How Mortal Kombat II Sets Up A Third Movie In The Franchise

This article contains spoilers for "Mortal Kombat II."

To the uninitiated who have only a passing familiarity with the original video games, "Mortal Kombat" seems like it would be a pretty predictable movie franchise. Most would expect it to be, to borrow a title, one battle after another, with various characters pitted against each other in tournament after tournament. 

In truth, it was the lack of any tournament fights whatsoever that plagued the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" film for so many fans, an egregious oversight that this week's "Mortal Kombat II" rectifies in a big way. The entire structure of the sequel is built around a tournament for the freedom of Earthrealm over the power-hungry Outworld, which has already gobbled up all the other realms of the universe. For those who were offended that "Mortal Kombat" (2021) didn't involve the right type of gory brawls to the death, its sequel is a mea culpa.

However, "Mortal Kombat II" (which yours truly reviewed for /Film) doesn't completely abandon or retcon its predecessor's martial arts epic meets dark fantasy take on the property. Rather than ignore everything that's come before in order to get to the tournament, it instead fits the tournament into an already busy story about an ages-old conflict between realms, godlike warriors, and regular folks imbued with special abilities. This focus on the characters extends to the movie's cliffhanger ending, which sets up a third movie that sounds positively mythological. 

Like Orpheus, the heroes of Earthrealm decide to venture to the Netherrealm to try and save their fallen comrades in the final moments of "Mortal Kombat II." It's a bold idea that doesn't sound like it will include a new tournament of any sort, which once again brings up the question: is there more to "Mortal Kombat" than Mortal Kombat?

As fans of the original video games know, "Mortal Kombat" contains a surprising amount of lore that spans the breadth of the 15-odd games in the franchise. As such, it would've been easy for the ending of "Mortal Kombat II" to tease some new Big Bad that the remaining gang of champions might have to contend with in the next round. Essentially, director Simon McQuoid and writer Jeremy Slater could've given the film a Marvel-style cliffhanger, promising some Thanos-esque threat on the horizon.

Instead, the movie's final moments are more about righting the wrongs of what's just transpired in the tournament. The film impressively does not pull its punches, allowing the heroic Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), and Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) to come to grisly ends during their fateful fights. It helps lend emotional weight to the stakes of the tournament and makes sure that victory doesn't feel assured for the protagonists.

After the tournament is won and the evil Shao Khan (Martyn Ford) is defeated, the plan for the remaining Earthrealm champions to try and rescue their friends from the Netherrealm feels like the right payoff for this movie in many ways. It confirms the film's earnest affection for its characters, treating them as vital components and not interchangeable opponents. It also continues the theme of fighting for a righteous cause, which is integral to the arcs of Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and Kitana (Adeline Rudolph). When even Kano (Josh Lawson), the odious turncoat of 2021's "Mortal Kombat," is eager to rescue the lost champions of Earthrealm, the heart of "Mortal Kombat II" is readily apparent.

While the ending of "Mortal Kombat II" is an utterly appropriate and satisfying one, it does raise a lot of questions as to what a "Mortal Kombat 3" will even look like. Will it take a page from "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi," meaning that just the first act will involve a rescue? We know from the original video games' lore that the Netherrealm is home to the Oni demons and that the sorcerer Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) used to be one. Maybe he'll instigate a new tournament? Or will there be no tournament, per se, and the entire film will be similar to the Johnny/Kano subplot from "Mortal Kombat II?"

It's that last possibility that will likely worry those who have such distaste for "Mortal Kombat" (2021) the most. Although, you gotta admit, in any other context, the promise of a film about super-powered warriors fighting through Hell would sound awesome. Still, it's far too early to make solid predictions at this point. After all, while "Mortal Kombat II" is only the second movie in the franchise to have the same creative team as its predecessor, and even the games themselves have taken tangential detours throughout the years. ("Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero," anyone?) 

Hopefully, "Mortal Kombat II" being as respectful and fun as it is will encourage fans to grant Simon McQuoid and Co. the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the next movie. And while this property could always be rebooted a third time (which will partly depend on how "Mortal Kombat II" does at the box office), I know that I would personally love to see this group ... finish them.

"Mortal Kombat II" is in theaters now.