Turns Out Mortal Kombat’s Ending Tease Almost Played Out Much Differently
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Mortal Kombat was faced with some pretty massive expectations, but it actually ended up giving fans of the franchise just about everything they wanted and expected. The video game adaptation featured fan-favorite characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero and provided plenty of the R-rated fatalities that were promised. However, one character who didn’t show up is the iconic Johnny Cage. Despite this, the character was teased at the end of the film and, should a sequel be made, he’ll likely appear. The tease was enough to get fans excited, but it turns out it could have played out much differently.
The final scene of Mortal Kombat sees Cole Young, now aiming to assemble the new champions of Earth, leaving for Hollywood. As he departs the gym, the camera pans to a movie poster for Citizen Cage, starring Johnny Cage. The not-so-subtle hint was a nice way to cap off the film but, according to co-writer Greg Russo, Cage’s tease was originally going to be much more:
So based on Greg Russo’s recent comments to Collider, Mortal Kombat could’ve ended with Cole and Sonya Blade actually making their way to Hollywood and strolling up to the studio to meet Johnny Cage. While the scene would have been cool to see, it’s understandable why it didn’t come to fruition. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it trickier to shoot productions, and pulling off a studio scene would have required a bit of doing in this climate. Nevertheless, it’s good that the creatives were still able to reference Cage in a fitting way.
Many fans seemed to be surprised that Johnny Cage was excluded from the film. When CinemaBlend had the opportunity to speak with Greg Russo, he explained that fitting so many classic characters into the film was a challenge. Ultimately, they opted to use the character of Kano over Cage when it came to this first installment.
Even though the character doesn’t appear, fans (and the Mortal Kombat cast) are already speculating about who might play him in a potential sequel. Ryan Reynolds seems to have emerged as a top pick so far, and the actor even responded to his fancasting in a great way.
There’s still no word regarding whether or not Mortal Kombat will receive a sequel, but the pieces are certainly in place for it. With any luck, the franchise will receive another chapter and get to bring Johnny Cage into the fray.
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Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.