Video game movies have had a bad rap historically, but the subgenre has been doing well recently. In addition to The Super Mario Bros. Movie breaking box office records, cinephiles are also looking forward to the sequel to 2021's Mortal Kombat (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription). The sequel will be here this May, and actor Lewis Tan recently hyped up the grisly fatalities, and what the goal was for Simon McQuoid's second installment in the burgeoning franchise.
What we know about Mortal Kombat II is limited, but fans are hyped that we'll finally get to the titular fighting tournament. More beloved characters are joining the fray, including Karl Urban's Johnny Cage, but we'll also see the return of Earthrealm's heroes like Lewis Tan's Cole Young. In an interview with ComicBook, Tan spoke about the bloody fatalities coming in the sequel, offering:
I think it’s worse. Some of the fatalities and some of the fights are worse. But they are way more detailed and way more complex, which is what I wanted… to step up the level of complexity and depth in the fights. It’s Mortal friggin Kombat. We should have the best fight movie of the year. That has to be the goal. I think we accomplished that.
Sign me TF up. Mortal Kombat's fatalities were pretty gnarly in the first movie, especially when one character got literally sawed in half before our eyes. But if Lewis Tan's comments are to be believed, there will be more fatalities in Mortal Kombat II. What's more, he thinks that the entire movie's action is stepped up from the previous installment. Although now I'm worried about whether or not my favorite characters will end up surviving the second film.
Mortal Kombat II's trailer made it seem like Johnny Cage was the protagonist of the film, rather than Cole Young. Some fans are worried Tan's character will be killed off early, and the actor's comments aren't exactly quelling those fears. We'll just have to see whether or not he gets the same screen time as the first film.
After the '90s Mortal Kombat movies failed to bring the video games bloody fatalities to life, fans were hyped when Simon McQuoid's movie was Rated R. This allowed the violence to be brutal and gory, especially when fighters were killed of. The forthcoming sequel will follow that trend, and it sounds like things will be even more violent the second time around. And I can't wait to see what Lewis Tan and company will bring to the table.
Unfortunately, Mortal Kombat II's delay means we'll have to wait longer than expected for the highly anticipated sequel. Fans will have to exercise some patience, but comments about the fight scenes and fatalities will likely help to buoy excitement.
All will be revealed when Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8th as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to wait and see which iconic fatalities end up in the movie, and how many fighters end up killed off a result.
