‘Mortal Kombat 2’ First Look: Johnny Cage Joins the Fight in a Bigger, Bloodier Sequel

“Mortal Kombat 2” just entered the arena—and it’s going full throttle. During Warner Bros.’ presentation at CinemaCon, the highly anticipated sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat debuted its first footage, thrilling fans with a sneak peek at the franchise’s newest fighter: the iconic Johnny Cage, played by The Boys star Karl Urban. 

In a moment that immediately sets the tone, Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage bursts onto the screen, declaring, “I am Johnny f***ing Cage. It’s showtime.” The crowd reportedly erupted with laughter and cheers, confirming that Cage’s over-the-top, foul-mouthed swagger is intact for this big-screen version.

Set to hit theatres and IMAX on October 24, Mortal Kombat 2 brings back returning director Simon McQuoid and much of the original cast while introducing new fan-favourite characters and diving deeper into the high-stakes lore of the Mortal Kombat universe.

New Fighters, Familiar Faces

Karl Urban headlines the sequel alongside newcomers Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, and Martyn Ford as the menacing Shao Kahn. Meanwhile, key players from the 2021 film are also back: Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion.

Director Simon McQuoid emphasized the team’s goal of “maximizing everything” in this sequel—bigger battles, more characters, and a much grander cinematic scale. He confirmed that Mortal Kombat 2 will travel across multiple realms, with IMAX-enhanced sequences designed to deliver a more immersive visual experience.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion in ‘Mortal Kombat 2’.

The Tournament Begins

Unlike the previous film, which teased the infamous Mortal Kombat tournament, the sequel will fully embrace it. The fate of Earthrealm is on the line: if the heroes lose a 10th consecutive tournament, Shao Kahn’s Outworld will conquer Earth. Co-creator Ed Boon revealed the film will even “keep score” throughout the fights, adding a competitive layer that reflects the essence of the video game franchise.

Fans can also expect twists and surprises, including the return of characters who were presumed dead. Josh Lawson and Max Huang are back as Kano and Kung Lao, though their exact roles remain mysterious—hinting at the use of NetherRealm magic or alternate timelines.

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Johnny Cage: Hilarious, Reckless, and Surprisingly Deep

Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage brings comic relief and charisma but with more dimension than past incarnations. “He’s a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing,” Boon explained. “There’s a novelty factor, but Karl adds his own depth to the role.”

According to Simon McQuoid, the challenge was making Johnny Cage funny without reducing him to comic relief. “Casting Karl allowed that character to have more depth,” he said. Early screenings already report that “some of the biggest laughs” in the film come from Urban’s Cage.

With fatalities promised, fan-favourite characters reimagined, and a tournament of epic proportions, Mortal Kombat 2 is shaping up to be a brutal and bold evolution of the franchise. As Simon McQuoid put it: “Go bigger, go bolder, and let it rip.” And from the looks of that F-bomb drop, that’s exactly what they’re doing.