Why Karl Urban Agreed To Star As Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat 2

Karl Urban steals the show in the mostly flawless "Mortal Kombat II." His character, Johnny Cage, is a washed-up action star who hasn't been relevant for years, but he gets an opportunity to become somebody again when he's summoned to fight in an inter-dimensional tournament. Cue a fight with a Tarkatan warrior and an adventure into the Netherrealm to stop Shao Khan (Martyn Ford) from essentially becoming Thanos, and you have a story Urban can relate to.

Obviously, Urban doesn't know what it's like to fight superpowered beings in otherworldly tournaments (or does he?), but Johnny's story in "Mortal Kombat II" still resonated with him and informed why he agreed to play the character. Urban loved the character's journey from the gutter to the stars, as it is symbolic of life as an actor in some ways. As he told Esquire:

"I could relate to Johnny on a multitude of levels, because in the course of any career you're gonna have peaks and valleys. Johnny is in a valley. I've been in valleys before, and the key is to figure out a way out of it. You come up against an obstacle, you figure a way to get under it, through it, over it, around it, to get what you want or need. That's something that has held me not only in my life but in my career."

"Mortal Kombat II" is one of the best action movies of 2026 so far, and Urban's humorous performance as a down-on-his-luck hero is one of the many reasons why. The movie also rocks because Urban and the gang get to throw down, and the Johnny Cage star didn't take any shortcuts while preparing for his butt-kicking role.

Karl Urban makes Johnny Cage's fight scenes look easy, but that's only because the actor spent months working out and practicing martial arts in the lead up to "Mortal Kombat II." The actor shared some details about the experience in an interview with Men's Health, noting that he had to make the most of the time he had available. In Urban's own words:

"I trained for three to four months, most days, in the gym, doing weights and cardio, but also going into martial arts sessions with my teacher. They took me back to basics. I had to learn the fundamentals of movement, of agility, of coordination. We were doing the same speed drills I've seen Novak Djokovic doing when he's warming up for a tennis match. It was intense."

Fortunately, Urban didn't receive any injuries while preparing for or shooting "Mortal Kombat II," but he credits his trainers, nutrition, and supplements for keeping him healthy. He managed to cross the finish line without any setbacks, and we can now add Johnny Cage to the list of Karl Urban's best live-action roles. (The second movie ended with a clear set-up for a third entry, but it remains to be seen if Warner Bros. will give a greenlight to "Mortal Kombat III.")

"You stand at the roulette table long enough, your number's gonna come up," Urban said, speaking about the obstinance that he could relate to in the Johnny Cage character. The franchise is better off with him in it, so we're thankful those parallels were strong enough to convince him to play the part.