Shinnok

"Remove the shadow from the light; the shadow grows. The legacy of life is death, Raiden. My followers accept this and live on. They fight for me."

- Shinnok.

Shinnok is the fallen Elder God of Death who is now one of the rulers of the Netherrealm.

Overview
Shinnok is a vengeful, powerful Elder God of Death, he seeks death and destruction across all the realms. He is one of the Elder Gods that fell from grace and was banished into the Netherrealm after he attempted to conquer the Earthrealm as well as the rest of the realms and even tried to overthrow his fellow deities. He was known for taking part in the attack on Earthrealm that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs. Shinnok is also forever worshiped by an ancient and fanatic cult of demons and evil conjurers known as the Brotherhood of Shadow.

He is the known maker of the legendary Amulet of Shinnok, a talisman with powers beyond comprehension and also one of the Elder Gods' sacred relics known as the Kamidogu which helped make reality possible. He was also the son of the Elder Goddess, Kronika and the brother of the Elder Goddess, Cetrion. It is revealed that Kronika intended for both of her children to duel forever, thereby maintaining a balance of life and death throughout the realms, with Shinnok representing death and Cetrion representing life.

Appearance
Shinnok appears as a very tall, slender built man. Because of his corruption and imprisonment in the Netherrealm, his skin is completely white and decayed. His eyes are usually changing from white to green, this effect resulting from his powers. As a mockery to the Elder Gods, Shinnok is wearing for formal gatherings a predominately blue robe with golden motifs, a reference to his royal roots. His most distinctive feature is the sacred crimson crown that he is wearing with small modifications in each time he shows up.

Powers and Abilities
Being a (former) Elder God, Shinnok possesses and wields immeasurable powers. His powers seems to mainly revolve around darkness and the Netherrealm, such as summoning a skeletal hand from the ground to grip his opponent and take them into the Netherrealm. His magic also includes the ability to create demons and wraiths to do his bidding, as well as creating clones and illusions of others and himself.

Shinnok can also shapeshift and mimic the powers of other kombatants, however the powers he mimic must be in his jurisdiction. He can also take on a larger demonic form as shown when his precious amulet became stolen from him and in his anger, he transforms into a gigantic, unholy monster.

Myths and Legends
Shinnok is loosely based on the demon Yan Wang from the classical story Journey to the West.

Trivia

 * Only Shang Tsung, Delia, Shao Kahn and Quan Chi can match Shinnok's skills as a sorcerer.
 * Some rumors say that Shinnok is the father of Raiden and Shao Kahn.
 * The figure that looks a lot like Shinnok that died during Armageddon is his clone sent by the real Shinnok who was in the Netherrealm.
 * During SOME dialogue between Raiden and Cetrion, the former questions/suggests that Shinnok's madness and evil were actually the works of his mother Kronika's manipulations. Whether this is true or not is unknown.

Image Sources

 * (Mk legacy shinnok by esau13 d95r4ph-fullview.jpg) MK Legacy Shinnok by Esau13