The Mortal Kombat franchise is alive and well on the big screen, so much that Warner Bros. recently pushed Mortal Kombat II from its original October 24 release back to a prime summer slot on May 15, 2026. While the news is disappointing for fans who were eager to see it, it does set the sequel up for success.
The studio unveiled new footage from Mortal Kombat II at its New York Comic-Con panel on Saturday afternoon, where it was also confirmed that Mortal Kombat III has already been greenlit. Mortal Kombat II screenwriter Jeremy Slater will return to write the script. Now that the sequel has arrived, there is one big question: Which MK characters will be featured?
The Mortal Kombat video game franchise began in 1992, spanning 11 main games — with a 12th in the works for 2026 — plus a number of spinoffs, with a total of 76 playable characters throughout the franchise. While it’s unclear how Mortal Kombat II shakes out, let’s speculate who could debut in Mortal Kombat III, and who could play them.
Nightwolf – Martin Sensmeier
The Nightwolf character was introduced in Mortal Kombat 3, a warrior of Native American descent who helps defend Earthrealm with his incredible abilities. He can summon mystical green energy to attack his opponents through lightning bolts or a bow and arrow, while brandishing a traditional tomahawk as well. He could very well be a force to be reckoned with.
Most of the major Earthrealm characters from the games have been used in the first two movies, so Nightwolf makes sense for a third Mortal Kombat movie. There are a number of great Native American actors who could tackle the role, but Martin Sensmeier (Yellowstone, The Magnificent Seven) could be a perfect fit.
Kurtis Stryker – Alan Ritchson
The imposing New York Police Department SWAT officer made his debut in Mortal Kombat 3, which would make him a perfect addition for the third Mortal Kombat movie. While he has no special powers like those from Outerworld and Neatherrealm, he employs tactical weapons like machine guns, grenades, and his police baton to engage his enemies.
He was also recruited by Raiden to help defend Earthrealm in the games, and since Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) has appeared in both Mortal Kombat movies thus far, his recruitment of Stryker could logically play into the third movie. Stryker is quite the menacing presence in the games, which could be a perfect role for Alan Ritchson coming off his turn in Reacher.
Cyrax – Joey Ansah
Cyrax also made his video game debut in Mortal Kombat 3, and he has quite the intriguing backstory that could be utilized in the sequel. Cyrax was one of three cyborgs created by the African Lin Kuei tribe to hunt down Sub-Zero. He was born as a human Black male before becoming a cyborg, which could be sequel fodder.
If Sub-Zero (Joe Talsim) does return in Mortal Kombat III, Cyrax’s involvement – along with his two cyborg counterparts – could easily happen in the sequel. What’s also interesting about this character is that he was male in the first two timelines of the game, but changed to a female in the third and current timeline.
If they go with the OG timeline, Joey Ansah would be a tremendous pick for Cyrax. If they go with the third timeline, female martial arts specialists like Rayna Vallandingham (Cobra Kai) or Hillary Hawkins could be great picks.
Smoke – Scott Adkins
While Smoke was also one of the three cyborgs created by the African Lin Kuei tribe, he was born a white male named Tobias Vrbada. He technically made his debut in Mortal Kombat 2 as a secret character in his human form, but he was first playable as a cyborg in Mortal Kombat 3.
Smoke has a number of super-human abilities, like teleportation and invisibility, while striking opponents with a spear-tipped rope much like Scorpion. Smoke’s speedy abilities and penchant for deception would be perfectly imbued by a skilled martial arts actor like the talented Scott Adkins.
Sektor – Nicholas Tse
Sektor was the third Lin Kuei cyborg created to hunt down Sub-Zero, and intriguingly, in human form, he’s also a different race from the Black male Cyrax and white male Smoke: he’s a Chinese male. Sektor is perhaps the most cybernetic of this ninja trio, armed with missiles that fire from his chest and a teleporting rocket punch like Smoke.
His arsenal also includes a flame burner and burst grenades, making him quite the formidable opponent in the games. Sektor and his cyborg brethren could provide some unique story arcs for Mortal Kombat III, though it’s possible they only choose one of these characters to move forward with. If they do go with Sektor, Nicholas Tse would be great.
Sheeva – Zoe Bell
While a four-armed character like Sheeva would certainly take some work to pull off, the effects team more than proved their worth by their work with Goro in the first Mortal Kombat movie. Sheeva is a powerful Shokan (half-human, half-dragon), who in the games first served as the bodyguard for Queen Sindel, who is played by Ana Thu Ngyuen in Mortal Kombat II.
If Sindel does return in Mortal Kombat III, it would be fitting to bring Sheeva to the big screen. Sheeva is also a Shokan like Goro, but the character is not as massive, so it could possibly be played by a real actress, instead of a full CGI-created character. If they do go this route, Zoe Bell would be perfect.
Reptile – Iko Uwais
Reptile was the very first secret character in the original Mortal Kombat game, though he made his debut as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 2. This humanoid-reptilian character — also known as Syzoth — who is basically a combination of both the Scorpion and Sub-Zero characters. He has a number of dangerous moves such as spitting acid on the opponent.
He can also spew poison gas, and has the ability to turn invisible. Reptile could be an intriguing character due to his allegiance to Shang Tsung (Chin Han), and if that character returns for Mortal Kombat III, it would make sense to bring Reptile along for the ride as well, and The Raid star Iko Uwais would be perfect for Reptile.
Chameleon – Marrese Crump
Chameleon had a appeared in the Mortal Kombat Trilogy before his playable debut in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, who has one of the most unique skill sets: the ability to turn into other characters. Players can morph into Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile and others, with the ability to perform all of their moves and switch into others throughout the game.
A shapeshifter like Chameleon could be an intriguing presence in the sequel, and since he doesn’t have much of a backstory, the film could provide a proper backstory for him and cement an allegiance for the character. The character could be a great fit for a masterful martial arts actor like Marrese Crump.
Cassie Cage – Chloe Grace Moretz
This would involve either a bit of a retcon, or a serious time jump between Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat III, but the addition of Cassie Cage could be an intriguing one. Cassie Cage is the daughter of Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), who both have pivotal roles in Mortal Kombat II.
There’s no indication that Johnny and Sonya are romantically involved in the second film, but if that does happen, it could pave the way for Cassie. Cassie was part of a group called the Kombat Kids with Jacqui Briggs (daughter of Jax), Kung Jin (cousin of Kung Lao), and Takeda (son of Scorpion), so it’s possible that dynamic is explored.
If they do somehow bring Cassie in, Chloe Grace Moretz would be a great choice to play the character.
