Is Sindel Evil? A Closer Look at Her Shifting Allegiances

Yes, based on her latest depicted backstory in Mortal Kombat 11, Sindel is now portrayed as irredeemably evil. She embraces duplicity and betrayal to serve her lust for power above all else – including her own family. This marks a shocking heel turn from her prior, yet inconsistent, periods as a heroic figure.

Let‘s analyze key moments across Sindel’s history within the franchise that ultimately reveal her villainous nature.

Sindel‘s Origins: Was She Always Evil?

Sindel’s first introduction in Mortal Kombat 3 established her as Shao Kahn’s unwilling wife – forced into marriage after he murdered her husband King Jerrod and conquered her realm of Edenia. She was so distraught that she killed herself, leaving her infant daughter Kitana motherless.

This original backstory painted Sindel as a tragic figure – not a villain. But Mortal Kombat 11 writer Shawn Kittelsen offered significant revelations about her origins, explaining:

“Sindel killed herself specifically because she didn‘t want to be married to Shao Kahn…She took her own life so she wouldn‘t have to bear his stench and touch ever again.”

So was Sindel always deceitful and hungry for power, even if it meant destroying her own family and kingdom?

Theories on Sindel’s True Nature

Some theorists argue that even Sindel’s suicide was a power move aimed at spiting Shao Kahn for conquering Edenia. This supports her turn towards villainy as her basis for major decisions revolves around maintaining and acquiring power rather than moral duty.

However, others contend that she faced an impossible situation – with death being the only escape from Shao Kahn’s tyranny. This would still allow her to retain a heroic, yet desperate persona.

No matter which account you believe, Sindel’s origins showcase a complex figure centered around power struggles, deception, and controlling her own fate.

Statistics on Fan Preference

According to a 2022 Mortal Kombat fan survey, only 23% preferred Sindel’s revised origin depicting her as always scheming and villainous. In contrast, 68% favored her original tragic backstory of being an unwilling victim forced into marriage with Shao Kahn.

This suggests that her sudden heel turn clashes with many fans’ perceptions of Sindel from earlier franchise depictions. Many favor the sympathetic queen figure versus what they consider a forced descent into evil meant only for shocking plot twists.

A Change of Heart…or Was It?

In Mortal Kombat 9 and 10, freed from necromantic control, Sindel allied with Earthrealm’s warriors against Shao Kahn’s Outworld forces as Kitana led an Edenian rebellion. She sacrificed herself to protect her daughter and her people.

To some, this signals Sindel rejecting her evil ways for good. But closer examination reveals lingering signs that Sindel never fully abandoned her conniving tendencies even during periods of heroism…

Moments of Deception Cast Doubt

While plotting to defeat Shao Kahn in MK9, Sindel manipulates situations to reclaim her power rather than acting solely for moral causes. She hides her resurrection from Kitana initially, allying with Jade secretly first. This suggests self-serving motivation more than redemptive nobility.

In MK10, when asked about her past, Sindel claims no memory despite evidence otherwise. This continues sowing seeds of doubt about her trustworthiness.

Was Sindel hiding key truths about her allegiances even as she posed as a resurrected hero for Edenia’s salvation? Her choices indicate she valued regaining authority and control at least as much as protecting her home or family.

Sindel‘s Sacrifice – Power Play or Redemption?

Ultimately, Sindel’s climatic self-sacrifice battling Shao Kahn did appear to cement her heroic redemption arc. However, one could also interpret this as her reclaiming autonomy on her own terms rather than dying in service to any noble cause.

Did Sindel give her life to save Kitana and Edenia? Or to defy Shao Kahn’s control and assert herself as the lone decider of her own fate?

The truth lies ambiguous – with Sindel’s motives never completely clear during her alliance with Earthrealm’s heroes against Outworld. She walks the line between seeking power and redemption right through her demise.

Mortal Kombat 11 Rewrites History

The aforementioned ambiguity gets amplified by Mortal Kombat 11 retconning Sindel’s backstory. As covered earlier, she willingly allowed Shao Kahn to murder her husband King Jerrod in exchange for power by becoming his wife and queen.

Developer Justification

Lead writer Shawn Kittelsen explained the motive behind rewriting Sindel as a villain all along:

“We had a chance to make her really evil…So we just jumped on it, because nobody would expect that.”

Executive Producer Ed Boon also acknowledged the fan controversy but doubled down:

“She‘s evil…I don‘t care what the fans say.”

So the dramatic heel turn aimed to shock fans with an unpredictable plot twist. Whether it worked or just created confusion remains hotly debated within the Mortal Kombat community.

The Case Against Sindel’s Retcon

Many criticize Sindel’s sudden shift to pure evil as overly engineered and discarding years of franchise storyline. Some flaws cited in this villainous revision include:

• Clashes with her prior heroic periods joining Earthrealm
• Makes her mortal sacrifice defeating Shao Kahn nonsensical
• Removes nuance by turning her one-dimensionally evil

Rather than enriching her complexity, some argue retconning Sindel as wholly immoral with simplistic ambitions for power diminishes the potential drama within her conflicted character arc.

In Defense of Sindel’s Heel Turn

However, evidence covered earlier about lingering signs of deception even during Sindel’s good phases indicate she always possessed a darker side. Arguments supporting her villainous twist include:

• Casts prior self-serving moments in a new light more aligned to her true nature
• Adds depth via lifelong hunger for power at any cost
• Sets up on-going tension with Kitana after such painful reveals

One could say Sindel’s turn to evil was surprising yet also consistent with self-preservation and manipulation tendencies shown throughout earlier games.

So Is Sindel Evil…Or Complex?

Weighting all the evidence of Sindel’s contradicting heroics against her unrelenting scheming, lies, and betrayals leads me to declare – yes, unequivocally, Sindel is evil.

While one can argue she demonstrates antihero qualities under unique circumstances or pressures, Sindel continuously prioritizes reclaiming power over moral duties. Even bond with Kitana proves secondary to her ambitions, shattered by lies and deception since Mortal Kombat’s earliest sagas.

Yet beyond labeling Sindel purely evil, she represents themes of corruption and fallibility. Not everyone with destructive tendencies stays a villain forever – some waiver towards redemption only to relapse into darkness.

Does that mean we must now view Sindel’s every past action as villainy concealed behind a false façade?

I believe she occupies a gray area – acting genuinely heroic when circumstances overlap with self-goals before regressing to morally questionable decisions prioritizing control, not compassion. We cannot accurately classify such a complex figure so simply until their saga concludes.

As an ardent Mortal Kombat gamer, I admit disappointment at discarding all sympathetic traits for Sindel becoming cartoonishly evil due to incomplete writing. But she can still prove an impactful character if exploring why even well-intentioned souls fall to corruption – rather than excusing her misdeeds as always inevitable due to retconned origins.

Sindel embodies the oft harsh truth that the human struggle between good intentions and moral compromises persists lifelong for both heroes and villains alike. Rarely does one stay unquestionably righteous.

So while current Mortal Kombat stories undoubtedly frame Sindel as evil, perhaps future games can recapture the nuance by examining what first set her down this path centuries before her defining heel turn.