself and her 'sister.' Shao Khan creates her to replace Kitana, who is actually a good person and a fair princess who doesn't want Outworld to succeed in dominating Earthrealm, though Mileena is keen to carry on her father's legacy, both before and after he dies.
Mortal Kombat 1
Liu Kang shook things up a bit in his era. In Mortal Kombat 1, Mileena is Kitana's older sister. No, that isn't in a role-reversal way where Kitana is her clone; instead, the two are real sisters who share the same parents. Their mother is in Sindel, but Shao Khan isn't their father, and that's only a good thing. In fact, Sindel is the empress of Outworld, and Mileena serves as her heir. Meanwhile, Shao Khan is the general of Outworld's army. A position he takes grave advantage of, which goes against him in the end when good triumphs over evil once more.
Unfortunately, Mileena is infected with the Tarkat disease in this timeline, though a cure courtesy of Shang Tsung keeps it at bay and prevent her from permanently transforming. Mileena is a good person in this world and is ready to fight for both Outworld and Earthrealm when a threat arrives to destroy her timeline. She even has the opportunity for love in this version of events, as she and Tanya seem to be particularly close.
We're especially fond of the bond she shares with Kitana in the new era, seeing them look out for each other and protect one another, a stark contrast to the previous timelines. Perhaps this is how it was always meant to be.
Mortal Kombat Mileena's personality
Mileena is vicious, malicious, and has no problem mowing down (chomping down?) anyone who dares to get in her way. In a nutshell, she's evil incarnate with a superiority complex. A good example of how sinister Mileena is comes from her hatred of Kitana. Not only does she want to execute her genetic twin, but she also wants Kitana to suffer first.
Mortal Kombat 1
In MK1, Mileena has a very different personality. She's actually a kind and loyal soul who wants what's best for Outworld and is welcoming of the help of her mother and sister (she also appears to have a forbidden relationship with Tanya, cementing what we all knew to be true in previous timelines). Still, she's ferocious when in her Tarkat state, as it makes her bloodthirsty, though by the end of the game, it appears as though she is gaining some control over it.
Who is Mileena's love interest?
It's not just Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage who can find love in Mortal Kombat, as Mileena shares a romance with Tanya. In Mortal Kombat 11, if you complete a tower with Mileena, you see that she rewrites history so that she's the daughter of both Shao Khan and Sindel, making her the heir of Outworld. Not only that, but the girl has an heir of her own with her partner, Tanya.
In the new timeline, in Mortal Kombat 1, it's also clear that there's a secret relationship going on with the two women.
Mortal Kombat Mileena's appearances
Mileena is present in a lot of Mortal Kombat media:
- Mortal Kombat II
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
- Mortal Kombat Trilogy
- Mortal Kombat Gold
- Mortal Kombat Advance
- MK: Deception
- MK: Unchained
- MK: Shaolin Monks
- MK: Armageddon
- Mortal Kombat (2011)
- Mortal Kombat X
- Mortal Kombat X comics
- Mortal Kombat Mobile
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Mortal Kombat: Onslaught
- Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
- Mortal Kombat: Conquest
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy
- Mortal Kombat 1
Mortal Kombat Mileena's fatalities
You want brutal Mortal Kombat fatalities? You need to look no further than Mileena's. She has more than one that involves either inhaling or eating her victims, though her sais are pretty prominent in how she ends her opponents, too.
You can see a full list of Mileena's fatalities below:
- Sai Stabs
- Man Eater
- Nail Shooter
- Sai-Anara
- Ferocious Bite
- Sai Lodge
- Be Mine
- Rip Off
- Face Feast
- Tasty Treat
- Spinning Out of Control
- Violent Delights
- Appetizer
- A Little to the Left
Naturally, Mileena's new Mortal Kombat 1 fatalities are both bloody and brutal. Take our advice, and don't do anything to tick off the heir to the Outworld throne which isn't too difficult, just don't harm her family and you're golden in all honesty.
There you have it, everything about the ethereal yet disturbing beauty that's Mortal Kombat's Mileena. Admittedly, she does look like she belongs in a horror game. She certainly gives the Dead by Daylight killers, Dead by Daylight characters, Poppy Playtime characters, and FNAF characters a run for their money.