Mortal Kombat II Trailer Gives Johnny Cage His Hero Moment

When you think of the great characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise, who comes to mind? Warring ninjas Sub-Zero and Scorpion? Monsters such as Goro and Kitana? Or is it martial arts master Liu Kang or special forces soldier Sonya Blade? Well, if you’re B-movie action hero Johnny Cage, then the answer is obviously Johnny Cage. But as long as Mortal Kombat has jumped from video games to the big screen, Cage has been relegated to the background.

All that is about to change. The latest trailer for Mortal Kombat II puts Johnny Cage front and center. Played by reliable genre star Karl Urban, Cage begins the trailer fully washed up, sitting alone at a convention table that not even nerds want to visit. But that’s when he gets recruited for the titular tournament, Cage finally gets his chance to shine, even if it will kill him.

Cage’s addition to Mortal Kombat II is just one more example of the new franchise taking steps to please its audience. Today, fans have embraced the 1995 movie by Paul W.S. Anderson and its infamous 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat Annihilation. But for decades, they were an embarrassment to those who loved movies as much as games, something on the level of the first bizarre Super Mario Bros. film.

For the most part, 2021’s Mortal Kombat was a step in the right direction. Not only did it feature the expected regulars such as Sub-Zero and Scorpion, alongside lesser known folks like Reiko and Kabal, but it had an impressive cast, with Johannes Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada as the aforementioned ninja. However, that film made the surprising decision to focus on a new character, MMA fighter Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan. And, most surprisingly of all, the movie follows the heroes preparing for an interdimensional tournament, but the movie ends before that tournament actually takes place.

Moratal Kombat II will give the fans what they want, and not just because it features the Mortal Kombat tournament. As seen in the trailer, returning director Simon McQuoid has crafted absurd and over-the-top two-on-two battles, and the use of the phrase “Finish Him!” promises more of the gory fatalities that made the series infamous.

However, the trailer also shows that Mortal Kombat II has more than blood and bone breaking on its mind. By tracing Cage’s journey from failed fake fighter to real life hero, the film will have real pathos, something that the goofy ’90s movies lacked. And few people are better suited than Karl Urban to make something special from otherwise one note character.

Most people coming to see Mortal Kombat II this summer will never had heard the name “Johnny Cage.” But when they leave, they’ll know that he’s a hero—perhaps even the hero that he is in his own mind.

Mortal Kombat II arrives in theaters on May 8, 2026.