The Mortal Kombat II Trailer Seemingly Forgets One Major Part Of The First Movie

It may have taken four years, but "Mortal Kombat II" is finally, nearly upon us. Warner Bros. and New Line released director Simon McQuoid's "Mortal Kombat" in 2021, serving as an R-rated take on the beloved series of video games. The studio quickly set about developing at least one sequel and now, we finally know what that's going to look like. It's going to have an actual tournament, a bunch of new characters, lots of blood, and, it seems, a new protagonist.

The first trailer for "Mortal Kombat II" only just debuted online, showcasing what McQuoid and screenwriter Jeremy Slater, of "Moon Knight" fame, have cooked up. It looks very much in line with what viewers could hope for, centering largely on actor-turned-world-saving-fighter Johnny Cage (with the fan-favorite character being played by Karl Urban of "The Boys" and "Lord of the Rings" fame). The trailer very much sets him up as the centerpiece of the sequel. The only problem? Cole Young has apparently been sidelined as a result.

Played by Lewis Tan, Cole Young was the MMA fighter who served as the lead in "Mortal Kombat," having been marked as one of Earth's champions for the Mortal Kombat tournament. The first movie then ended with Cole being sent to Los Angeles to recruit new fighters for the inevitable duel with Shang Tsung and his forces. This is where Johnny Cage was first teased. However, it appears as though Cole may have been recruiting his replacement at the top of the call sheet. Even the movie's synopsis makes it clear who the sequel is focusing on:

This time, the fan favorite champions — now joined by Johnny Cage himself — are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Tan only appears in a couple of very brief shots in the trailer as Cole. The writing seems to be on the wall. While that might be frustrating for Tan as an actor, it's a move that makes sense. One of the most bizarre things about McQuoid's first "Mortal Kombat" movie was the fact that it hinged on a character created specifically for it, rather than one fans were familiar with from the original video games. However, the "Mortal Kombat II" trailer makes it clear that McQuoid and Warner Bros. wanted to lean more into the games this time. Evidently, that also means leaning away from Cole.

Setting that aside for a moment, we've come a long way since director Paul W.S. Anderson's first "Mortal Kombat" movie was released in 1995. That film helped set a tone for video game movies for years to come, with Hollywood struggling to adapt these things for the big screen. In recent years, though, that has changed in a big way thanks to the likes of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," "Sonic the Hedgehog," and "A Minecraft Movie," among others.

But most of those movies are for younger audiences. "Mortal Kombat" is one of the rare video game film franchises that can be specifically for adults and more mature audiences, and "Mortal Kombat II" appears to be embracing the R-rated nature of the property that has helped define it from the beginning. It's also worth pointing out that 2021's "Mortal Kombat" only made $84 million at the box office against a $55 million budget. It was by no means a theatrical hit, yet it found a huge fanbase on HBO Max. Warner Bros. made this movie believing that, with the right take, it could reach a bigger crowd. Leaning into Johnny Cage is the right take.

The "Mortal Kombat II" cast also includes Tadanobu Asano (Lord Raiden), Joe Taslim (Bi-Han), Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), Adeline Rudolph (Kitana), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Josh Lawson (Kano), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), Tati Gabrielle (Jade), Damon Herriman (Quan Chi), and Chin Han (Shang Tsung).

"Mortal Kombat II" will hit theaters on October 24, 2025.