Bio:
- Name: Kabal
- Age: 55
- Weight: 175 lbs.
- Height: 6’2
- Gender: Male
- Resides: Netherrealm
- Race: Revenant
- Eye Color: Red
- Status: Revenant Servant
- Alignment: Unwillingly Evil
Kabal was a mysterious chosen warrior who survived an attack from one of Shao Kahn’s extermination squads. He was actually a member of the Black Dragon. At the time of his introduction, he appeared as a force for good, but has since reverted to his evil ways, planning to place himself as the head of the new Black Dragon clan.
In the new timeline, Kabal is once again good, although his past as a Black Dragon member was mentioned by Kano after fixing him. Before his disfigurement by Kintaro’s flames, he was a police officer partnered up with Kurtis Stryker.
Mortal Kombat 3
For many years, Kabal was a loyal member of the Black Dragon clan. One day Shao Kahn broke the sacred rules of Mortal Kombat to instigate an invasion and took Earthrealm by force. When Kahn began stealing souls, Kabal was spared from this gruesome fate because he was one of Earthrealm’s chosen warriors.
Seeing all chosen warriors as a threat to his dominance, Shao Kahn ordered his extermination squads to annihilate him. Kabal managed to escape, but his face was left forever scarred, irreparably mutilated, and forced to rely on a respirator due to his windpipe being slit. The events of Shao Kahn’s invasion had profoundly changed Kabal. The former Black Dragon left behind his life of crime with the Black Dragon and vowed to become a force for good.
Kabal was wounded severely in battle by Mavado some time later, before taking Kabal’s trademark Hookswords as a trophy.
Mortal Kombat: Deception
At the brink of death Kabal met Havik, who restored him and saved his life. The chaos cleric instructed him to bring back the Black Dragon as a force of anarchy and decay. Kabal decided to break his vow to help put an end to crime and injustice, and followed Havik’s instructions seemingly without hesitation.
Later on Kabal travelled back to Earthrealm were he confronted Mavado once more, and regained his Hookswords. In Earthrealm he recruited two more members for the Black Dragon, Kira and Kobra. The three of them joined Havik in Outworld.
Kabal had ulterior motives for recruiting Kira and Kobra, other than acquiring numbers. Seeing as how the complacency of the former members led to the demise of his clan, Kabal wanted to ensure that his new recruits were worthy of the Black Dragon. He tested their prowess in battle against the enemies of the Dragon King.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Kabal confronted Taven after the half-god had defeated Kobra and several other Black Dragon thugs in the Botan Jungle. He offered Taven a chance to join the clan, but Taven refused, which led to a fight between them, from which Taven emerged victorious.
Later on Kabal joined the Forces of Darkness in the battle of Armageddon, where he was killed like most of the combatants.
Mortal Kombat 9
Kabal is a reformed criminal turned police officer and is Kurtis Stryker’s partner. Kabal is burned alive by Kintaro during the Earthrealm invasion. Whilst Stryker had been thrown into the subway by Ermac after dealing with Kintaro, Kabal had been carried away by Outworld forces. Kabal had been dragged into Outworld, where he was healed and given his respirator by Shang Tsung’s magic and Kano´s technology.
Kabal defeats Kano in a fight after the latter openly admits that he is the one responsible for Outworld´s firepower. He plans on visiting Shao Kahn, but realizes he can’t get near Kahn, as he is the Emperor. So Kabal forces Kano to come with him, as Kano is an ally of Shao Kahn. Kano leads him to Shao Kahn’s throne room, where he witnesses him murdering Shang Tsung to empower the corrupted and resurrected Sindel. Kano mocks Kabal about Shao Kahn being too powerful. The former gets knocked unconscious by the latter.
While making his way towards Shao Kahn, Mileena and Noob Saibot catch sight of him and challenge him, but are both defeated. Shao Kahn quickly demands Quan Chi to close a nearby portal which leads to Earthrealm. Kabal inadvertently uses his superhuman speed to jump into the portal in time. In Earthrealm again, Kabal reaches the conclusion that his super speed is a residual effect of Outworld´s magic. He is then attacked by Cyber Sub-Zero for not being authorized for portal use, but defeats him.
Sheeva then starts a conflict with Kabal after witnessing him defeat the cyborg. Because he isn’t recognizable with the mask and his half melted skin, Sheeva mistook him for a Lin Kuei cyborg. Kabal fights and defeats Sheeva. Raiden, alongside Smoke, appear and welcome Kabal to join the Earthrealm warriors, while they take Cyber Sub-Zero in an effort to save him. He is later killed by Sindel when she stomps on him, but is resurrected by Quan Chi to serve him. On Quan Chi’s orders, the undead Kabal attacks Raiden, but is defeated.
Mortal Kombat X
The undead Kabal once again battled Raiden during Shinnok’s invasion of Earthrealm, participating in the assault on Raiden’s Sky Temple. Just outside the Jinsei Chamber, Kabal managed to injure Raiden with his hookswords, but was defeated when Raiden channeled lighting back through them.
25 years later, Kabal’s with his master Quan Chi and the other revenants as they rode off to Quan Chi’s Fortress to retrieve Shinnok’s Amulet. However the group was ambushed by Earthrealm forces led by Kenshi and Jax. The forces manage to cripple their means of transportation and Kabal swordfights with Kenshi. It is assumed that Kabal retreated with the rest of his allies after Jax beat Kung Lao, Kitana and Sindel.
Powers and abilities
Being a Black Dragon warrior, Kabal is a ruthless but level-headed combatant. His weapon of choice is a pair of Hookswords, which he can use to eviscerate his enemies with ease. After being ambushed by Shao Kahn’s extermination squads, he is forced to wear a respirator system to keep himself alive, and wears a mask to hide his hideous deformity, which is apparently so revolting that other combatants would cower in fear because of it.
Kabal’s other defining trait is his superhuman speed. He is able to move at such blinding speeds he appears as a blur, making him the fastest character in the series. It was later revealed that his speed is due to his brief time in Outworld, his ravaged body exposed to the magic-heavy atmosphere of that realm granting him such power.