Summary
- Mortal Kombat 2 has the potential to outdo the first movie with even more horrific and deadly fights, including a long-awaited Mortal Kombat tournament.
- Exciting matchups in Mortal Kombat 2 include Raiden vs. Shang Tsung, Noob Saibot vs. Jax, Sonya Blade vs. Kano, and Johnny Cage vs. Sonya Blade.
- Kitana vs. Baraka and Johnny Cage vs. Shao Kahn have the potential to be the most inventive, brutal, and show-stopping fights in the movie.
2021’s Mortal Kombat set a high bar with a huge number of horrific and deadly fights, yet Mortal Kombat 2 has a chance to outdo these expectations. One of the greatest elements of the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie and what made it so faithful to the games were the hard R fight sequences. The video game series is known for its “fatalities,” which are the creative and vulgar finish moves in which the fights’ victors kill their opponents in a grisly manner, whether it be by ripping out their spines or slicing them in half with buzzsaw hats. The Mortal Kombat reboot was full of these creative deaths, which followed equally satisfying fight scenes.
However, Mortal Kombat was missing one key element of the video games, which was an actual Mortal Kombat tournament. However, with the promise that Mortal Kombat 2 will indeed feature a tournament, the movie will undoubtedly top the first movie’s number of fight scenes. Given size of the Mortal Kombat 2 cast and the slate of beloved video game characters that the sequel will introduce, there’s no shortage of different matchups that could potentially take place.
10 Raiden Vs. Shang Tsung
While there are tons of powerful opponents in the Mortal Kombat video games, the big debate over who is more powerful has always been between Raiden and Shang Tsung. Raiden is the protector of Earthrealm and the god of thunder, and Shang Tsung is the powerful sorcerer who can shapeshift, and the two clearly had a long history that was hinted at in the 2021 movie too. While both of them displayed their powers, such as Shang Tsung sucking out Kung Lao’s soul, they are both way more powerful than what was showcased in the first film. Mortal Kombat 2 can show once and for all who is the most powerful.
9 Noob Saibot Vs. Jax
Noob Saibot is part of the Mortal Kombat 2 cast, and while that name might sound new to audiences not well-acquainted with the video games, the character does feature in 2021’s Mortal Kombat. Noob Saibot is the resurrected form of Sub-Zero, who wreaked havoc in the 2021 movie, including turning Jax’s arms into ice before smashing them. With Bi-Han back from the dead, there could be an interesting rematch between Jax and Noob Saibot. Now that Jax has mechanical arms and is even more dangerous than before, the two combatants will be more evenly matched. This fight would also make up for how underdeveloped Jax was in the 2021 movies compared to the games.
8 Sonya Blade Vs. Kano
Given that it was by far the most praised performance of 2021’s Mortal Kombat, Josh Lawson’s return as Kano is one of the most exciting parts of Mortal Kombat 2. As Kano, along with Sub-Zero and Scorpion, died in the first movie, his return teases Hell being a Mortal Kombat 2 location. Kano fighting any of them could be exciting, but a bigger event would be a rematch between Kano and Sonya Blade, who hilariously killed Kano by stabbing him in the eye with a garden gnome. The two have a delightful feud, and it’d continue a great running gag if the two were pitted against each other again.
7 Johnny Cage Vs. Sonya Blade
Johnny Cage is by far the most notable Mortal Kombat 2 casting. Cage and Sonya have an interesting history in the video games, as they have an on-again-off-again relationship, and they even have a daughter together, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hate each other sometimes. Sonya has already been introduced in the series and is yet to meet Johnny. Given that Johnny and Kano have a lot in common, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sonya didn’t immediately fall for Johnny. A fight between Johnny and Sonya might not be “deadly” or end in a fatality, but it’d certainly be entertaining, and the characters won’t hold back their punches.
6 Kitana Vs. Baraka
While hardly any Mortal Kombat 2 story details have been revealed, the narrative can be pieced together through character announcements. A number of Edenian characters have been announced along with villains like Baraka and Shao Kahn. This likely means that the movie is adapting the Mortal Kombat II video game, which sees Shao Kahn take over the realm of Edenia. Kitana is the princess of Edenia attempting to protect the realm, making her the natural adversary of a beast like Baraka. Baraka is a vicious monster whose kicks can break ribs and whose teeth can bite through arms, whereas Kitana uses steel fans and can teleport. Based on what their abilities are, a Baraka vs. Kitana battle would make for one of the movie’s most inventive and brutal fights.
5 Johnny Cage Vs. Cole Young
Johnny Cage being pitted against Cole Young isn’t exactly based on Mortal Kombat lore, as Cole was an original character created for the movie and doesn’t appear in any of the games. However, Johnny and Cole must fight in Mortal Kombat 2 to prove which hero is the better fighter, considering that it’s a scenario that’s been talked about ever since the Johnny Cage tease at the end of the 2021 movie. Cole Young was criticized for being too vanilla compared to other Mortal Kombat characters, and a fight with Johnny Cage could see Cole have an early exit in the film, something that audiences have been candid about wanting to see.
4 Jade Vs. Queen Sindel
Queen Sindel, who is an Edenian and Kitana’s mother, isn’t actually on the side of Edenia in the Mortal Kombat video games, and she instead valiantly stands by Shao Kahn’s side as he takes over the realm because Sindel loves the power. Jade was originally one of Shao Kahn’s elite assassins, but she ended up helping Earthrealm and becoming Kitana’s bodyguard. Given that both characters will have major roles in Mortal Kombat 2 and that they have completely conflicting objectives, there’s no doubt that Jade and Sindel will get into a fatality-filled fight with their supernatural powers.
3 Shao Kahn Vs. King Jerrod
King Jerrod actually has a very small role in the Mortal Kombat video games, and he isn’t even a playable character, but he’ll have a prominent role in Mortal Kombat 2. The husband of Queen Sindel’s husband and the father of Kitana, Jerrod is the peaceful ruler of Edenia. The character is dethroned when he’s killed by Shao Kahn in the video game, hence why this fight will likely be shown in Mortal Kombat 2. Given Kahn’s brute force and Jerrod’s submissiveness, the fight will likely be one of the most hard-hitting in the sequel, and it could potentially be surprisingly emotive given the family connections and the friendly nature of Edenians.
2 Kitana Vs. Queen Sindel
Mortal Kombat 2 is in a good positon to feature a major, mother-daughter showdown. Kitana is fighting for Edenia’s freedom, while her mother just wants power and a high status. Queen Sindel’s powers are more supernatural while Kitana relies mostly on her steel fans, meaning that their fighting styles are different enough for it to be an extremely unique fight sequence. Sindel’s scenes might be too reminiscent of 1997’s critically panned Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, but with the unforgiving approach that 2021’s Mortal Kombat had to its fights, the battle between Kitana and Sindel could make up for a 26-year-old disappointment.
1 Johnny Cage Vs. Shao Kahn
Johnny Cage and Shao Kahn are the two biggest character announcements of the sequel, as the smart-mouth movie star is one of the series’ most entertaining characters and Shao Kahn is one of the most powerful villains. With that in mind, a fight between the two big names would ultimately be the showstopper of the movie. There’s also a theory that Cage is a direct descendant of Kahn, as they’re both able to use green energy. Given that the Mortal Kombat 2 logo features the green energy, the movie could potentially lean into this theory. Going in this direction would add a new layer to a Johnny Cage vs. Shao Kahn match.
