In Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang's journey from human to god relies on the convergence of several timelines and the changes in his relationship with Raiden. The multiple timelines of Mortal Kombat add a layer of difficulty to tracking character stories and development, but the timelines can be separated into the first and second primary timelines. It's in the second timeline - also known as the new or current timeline - that Liu Kang goes from human to god, with a few other forms in between.
Liu Kang is a Shaolin monk from Earthrealm who enters the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament with the intention to save Earthrealm by becoming the Mortal Kombat champion. As Liu Kang continues to prove his strength and battle prowess, he makes himself a threat to those who want to invade Earthrealm, such as Shao Kahn and Kronika. Shao Kahn's brutal nature, shown in the Outworld, would mean that his conquest of Earthrealm would leave it in ruins, and Liu Kang refuses to allow that to happen. Earthrealm is targeted by villains like Shao Kahn because it's viewed as the jewel of the cosmos. Because of this, Raiden has been put in charge of protecting it, and he has help from Mortal Kombat characters such as Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Cassie Cage.
In both Mortal Kombat timelines, Liu Kang and Kung Lao are followers of Raiden, trusting him to guide them in protecting Earthrealm since that's the task he's been given by the Elder Gods. The series of transitions that Liu Kang undergoes from human to god in the current timeline is linked to primarily Raiden, who is trying to prevent an apocalyptic future without any idea as to how he can accomplish that. While Raiden's originally gave his power to Mortal Kombat 4's Kai, not Liu Kang, the story makes more sense with Liu Kang becoming a god, even if his path to godhood begins with his death.
Liu Kang Becomes An Enemy Of Earthrealm In Mortal Kombat X
As Shao Kahn is about to enter Earthrealm, Raiden prevents Liu Kang from facing him to avenge the death of his best friend, Kung Lao, who was killed by Shao Kahn's hands. As Liu Kang is already beginning to doubt Raiden's judgment due to several of Earthrealm's fighters having died in Raiden's attempts to stop Armageddon, Raiden prevents him from going after Shao Kahn enrages him. This leads to Liu Kang attacking Raiden, who defends himself with lightning, and in doing so leaves mortal wounds on Liu Kang. Liu Kang's body is later taken away after Raiden and the Elder Gods defeat Shao Kahn, and he is turned into a revenant.
In Mortal Kombat, the villain version of Liu Kang serves Quan Chi as a revenant in the Netherrealm. At this point, Liu Kang is an enemy of Earthrealm, and he asks Shinnok if he can kill Raiden. His request is denied because Shinnok wants to seal Raiden, but in the end Raiden defeats Shinnok. Shinnok's defeat leads to Liu Kang becoming the new emperor of the Netherrealm.
Mortal Kombat: Liu Kang Meets His Future Self
The introduction of Kronika to Mortal Kombat brought with it the complications of time travel, as Kronika meddles with the timeline trying to create her perfect world. Kronika's plans, however, are always thwarted by Raiden and Liu Kang. As the Netherrealm is about to fall to the Earthrealm forces, Kronika approaches Liu Kang in order to use him for her plans. Revenant Liu Kang is interested in Kronika's plan to create a world without Raiden, and they form an alliance. Because of this alliance, both a young, living Liu Kang and the revenant Liu Kang exist simultaneously when Kronika merges Mortal Kombat timelines.
As Raiden and the younger Liu Kang are about to get in a fight, all the memories of their fights from the future return to Raiden. Having been told about his fate in the timeline before the merging, Liu Kang stands by Raiden in the new timeline. He trusts that Raiden will do what is right for Earthrealm, and he does what he can to ensure a safe future lies ahead. Liu Kang is captured by Kronika, then meets the revenant version of himself. Revenant Liu Kang absorbs the soul of his younger self, effectively killing him once more.
Liu Kang's Final Form In Mortal Kombat
Empowered by the soul of his younger self, revenant Liu Kang battles Raiden, holding onto the belief that Raiden has betrayed and doomed the Earthrealm champions by making decisions that led to their deaths. Raiden defeats revenant Liu Kang but doesn't kill him. Instead, Raiden uses his own power to fuse himself, revenant Liu Kang, and the now-deceased younger Liu Kang into one. The soul of younger Liu Kang takes control of his new form, making him into Fire God Liu Kang, taking Raiden's place as the defender of Earthrealm.
Fire God Liu Kang defeats Kronika, but not before she turns time back once more. After the defeat of Kronika at the dawn of time, Raiden separates from Liu Kang. However, Raiden is now a mortal while Liu Kang retains his status as a god. Raiden entrusts the new future to Liu Kang. At the end of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, Liu Kang approaches the Great Kung Lao - ancestor of his friend, Kung Lao - and chooses him to be his champion, telling him that it's time to train.
Despite the multiple timelines and the merging of some of them, Mortal Kombat's story remains relatively coherent. A leak shows Mortal Kombat 12's disappointing roster but doesn't give players enough information to speculate on the direction this timeline will take. After the intrigue that Liu Kang as a villain brought to the series - and looking at the multiple times that Raiden was corrupted, despite being the Lightning God - he could be put in the role of a villain once more and make mistakes, believing that he's doing what's right for the future of Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat.
