Mortal Kombat 2 has finally offered a first look at a number of new characters set to appear in the movie sequel.
Entertainment Weekly posted images of Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, Martyn Ford’s Shao Kahn, and Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana, alongside the returning Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion.
Mortal Kombat fans had wondered how Karl Urban, who plays Billy Butcher in The Boys, would look as Mortal Kombat’s fan-favorite egocentric Hollywood star in live action form after his image appeared in an in-universe poster for a Cage movie.
In the image, below, we see a fresh-faced Urban with Cage’s trademark hair and sunglasses in a typical martial arts pose. In the background, we see Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade.
First looks at Johnny Cage, Shao Khan, Kitana and Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 2 film:
Karl Urban ➡️ Johnny Cage
Martyn Ford ➡️ Shao Kahn
Adeline Rudolph ➡️ Kitana
Hiroyuki Sanada reprises as ScorpionVia: https://t.co/1CHXzLhFGK#MortalKombat2 pic.twitter.com/7ifeMHzhC6
— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) March 17, 2025
Entertainment Weekly published a quote from Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm’s Ed Boon on Johnny Cage’s appearance in the sequel.
“His integration into the Mortal Kombat story and universe is a big part of what this movie explores,” Boon said.
“He’s a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing. Karl, his depiction of Johnny Cage is different than our games in some ways. He’s adding his own flare to it, but I think it’ll feel fresh. There’s like a novelty factor in there.”
Expect a “ridiculously hilarious” character introduction for Johnny Cage, Boon teased. Director Simon McQuoid added: “We wanted a character that wasn’t just completely silly, comic book… It’s a character that could instantly go there and become too light and throwaway if we were to lean too much into the kind of cheese. The casting of Karl Urban for that role allowed that character to have more depth.”
Entertainment Weekly confirmed movie-accurate skins for Urban’s Johnny, Rudolph’s Kitana, and Ford’s Shao Kahn are coming to Mortal Kombat 1 later this year.
Meanwhile, Damon Herriman (Better Man) plays Quan Chi in Mortal Kombat 2, and Josh Lawson and Max Huang make a surprise return as Kano and Kung Lao, two characters who bit the dust in the first movie. How can that be? Boon said existing lore from the Mortal Kombat video games, which famously play fast and loose with the alive or dead status of its characters, makes anything possible: “So we deal with spirits and the NetherRealm and things like that,” he said. “There are ways to bring dead characters back.”
And finally, Tati Gabrielle (The Last of Us Season 2) plays Jade, Ana Thu Nguyen (NCIS: Sydney) plays Queen Sindel. Mortal Kombat 2 hits theatres on October 24, 2025.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
