Summary
Mortal Kombat 2will continue with the franchise’s most controversial character, though I am weirdly more excited about the film because of this. The reboot ofMortal Kombathad a limited release in 2021 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet became a hit on WB’s MAX streaming service. This was enough to seeMortal Kombat 2’s storyannounced, as the first movie’s characters return with new faces to fight in the titular tournament against the forces of Outworld.
WithMortal Kombat 2’s release dateconfirmed for October 2025, we will not have to wait too long for the return of the franchise on the big screen. Theending of 2021’sMortal Kombatcertainly stoked anticipation by teasing the continued battle between Earth and Outworld, now with iconic game character Johnny Cage involved. However, where characters are concerned, there is one in the rebootedMortal Kombatseries that proved controversial. Ironically, I am more excited to seeMortal Kombat 2now than I was before, specifically because of this controversial character.
Mortal Kombat 2’s Wishlist: 10 Things That Need To Happen In The Sequel
The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie left a lot to be desired, and Mortal Kombat 2 needs these 10 elements to surpass its predecessor.
Mortal Kombat Star Lewis Tan Teased Cole Young’s Surprising Role In The Sequel
Cole Young’s Mortal Kombat Story Will Continue
The controversial character in question is Cole Young. InMortal KombatandMortal Kombat 2, Lewis Tan portrays Cole, an MMA fighter turned Mortal Kombat champion. While I personally never hated Cole Young’s storyline inMortal Kombat, I understood the criticisms aimed at him. For one, Cole Young is an original character who is not known from the games, and his constant fish-out-of-water vibe got old quickly. Regardless of the controversy,Lewis Tan has teased what to expect from Cole inMortal Kombat 2.
In an interview withScreen Rantat SDCC 2024,Lewis Tan mounted a defense forMortal Kombat’s Cole Young. In doing so, Tan teased a potentially surprising role for his character in the sequel toMortal Kombat, which makes me even more excited to see the movie. When asked aboutMortal Kombat 2and Cole Young, Tan had this to say:
“Well, it was quite controversial to have a new character in the film, but I think actually, in my opinion, it’s not that controversial, because the Mortal Kombat game started with only a few characters. Nowadays, there’s 100-plus characters, so they’re not new to adding new characters to the film. And yeah,you’ll have to wait and see what kind of journey goes down, but I think people are going to be very surprised.”
It is the latter half of these comments that excites me. Not only is Tan returning as Cole Young inMortal Kombat 2, but he has a different kind of role in the sequel. This certainly raises my anticipation for the film, as it is clear Tan and the other creatives behindMortal Kombathave tried to rectify the criticisms Cole faced in the first movie. The creatives ofMortal Kombathave accepted the controversial nature of the character and have insisted on continuing his journey in a compelling way, as evidenced by the reveals atSan Diego Comic-Con.
35 Biggest Movie & TV Show Reveals From SDCC 2024
Several major announcements have been made at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 with new details being revealed about the biggest upcoming films & TV shows.
Mortal Kombat 2 Not Killing Off Cole Young Is Actually Exciting
Cole Young’s Character Could Develop In A Way Many Did Not See Coming
This update from Lewis Tan about Cole Young is exciting as it meansMortal Kombat 2is not simply killing off the character. In many franchises, if a character was worse received than others, future installments may pivot away from such a character in favor of exploring the more compelling characters. One notable instance of this was in theStar Warsprequel trilogy, with George Lucas drastically reducing the screen time of Jar Jar Binks inEpisode IIandEpisode III.
Rather than take the easy option and kill off the character to focus on iconic video game fighters,Mortal Kombat 2is sticking with what was established in the first movie…
With Cole Young, however, it does not seem as though this will be the case. Rather than take the easy option and kill off the character to focus on iconic video game fighters,Mortal Kombat 2is sticking with what was established in the first movie and developing Cole’s character. This is an infinitely more exciting choice than taking the easy way out, and makes me more excited forMortal Kombat 2than I admittedly thought I would be.
What Should Cole Young’s Role In Mortal Kombat 2 Be?
Mortal Kombat 2 Should Reverse Cole’s Role From The First Movie
With the news that Lewis Tan will return as Cole Young forMortal Kombat 2, the question naturally turns to what his role will be. In the first movie, Cole served as the every-man character, someone who simply wanted to provide for his family before being thrown into a world full of fighters, warriors, tournaments, and otherworldly creatures. This played a large factor in the character’s divisiveness, as many found his character to simply be a vehicle for the audience to receive exposition.
InMortal Kombat 2, it would be awesome if Cole Young was a much more developed character. Rather than be the unknowing, fresh-faced newcomer,Cole could have changed between the first and second movies and now be a hardened warrior and a leader of the fighters from Earth. This would make Cole immediately more compelling than he was in the first movie, givingMortal Kombat 2a solid reason for continuing his character arc.
Mortal Kombat II
Cast
Mortal Kombat II: A sequel to the 2021 film Mortal Kombat, this movie continues the saga of Earth’s champions as they face new threats from the Outworld. Building on the original’s mythical universe, the film delves deeper into the lore of the Mortal Kombat tournament and its legendary fighters.
