It was easy to predict that Johnny Cage was going to be in Mortal Kombat 2 after how the 2021 movie ended. The announcement that Urban was going to play Cage made his addition to the sequel even more exciting. However, getting Johnny Cage right will not be easy, namely because the first Mortal Kombat already replaced him in a few ways. Not much is known about Mortal Kombat 2’s story, but it seems like the sequel’s version of Johnny Cage will do some different things with him compared to the games and previous movies.

Related

Mortal Kombat 2’s Wishlist: 10 Things That Need To Happen In The Sequel

The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie left a lot to be desired, and Mortal Kombat 2 needs these 10 elements in order to sur its predecessor.

Posts

Mortal Kombat 2's Johnny Cage May Be Different From The Games & What Audiences Expect

Mortal Kombat 2 Is Teasing A Different Johnny Cage

During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan discussed what audiences can expect from Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage. The Cole Young actor noticed how talented and experienced Urban is, including when it comes to major franchises like Mortal Kombat. According to Tan, Urban’s character will be “maybe different from what people are expecting.” Tan describes this version of Cage as “unique” and says he has enjoyed what Urban did with the character. Cole and Cage may interact a lot given the former was set to recruit the latter.

He's bringing a really interesting take on Johnny Cage. I can't talk about too much, but I can say personally that he's a great guy and we had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs on set ,and I like what he's doing with the character. I think it's really unique, it's maybe different from what people are expecting, but I think he's such good actor. He's been around for a long time, done a lot of great roles, and a lot of great franchises himself. So yeah, he's no stranger to this type of thing, so he's bringing something really special.

It is unclear what this different, unique take on Johnny Cage will be. Mortal Kombat has gone through several reboots, time travel shenanigans, and creative teams over the years, but most characters have retained their personality and aesthetic in every version. That said, all previous Mortal Kombat movies have taken creative liberties when pulling characters and stories from the games. As great of a story as Mortal Kombat has, especially compared to other fighting games, its lore is flexible enough to welcome different interpretations. This is particularly true for movie adaptations, be they live-action or animated. Still, changes are always tricky.

Mortal Kombat Was Already Divisive For Changing The Games & Not Using Johnny Cage

Mortal Kombat’s 2021 Reboot Made Some Bold Choices

While Mortal Kombat does welcome different interpretations, Mortal Kombat (2021) made some big changes to the structure of the story fans of the game are used to. The film felt like a combination of the classic Mortal Kombat origin story and the elements introduced in the post-reboot timeline, yet it strangely excluded Johnny Cage. Additionally, even though Scorpion and Sub-Zero were heavily featured in the marketing campaign, they only had a couple of interactions in the entire film. Scorpion’s origin story was not shown, with Hanzo only returning at the very end for the final fight.

Another major problem was that Mortal Kombat did not include the tournament, a very risky creative decision that played against the movie. A more traditional Mortal Kombat story in which everything revolved around the tournament might have helped the reboot in of reception and would made other big changes more digestible. However, the most controversial Mortal Kombat change was the addition of Cole Young, an original character with no counterpart in the game. Cole Young was clearly designed to be Cage’s replacement, with the former taking on the latter’s usual role as the point-of-view character.

Some Mortal Kombat games and most of the adaptations have used Johnny Cage as the point-of-view character. He is the character who is not aware of what Mortal Kombat is and helps audiences learn about the rules of that world. This is something that Mortal Kombat (1995) got right, which is part of the reason why Linden Ashby’s Johnny Cage worked so well. In Mortal Kombat (2021), Cole Young is the “chosen one” who has the Mark of the Dragon but has no idea what it means and why he is so important, thus essentially replacing Cage’s role in the story.

Mortal Kombat 2 Really Needs To Get Johnny Cage Right

Cage Is One Of The Franchise’s Most Popular Characters

It’s been almost 30 years since a live-action Mortal Kombat theatrical movie got Johnny Cage right. Ashby did not reprise his role in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which instead recast the character and killed Johnny Cage within the first few minutes of the film. Between Annihilation’s insult and the Mortal Kombat (2021) skipping the character entirely, Mortal Kombat 2 has to nail Johnny Cage. The franchise is aware of Cage’s importance and even teased him at the end of the 2021 film, suggesting Karl Urban’s character will be front and center in the sequel.

While it is difficult to define who is Mortal Kombat’s main character given the very nature of the franchise, the saga has had different protagonists depending on the iteration. The first couple of MK games were heavily focused on Liu Kang, who was the face of the franchise for several years. Liu Kang was also the protagonist in Mortal Kombat (1995) and Annihilation, although the former also focused on Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Recent Mortal Kombat games and adaptations have given a lot of focus to Scorpion and Sub-Zero, but Cage remains a fan favorite.

Why Mortal Kombat 2's Johnny Cage Can Deliver

Karl Urban As Johnny Cage Is a Great Casting

Karl Urban is a fantastic actor who has brought to life a lot of popular characters, the most recent being Billy Butcher from Prime Video’s The Boys. Urban is also used to playing iconic characters who have already been portrayed by other actors, as seen with Doctor McCoy from J.J. Abrams’ Stark Trek reboot. Therefore, whatever acting choices Urban makes with Johnny Cage will certainly be very interesting. Karl Urban as Johnny Cage is an inspiring casting choice, and the fact it will be a unique version of Cage is exciting.

Given how Johnny Cage has appeared in almost every Mortal Kombat game and movie, audiences have certain expectations regarding how he should look or behave. Although adhering to the source material is important, Urban’s Cage should not be just an imitation of what previous actors have done with the character. The core of Johnny Cage is that he will keep positive and hopeful no matter how complicated things get, but everything else can be adjusted depending on the story Mortal Kombat 2 is trying to tell. The sequel will also incorporate other elements from the games, from characters to locations.

Your Rating

close

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Like

Follow

Followed

Mortal Kombat

R

Action

Fantasy

Adventure

7/10

9.0/10

Release Date

April 23, 2021

Runtime

110 minutes

Director

Simon McQuoid

Cast

See All

• 
  Jessica McNamee
• 
  Matilda Kimber

• 
• 
• 

Where to watch

Close

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

• 

RENT

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

BUY

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

In this 2021 adaptation of the classic video game franchise, Mortal Kombat follows MMA fighter Cole Young, who finds himself targeted by Outworld's Emperor Shang Tsung, who has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt him down. Learning of his heritage, he finds himself ing the likes of special forces Sonya Blade, Jackson "Jax" Briggs, and others as they discover they may be Earth's last line of defense from a hellish invasion from another realm.

Writers

Dave Callaham, Greg Russo

Sequel(s)

Mortal Kombat 2

Franchise(s)

Mortal Kombat

Studio(s)

Atomic Monster Productions, Broken Road Productions, New Line Cinema

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Main Genre

Action

Powered by

Expand Collapse