One of the most iconic video game characters in history (and specifically the Mortal Kombat franchise) is Johnny Cage. Even those who have never played a Mortal Kombat game have likely heard of the Cage man. There’s a good reason for that: the famous shades and cocky yet endearing personality have stood the test of time.
So much so that Johnny Cage has practically replaced Liu Kang as the main star of the games. With such a famous history in the franchise, there are a lot of details about the character. These range from in-game details to those from behind the scenes.
10 Almost Played By The Crow
In 1995’s Mortal Kombat movie, the role of Johnny Cage was originally going to be played by Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee. This would have made for a neat appearance since the character of Liu Kang is heavily inspired by Bruce Lee. Unfortunately, Brandon was the victim of a defective blank bullet which killed him on the set of The Crow.
The tragic death of Brandon led to a recast which resulted in Linden Ashby’s portrayal. On the bright side, Linden Ashby’s Johnny Cage is now a fan-favorite version of the character. Though, it is easy to ponder what Brandon’s performance would have been like.
9 Where His Powers Come From
Johnny Cage is a martial artist with a dwindling movie career. So how come Johnny can throw green balls of force energy and enhance his speed with said energy? Well, it’s still not fully explained yet.
However, in Mortal Kombat X, Johnny Cage states that he gets his power due to his bloodline tracing back to an ancient Mediterranean cult. Cage’s power becomes even more powerful when it comes to protecting a loved one.
8 Glitch That Became A Real Move
In the first Mortal Kombat, there is a glitch that can occur during Johnny Cage’s fatality. It causes the opponent’s head to duplicate leading to a double decapitation. This glitch became so famous that it was referenced in Mortal Kombat II as its own fatality.
Johnny’s Head Pop fatality would go on to become one of the most famous fatalities, even to the point of getting a fourth-wall-breaking parody in Mortal Kombat 11.
7 Tried To Kill Sonya?
Before time was rewritten, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was the original end to Mortal Kombat games. In that game, the Elder Gods’ last resort to keep the Realms from falling apart was a powerful entity; it broke factions and created a free-for-all for anyone to try and claim ultimate power.
In the opening cinematic, the Kombatants are all trying to get to the top of the pyramid to face the entity. Very briefly, Johnny Cage can be seen pushing Sonya Blade off an edge: the very woman he would marry in the next timeline.
6 Stopped Wearing Sunglasses
What is Johnny’s signature look? What has stuck with him since his debut in 1993? The sunglasses. Johnny Cage’s shades are a staple that is as inseparable from him as Link is from the Master Sword. Well, they might not be as inseparable as one might think.
One of the best things about Johnny in the second timeline is his evolution from a cocky jerk to a family man and an Earthrealm protector. In both Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11, the veteran Johnny never wears his sunglasses in the story while his younger, more cocky self does. The older Johnny even destroys his iconic sunglasses to make a point to his past self.
5 He Was A Secret Character Once
Much to the dismay of others, Johnny Cage was not on the roster in the GameBoy version of Mortal Kombat. To be fair, it is the Game Boy version so it’s nothing to be too upset about. However, there is a way to unlock him… sort of.
With the GameShark and the right code, the first player will become Johnny Cage. Unfortunately, he uses the same sprite as Sonya and features other characters’ moves.
4 Toy Story Reference
One detail a lot of people have not noticed is with Johnny Cage’s outro in Mortal Kombat 11. Johnny plays with and poses his own action figure (very fitting to his character); on this figure, one can spot Cassie Cage’s name written on the figure’s foot.
Not only does this show an adorable love between a father and daughter but it’s a reference to Toy Story. Both Buzz Lightyear and Woody had Andy’s name written on their feet.
3 Modeled By Marvel Heroes
Despite the creators’ love for DC characters, it was Marvel superheroes that went into the creation of Johnny Cage. Iron Fist’s fighting style was heavily influenced by Johnny’s fight style while Johnny Cage’s name came from Marvel’s Luke Cage.
Oddly enough, Johnny shares this inspiration with actor Nicolas Cage who also chose his stage name after Luke Cage.
2 Inspired By Jean Claude Van Damme
Before Johnny Cage, the character was going to be Michael Grimm and be portrayed by Jean Claude Van Damme. This is most evident through Johnny Cage’s iconic splits and nut punches along with his overall design in the first game. It was intended to be a direct reference to Van Damme’s iconic Bloodsport role.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Van Damme could not be Michael Grimm in the game. As a result, it gave fans Johnny Cage and the rest is history. With Mortal Kombat 11 really pushing 80s action stars, it’s surprising that Van Damme hasn’t been introduced.
1 Cage Is Not His Real Name
Yes, the iconic Cage name is also a stage name for Johnny. He was originally born as Johnathan Carlton but likely because of having a not-so-great father, it led to a stage name. So where did Johnathan Carlton come from?
John Carlton worked at Midway as a game programmer and the Mortal Kombat team decided to reference him.
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