Mortal Kombat II: The Biggest Burning Questions and How Arcana Became the Franchise’s ‘Midichlorians’

Are you wondering if determination are immoderate Mortal Kombat II post-credits scenes? We’ll archer you close here: Nope, determination aren’t!

Warning: Spoilers travel for Mortal Kombat II.

It’s showtime, Mortal Kombat fans, due to the fact that Mortal Kombat II is present successful theaters. The highly anticipated sequel to the 2021 reboot is entering its opening play with coagulated reviews for a video crippled adaptation, including an 8/10 from IGN’s Max Scoville, who wrote that “the barroom for video crippled movie sequels isn’t precise high, but this 1 not lone clears the bar, it twirls it astir similar a bo staff.” Between fantabulous combat scenes, the instauration of instrumentality favourite kharacters similar Johnny Cage, Kitana, and Shao Kahn, and the movie embracing much of the series’ campy code and phantasy world-building, Mortal Kombat II looks to beryllium a superior people correction aft its predecessor’s mixed reception. That we get a existent Mortal Kombat tourney this clip astir besides helps!

But present that we’ve seen the film, we person immoderate burning questions some astir however this 1 plays retired and what it each means for Mortal Kombat III, which is already confirmed to beryllium successful development. To that end, IGN spoke to manager Simon McQuoid, writer Jeremy Slater, and stars Karl Urban and Joe Taslim to get their insights connected if Shinnok volition beryllium the villain of Mortal Kombat III, what’s adjacent for Cole Young and Jax, however the archetypal film’s arcana conception became the franchise’s “midichlorians,” and overmuch more.

Let’s delve into each the spoilery details of Mortal Kombat II…

Fulfilling the Promises of Mortal Kombat I

Mortal Kombat II shifts its absorption distant from franchise newcomer Cole Young (Lewis Tan), who was the pb of the past film. Instead, our 2 protagonists this clip are Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), who are 2 of the astir iconic heroes successful the crippled series. They and a clump of different returning faces similar Cole, Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), and Jax (Mehcad Brooks) are assembled by Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) to support Earthrealm against the forces of Shao Kahn’s Outworld done the Mortal Kombat tournament.

“The past movie ended with 2 promises,” screenwriter Slater told me. “That the tourney was coming, and that Johnny Cage would beryllium 1 of the combatants. And beyond that, it was fundamentally the entity was the limit.”

“There are truthful galore moving parts and I emotion the originative exercise,” McQuoid told IGN. “I wanted to bring the feeling of the opening of the archetypal film, but conscionable spell benignant of maximalistically. I wanted to support a blase code moving done it, but conscionable equilibrium each those facets similar the drama and brutality.”

There are a batch of characters moving around, but Johnny and Kitana basal retired arsenic the ones who person the astir development, with Johnny being a washed-out aging histrion who needs to rediscover himself, and Kitana wanting to avenge her father’s decease astatine the hands of Shao Kahn. When asked astir the caller leads, Slater said “MK1 benignant of concluded the arcs and the storylines of characters similar Cole and Sonya and Jax. We tin springiness immoderate different characters a accidental successful the spotlight. I deliberation that attack truly paid off.”

Those journeys reason with Johnny obtaining little supernatural powers that let him to shatter the Amulet of Shinnok, an artifact important to the villains’ plans, and Kitana successfully sidesplitting Shao Kahn by carving his caput into luncheon meat. She subsequently takes up the throne of Outworld, seemingly to beryllium a amended ruler than her villainous adoptive father. Despite not sharing a batch of scenes, the movie parallels Johnny and Kitana’s arcs and intercuts betwixt them to merchantability the brace arsenic the film’s center. McQuoid elaborated connected this approach, saying “I wanted [the movie] to person this affectional core. And I deliberation that's what some Kitana and Johnny's stories are. And they are the 2 pillars of the movie. And they thread unneurotic successful the end.” All good and good, but what astir what’s coming next?

How the Arcana Concept From the First Movie Became the Franchise’s ‘Midichlorians’

One of the weirder aspects of the 2021 movie was the instauration of “arcana,” which does not originate from the mythology of the games. Characters would make dragon tattoos indicating they could summation powers, and could adjacent get them from others by sidesplitting them successful battle. This thought is ne'er mentioned successful the sequel, which Slater said was precise intentional.

'The arcana was conscionable thing that the hardcore fans ne'er responded to.'“

“The arcana was conscionable thing that the hardcore fans ne'er responded to,” said the writer. “It benignant of became our midichlorians to immoderate extent, of explaining thing that they didn't needfully privation an mentation for. The extremity coming successful was that we don't request to contradict thing successful that archetypal movie, we don't request to retcon thing oregon say, ‘Oh wait, really that's not however it works,’ but we besides don't request to treble down connected things that they're not enjoying.”

Slater outright said they won’t notation arcana again, which is for the best, if you inquire me.

Mortal Kombat Mains, Improvised Lines, and Noob Saibot

When asked who his Mortal Kombat main is, Slater said “in the archetypal one, it was Raiden. In the 2nd one, it was Baraka… I was obsessed with Baraka. He was my favourite character. He was the idiosyncratic I was astir adamant of ‘I request to find a mode to get him into this movie.’” This makes a batch of consciousness erstwhile you spot the finished product, due to the fact that Baraka gets a overmuch bigger relation than you mightiness expect and winds up being 1 of the funniest characters successful the film.

Johnny Cage makes aggregate jokes astir Lord of the Rings successful MK2, referencing Karl Urban’s relation arsenic Éomer successful Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Urban told IGN that helium improvised those lines: “When I was shooting Mortal Kombat, I benignant of recognized the archetypes of a batch of the characters, which reminded maine of erstwhile I was shooting Lord of the Rings. Your Raiden is your Gandalf and the other, the warriors, you're members of the fellowship. And truthful I would benignant of each present and then, similar erstwhile we got what was connected the script, I would conscionable propulsion immoderate Lord of the Rings crap successful determination like, ‘Whoa, Gandalf, get maine the fuck retired of here.’”

Bi-Han, aka Sub-Zero, returns to beingness arsenic his spectral persona Noob Saibot, who has agelong been a instrumentality favourite quality successful the games. Joe Taslim reprises his relation arsenic Bi-Han, but helium did not play the Shadow (a ghostly treble Bi-Han tin conjure) during the combat scenes.

“I'm warring Hiroyuki,” the histrion told IGN. “But erstwhile we're together, erstwhile some of america are warring Hiroyuki, of course, I don't deliberation the accumulation wants to [digitize] oregon CGI a character… So we person a truly talented fighter, besides our choreographer, playing the Shadow.” Taslim said helium needed to enactment other intimately with the choreographer truthful that they moved the aforesaid way, since they’re expected to beryllium the aforesaid character: “So for me, successful presumption of creative, to sermon … similar however helium moves, however helium walks, and astatine the aforesaid time, I was truly paying attraction to ‘That's not however I fall. Please don't autumn similar that. That's not however I stand.’ And past it's a beautiful, beauteous collaboration.”

Will Shinnok Be the Villain of Mortal Kombat III?

Shao Kahn, the overarching villain of the past 2 movies, is killed astatine the extremity of this one. While it is of people imaginable helium volition beryllium resurrected, a antithetic foe is foreshadowed successful this film: Shinnok, a fallen Elder God whom fans cognize was the main antagonist of Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat X.

The Amulet of Shinnok, which has been a recurring crippled constituent successful galore MK games, is utilized present to springiness Shao Kahn impermanent immortality erstwhile it’s charged up with Raiden’s godly essence. When asked astir Shinnok perchance showing up successful a aboriginal installment, Slater said “we privation to marque definite that erstwhile Shinnok does arrive, that we person the abstraction and the existent property to bash justness to that character… I can't accidental erstwhile he's coming, but we're surely ever successful speech astir what our plans for Shinnok are. And those plans bash commencement with the instauration of the Amulet successful this movie.”

So remainder easy, Shinnok stans: He’s decidedly connected the filmmakers’ radar!

How Will Cole Young and Jax Be Resurrected?

Although the heroes travel retired connected apical successful Mortal Kombat II, they bash instrumentality immoderate losses on the way. Cole Young and Jax are some killed by Shao Kahn, and Kung Lao (Max Huang) is inactive a revenant. However, the movie ends with Kano (Josh Lawson), who has defected to the bully guys, having managed to seizure Netherrealm necromancer Quan Chi (Damon Herriman). Sonya says they tin usage his powers to revive Earthrealm’s fallen champions, leaving the doorway unfastened for those characters to instrumentality successful Mortal Kombat 3.

While we don’t cognize however that volition each work, Slater addressed this crippled turn, saying “we killed disconnected immoderate precise beloved characters, and that was by design… but immoderate of these characters bash inactive person stories near to archer successful this universe, and immoderate of these actors are radical we truly emotion and truly privation to spot again successful the franchise. We whitethorn beryllium seeing them again successful somewhat antithetic forms, but again, that's portion of the enigma and portion of the amusive going into 3.”

It sounds similar we decidedly haven’t seen the past of our dormant heroes, but whether oregon not Quan Chi volition play on remains to beryllium seen. And speaking of mysteries…

What Happened to Liu Kang?

One of the movie’s biggest question marks is the destiny of Liu Kang. While Shao Kahn does decision and stab him with his Wrath Hammer, Liu doesn’t seem to dice here. Instead, his eyes unfastened wide and helium says “I recognize now” earlier transforming into occurrence and claiming helium volition find a mode to prevention Kung Lao. We don’t spot him again aft this, and helium doesn’t rejoin his friends astatine the end. So wherever is he?

Slater wouldn’t corroborate Liu’s nonstop status, but helium did accidental we would spot the quality again: “The question of wherever did helium go, what happened to him, and however mightiness helium beryllium antithetic erstwhile helium comes back, I deliberation is the archetypal portion of a overmuch larger communicative that I person planned for Liu Kang… there's a batch of places we inactive privation to instrumentality him connected his journey.” It looks similar the enigma of Liu Kang’s whereabouts volition beryllium 1 of the cardinal crippled threads successful Mortal Kombat 3.

Shang Tsung’s Deleted Scenes and Is a Deadly Alliance Adaptation Coming?

Chin Han reprises his relation arsenic the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung, and his biggest publication to the crippled is stealing Raiden’s powers to complaint the Amulet of Shinnok. But though he’s astir and the movie hints helium whitethorn beryllium making a play for Shao Kahn’s throne, Slater told maine overmuch of Shang's subplot was trimmed during the scripting signifier earlier main photography.

"We did person to chopped a batch of Shang's material. Initially, determination was a batch much with him wherever it was precise wide that helium was benignant of playing 4D chess… that helium was possibly manipulating each facet of the crippled committee to effort to get astatine a script wherever helium would yet beryllium the feline sitting successful that throne.”

'Initially, determination was a batch much with him wherever it was precise wide that helium was benignant of playing 4D chess.'“

If you cognize your Mortal Kombat lore, you cognize that Shang and Quan Chi worked unneurotic to prehend powerfulness successful the crippled Deadly Alliance, thing Slater is keenly alert of: “I volition accidental you are perfectly going to spot a batch much of Shang Tsung successful the adjacent movie.” Good to know!

Will We See Spin-Offs That Expand the Mortal Kombat Universe?

Beyond Mortal Kombat III and much sequels successful the main series, Slater is hopeful that we volition spot broadside projects astir pairs of characters.

“Part of the world of doing these large ensemble films is that you tin lone get truthful overmuch Liu Kang, you tin lone get truthful overmuch Kung Lao,” helium says. “But if I could bash a Shaolin Monks spin-off with Liu Kang and Kung Lao, oregon if I could bash a Special Forces spin-off with Jax and Sonya… oregon who doesn't privation to spot a movie that's each Hanzo [Scorpion] the full movie? That would beryllium incredible, oregon a Deadly Alliance movie that's each astir the atrocious guys.”

However, he’s speedy to clarify that this is conscionable wishing connected his part, and these projects are not presently successful development. “None of that is remotely official. That's maine arsenic a instrumentality saying I volition constitute arsenic galore of these goddamn things arsenic you fto me, I emotion the characters, I emotion the world.”

What did you deliberation of Mortal Kombat II? Let america cognize successful the comments!

With reporting by Tom Jorgensen

Carlos Morales writes novels, articles, and Mass Effect essays. You tin travel his fixations connected Twitter.