Shang Tsung

Name: Shang Tsung
Origin: Earth
Race: Free-Roaming Sorcerer
Playable Debut: Mortal Kombat II
Unplayable Debut: Mortal Kombat
Story: Although Shang Tsung was born on earth, he soon realized the power which could be his as a free-roaming sorcerer. He passed into a realm where Shao Kahn ruled. Kahn, surprised by the human's talent, granted him more power and enlisted him as his lead sorcerer and Shadow Priest.
Together, they planned the invasion of Edenia. They fell almost immediately, and Shao Kahn killed King Jerrod, and took Sindel as his wife, holding their daughter Kitana as a hostage. Sindel did marry him, but went mad and committed suicide. Kahn was so furious that he captured her soul and kept it from reuniting with her husband, as well as an eternal show of power to his new stepdaughter, Kitana. To also ensure her loyalty, Shang Tsung created Mileena, a deformed clone of Kitana and connected their thoughts, so that Mileena could inform them of any sign of treachery. Kahn said that they were twins and no one dared to question it.

After the takeover of Edenia, the Shaolin tournament of Mortal Kombat was formed. If Kahn's forces were to win ten time consecutively, he would gain access to earth. Shang Tsung was sent to earth to participate. He quickly gained the title of Mortal Kombat champion by shape-shifting into his opponents and taking on their skills, and finally sapping his victim's souls. But then he was defeated by the great Kung Lao.
Years later, one of the great Shaolin masters died under mysterious circumstances, and Shang Tsung returned, aged and weakened by his loss. With him was the Half-Dragon Shokan prince Goro. Goro killed Kung Lao and Shang Tsung sapped his soul, retaining his thoughts and memories.
Meanwhile, in the Netherealm, Quan Chi was running out of options of freeing Shinnok, and then he met Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung gave him a deal: if Shinnok would take Sindel's soul, taint it with evil, and make it capable of being reborn on the Mother Realm, then Shang Tsung would reveal the location of the amulet from Kung Lao's memories.
Quan Chi accepted and gave Sindel's soul to Shinnok, who went to work deforming it. This process would take about a decade, so the tenth Mortal Kombat would still take place.
Shang Tsung gave the location of the Map of Elements and the Temple of Elements. Then he and Goro rested up until 1993, the tenth tournament.
It was utter chaos. Liu Kang defeated Goro, and the Shokan prince disappeared. Then he went on to defeat Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung returned to the Outworld, but not before capturing Sonya and Kano and having them presented to Kahn as gifts.
Shao Kahn was infuriated at Tsung's failure and the sorcerer was faced with execution. But Shang convinced Kahn that all was not lost, if he could lure the humans in the Outworld to compete in a Mortal Kombat of his own, then they would be out of the way for the invasion and nothing would be there to stop Kahn and his forces.

Pleased with his sorcerer's tenacity, Kahn granted Shang Tsung more power and granted him his youth. Shang Tsung then went about making sure the humans followed him into the Outworld.
Baraka was sent with his race of Demons to destroy the Shaolin Temples, and Kung Lao and Liu Kang ventured into the Outworld for revenge. Sonya's trail was left quite clear so that Jax would follow. Johnny Cage was expected to follow Liu Kang and Rayden was sure to intervene when he realized the true plot. All of these warriors were to meet their death at the hands of Kahn and his minions, Kintaro, Tsung himself, Jade, Kitana, Mileena, Baraka, and Reptile.

Unfortunately, the humans survived and escaped back into the Mother Realm. Of course, by this time, Shinnok was done with Sindel's soul . . .
Shang Tsung was ordered to resurrect Sindel, but to do so, he had to be granted enormous power by Shao Kahn. After the infusion of power, Shang Tsung resurrected Sindel on Earth, finally enabling Shao Kahn to take the realm as his own.

With Shang's help, Shao Kahn stole the soul of every creature on Earth and trapped them in the Soul Chamber in his new fortress on the Earth Realm. He also ordered Motaro to lead the extermination squads in the destruction of all the Chosen Warriors of Earth, whose souls Kahn could not touch. However, eight warriors, Sub-Zero VI, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade, Jax, Kurtis Stryker, Kabal, and Nightwolf, survived the attacks and launched an attack of their own.
Shang Tsung died alone and afraid at the hands of the Earth Warriors, his eternal scheming coming abruptly to an end.