Spoiler alert: This guide discusses major plot details from Mortal Kombat II, now playing in theaters.
Five years after the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot, the movie series has finally stepped into the actual tournament. That means a bigger roster, more game-accurate matchups, and, because this is Mortal Kombat, a body count that does not treat lead characters as especially protected.
The sequel adds several major fighters from the games, including Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban; Kitana, played by Adeline Rudolph; Jade, played by Tati Gabrielle; Baraka, played by CJ Bloomfield; and Shao Kahn, played by Martyn Ford. They join returning characters such as Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs, Raiden, Kano, Shang Tsung and Cole Young.
The 2021 film centered on Cole Young, a new character created for the movies. Mortal Kombat II shifts the spotlight to Johnny Cage, the faded action star teased at the end of the first film. Once the universe-crossing fight to the death begins, Johnny is thrown in with gods, ninjas, assassins, monsters and resurrected warriors. A normal Hollywood comeback would have involved a streaming deal. This one involves Baraka.
The sequel also makes some major cuts. Cole is killed by Shao Kahn early in the tournament. Liu Kang also dies after being forced into a fight with his resurrected friend Kung Lao, though the ending strongly suggests his story is not finished. In the games, Liu Kang has returned from death as a fire god with powers similar to Raiden’s, which gives the films an obvious path for a potential Mortal Kombat III.
After Johnny, Kitana and their Earthrealm allies defeat Shao Kahn and win the tournament, the survivors set out to find Liu Kang. They may also be looking for a way to restore Kung Lao, who died in the first movie, was brought back in the sequel, and was used as a weapon by Shao Kahn’s forces.
Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban
Karl Urban joins the franchise as Johnny Cage, the cocky movie star who was set up in the closing moments of the 2021 film. In Mortal Kombat II, Johnny is not introduced as the strongest fighter in the room. He is a washed-up action actor who has to survive a tournament filled with far more dangerous opponents.
The movie leans into Johnny’s video game persona: the jokes, the swagger and the famous low-blow special move, which he uses against Baraka. By the end, he has helped save Earthrealm and joins Kitana, Jade, Kano and Baraka in the mission to rescue Liu Kang.
Kitana, played by Adeline Rudolph
Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana arrives with one of the franchise’s most recognizable weapons: her steel fans. The film introduces her as the daughter of King Jerrod of Edenia, whose throne was taken after Shao Kahn murdered him.
Kitana is held captive into adulthood and initially fights under Shao Kahn’s rule. Her loyalty eventually breaks, and she sides with Earthrealm. In the final battle, she defeats Shao Kahn by beheading him with her fans, then takes her place as the rightful queen.
Scorpion, played by Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada returns as Hanzo Hasashi, the undead ninja better known as Scorpion. The sequel gives him another round with his longtime enemy Bi-Han, who was Sub-Zero in the first film and returns here in a darker form.
Scorpion remains tied to the Netherrealm, but that does not stop him from using his kunai spear, fire and signature “Get over here!” battle cry. His feud with Bi-Han continues to be one of the franchise’s cleanest movie-to-game translations.
Noob Saibot, played by Joe Taslim
Joe Taslim played Bi-Han, also known as Sub-Zero, in the 2021 film. After being killed, Bi-Han is resurrected in Mortal Kombat II as Noob Saibot, a shadowy wraith from the Netherrealm.
Like his video game counterpart, Noob can split into two black-clad fighters and move through shadows. It makes him a serious threat, at least until Scorpion and Johnny Cage face him in the film’s climactic stretch. Bi-Han loses again, though in this franchise death is often less of an ending than a scheduling issue.
Liu Kang, played by Ludi Lin
Ludi Lin’s Liu Kang returns as one of Earthrealm’s key champions, but the tournament ends brutally for him. He is forced to fight Kung Lao, his friend and fellow warrior, who died in the first film and has been resurrected by Shao Kahn’s side.
Liu Kang cannot bring himself to kill Kung Lao. Instead, he sacrifices himself by falling onto Kung Lao’s razor-edged hat. The ending leaves Johnny, Kitana and their allies determined to find him. Given Liu Kang’s game history as a resurrected fire god, the sequel all but points toward a bigger return if Mortal Kombat III happens.
Sonya Blade, played by Jessica McNamee
Jessica McNamee is back as Special Forces agent Sonya Blade. In the tournament, Sonya wins her first fight against Sindel.
Her victory echoes one of her fatalities from the games. In a spike-filled pit arena, Sonya blasts a hole through Sindel’s chest, taking Shao Kahn’s queen off the board early.
Kung Lao, played by Max Huang
Max Huang’s Kung Lao died in the 2021 film, but Mortal Kombat II brings him back in a corrupted form. Quan Chi and Shang Tsung resurrect him for Shao Kahn’s forces, turning the hat-wielding Earthrealm warrior against his former allies.
Kung Lao attacks Raiden, his mentor and the god of thunder, then faces Liu Kang in the tournament. He does not want to kill Liu Kang, but the fight ends with Liu Kang sacrificing himself on Kung Lao’s bladed hat.
Raiden, played by Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano returns as Raiden, the thunder god and protector of Earthrealm. His role in the sequel is complicated by Kung Lao’s resurrection.
The corrupted Kung Lao slices Raiden’s throat and attempts to steal his power. Raiden spends much of the film in a coma while Shao Kahn’s side tries to transfer that godlike power. After Johnny, Kitana and the Earthrealm team win the tournament, they save Raiden and prevent Shao Kahn from claiming it.
Jade, played by Tati Gabrielle
Tati Gabrielle plays Jade, Kitana’s bodyguard and childhood friend from Edenia. Like Kitana, Jade grows up in service to Shao Kahn after his conquest.
Kitana’s decision to betray Shao Kahn nearly divides the two women, but Jade eventually follows her friend’s lead and joins Earthrealm’s side. She fights with a bo staff and is also the one who gives Kitana her fan weapons.
Kano, played by Josh Lawson
Josh Lawson’s Kano died in the first film, but death rarely closes a contract in Mortal Kombat. Quan Chi resurrects the loud Australian mercenary for the sequel.
Kano starts out as a problem for Earthrealm again, then changes sides. He helps Scorpion and Johnny Cage during the Netherrealm fight against Noob Saibot, and by the end of the film he appears, for now, to be staying on the heroes’ side.
Baraka, played by CJ Bloomfield
CJ Bloomfield plays Baraka, a Tarkatan fighter with sharp teeth and retractable blades in his arms. The film presents him as an alien brute from another world, but not simply as disposable muscle.
Baraka loses a fight to Johnny Cage on his home planet and becomes indebted to him. That debt pulls him into the Earthrealm heroes’ orbit, and he fights alongside them by the end of the movie.
Jax Briggs, played by Mehcad Brooks
Mehcad Brooks returns as Jax Briggs, the Special Forces soldier whose arms were frozen off by Sub-Zero in the first film. In the sequel, he has his enhanced robotic arms, but they are not enough to save him.
Jax dies in a brutal fight against Shao Kahn during the tournament. After everything the character endured in the 2021 movie, Mortal Kombat II gives him one of the sequel’s harsher exits.
Shao Kahn, played by Martyn Ford
Martyn Ford’s Shao Kahn is the emperor of Outworld and one of the central villains of the sequel. He took the throne after killing King Jerrod, Kitana’s father, and rules with a combination of brute force and magic.
In the tournament, Shao Kahn kills both Jax and Cole Young. He wields a massive hammer and carries the final-boss energy he has long had in the video games. His reign ends when Kitana defeats him in the final showdown and beheads him with her fans.
Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan
Lewis Tan’s Cole Young was the lead character of the 2021 Mortal Kombat. Created for the film series rather than adapted from the games, Cole had armor capable of absorbing attacks and fought with tonfas after being recruited by Raiden.
Mortal Kombat II makes a sharp turn by killing him early. Shao Kahn defeats Cole in his first fight of the sequel, making clear that the new tournament will not protect the previous movie’s protagonist.
Quan Chi, played by Damon Herriman
Damon Herriman, who voiced Kabal in the 2021 film, returns to the franchise in a new role as Quan Chi. The character is a necromancer working with Shang Tsung under Shao Kahn’s command.
Quan Chi helps resurrect Kano and Kung Lao for the tournament, giving the villains two dangerous pieces to use against Earthrealm. He is later defeated by the heroes.
Shang Tsung, played by Chin Han
Chin Han returns as Shang Tsung, the sorcerer who can shapeshift and steal souls. After serving as the main villain of the 2021 film, he remains a major threat in the sequel.
This time, Shang Tsung is part of the plan to steal Raiden’s powers after Kung Lao’s attack leaves the thunder god vulnerable. The Earthrealm fighters ultimately stop him before that transfer can be completed.
Sindel, played by Ana Thu Nguyen
Ana Thu Nguyen plays Sindel, Shao Kahn’s queen. Her power is built around a devastating scream attack, one of her signature abilities from the games.
Her tournament run is short. Sindel is killed by Sonya Blade in their first fight, with Sonya using a fatal blast through the chest in a spike-filled arena.
Who is left for Mortal Kombat III?
By the end of Mortal Kombat II, Earthrealm has technically won, but the victory comes with heavy losses. Cole, Jax, Liu Kang, Shao Kahn and Sindel are among the dead, while Kung Lao remains a major unresolved question after being resurrected and turned against his friends.
The clearest setup is Liu Kang. Johnny Cage, Kitana, Jade, Kano and Baraka set out to find him, and his video game history gives the filmmakers a ready-made resurrection arc. If the next movie follows that path, Mortal Kombat III could move from tournament survival into god-level consequences.
