Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Mortal Kombat II (2026)!Cole Young’s fate is sealed, but his actor could still return.
Actor Lewis Tan has teased his potential recasting in a third Mortal Kombat movie following his character’s brutal fate in Mortal Kombat II. The story of Mortal Kombat IIfollows Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), an actor recruited into the titular tournament of fighters to stop Shao Khan (Martyn Ford), ruler of the Outworld, from taking over Earthrealm. During the tournament, Cole Young, the main character of the first movie, fights the dangerous Emperor in the first round of the tournament. However, the protagonist is ultimately killed.
From the Great Tournament to the Reboot Era · Eight Questions How Well Do You Know the Mortal Kombat Movies? “MORTAL KOMBAT!”
🥊The 1995 OriginalTest your might
🔥AnnihilationThe 1997 sequel
❄️2021 RebootGet over here
💉FatalitiesFinish him!
🎮Mortal Kombat II2025 sequel
01
The 1995 Mortal Kombat film, made for a modest $18 million, opened to $23 million on its first weekend, knocked off Seven from the #1 spot and went on to become a video-game-movie touchstone of the era. The film was helmed by a then-rookie British director who’d later turn the Resident Evil franchise into a global hit. Name him.
✓ Correct! Paul W.S. Anderson, then 30 and on his second feature after 1994’s Shopping. Mortal Kombat’s box-office success put Anderson on Hollywood’s map — he went on to direct Event Horizon, Soldier and the entire Resident Evil film franchise (six films, 2002–16). To this day Anderson’s 1995 Mortal Kombat is widely regarded as one of the most watchable video-game adaptations ever made.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Paul W.S. Anderson. Roland Emmerich was busy with Independence Day in 1996. Renny Harlin made Cliffhanger and Cutthroat Island around this period. Stephen Sommers later did Deep Rising (1998) and The Mummy (1999). Mortal Kombat (1995) is Paul W.S. Anderson’s breakout.
02
The 1995 film cast its central hero — the Shaolin monk Liu Kang, fighting in the tournament to avenge his murdered brother — with a Hong Kong-born actor and martial artist who would reprise the role in 1997’s Annihilation. Name him.
✓ Correct! Robin Shou. Born in Hong Kong, Shou had previously appeared in Tiger Cage 2 and as a stunt-double choreographer for Jet Li. He played Liu Kang in both 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s Annihilation, choreographed his own fight scenes for the original film, and remains the actor most strongly identified with on-screen Liu Kang prior to the 2021 reboot (where Ludi Lin took over the role).
✗ Wrong. The answer is Robin Shou. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa plays Shang Tsung in the 1995 film — the soul-stealing villain. Russell Wong didn’t appear in either 1990s MK film. Mark Dacascos has had similar action-hero roles (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Cradle 2 the Grave, John Wick 3) but isn’t Liu Kang. Robin Shou is the one.
03
In the 1995 film, the thunder god and protector of Earthrealm Lord Raiden — complete with conical straw hat, electric eyes and a wry, dryly amused delivery — was played by a French actor best known for the cult Highlander films. Name him.
✓ Correct! Christopher Lambert — the New York-born, Geneva-raised French actor best known as Connor MacLeod in the Highlander films. Lambert reportedly took the role for $1 million plus profit participation, and his weirdly amused performance (“You’re very perceptive”) is a fan-favourite. Lambert chose not to return for 1997’s Annihilation, where Raiden was recast with James Remar.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Christopher Lambert. Jean-Claude Van Damme was famously offered Johnny Cage but ultimately wasn’t in the film — though Cage’s splits-and-groin-punch finishing move is a JCVD homage. Vincent Cassel and Pierce Brosnan were never attached. Lambert is the 1995 Raiden.
04
The franchise’s instantly recognisable theme — a pumping techno bass riff capped with an ecstatic shouted “MORTAL KOMBAT!” — was written by Olivier Adams and Praga Khan under the project name The Immortals for the 1993 single “Mortal Kombat” before being repurposed as the 1995 film’s anthem. What’s the song’s actual track title?
✓ Correct! “Techno Syndrome” — track three on The Immortals’ 1994 album Mortal Kombat: The Album, which Sony commissioned to capitalise on the games. The song’s opening “MORTAL KOMBAT!” shout is sampled directly from in-game digitised audio. The 1995 film’s opening sequence remixed it as “Techno Syndrome 7th Edition,” which is the version everyone remembers — and the version returned for the 2021 reboot.
✗ Wrong. The answer is “Techno Syndrome.” “Test Your Might” is one of the original arcade game’s mini-games, not a song title. “Finish Him” and “Fatality” are in-game catchphrases. The actual title of the legendary “MORTAL KOMBAT!” track is “Techno Syndrome,” written by The Immortals for Sony’s 1994 tie-in album.
05
Two years after the 1995 hit, the much-maligned sequel rushed into theatres with a slimmer budget, recast Raiden and Sonya, and threw a mountain of fan-service cameos at the screen — Sheeva, Sindel, Motaro, Cyrax, Smoke, Nightwolf, Jade, Mileena. It tanked critically and spent over two decades as a punchline. What was the sequel’s subtitle?
✓ Correct! Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (November 1997). Director John R. Leonetti (the original’s cinematographer) took over from Anderson on a compressed schedule, with most of the original cast either declining to return or recast (James Remar replaced Lambert as Raiden, Sandra Hess replaced Bridgette Wilson as Sonya). It earned $51 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, killed the franchise’s film prospects for decades and is widely cited as one of the worst video-game adaptations ever made.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Annihilation. Mortal Kombat: Conquest is a 1998–99 syndicated TV series. “Deception” is a video game subtitle (Mortal Kombat: Deception, 2004). “Resurrection” isn’t official. The 1997 sequel is Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, directed by John R. Leonetti.
06
The 2021 reboot, produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster and directed by Simon McQuoid, introduced an original audience-surrogate protagonist named Cole Young — a struggling Chicago MMA fighter with a dragon-mark birthmark who’s pulled into the tournament. Which English-American actor played him?
✓ Correct! Lewis Tan — the English-American actor and martial artist (Iron Fist, Deadpool 2, Wu Assassins) playing the original-character protagonist Cole Young. Cole was created specifically for the film, isn’t in any of the games, and was a fan-debate flashpoint — the choice to centre an original character ahead of established Liu Kang divided early reactions before the film opened to over $80 million worldwide.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Lewis Tan. Mark Dacascos isn’t in this film. Iko Uwais (The Raid) was rumoured for a role but wasn’t cast. Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak) wasn’t involved either. Lewis Tan plays Cole Young — the original-character lead created specifically for the 2021 film’s reboot continuity.
07
In the 2021 reboot, Bi-Han / Sub-Zero — the cryomancer Lin Kuei assassin who freezes blood into icicle-blade weapons in some of the film’s standout setpieces — is played by an Indonesian martial-arts star best known for his role as Jaka in The Raid. Name him.
✓ Correct! Joe Taslim — the Indonesian Olympic-level judoka turned actor (The Raid, Fast & Furious 6, Star Trek Beyond, The Night Comes for Us). Taslim’s ice-knife fight choreography in the cold-open prologue (Hanzo Hasashi vs Bi-Han in feudal Japan) and his climactic Cole Young rematch are the film’s most-praised sequences. He returned in a different role for Mortal Kombat 2.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Joe Taslim. Iko Uwais — Taslim’s frequent The Raid co-star and the franchise’s breakout name — isn’t in the 2021 film. Yayan Ruhian (Mad Dog from The Raid) isn’t either. Tony Jaa is the Thai Ong-Bak star. Joe Taslim is the 2021 Sub-Zero.
08
The follow-up to the 2021 reboot was officially announced in early 2022 with director Simon McQuoid returning, much of the original cast back, and the long-awaited big-screen debut of Johnny Cage — played by Karl Urban. The film hits theatres in October 2025. What’s its title?
✓ Correct! Mortal Kombat II, releasing October 24, 2025 from New Line / Warner Bros. Karl Urban joins the cast as Johnny Cage — the brash Hollywood action star who never made it into the 2021 film — alongside returning actors Lewis Tan, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks and others. The film is set up to finally adapt the actual Outworld tournament from the games, which the 2021 reboot famously deferred.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Mortal Kombat II (also styled Mortal Kombat 2). “Aftermath” is a Mortal Kombat 11 game DLC. “Outworld” and “Reborn” aren’t official. The 2025 sequel is simply titled Mortal Kombat II, directed by Simon McQuoid, with Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage as the headline addition.
Tournament Complete · Final Verdict Your Kombat Standing
🥊
/ 8
Grand Champion — or first-round Fatality?
Speaking with Vulture about his surprising death, however, Tan explained that it’s still possible he may appear in a future film beyond Mortal Kombat II. The actor explained that Cole is dead for good, meaning that if he does come back, it won’t be as the former lead of the movie franchise. Instead, he believes he could return as an established Mortal Kombat character, citing originally having played Kung Jing in an unproduced TV series. Check out what Tan had to say below:
No, I don’t think so. I think Cole is done. If I were to come back in Mortal Kombat III, it would be in a different way. We’ll figure that out as it goes, but there have been a lot of fans asking for a casting for different characters, and there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes talk about how we can make it work. I would love to stay in the universe with my Mortal Kombat family and be able to deliver a higher level of action and martial arts with a character that actually is in the game. I played Kung Jing in a Mortal Kombat series that never came out, so I’ve had this strange luck with Mortal Kombat where I’ve almost played a game character a few times now.
Prior to the release of the second movie, Mortal Kombat III was confirmed to be in development from Warner Bros. As of writing, the second movie has earned $71.1 million at the global box office against a budget of $80 million. Depending on its performance over the next few weeks, it will likely determine what the future of the movie franchise ultimately holds. Killing off Cole Young in the movie forced the focus on the game characters, a decision that ultimately made the movie feel more like the video game series it adapts.
The end of Mortal Kombat IIsees Johnny and the surviving members of the tournament deciding to use a captive Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) in order to revive the fighters who fell during the movie. However, Tan’s statement indicates Cole will not be one of them, an indication the movies are skirting the notion of original ideas in favor of focusing on elements in the games more readily. It doesn’t mean Tan won’t return, but it does mean that, if he comes back, he won’t be playing the first film’s protagonist.
Part of the reason Cole was killed in Mortal Kombat II was because the character didn’t resonate with fans of the franchise who watched the original movie. However, it also provided a surprising development for viewers unfamiliar with the games, since his death makes the film’s focus on other characters after the fact untraditional for a franchise feature. Because of how shocking yet compelling his death is, it makes sense to keep his character dead. But, given Tan’s talent, seeing him again as a fighter already on Mortal Kombat‘s roster doesn’t seem out of the question.
Although there’s no telling how Tan could return in the forthcoming third movie, Mortal Kombat II made it clear Cole Young’s story is over. Whatever happens from here on out, it’ll be focused on characters introduced in the video game series. But Tan could still be part of those stories depending on which fighters debut in the third installment, and just how important they end up being to the story’s next chapter.
Release Date
May 8, 2026
Runtime
116 Minutes
Director
Simon McQuoid
Writers
Jeremy Slater
Producers
E. Bennett Walsh, James Wan, Simon McQuoid, Toby Emmerich, Todd Garner
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