Mortal Kombat 2, as some would say, is a movie created for the fans. I mean, most live-action video game adaptations are made that way, so that the target audience will support them no matter what. MK2 is the same deal in some ways, but it twists the original story so much that it’s not like the games at all. It starts with the tournament and ends with major shifts that not only drive the narrative away from the game’s canon but also leave so many unanswered questions. Spoiler Alert! The following includes heavy Mortal Kombat 2 spoilers.
After so many battles with and without fatalities for both sides, in the end, Earthrealm is officially defeated by Outworld in Mortal Kombat. Well, for a few minutes that is. Shao Kahn defeats Sonya Blade and Liu Kang in a 2v1 kombat, eliminating both champions. This is what we’re not used to seeing in games, since Liu Kang is usually the golden boy who brings glory to Earthrealm as the Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat.
Now you know what else we don’t ever see in games? Liu Kang’s death at the hands of Shao Kahn. A key shift in focus is whether the sacrifice of the main character in the MK video games was worth it in the movies.
In the Mortal Kombat games canon, there are only two times Liu Kang officially dies: first, in Deadly Alliance, where Shang Tsung and Quan-Chi kill the chosen one as one of the main threats to their rising power. And the second time in the rebooted MK9 timeline, Raiden accidentally kills Liu, trying to warn him to stay back.
In the ending, however, Liu Kang is dead, and yet he’s not. He gets stabbed by Shao Kahn’s hammer, very cool choice of design to add a spear by the end of the hammer, by the way, and then he transforms into some sort of godhood and disappears.
Upon defeat, Liu Kang accepts his fate as not the chosen one who must stop Shao Kahn. “Your death belongs to another” is one of the last words he says. He then ascends to the air, burning like a Phoenix to be born again somewhere else, probably in the Netherrealm, to follow his journey of bringing back his causin, Kung Lao.
Meanwhile, in the Netherrealm, Johnny Cage finally unlocks his powers, seemingly destroying the amulet of Shinnok and killing Bi-Han for the second time in the rebooted movie series. And with that, Shao Kahn’s brain is sliced into uneven pieces by the hands of Kitana, who is now the Queen of Outworld and Edenia since both realms are merged.
Now, the biggest departure from the original story is when Raiden gathers his champions and Quan-Chi to resurrect their friends. And that mainly means Cole Young and Jax, since Liu Kang is already on the mission to save Kung Lao.
Now, for Jax, a comeback is possible through what the necromancer Quan-Chi is capable of. But Cole Young? His body is headless, and he’s been thrown in the acid. Shouldn’t be possible at all. But who knows?
Is There A Mortal Kombat 3 Movie?
Confirmed by Todd Garner, the producer of the two MK reboots himself, it appears that the script for the 3rd film is already in hand and ready. With Mortal Kombat 2 scores putting the movie in the top 3 spot of the best live-action video game adaptations, a sequel is somehow inevitable. But what’s the story this time?
I don’t think a resurrection plot alone will work as the main theme for the next film. Especially since they teased that by the end of the second film. And with Shao Kahn dead with one of the best Fatalities Kitana could ever pull off on the big screen, the invasion of Earthrealm is pretty much off the table.
That brings us to MK4, where the fallen Elder God Shinnok rises to power again. With or without the amulet, Shinnok is a threat to all realms, and we already know Shang Tsung and Quan-Chi are alive and well to help him escape the Netherrealm.
One possible scenario could be about Raiden’s champions taking Quan-Chi to Netherrealm to help free their friends from hell, but the sorcerer escapes and plots Shinnok’s escape. The Elder God’s entrance with a brutal fatality on one of the Earthrealmers could very well show off his evil presence from the start.
But with all that said, we’re too far away from getting to know more about the Mortal Kombat 3 film. Even if the script is ready and production starts in late 2026 or 2027, the full movie might not be released until early 2028 at best. But worry not! If we’re lucky enough and things all go well with the Netherrealm Studios and their team, the next Mortal Kombat game might be sitting right around the corner soon.
