Fans are excited for Johnny Cage’s introduction inMortal Kombat II, but there’s a chance other new characters will fight for Earthrealm. The trailer for the long-awaited sequel confirms that plenty ofnew characters will appear inMortal Kombat II, such as Kitana, Jade, Sindel, Baraka, and Shao Kahn, the ruler of Outworld.
However, all of these aforementioned characters will fight for Outworld (at least at the beginning of the movie). Just looking at the current roster for the movie, it’s clear that Earthrealm will be greatly outnumbered in theupcomingMortal Kombat IIand needs more people. Obviously, Raiden and Sonya Blade will recruit Johnny Cage to defend Earthrealm, but perhaps they will seek out other fighters as well.
If Earthrealm’s champions losethe tournament inMortal Kombat II, then the villainous Shao Kahn will be able to invade their world. Since Raiden has vowed to protect Earthrealm,it would make sense for him to recruit more fighters than just Johnny Cage. There are five potential characters who could make surprise appearances and fight for Earthrealm in the sequel.
5Cyrax
Cyrax is a fighter who first appeared inMortal Kombat 3. He was one of three cybernetic ninjas, along with Sektor and Smoke, to debut in the game. Like his counterparts,Cyrax was a Lin Kuei assassin who was turned into a robot as part of the Cyber Initiative. Cyrax was designed to be completely emotionless, which would make him the perfect assassin.
This is a fascinating storyline in the franchise that could be explored ifMortal Kombat IIdecides to include Cyrax. WhileCyrax does eventually show emotion when his programming is overridden, his main rival, Sektor, remains heartless. Depending on how the movies utilize him, Cyrax could get a slow-burn arc that gets some compelling payoff.
Seeing the rivalry between Cyrax and Sektor develop inMortal Kombat IIwould be incredible. Sektor fights for Outworld in many of the video games, butCyrax sides with Earthrealm and defends it against Shao Kahn and his forces. Cyrax would be an amazing addition to Earthrealm in the movie franchise.
Beyond that, future installments could dig into his past with the Cyber Initiative even further. It would likely be too much forMortal Kombat IIto get into, but the games have established a rich world that could provide a number of long-running storylines and spinoffs for the movies. Cyrax can really begin setting this future up.
4Nightwolf
Nightwolf first appeared inMortal Kombat 3and has been a loyal Earthrealm fighter ever since.He is an Indigenous historian and shaman who can draw on spiritual energyto perform several powerful moves. In the game series, Nightwolf is dedicated to fighting against the forces of evil, so he would likely immediately accept Raiden’s invitation to the tournament inMortal Kombat II.
In the video games,Nightwolf is actually consistently in contact with Raiden through visions. Therefore, it’s possible thatMortal Kombat IIwill include some of these visions to develop the relationship between them. Unlike some other fighters, Nightwolf is a champion who Raiden can truly trust, which makes him a valuable addition to the Earthrealm roster.
However, there’s a chance that the movie may want to avoid including Nightwolf because of controversy surrounding the character. In the past,the franchise has been criticized for depicting Nightwolf as a stereotypical Indigenous tribe member. It may be necessary forMortal Kombat IIto make some changes to the character, if it does include him.
3Stryker
Based on the trailer, it seems likeJohnny Cage will have no powers inMortal Kombat II. Most likely, he will eventually unlock his arcana and become much stronger, but before this happens, he seems to be handling his own against powerful enemies like Baraka and Noob Saibot. In the meantime,perhapsMortal Kombat IIwill introduce another character with no metahuman powers.
If this is the case, then it would be the perfect time to introduce Kurtis Stryker, who first debuted inMortal Kombat 3.Stryker is a New York City police officer who proves himself to be a competent fighterin severalMortal Kombatvideo games. Rather than relying on special powers, Stryker uses his martial arts abilities, guns, and his trusty baton while in fights.
Stryker’s lack of powers makes him one of the weaker characters in the series, but he has still managed to defeat opponents like Reptile, Mileena, and Kintaro. Furthermore,Stryker is completely dedicated to fighting for justice, which earns him Raiden’s respect and leads to him being recruited to fight for Earthrealm.
2Kenshi
Kenshi is a blind swordsman of Japanese heritage who first appeared inMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.In addition to his masterful swordsmanship, Kenshi also has telekinesis and psychokinesis, which makes him a dangerous opponent. He is a member of the Special Forces and the Outer World Investigation Agency, so it would make sense for him to align with characters like Sonya and Jax inMortal Kombat II.
In the games,Kenshi has a vendetta against Shang Tsung, who caused his blindness. Therefore, his potential inclusion inMortal Kombat IIcould involve Shang Tsung, who was underused in the first movie. Additionally, Kenshi is an important character in the games since he frees Ermac from Shao Kahn’s control.
Even thoughShao Kahn will beMortal Kombat II’smain villain, Ermac hasn’t been confirmed to appear in the sequel. However, him being freed by Kenshi would be a fascinating storyline to include in the movie franchise. Kenshi is a fighter who would remain loyal to Earthrealm, andhis inclusion could seed some huge storylines for future movies.
Though a thirdMortal Kombatisn’t yet confirmed, producer Todd Garner has said he and the other creatives envision additional installments. Including Kenshi in the second film could be a great way of setting up the next few movies, sneaking in references to what lies ahead for him.
1Kuai Liang
After going by the name Sub-Zero in the first movie, it has been confirmed that Bi-Han will return from the dead inMortal Kombat II.Bi-Han will be revived as the wraith ninja known as Noob Saibot. The trailer forMortal Kombat IIactually showsScorpion and Noob Saibot fighting, confirming that their bitter rivalry will continue.
However, in addition to Noob Saibot, it’s possible thatMortal Kombat IIwill include Kuai Liang, who could become the new Sub-Zero. Kuai Liang is Bi-Han’s little brother who dons the Sub-Zero costume after his death. In the secondMortal Kombatgame,Kuai Liang enters the tournament with the goal of getting revenge against Scorpionfor the death of his brother.
Since Bi-Han died at the hands of Scorpion (and Cole Young) in the first movie, it would make perfect sense for Kuai Liang to show up inMortal Kombat II. However, unlike his brother, Kuai Liang will probably not become a villain in the movie series. His rivalry with Scorpion could potentially continue, butKuai Liang would likely be on good terms with the Earthrealm champions.
In fact, in the games,he strongly opposes the Cyber Initiative and is not afraid to stand up to major villains like Shao Kahn. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kuai Liang fights with Earthrealm’s other champions against the Outworld emperor if he does show up inMortal Kombat II.
