Urban’s Cage Enters the Arena in Mortal Kombat II Trailer

Karl Urban may be best known for donning the Butcher’s blood-spattered coat in season 4 of The Boys, but now he’s trading in his executioner’s uniform for a pair of designer sunglasses in Mortal Kombat II. The Lord of the Rings and Star Trek alum is playing the brash, arrogant Johnny Cage, a martial arts action star who fans of the decades-old video game franchise have been waiting to see on screen.

The film is a sequel to Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat reboot, which arrived in 2021, and is the fourth live-action feature in the series since 1995’s original, though unlike the game series, there is no attempt to connect the films in Mortal Kombat II.

A trailer for Mortal Kombat II also dropped on April Fools’ Day, 2023, one day after Warner Bros. released a fake in-universe trailer for Uncaged Fury, a Saturday-morning-cartoon-level action film from the ’90s “starring” Johnny Cage. The parody trailer also name-dropped other Cage films, like Cool Hand Cage, Hard to Cage, and Rebel Without a Cage.

The news also comes as 2025 will be the 30th anniversary of the first live-action Mortal Kombat, a widely panned critical disaster that ended up becoming a box office hit and one of the most famous video game adaptations, even if it was the least accurate. Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa’s portrayal of the sorcerer Shang Tsung still resonates with many fans as the best version of the character. However, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which came out a year later in 1997, was an even bigger bomb, critically and commercially, and game publisher Midway went bankrupt following the release of the original film.

Warner Bros. eventually bought the rights to the games and called upon Simon McQuoid to direct a reboot more than 20 years after the original. That first film introduced Lewis Tan’s Cole Young, an MMA fighter who finds out that he has a connection to an ancient war between realms. The various champions of Earthrealm, now joined by Cole, end up fighting for their home, with his adversary in the arena, Bi-Han/Noob Saibot (aka Sub-Zero), Joe Taslim, played by Joe Taslim. That film ended with Cole Young making his way to Los Angeles to seek out the help of Johnny Cage. Mortal Kombat II is expected to pick up from there.

Mortal Kombat II, for those who missed the new trailer, is billed by its official synopsis as “building on the film’s unexpected victory.” This time, the champions, who are now also joined by Cage, will once again fight in an “all-out, no-holds-barred” war in an attempt to defeat Shao Kahn once and for all, as Earthrealm’s very existence is at stake.

Several returning cast members from 2021’s film have been confirmed to be back in their roles, including: Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Noob Saibot (aka Sub-Zero), Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Josh Lawson as Kano, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax Briggs, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, and Max Huang as Kung Lao.

New fighters will be introduced in Mortal Kombat II, including: Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Kabal voice actor Damon Herriman will be stepping into the role of Quan Chi, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, CJ Bloomfield as Baraka, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod, and Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel.

In the two minutes and 30 seconds of the first trailer, the film immediately makes it abundantly clear that this is what fans should expect. Yes, these characters are known for brutal, often gory violence, and that is by no means absent, but there is a bit more self-awareness to how Cage is introduced in this teaser.

The sequence begins in a rundown, tacky-looking bar. The camera pans over to find Cage, who is recognized by a fan, who excitedly proclaims his admiration of Cage, “I loved Citizen Cage as a kid.” He then exclaims that they “should do a reboot!” Bitter about what he perceives to be a career high, Cage soon retorts that “nobody wants that” because the movie studio pulled the plug on action films like that in the ’90s.

Cue Lord Raiden and Sonya Blade (two fan favorites), who demand that Cage show them his skills and tell him, “You have been chosen to fight.” At first, he believes the two are simply overenthusiastic fans because his life in action films, Cage notes in the trailer, “was better in the ’90s.” However, Raiden and Blade whisk him away in a swirling vortex of energy, and he is soon in an otherworldly arena with multiple ring announcers declaring, “It is time for a fighting tournament to the death!” To this, Cage deadpans, “F— that.”

Johnny Cage notes he has no superpowers or special abilities, and changes his mind, “I’m just incredibly handsome.” Cage then changes his tune when Raiden makes it clear that his battle in Mortal Kombat II is for the very survival of Earthrealm. Cage, before joining the fight, notes his opponents, “Try not to hurt my mug.” From there, fans of the Mortal Kombat series have to expect what they came for. Blood, digital-style deaths, signature finishing moves, and the occasional turn-of-the-phrase like Scorpion’s, “Get over here!”

Violent bombast and self-deprecating humor make for an intriguing combination that should appeal to many fans of the series, and that at least appears to be the route Mortal Kombat II is heading. It may not appeal to those outside of the franchise, but the film seems to be giving fans what they want from this franchise.

Mortal Kombat II will be in theaters on October 24, 2025.