After The Mortal Kombat 2 First Look, I Really Hope It Means Redemption For One Character

There are so many upcoming video games movies set to be released in the next few years, and one I’ve been looking forward to the most is Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat 2. The sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat and the latest in a long line of movies based on the iconic and controversial fighting series has a lot of promise, especially now that Warner Bros. has shared first-look images of some of the new combatants (or kombatants, if we’re using the games’ spelling conventions).

When I first saw those pics of Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, Kitana, and some other longtime favorites of mine, I started to think that maybe, just maybe one of the franchise’s most memorable and devastating fighters would finally get some on-screen redemption. Yeah, I’m talking about Shao Kahn, the powerhouse Outworld emperor who’s been stealing quarters and breaking controllers for 30-plus years now.

Those Mortal Kombat 2 Photos Look Great, Especially The One Of Shao Kahn

Okay, all the images shared by Entertainment Weekly in March 2025 made me extremely excited and optimistic for Mortal Kombat 2. I mean, Johnny Cage and Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) both look great and look to be awesome adaptations of some of the franchise’s most beloved characters. But the shot that’s really getting meall fired up and yelling “Krispy!” is that menacing picture of Martyn Ford’s character, Shao Kahn, with that terrifying recreation of his signature mask (red eyes and all).

Though the single image of Kahn doesn’t show him next to any other characters, making it hard to garage his size, I’m fully on board for this more frightening and less over-the-top depiction of this all-time great final boss. The whole “less is more” approach to the reveal has me on the edge of my seat waiting for Kahn to arrive and start whooping all kinds of ass in this upcoming 2025 movie.

I've Been Obsessed With The Outworld Emperor Since MKII Came Out In 1993

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Mortal Kombat II cabinet on display and stealing quarters from unsuspecting victims at Aladdin’s Castle in South Park Mall back home. Way too young to play the game myself, I watched my brother and other older kids try to work their way up the towers to take on Shao Kahn in his badass arena (more on that later). A year or so later, my cousin snuck over a copy of the fighting game on Sega Genesis and we played it all night after my parents went to sleep. After that, I was hooked.

Even though I had trouble beating him without changing the difficulty, and had trouble getting down all the button commands to pull off all those fatalities when I bought a copy of Mortal Kombat Trilogy in elementary school, I couldn’t get enough of the Outworld Emperor and his killer look. This guy made Shang Tsung look like a chump and he was so much cooler than pretty much any other classic fighter from the game.

But I Really Hope This New Depiction Makes Up For The Goofy And Toothless Portrayal In Mortal Kombat Annihilation

Though there are some who will defend Mortal Kombat Annihilation, you won’t find me in that camp. A big fan of the first Mortal Kombat movie back in 1995, this sequel two years later looked and felt more like a cheap made-for-TV movie than a proper continuation of the franchise. One of my biggest problems with this big mess was the way Shao Kahn was portrayed. Nothing against Brian Thompson, the actor who took on the role of the ruthless emperor, but the character was presented as goofy and toothless compared to the version from the games.

I mean, it’d be one thing if he wasn’t presented as a force of pure evil in the final moments of the original movie, but the final shot of the first adaptation saw him as a massive being in the clouds ready to strike down the mortals on Earth. While Kahn taking out Johnny Cage in the first five minutes was wild, everything after that was not good, especially whenever he took off his mask. Like, why?

Shao Kahn Is One Of The Meanest, Baddest, And Strongest Video Game Villains Of All Time, And He Needs To Be Treated As Such

I know he’s not the only reason Mortal Kombat II is considered one of the best fighting games of all time, but Shao Kahn did add a lot to the 1993 arcade classic and all the various ports over the years. He’s one of the meanest, baddest, and strongest video game villains of all time, and liked I mentioned earlier, has one of the coolest costumes in the history of the genre. That said, I hope he’s presented as such when the sequel opens in theaters later this year. I mean, he needs to be presented as the ultimate big bad and not some random bad guy like he was in Annihilation.

I’m not saying he needs to break Johnny Cage’s neck in the first scene again (could you imagine that, though?), but this guy needs to show up, whoop some tail, throw down some ultimatums, and start swinging that massive hammer of his.

I Doubt It'll Happen, But I Would Love To See Kahn's Arena Get The Movie Treatment

Back in the day, MKII introduced gamers to legendary levels, or Kombat Zones, like The Dead Pool, Living Forest, The Tower, Wasteland, and my personal favorite: Kahn’s Arena. With its purple sky, orange clouds, a massive crowd of spectators, and Kahn on his throne flanked by Sonya Blade and Kano in chains, this was quite a sight when you first took on Kintaro, the penultimate fighter before fighting the big man himself. The best part was the fact that Kahn would get off his throne for the final fight before beating the game.

I doubt the level will show up in the movie, but I would love for this beloved stage to get the film treatment. The tournament doesn’t have to take place there, but a small Easter egg to the games would go a long way.

All in all, I can’t wait to see what Simon McQuoid has in store for us with Mortal Kombat 2, but we better get a better take on Shao Kahn.