Mortal Kombat 2 Rumors That Will Get You Hyped Beyond Belief

2021's R-rated "Mortal Kombat" movie is the first live-action adaptation that fully delivers on the gore and lore of John Tobias and Ed Boon's famed video game series. It's not afraid to take bold swings like introducing a canon newcomer protagonist in Cole Young (Lewis Tan) or reimagining the various kombatants' special abilities as Arcana superpowers. Yet, it still manages to remain faithful to the central characters — as well as the bloody, fatality-filled martial arts fights the franchise is famous for.

We know that "Mortal Kombat 2" is coming to continue the story. While its October 24, 2025 release date is still some ways away, juicy whispers of the sequel's potential twists and turns have already started spin-kicking their way into the fandom's collective cranium. Here's a handy collection of the finest "Mortal Kombat 2" rumors making the rounds. 

"Mortal Kombat" is a franchise that revolves around ... well, mortal combat. The 2021 movie embraces the concept and gleefully kills off classic characters like Kano (Josh Lawson), Goro (Angus Sampson), Mileena (Sisi Stringer), and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), not to mention relatively less prominent fighters like Nitara (Mel Jarnson) and Kabal (Daniel Nelson and Damon Herriman). Key protagonist Hanzo "Scorpion" Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) also dies — but this technically counts as an origin story since he's a demonic spectre in most of the games. With all this carnage, the rumor that "Mortal Kombat 2" will feature lots of death is hardly groundbreaking. However, rumors that stem from a test screening in May suggest that the specific people who will die in the sequel are nothing short of shocking. 

If these whispers are correct, "Mortal Kombat 2" will continue the story of central protagonist Cole Young by ... killing him off within the first 20 minutes. Considering the amount of time the first movie took to establish Cole as an important champion and Scorpion's direct descendant, this would be a pretty wild move. It would also strongly support speculation that Scorpion himself will play a very small role in the film. 

Another important character from the first movie who will reportedly meet his grisly demise in the sequel is Liu Kang (Ludi Lin). This would be another shock death, considering that he's arguably the most obvious protagonist apart from Cole — after all, Robin Shou's version of the character is the main hero of the 1995 live-action "Mortal Kombat." Another quite literal heavy-hitter on the death list is Jax Briggs (Mechad Brooks). At least some of these characters may be destined to perish at the hands of main antagonist Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) — who, rather less shockingly, is also rumored to die. 

If Cole Young and Liu Kang are dead, who's going to take over as the main protagonist of "Mortal Kombat 2"? The obvious answer would be Karl Urban's Hollywood hero Johnny Cage, perhaps sharing the duties with the most prominent surviving Earthrealm champion from the first movie, Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee). However, rumors indicate that the honor will actually go to a classic Mortal Kombat character who's set to enter the fray in the sequel: Shao Kahn's adopted daughter Kitana (Adeline Rudolph).

Kitana has been an important part of the video game series' lore since "Mortal Kombat II," and her heroic nature and personal connection to Shao Kahn make her a fairly logical protagonist choice for "Mortal Kombat 2." If the sequel plans to kill off the majority of the original Team Earthrealm, Kitana's role as an established figure in Outworld may turn out to be doubly important while the new heroes are finding their feet.

"Mortal Kombat" has plenty of impressive and creative set pieces, with Hanzo Hasashi's village in the beginning and Sub-Zero's frozen industrial building in the final showdown among the clear standouts. However, fans who yearned to see a very specific Mortal Kombat arena had to walk away disappointed. Fortunately, rumors indicate that stage, the iconic Pit arena, will play a role in "Mortal Kombat 2." If so, expect one of the guiltiest pleasures of the first Mortal Kombat game to end at least one fight in the movie — namely, uppercutting a poor contestant into the depths of the Pit, only to be skewered by the sharp spikes at the bottom. Technically speaking, the rumors speak of an arena with spikes on the floor ... but really, what else can it be? 

What's more, the Pit or some spiky variation thereof won't be the only cool fighting ground that seems to draw inspiration from the games. An acid-themed room that's likely the movie's take on the esteemed Dead Pool arena is also rumored to appear, along with a hell-themed stage that sounds a lot like Scorpion's fiery lair arena from the games. All of these stages sound like they bring an element of environmental hazard with them, which should add an extra element of creativity to the fight scenes ... as well as their gruesome endings. 

When Jean-Claude Van Damme played Johnny Cage in "Mortal Kombat 1" — or an alternate skin for the character, anyway — the Belgian martial arts star finally embodied the character that was specifically designed to be played by him. That's what Cage is all about, really — a Van Damme expy who eventually morphed into a wisecracking, self-aggrandizing Hollywood star who somehow keeps ending up in the middle of supernatural martial arts tournaments. 

Karl Urban plays Cage in "Mortal Kombat 2," and his roles as Billy Butcher on "The Boys" and Skurge in "Thor: Ragnarok" prove how deftly he can combine brutality with comedic beats. However, don't take this to mean that Urban's version of the character will be a fully faithful representation of what you see in the games. For one, the rumors from the test screening say that while Urban's Cage retains a comedic aspect, the character's most iconic attack — Van Damme-style splits combined with a groin punch — doesn't make an appearance in the movie. 

During a 2024 San Diego Comic-Con interview with Screen Rant, Cole Young actor Lewis Tan also implied that Urban's take on the character is a flavor unto itself. "I think it's really unique, it's maybe different from what people are expecting, but I think he's such [a] good actor," Tan said of Urban. "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." Based on this, expect the unexpected when it comes to Johnny Cage in "Mortal Kombat 2."

Rumors about things like protagonist changes, shocking deaths, and unique portrayals of Johnny Cage might normally be enough to cause concern over "Mortal Kombat 2." Fortunately, based on everything we've heard about the test screening, the 2025 sequel will not only be great. It will blow the first film out of the water, earning the title of the best Mortal Kombat movie out there — at least, as far as live-action adaptations are concerned.

Unlike "Mortal Kombat," "Mortal Kombat 2" will allegedly revolve around an actual high-stakes martial arts tournament, which of course is the franchise's bread and butter. The fight scenes will be elaborate, with long shots and slow motion instead of copious jump cuts. There will be fatalities galore, with improved CGI blood effects. While the story may not follow any of the games, the increased presence of Outworld figures will remove the first film's focus on Arcana, with the exception of Cage getting his own power-up. What's more, characters like powerful antagonist Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) will enter the mix in a non-combatant capacity, so it seems there are plans to continue the story even further.  

Even if you miss some of the characters who died in the first film, "Mortal Kombat 2" might have you covered. Kano (Josh Lawson) and Kung Lao (Max Huang) are both looking at a resurrection for the sequel, and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) returns as his dark Noob Saibot incarnation.