Who’s Next? That tagline should be familiar to any modern Mortal Kombat fan. Since the franchise took off in the mid-90s, the cast from the initial trilogy have become cultural icons. Their special moves and fatalities have persisted in North American culture, and even with a few less popular fighters, all of the klassic kombatants are eagerly received by fans whenever they appear. Now, the Mortal Kombat movie franchise is finally being rebooted this spring. The roster is shaping up to be something special, so many may be curious about who end up fighting each other.
The 2021 Mortal Kombat film is set to reboot the franchise after 1997’s Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and that means Earthrealm’s forces have gathered together to combat the Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung, fighting to decide the fate of the universe. Most of the original game’s cast is present, including Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Kano (Josh Lawson), and Shang Tsung (Chin Han). The only exceptions are Johnny Cage, who has been replaced by the MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan), the four-armed subboss Goro, and the secret boss Reptile. Even without them, it’s still a star-studded roster.
The new film will also feature Kung Lao (Max Huang), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Kabal (Daniel Nelson), fan favorite Mileena (Sisi Stringer), and, surprisingly, the vampiress Nitara (Elissa Cadwell) from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. The last one is an odd addition, but the character is generally well-liked by those who remember her. That is a solid roster for a fighting game film, and with the decades of lore each character has brought to the table, it’s easy to imagine how they might pair off when the kombat starts.
When talking about Mortal Kombat movie fights, it’s hard not to bring up Sonya and Kano’s famous battle from the original film. Kano’s portrayal in said movie was so charming that it influenced the games into adopting his Australian background. From Kano’s cheesy taunting to the famous neck snap that ends the fight, the reboot can only gain brownie points from calling back to it. Of course, since Kano is supposed to be helping Earthrealm here, there needs to be some kind of instigator for the big fight, and his partner in crime Kabal can provide the spark. A Special Forces vs. Black Dragon tag team match between Sonya Blade and Jax against Kano and Kabal would be a wonderful backstage blood feud to contrast with the fate-deciding tournament.
And on the topic of blood feuds, there are none more iconic in Mortal Kombat than Sub-Zero and Scorpion. One of the most famed rivalries in all of video games, the original two color ninjas have been at each other’s throats until just a couple games ago. There’s a lot of history here, meaning if there’s any safe bet for the movie, it’s that these two will face off yet again. Right now, all the reboot movie really needs to do to please fans is to correct the original film’s mistake and let these fated enemies have at it on the big screen.
One more big bout to behold would be a stretch, but could be worth it. The background of the original Mortal Kombat involves Shang Tsung sabotaging the last 9 iterations of the titular tournament with the unstoppable Goro, intending to end his exile by forcing Earthrealm to merge with Outworld. With Earth on the line, Raiden gathers the best warriors from Earthrealm to eke out a win before a Shao Kahn-led Outworld moves in unopposed. In the original tale, the hero who saves Earthrealm is the martial arts master Liu Kang. While newcomer Cole Young is the likely candidate for beating Shang Tsung this time, there’s still the matter of Outworld’s other champion: Mileena.
Representing her father Shao Kahn, Mileena is primed to play a major role in this film. While she may usually come off like a cannibalistic brute, she’s quite capable of carrying out her father’s will and leading Outworld’s forces in conquering other lands. Part Tarkatan and part Edenian, Mileena is the imperfect clone of Liu Kang’s canonical love interest Kitana. There is potential for a deadly one-sided crush from Liu here, culminating in Mileena revealing her monstrous mouth and attacking. Kung Lao and Nitara could join in for another tag match, recreating the boss fight in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks where Liu and Lao squared off against the female color ninjas. There’s a lot of potential here for an extended interaction between these two pairs, and it will be interesting to see if the movie follows through.
The stage is set for the Mortal Kombat movie to hit where it hurts this April, and with a cast composed of series mainstays, surprise picks, and a couple newcomers, this cinematic reboot will likely have a little something for everyone. All that’s left is to wait and see if the video game movie curse lapses or takes hold once more.
Mortal Kombat (2021) will release in theaters and on HBO Max on April 16, 2021. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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