Mileena

A hybrid of royal grace and savage rage, she kills with a smile.

Mileena is a central figure in the Mortal Kombat franchise, introduced in Mortal Kombat II (1993) as a clone of Princess Kitana created by Shang Tsung. Originally a palette-swapped complement to preserve memory, she was distinguished by her pink outfit and large gnashing teeth, designed to symbolize evil alongside Baraka. While she is a clone in the original timeline and the 2011 reboot, Mortal Kombat 1 (2023) recasts her as Kitana's older twin sister, infected with the Tarkat disease. Throughout the series, she has served as a prominent villain using dual sais, receiving positive reception for her unique appearance despite criticism of her revealing designs.

Quick Facts

Series: Mortal Kombat
First game: Mortal Kombat II (1993)
Creator: Ed Boon and John Tobias
Species: Edenian-Tarkatan clone (1st – 2nd timelines); Edenian (Infected with Tarkat disease) (3rd timeline)
Origin: Outworld
Weapon: Sai

Lore & Background

In the original timeline, Mileena was created by Shang Tsung to spy on Kitana and ensure her loyalty to Shao Kahn. She combined Edenian genetics with the brutish Tarkatan race, resulting in razor-sharp teeth concealed by a mask. In Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) she is killed by Kitana and sent to the Netherrealm, where she swears loyalty to its ruler, Shinnok. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, freed by her ally Baraka, she poses as Kitana and secretly takes control of both Edenia's forces and Onaga's undead army; she is killed by Shang Tsung in the opening of Armageddon.

The 2011 reboot maintained her clone status but highlighted her physical instability. A major shift came in Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), where Liu Kang's new timeline makes Mileena Kitana's biological older twin, heir to the throne, and the girlfriend of Tanya of the Umgadi royal guard. In this version she suppresses the Tarkat disease, which gives her the Tarkatans' deformed features, with a drug.

Reader's Guide

Mileena is a top-tier character from Mortal Kombat II, known for her signature sai weapons, teleport-kick, and ground-roll-attack moves. Originally a palette swap of Kitana, she received distinct redesigns starting with Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance by Steve Beran to retain recognizability while refreshing the look. Her facial deformities were relocated in MKX but reverted to the original mouth design in MK11. For MK11, designers intentionally downplayed her sexuality for a more serious tone, finalized by artists Manuel Robles and Julian Wolf. In MK1 (2023), her design features an increased amount of teeth inspired by MKX concept art. Her Fatalities famously involve consuming opponents and spitting out bones. She was omitted from Mortal Kombat 3 but returned as a hidden unlockable in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Did You Know?

Co-creator Ed Boon described Mileena and Kitana as the 'female version of Scorpion and Sub-Zero'.
Character designer John Tobias chose the name 'Mileena' because it had a pleasant sound to hide her grotesque appearance.
Katalin Zamiar, who played Mileena in MKII, filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Midway over unpaid royalties.