The sorcerer Shang Tsung was imprisoned in the depths of Shao Kahn's fortress, punished for failing to win the Mortal Kombat tournament in Earthrealm. Periodically he was released to perform tasks for the emperor, until he eventually regained Shao Kahn's favor and was given his freedom. He remained in Outworld risking his life to drain the souls of kombatants in order to sustain his youth. All this changed the day the sorcerer Quan Chi returned from the Netherrealm.

The Deadly Alliance was successful in reviving the mummified remains of the Dragon King's undefeatable army. Shang Tsung, however, began to realize that his relevance in the partnership had evaporated once his talents for soul transplantation were no longer needed. The balance of power within the Deadly Alliance had seemingly been undone. Fearing betrayal, he secretly instructed Kano to steal Quan Chi's amulet in an attempt to gain control of the army. Since part of the soul-transfer spell included the command to obey 'He who possesses the amulet,' the army would obey only Shang Tsung, and not Quan Chi, once the amulet was in his possession. Amulet in hand, Shang Tsung revealed his betrayal to Quan Chi and commanded the army to destroy the sorcerer. Shang Tsung would succeed where others had failed. He would conquer the realms. He would conquer Earth.