New Mortal Kombat 2 Trailer Reveals Surprise Cameo From Franchise Developer

The latest trailer for the Mortal Kombat 2 movie has revealed a surprise cameo: Ed Boon himself.

Boon, one of the original creators of the Mortal Kombat franchise, the voice of Scorpion’s iconic “Get over here!” line, and current development chief at NetherRealm, can be seen playing a bartender as Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage drowns his sorrows. Ed appears to be playing himself, as Johnny Cage calls him Ed when he asks for another drink. We don’t hear Ed speak in the trailer, but we assume he has at least one line in the movie.

The rest of the trailer is packed with a mix of clips we’ve already scene and a dash of new footage, teasing a huge number of fights we can expect to see in the film. We know the setup: Earth’s fate is in Johnny Cage’s hands, as he enters the Mortal Kombat tournament and takes on Shao Khan. The trailer shows Scorpion performing a cool, slow motion attack that needs to be a special move in the next Mortal Kombat movie, Noob Saibot actually speak, saying, “I am reborn,” and a brief look at Quan Chi.

Ed Boon has spoken in the past of his dream of working on a Mortal Kombat Street Fighter crossover game, but it never panned out. Well, there’s a Mortal Kombat versus Street Fighter movie battle about to kick off, as Mortal Kombat 2 launches on May 8, and Street Fighter hits theaters October 16.

And it’s a rivalry that has spilled over into the real world. Last month, Street Fighter cast member Andrew Schulz, who plays Dan Hibik, took a lighthearted jab at the Mortal Kombat 2 movie crew at The Game Awards 2025, which Lewis Tan, who stars in Mortal Kombat as Cole Young, subsequently took issue with.

The trailer comes hot on the heels of Warner Bros.’ announcement that Mortal Kombat 1, the last mainline Mortal Kombat game, has now sold 8 million copies. There is some uncertainty about what NetherRealm is working on next, with some speculating it’s yet another Mortal Kombat game, others that the developer will finally return to its DC fighting game franchise with Injustice 3.

As fans wait to find out, NetherRealm finds itself a part of Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros., which adds even more uncertainty for the studio. While Warner Bros. is best known for its movie and TV business, Warner Bros. Games includes a number of well-known video game developers and brands. Batman Arkham developer Rocksteady, LEGO games developer Traveller’s Tales, Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software, and Mortal Kombat maker NetherRealm are all on Warner Bros. Games’ books. In June last year, Warner Bros. Games announced a restructure to focus on four key franchises: Mortal Kombat, Harry Potter, DC, and Game of Thrones.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.