It has been a long wait for a sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat, but at long last, Earthrealm’s finest are ready to make their grand return. The first film did a solid job in reintroducing Mortal Kombat to movie-watching audiences, as its combination of brutally choreographed fight scenes, subtle nods to the franchise, and sharp banter made for an enjoyable experience. The sequel is promising to be even bigger and bloodier than its predecessor, and while it’ll still be several months before it arrives, it sounds like fans will be in for a thrilling ride. Here’s everything that we know so far about Mortal Kombat 2.
What is the Mortal Kombat 2 movie about?
The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie put a fascinating new spin on the Mortal Kombat mythos, but at its core, it was also incredibly faithful to the video game source material with its violent brawls and glorious fatalities. Now that Shang Tsung’s plot to sabotage Earthrealm has been foiled, it’s time for the real Mortal Kombat tournament to begin. It’s all or nothing, as after nine consecutive defeats, Earthrealm has to win this competition if it wants to avoid being invaded by Outworld.
“This time, the fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders,” the official synopsis for the film reads.
“They keep score throughout the movie. There’s a visual representation of who is winning,” franchise co-creator Ed Boon explained to Entertainment Weekly recently. “It’s not just a tournament for the sake of a tournament. There are huge consequences, so you really are keeping score.”
Fortunately, Earthrealm has some powerful warriors on its side, including the Hollywood A-lister Johnny Cage, who’ll be joining Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Cole Young, and Jax. Across the realms, we also know that we’ll see characters like Kitana, Baraka, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi appear in Mortal Kombat 2. Sub-Zero’s actor–more on that in a bit–Joe Taslim is also in the movie and the vengeful specter Scorpion is also present. With such a stacked roster, you can bet that there’s going to be a whole lot more blood shed in this sequel.
When is Mortal Kombat 2 coming out?
Mortal Kombat 2 will hit theaters on October 24, 2025.
Is there a trailer for Mortal Kombat 2?
There is now, as the first Mortal Kombat 2 trailer showed off Johnny Cage in action against Baraka, while several other characters also prepared for battle.
Who’s directing Mortal Kombat 2?
Simon McQuoid returns to helm the sequel, and he’ll be working off a script written by Jeremy Slater. While Mortal Kombat wasn’t a gigantic hit at the box office, Warner Bros. Pictures did give the go-ahead on a sequel in 2022 and filming officially kicked off in June 2023 in Australia. There were delays caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike that saw production halted in July that year, but it resumed in November and principal photography was completed in January 2024.
Who’s going to be in Mortal Kombat 2?
Mortal Kombat 2’s version of Johnny Cage will be played by The Boys and Dredd actor Karl Urban, while other new roles include Martyn Ford as Outworld emperor Shao Kahn, Adeline Rudolph as his adopted daughter Kitana, and CJ Bloomfield as the toothy brawler Baraka.
“His integration into the Mortal Kombat story and universe is a big part of what this movie explores. He’s a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing. Karl, his depiction of Johnny Cage is different than our games in some ways,” Boon said of Urban’s take on Johnny Cage. “He’s adding his own flare to it, but I think it’ll feel fresh. There’s like a novelty factor in there.”
You might have noticed that some of the actors in the list below will be playing characters who are quite dead after the events of Mortal Kombat, but as Boon explained, the games did establish methods for resurrection, both scientific and magical. With sinister Netherrealm sorceror Quan Chi appearing in the movie, there’s probably a good chance that we’ll see him use his dark magic to bend several warriors to his will.
This could be especially interesting for the character of Sub-Zero, who met his grisly end at the hands of Cole Young and Scorpion. In the original Mortal Kombat timeline, the first incarnation of Sub-Zero–Bi-Han–was burned to death by Scorpion and his soul was sent to Netherrealm, where it was transformed into a new entity that came to be known as Noob Saibot. Saibot’s younger brother would eventually become the new Sub-Zero in his place.
New
- Baraka (CJ Bloomfield)
- Jade (Tati Gabrielle)
- Jerrod (Desmond Chiam)
- Johnny Cage (Karl Urban)
- Kitana (Adeline Rudolph)
- Quan Chi (Damon Herriman)
- Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford)
- Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen)
Returning
- Cole Young (Lewis Tan)
- Jax (Mehcad Brooks)
- Kano (Josh Lawson)
- Kung Lao (Max Huang)
- Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)
- Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada)
- Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)
- Joe Taslim in a mystery role
- Raiden (Tadanobu Asano)
- Shang Tsung (Chin Han)
Baraka (CJ Bloomfield)
Baraka had previously appeared in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation as a berserker Tarkatan warrior, but it looks like this incarnation of the Outworld fighter is capable of speech and being very easily annoyed by Johnny Cage.
Jade (Tati Gabrielle)
Jade has had many roles throughout Mortal Kombat, but primarily, she has served as Princess Kitana’s bodyguard and best friend in the Mortal Kombat games. It looks like this cinematic version of the character is also capable of creating her own weapons.
Jerrod (Desmond Chiam)
We’re not expecting the king of Edenia to have a lot of screen time, judging by how badly his fight against Shao Kahn goes in the trailer.
Johnny Cage (Karl Urban)
The first trailer for Mortal Kombat 2 focused heavily on Johnny Cage, and it looks like he’ll be the main character of the film. While it doesn’t look like he has unlocked an Arcana ability yet–aside from being incredibly handsome, according to him–Cage can still kick ass and perform impressive acrobatic feats.
Kitana (Adeline Rudolph)
The princess of Edenia, Kitana is once again flanked by her biggest fans.
Quan Chi (Damon Herriman)
We haven’t seen Quan Chi yet, but we do know he’s in the film and probably up to no good.
Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford)
The big bad of Mortal Kombat for several games, Outworld emperor Shao Kahn is a force to be reckoned with as he rules through pure strength and intimidation.
Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen)
Mortal Kombat’s scream queen, the former ruler of Edenia has typically appeared as a major antagonist in the Mortal Kombat games.
Cole Young (Lewis Tan)
Cole Young was a brand-new character created for the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie, and he earned an impressive win over Goro once he unlocked his Arcana. It looks like he has fully mastered his ability, and it’ll be interesting to see if he has any interactions with his ancestor Hanzo Hasashi AKA Scorpion.
Jackson “Jax” Briggs (Mehcad Brooks)
Heavily armed–quite literally–Jax helped foil Shang Tsung’s plot to prevent a new Mortal Kombat tournament in the previous movie, besting Reiko in a brutal showdown.
Kano (Josh Lawson)
The motor-mouthed Kano was a highlight of the last Mortal Kombat movie–especially around the dinner table–and he’s back in action. How he managed to heal from a garden-gnome lobotomy is beyond us, but he also managed to keep his Arcana power even after Sonya Blade acquired his dragon mark.
Kung Lao (Max Huang)
The ace up Raiden’s sleeve, Kung Lao sadly bit the dust after Shang Tsung stole his soul. How is he back in the sequel? Judging by the darkened sclera around his eyes, we’d guess that he has been resurrected as a revenant by either Tsung or Quan Chi.
Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)
Speaking of Liu Kang, Earthrealm’s greatest living champion is also making a grand return in the sequel.
Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada)
Scorpion got his revenge against Sub-Zero in the previous film, but we’re guessing that even that was not enough to satiate his bloodlust. Played by Hiroyuki Sanada–who earned critical acclaim for his role in Shogun–Scorpion was only in Mortal Kombat for a brief time, but we’re hoping that he has a meatier role in the sequel.
Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)
Now fully empowered with her own Arcana, Sonya Blade is working to recruit warriors for Earthrealm’s defense and she’s more than ready to step into the ring.
Noob Saibot (Joe Taslim)
Sub-Zero may be dead, but he has been reborn as Noob Saibot. What he lacks in ice powers he more than makes up for with several new abilities.
Raiden (Tadanobu Asano)
The Thunder god is forbidden from interfering in Mortal Kombat, but Raiden isn’t afraid to lend a hand when the situation calls for it.
Shang Tsung (Chin Han)
Following his defeat in the last film, we’re betting that there were some grave consequences for Shang Tsung when he returned to Outworld.
