A new trailer for Mortal Kombat 2 (stylised as Mortal Kombat II) has dropped, announcing that tickets are now on sale.
The sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat focuses on Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), who was teased at the end of the last film, as he finds himself in the middle of a battle between Earthrealm and Outworld as Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) threatens the survival of Earthrealm and its defenders.
As the trailer begins, we see Johnny Cage, the lead character, sitting down at his stall in the middle of a convention as we see merch for his films laid out on the table, ranging from Citizen Cage to Uncaged Fury, a clip from which can be seen playing on the small TV and was previously released as marketing for the movie. The look on his face in this scene indicates that he’s becoming wary that he’s fading, which can also be proved by how no one is seen at his stall, which is fully stocked.
Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) can be heard recruiting Johnny Cage in the backtrack of the trailer as he warns him that the fate of 8 billion people is down to the Mortal Kombat, to which Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) mentions that if they lose one more time, the Earth will be gone. In the first film, we learn that Outworld has defeated Earthrealm in nine tournaments which are known as ‘Mortal Kombats’, and if Earthrealm loses one more tournament, it will be conquered by Outworld. Despite the name of the film and the mention of these tournaments, it never takes place, as Shang Tsung (Chin Han) tried breaking the rules by eliminating Earthrealm’s champions before it began.
It seems like this time, Mortal Kombat 2 will be focusing on the actual tournament itself, with 1v1 fights taking place that will decide the fate of Earthrealm. We see shots of Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) walking through what looks like a garden film with cherry blossoms before he transports Johnny Cage and Kano (Josh Lawson) into the Netherrealm. We then see quick shots of a slightly bloodied Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee); a deceased burnt body which is hard to distinguish; Johnny Cage laid out on the floor, staring at his sunglasses, likely after a defeat or being hit with an attack; Liu Kang; and then finally Raiden alongside Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade as he uses his lightning to open a portal to travel between the realms.
The classic Mortal Kombat theme begins to play as we get a look at Shao Kahn, the villain of this movie with his iconic look and Wrath Hammer. We get another shot of Liu Kang which seems to be from the same scene as before but is now confirmed to be in the same location as Shao Kahn, hinting that we may see a fight between the two.
The highlight of this trailer is the shots of the 1v1 fights that are filmed to look like they come straight from the games. We see Shao Kahn vs Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), who’s his stepdaughter, and Liu Kang vs Kung Lao (Max Huang), with fireballs being thrown and Kung Lao’s hat being thrown, which we see fly around back to his head.
The next shot sees Kano in a chokehold by Noob Saibot (Joe Taslim), a resurrected Bi-Han who asks Johnny Cage to use those special powers of his which we all love and know from the game but have yet to see in any of the marketing. “You want to know my power? I am Johnny Cage,” Cage says, making it clear that they’re saving the use of Cage’s energy-based powers and iconic moves for when the film releases.
We then see Raiden facing off with what looks to be Shang Tsung, who was sent to the Outworld at the end of the last film. There seem to be many iconic matchups in this film, with Scorpion vs Noob Saibot in the Netherrealm and Jade (Tati Gabrielle) vs Kitana, with the former being a childhood friend of Kitana but also an assassin for Shao Kahn. It’s not yet known which direction Mortal Kombat 2 will go with their relationship, but it’s likely we’ll see her join Kitana’s side by the end of the movie. It’s hard to tell who’s fighting up next, but it appears to be Shao Kahn and what looks like an Edenian guard.
Jade doesn’t get any rest as she’s found in another battle, but this time with Jax (Mehcad Brooks), and then we return back to the fight between Liu Kang and Kung Lao, with the latter having the upper hand as he lands what appears to be his Fist Fury move from Mortal Kombat X. We then return back to Shao Kahn in the town centre, but it looks like he’s bested someone else, making it appear as if he’s having a standoff in the town, facing off against several adversaries.
“Damn,” Jax responds from a clearly different cut scene, but it fits the reaction perfectly to not only see all the possible 1v1 fights that we’ll be getting but also see how menacing Shao Kahn is as a threat. Kitana looks like she’s also going to have a standoff with Johnny Cage as she kicks one of her spinning steel fans in the air that finds its way lodged into some wood.
Out of pure surprise, as we see Johnny Cage drinking at a bar while we hear Raiden say, “If you fail, the Earth fails with you,” we see the creator of Mortal Kombat, Ed Boon, working behind the bar and serving Cage a drink. We then return to many quick shots of the previous fights we saw, but a new one that stands out is Cole Young (Lewis Tan), the protagonist of the last film, going up against Shao Kahn, and while in the scene it looks like he has the upper hand, it feels like this is a hint to his character being killed off, as there’s no possible way he could come out on top against Shao Kahn of all people.
A shot of Jade with her glowing steel bō staff as she falls in the Netherrealm, ready to attack whoever is out of range. We then receive our first look at QuanChi (Damon Herriman) in the trailer with Jade and Kitana standing behind him. In what appears to be the same room or at least building we saw earlier with Liu Kang facing off against Shao Kahn, we now see Jax getting hit with an uppercut by his Wrath Hammer with Sonya Blade knocked out on the floor.
There’s also the confirmation that Johnny Cage will be fighting Baraka (CJ Bloomfield) from the earlier shot where Cage was seen on the floor, looking at his sunglasses in despair. We see him without them in this quick shot, and it seems like he’s being forced into a fight as his crotch almost gets sliced by Baraka. A closer shot of Baraka’s ghastly face is seen later in the midst of shots with Jade’s glowing staff, Shao Kahn facing guards once again, and his stepdaughter from the same scene that was seen previously.
The trailer ends as we return to the Netherrealm with Noob Saibot and Scorpion, as Noob Saibot forms his sickle and faces Scorpion as he’s split into two, taking on Scorpion from both sides. The scene also reveals to viewers who may not know that Noob Saibot is a reborn Bi-Han.
This quick 1-minute and 36-second trailer that’s announcing tickets on sale does a great job at highlighting all the various fights that will take place in Mortal Kombat 2 but also showcases that it’s going to be more close to the games than the first film was. It looks action-packed and gruesome and is introducing the actual Mortal Kombat tournament. What more could you ask for?
Mortal Kombat 2 is set to release in theatres on May 8. It’s directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Jeremy Slater. Ed Boon, Michael Clear, Judson Scott, and Jeremy Slater are signed on to executive produce, with Todd Garner, Toby Emmerich, Simon McQuoid, E. Bennett Walsh, and James Wan in producer roles.
It will star Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, Martyn Ford, Ana Thy Nguyen, Max Huang, CJ Bloomfield, and Hiroyuki Sanada.
Watch the trailer below:
