To those who actually know the story of MK 11, is there any reason Liu Kang didn't just end the Mortal Kombat shit?
Irrelevant, because since MK9 NRS has had the shit habit of retcon'ing their endings.
MK9:
Shinnok has arrived! Prepare to re-experience his attempted Konquest of Earthrealm!
MKX:
LOLno, have this shitty story about the next generation replacing your favorites and originals instead, and stay tuned for the climactic ending of this new trilogy featuring the final clash between Dark Rayden and revenant Liu Kang! How will Earth's new generation and original survivors outlast this battle of wills?
MK11:
LOL they won't, because we get rid of most of everyone important in MKX in the first act LOLOLOLOL, have this even shittier story about Time Lord Caillou attempting for the Nth time to force her will on the entire universe instead, and after the Kredits roll, prepare yourself for a new timeline (again), as we see Liu Kang visit this timeline's Great Kung Lao, years before he becomes the legendary warrior who saved Earthrealm from Outworld's grasp. Prepare yourself for a prequel set 500 years before the events of MK1!!
MK1,2023:
LOL you just never learn, do you?
So it really doesn't matter what MK11 did or said, because NRS is autistic and can't stick to a well-planned, elaborate story despite trying to do just that.
But if you really wanna know, he can't end it because despite being a Time Lord, he can't actually prevent his enemies from existing. No one can.
Kronika couldn't either, it's why every time she tried, either Liu Kang or Rayden would foil her scheme and she would reset time, wait billions of years, then try again... and be foiled again... and again... and again... for what is implied to be trillions of years which only aggravated her insanity.
So Liu Kang is stuck being a glorified spectator the same way Kronika was. It almost makes you question why anyone would even want the job of time lord.
We also don't know yet what Liu Kang's goals even are. Kronika's goal was always for her son Shinnok to win his rebellion against the other Elder Gods and got tired of Rayden and the Earthrealmers fucking up her son's plan, which is why she allies herself with Earth's enemies in a bid to eliminate Rayden and Liu Kang, as well as attempt to spread discord between Rayden and Kang in the hopes they off each other for her.
Meanwhile all Liu Kang said was that he wanted to bring back everyone and have them live in peace, which Rayden reassures him they would (which is complete bullshit now in MK12 because Rayden is no longer Liu's right hand man/concilliary like he was at the end of 11, but instead has Liu's spot in time as a mortal).
TL-DR none of this shit makes sense, just look at the pretty gore and buy, buy. buy.
Why does it have to always be Shao Khan or Kronika or Shang Tsung as some universal constant that exists outside of time (And what makes Tsung so special when Khan and Kronika also seem immune to Kang's powers)? Hell if you must have Shao Khan in the game, why not spice it up and make him an antihero who will resist any tyrant that isn't him?
One of those is not like the others. Tsung and Kahn are iconic. Kronika is mid at best and shit on average.
They are giving Kahn some sort of rewrite this time where he's a proud warrior loyal to his people but forced to swear fealty to Sindel (So he's her bitch the way Kintaro was his), though it's implied he will betray Sindel if her will conflicts with the will of the people of Outworld, which seems to so far put him in the anti-hero role you want.
Though personally, I love him as the Konquerer of realms. They still had a lot of material to work with. We never got to see Kahn's cunning and conniving side, like how he managed to outsmart Onaga and poison him, or how he made Edenia his bitch and Jerrod a cuck.
what makes Tsung so special when Khan and Kronika also seem immune to Kang's powers
- Again. Kahn is not immune. He's not the same guy as seen in MK2-3-Armaggedon.
- My guess is Kronika sees Tsung as the ultimate foil to rival Kang, as well as the most useful puppet to control. He did make her crown and serve her interests for a while, after all.
The only thing I'd genuinely want out of the story mode is that it focuses on the TOURNAMENT. LIKE THE TITLE OF THE GAME!!???
NRS is full of redditors and redditors see UMK3 as the best game in the series, and that game is the one that stopped using a tournament as a setting and replaced it with a doomsday scenario instead. It made sense for UMK3 to do it because the story justified it as this was "Kahn's final attempt at Earth in an all-out invasion". The only rules being kill the Emperor or die.
Every other game that refuses to focus on the tournament aspect (X/11) haven't been as good and their "invasions" of Earthrealm sucked compared to MK3's basic but effective premise.
They should have had a return to basics tournament focused game with 12, but like I mentioned earlier NRS is autistic and can't stick to the plan laid out by their own post-credit scenes.