Bio:
- Name: Ermac
- Age: 25
- Weight: 180 lbs
- Height: 5’8
- Resides: Outworld
- Race: Fusion of souls
- Eye Color: green
- Status: Outworld Enforcer
- Alignment: Evil
Ermac is a fusion of the many souls destroyed in Outworld’s wars, only to be controlled by Emperor Shao Kahn and his Shadow Priests. Because of this, it refers to itself as “we“, “our“, “us“, and “ours“, instead of “I“, “my” “me“, and “mine“. Because of the sheer concentration of souls within Ermac, he possesses the gifts of telekinesis, teleportation, and the ability to travel between realms.
Ermac rarely shows any signs of emotion, but they have proven to be quite wise and a very deadly combatant. They have used their telekinetic abilities to battle multiple opponents at once while keeping the upper hand. It was freed from Shao Kahn’s grip by the blind swordsman Kenshi, whom they repaid by teaching him the Telekinetic Slam. It decided to become a force of good, partly in guilt of their past evils. To prove this, they decide to help Liu Kang free the souls of his friends from Onaga’s control.
In the current timeline, none of that happened. After the Mortal Kombat tournament, It soon came under the possession of Shao Kahn’s soul, as well as King Jerrod’s. Despite this, it’s implied that Ermac has free will and is no longer evil due to Shao Kahn’s death. They willingly chose to side with Kotal Kahn to be ruler of Outworld instead of Mileena, despite Shao Kahn’s decree. While Ermac’s goal has varied over time, their overall allegiance is to Outworld, whether from defending it from threats like Onaga or finding a proper ruler for the realm itself.
Storyline
Ermac was one of Shao Kahn’s deadliest warriors. They were created by the emperor himself, through a fusion of souls. Ermac carried out missions for the emperor without question. In one of their missions in the Netherrealm, Ermac became acquainted with an Earthrealm warrior that roamed the realms in search of the ancient Kamidogu. The warrior’s name was Shujinko and Ermac taught him their abilities in return for the help he gave them. Ermac was in the Netherrealm to slay a demon, but the Netherrealm drained Ermac’s power and only the Soul Stone could stop this process. Shujinko found and brought the stone to Ermac who thanked him for his help and offered to train Shujinko. Later on, Ermac was assaulted by Ashrah who believed them to be a demon, but they parried her attack easily.
Mortal Kombat 3
Ermac participated in the invasion of Earthrealm. However, after Shao Kahn’s defeat and subsequent loss of power, Ermac remained under Kahn’s control and wandered Outworld without instructions.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
The wandering Ermac was found by the blind swordsman Kenshi and was freed from Kahn’s control. To show their gratitude, Ermac taught Kenshi the “Telekinetic Slam” technique.
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Ermac’s new found freedom meant they were also free to choose their own destiny. It decided to repent and became a force for good. After making this decision, they met a warrior soul who, like Kenshi, understood their suffering. This warrior soul was that of Liu Kang and was not only in need of another ally, but assistance in freeing his enslaved comrades.
Ermac was eager to help Liu Kang, as this was an opportunity to help it atone for the evil they had committed in Shao Kahn’s name. Ermac decided to help Kang and the two would set out to free the Mortal Kombat champion’s allies from Onaga’s control. They are eventually successful in their pursuit.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Ermac joined the Forces of Light in the battle of Armageddon, where they swiftly incapacitated if not killed Rain when the battle began. However, during the battle, Ermac disappeared for a short time, allowing Shang Tsung to take its place. Ermac was later shown to be among those who eventually died.
Mortal Kombat 9
Ermac is introduced by Shang Tsung in the first Mortal Kombat tournament, where they were labeled “the newest creation of Shao Kahn”. Despite their deadly powers, Ermac was defeated by Liu Kang in battle.
Ermac went to the Soul Chamber later on, where the souls that comprise Ermac rest and regenerate. Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, and Jax Briggs were all in the Soul Chamber when Ermac emerged. Jax attempted to attack Ermac, but they caught Jax’s punch and proceeded to telekinetically rip off Jax’s arms. While Sonya tended to Jax, Sub-Zero fought Ermac, who was defeated once again.
During the second tournament at the Coliseum, Ermac defeated and eliminated Johnny Cage from the tournament. This left only Liu Kang and Kung Lao to fight for Earthrealm. After Kung Lao was killed by Shao Kahn, Liu Kang was enraged and tried to avenge his fallen friend. The emperor was supposedly killed, and his allies argued about who would be the next ruler of Outworld, an argument where Ermac was also present. Shao Kahn eventually appeared alongside Quan Chi. he sorcerer had aided him on his recovery and helped the emperor develop a plan to invade Earth, an invasion in which Ermac took part.
Kurtis Stryker defeated Kintaro and attempted to call in a medical evacuation for the injured Kabal. Stryker was telekinetically lifted and thrust down into the Subway by Ermac. Stryker and Ermac then fought, and for a third time, Ermac was defeated.
Ermac’s final appearance comes after Cyber Sub-Zero frees the Earthrealm prisoners. The recently freed prisoners were shown being telekinetically thrown back into the room by Ermac. In a rematch, the automated Sub-Zero faced Ermac again, and as before, Sub-Zero won.
Mortal Kombat X
Ermac had once served under the empress Mileena. Five years prior to Kotal’s takeover, Mileena and her servants, including Ermac, confronted Kotal Kahn and his allies, who were plotting to overthrow the empress. After Reptile reveals Mileena’s true origins to the room, Ermac betrays the empress and engages her in combat. Her remaining allies are eventually slain, and Kotal orders Reptile to escort Mileena away. Ermac then pledges their allegiance to the new emperor of Outworld, Kotal Kahn.
Ermac alongside Erron Black and an army of Outworld soldiers escort Kotal Kahn’s carriage to its destination. When Mileena’s Tarkatan hordes attack the carriage, Ermac joins D’Vorah and Erron Black in fighting them off. They managed to kill numerous Tarkatans with their telekinetic powers.
Ermac assists Erron Black and Reptile, in investigating the slain corpses of two Outworld soldiers who had been ordered to take Shinnok’s amulet to a safe location. Upon further inspection, they surmise that it is D’Vorah’s work, stating that only she had the ability to create such wounds. Soon afterwards, they are ambushed by Cassie Cage and her team, leading Reptile to believe that D’Vorah had set them free. Although Ermac, Erron, and Reptile have the upper hand for most of the fight, they are eventually defeated by Takeda and knocked unconscious. They later report back to Kotal Kahn and inform him of D’Vorah’s betrayal. They propose allegations that D’Vorah had stolen the amulet, set the Earthrealm prisoners free, and took the amulet to Raiden. In response, Kotal Kahn orders Ermac and the others to prepare his army for an invasion of Earthrealm, intending to steal the amulet back.
After Cassie, Takeda, Kung Jin, and Jacqui crash land in a forest, Kotal and his followers emerge from a portal nearby. Kotal orders his minions to attack, but the Earthrealmers manage to escape. As they venture deeper into the woods in search of Cassie and her friends, Ermac tells Kotal that they can sense their presence. Moments later, Cassie’s team spring a surprise attack on Kotal’s army, resulting in a long battle between the two. After defeating Reptile and healing Takeda, Jacqui Briggs confronts Ermac, knowing that it was responsible for ripping her father’s arms off 25 years ago. Jacqui emerges victorious, and remarks that with this defeat, her father had been avenged. Ermac is not seen again after this, and it is assumed that they had been driven back to Outworld along with the rest of Kotal Kahn’s henchmen.
Powers and Abilities
As mentioned above, Ermac is not one person, but an entire collection of souls of warriors brought together into physical form through means of powerful magic, courtesy of Shao Kahn. Due to this, Ermac always refers to himself as a group instead of a single person (saying things such as, “we” and “us”, instead of, “I” or “me”). As a result of its very being being composed of thousands of souls, Ermac possesses various powers related to them, most commonly in the form of telekinesis, which allows them to manipulate every aspect of living and non-living objects with their collective mind. In addition to its telekinesis, it is also able to manipulate soul energy because of their composition, which they utilize in the form of both levitation and firing projectile attacks.
In addition to Ermac’s soul-based abilities, they are also immensely skilled in physical combat. This may also be the result of the fact that many of the souls that make up their body are that of ancient warriors who possibly are the source of their knowledge of different forms of martial arts. As showcased by Takeda’s failed attempt, Ermac is immune to telepathy due to the many minds of the thousands of souls within its body.
While they may not appear to have any at first glance, Ermac does have one major weakness, the Netherrealm itself. Since it is a being created completely by magic, their powers would decrease over time the longer it stays in the realm, weakening the bond holding the souls together and overall threatening its very existence. However, by using a mysterious stone dubbed the Soul Stone Shujinko found for them, it ultimately is protected from this threat.