Jean-Claude Van Damme is set to retire with his next action movie, but here's why Mortal Kombat 2's Johnny Cage would be a more fitting end to his screen career. Jean-Claude Van Damme became a major star for a period in the '90s, thanks to the success of movies like Double Impact and Timecop. His martial arts prowess combined with his charisma and talent for comedy worked in his favor, but after several flops and issues in his personal life, he was essentially relegated to STV releases from the 2000s onwards.
In his later career, Van Damme matured into a fine dramatic actor, showing that with the right material he could give more thoughtful work. The meta-action drama JVCD cast the star as a version of himself, and he received acclaim for his work. He's made occasional returns to the big screen like his delightful villain turn in The Expendables 2, but in recent years much of his work has gone been in VOD projects. In February 2022, he confirmed the What's My Name? would be his final action movie, which again casts him as a version of himself. The twist in this outing, however, is that he must battle some of his most famous screen foes once again.
Perhaps more than any other actor, Van Damme has embraced meta as a way to reflect on his life and career. He did the same with the short-lived Amazon series Jean-Claude Van Johnson, and these projects have often resulted in his most soulful performances. What's My Name? sounds like a fitting end to his decades-long career, and one that will be something of a love letter to the fans who ed him throughout. However, his name has often been mooted for the Mortal Kombat 2 as vain movie star Johnny Cage, which given his links to the character, could make for a better screen retirement.
Jean-Claude Van Damme was the inspiration behind Johnny Cage in the original Mortal Kombat, right down to his looks, fighting skills, and even his initials. Van Damme was also considered for the part in 1995's Mortal Kombat movie, though he ed to make Street Fighter - which was Mortal Kombat's video game rival at the time. Mortal Kombat 2 is set to introduce Cage in the next outing, and it feels like perfect symmetry that Van Damme should circle back around to the character. An older take on Cage would also be a fresh concept for the fighter, and if it was to be Van Damme's final action movie performance, there would be a real meta-poignancy in watching him say goodbye in a crowd-pleasing blockbuster.
More than being an action star, Jean-Claude Van Damme is more than capable of delivering compelling dramatic turns, and he can flesh out Johnny in addition to performing the fights or delivering one-liners. Van Damme as Mortal Kombat 2's Cage is irresistible casting in many ways, but as the star is no doubt focused on What's My Name? it's not something he's likely to chase either. Hopefully, somebody at Warner Bros will see the wisdom in the idea and give Jean-Claude Van Damme the chance to sign off in one final big-screen outing.
