Raiden Says Not Again as He Loses His Arm
'Mortal Kombat' Kast and Kharacters Explained: Who the Heck Are These Fighters and What the Heck Are Their Powers?
Wanna know who'south who in the new big-screen accommodation of the video game?
Mortal Kombat is back on the big screen — or, depending on where y'all're watching information technology, on HBO Max! Based on the long-running, acclaimed, and controversially fierce fighting video game series that started in 1992 and has near recently continued with 2019'southward Mortal Kombat 11 , the new motion picture from managerSimon McQuoidand an international cast of martial arts experts promises hard-R action and a faithfulness to the property not seen in either previous live-activeness feature film (1995's mostly beloved Mortal Kombat and 1997'south mostly reviled Mortal Kombat: Annihilation ).
The multimedia franchise is full of eclectic, super-powered characters with outrageous special moves, universe-spanning backstories, and fatalities — finishing moves that bloodily impale their opponent in hyperbolically entertaining fashions. For a newcomer to the franchise, or fifty-fifty for aKombatpro looking for a refresher before the new flick, information technology can be a lot to keep track of. And so we've put together this handy-slap-up guide of all the kombatants you'll find in the newMortal Kombatflick, how they compare to their video game counterparts, and how they function within the larger earth of the mythology at large. And speaking of which...
The World(s) of 'Mortal Kombat'
Mortal Kombat exists in a flake of a multiverse, with different realms representing dissimilar planes of being and foundational philosophies. For the purposes of understanding the 2021 moving picture, we'll focus on three. At that place'southward Earthrealm, which you can remember of every bit our Earth as we know information technology, under the protection of an elder god named Raiden. There's Outworld, a realm marked by evilness, ability, disuse, and corruption under the rule of an emperor named Shao Kahn. And there'southward the Netherrealm, which yous tin can retrieve of every bit a hellish afterlife.
"Mortal Kombat" is the proper name of an inter-realm martial arts tournament, in which the mightiest warriors from each realm compete. If 1 realm wins ten tournaments in a row, they proceeds the power to invade the rival realm with a goal toward domination, submergence, and conquering. At the starting time of this film, Outworld has defeated Earthrealm nine times in a row, and its highest-ranking champions, including sorcerer Shang Tsung, are primed to win again. Only the uncovery of a prophecy gives Earthrealm one last shot at protecting themselves. So as Shang Tsung sends a crew of evil Outworld fighters to Earthrealm to pick off potential champions, we discover ourselves zeroing in on the journeys of...
Cole Young (Lewis Tan)
Wouldn't you know it, Cole Young, the protagonist of ourMortal Kombatfeature moving-picture show, is really a new graphic symbol to theMortal Kombatmythology! And then ostensibly, you should be able to get what he'southward almost from watching the pic correct out of the gate, since this is his origin story. But for some cursory, non-spoilery context, he's a struggling MMA fighter whose glory days are behind him. His daughter (Matilda Kimber) is his coach and biggest fan despite his constant pummelings. Just a destiny across what he's known awaits him — and it has something to do with his curious visions of a fiery ninja, and his curious birthmark in the shape of a dragon...
Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)
Sonya Bract, a United States Special Forces agent, is unmarried-minded and hotheaded in her goal to eradicate the criminal forces in her style, specially her biting rival Kano, and usually teams upwardly with her Special Forces partner Jax. Her fighting manner involves the usage of her long legs, including cartwheel kicks and handstand feet grabs of opponents' necks, military equipment similar guns and grenades, and blasts of purplish energy rings she tin supernaturally shoot. Her signature fatality involves a "kiss of death," a smooch that chars and burns the victim into a dang skeleton.
In this motion picture, Sonya has been tracking the beingness and meaning of the Mortal Kombat tournament for some time, and introduces Cole to his place in the puzzle, including the meaning of his dragon marking as someone who possesses special powers known as "arcana" (she notably does not have a mark at the outset of the motion-picture show). She also undergoes a curious "alliance under duress" with rival Kano and continues to assist teammate Jax.
Jackson "Jax" Briggs (Mehcad Brooks)
Jax is another Special Forces agent, the mostly more even-keeled partner of Sonya (though he is usually depicted as being responsible for the eye injury that led to Kano's injury). He's oft seen struggling with the traumas that come from a life of armed services service, injury, and expiry. He's cybernetically enhanced, with a pair of buffed out metal arms part and parcel of his fighting style; he's ane of the only Mortal Kombat characters whose largest superpower comes, truly, from just punching people, though he can as well blast out energy waves. Jax'due south signature fatality is blunt and hilarious: He uses his metal arms to "clap" someone'south head, causing information technology to explode. Tin ya arraign him?
We're first introduced to Jax every bit having regular man arms in the film equally he rescues Cole from the clutches of Sub-Cipher and points him on his journey to find Sonya and get the meaning of his dragon mark. But the film features, in quite dramatic and encarmine fashion, the origin story of the loss of his arms moments later, all leading to a ascension from the ashes equally he gets his powerful replacements.
Kano (Josh Lawson)
Boasting a cybernetic, glowing red heart and a blunt lack of morality, Kano is one of the franchise's most reliable, and most traditionally human villains. He's a mercenary for rent, the leader of the Black Dragon crime syndicate, and the unrelenting thorn in Sonya Blade's side, sometimes portrayed equally existence responsible for a death of one of her partners. His special moves emanate from his cybernetic enhancements, including red laser beams shot from his eye shield, and his signature fatality involves the removal and consumption of his opponent'due south heart (yum!). Interestingly, his common depiction of being Australian and having a vulgar, devil-may-care sense of humour came not from the video game, but fromTrevor Goddard's performance as him in the commencement 1995 movie.
The new pic starts with him having already been captured by Sonya, as he seems to have caused the dragon mark after killing a superpowered person with it. Can he manage to work with Sonya, Jax, Cole, and the residue of the Earthrealm protectors without his damn running mouth ruining everything?
Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano)
Lord Raiden is the goddamn God of Thunder, eternal protector of the Earthrealm, and all effectually avatar of sage wisdom in the Mortal Kombatuniverse. He's what's known as an Elderberry God, a powerful, otherworldly figure who helps keep the multiverse in check from evil figures like Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn, who try to accept over control from their nefarious Outworld perches. He's typically portrayed as a father figure and trainer of our more downwards-to-world (haha) heroes. As you might imagine, his powers involve the dissemination of lightning against his foes, and his signature fatality involves using electricity to decapitate fools.
In the film, Raiden protects and brings together all kinds of people, from rescuing Scorpion'southward daughter in the prologue sequence to reluctantly training the motley crew of Earthrealm warriors in his temple during the center. He is an observer of tradition, rules, and lineages, which are all shaken up by the events of the moving picture.
Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)
Typically seen as the central grapheme ofMortal Kombat(so much so that he was the protagonist of the 1995 film, played pastRobin Shou), Liu Kang is a trained martial creative person and Shaolin monk who becomes Earthrealm's Grand Champion as a issue of winning so many Mortal Kombat tournaments against the forces of Outworld, specially Shang Tsung. He's both grounded but spiritual, a fierce warrior merely a kind hearted soul. His diverse set of moves involve fireballs, cycle kicks, and the personification of the dragon (i.e. theMortal Kombatlogo); so much so that his signature fatality involves him literally turning into a dragon and chomping his opponent for a mail-fight lunch.
The film finds Liu Kang already a instructor of sorts, rather than a student. He'southward already an Earthrealm champion and trains Cole to assistance unlock his arcana in Raiden's temple before springing into activeness himself when Outworld forces make their bold play.
Kung Lao (Max Huang)
Seen on the right of the movie still with his BFF/sometimes cousin Liu Kang, Kung Lao is a fellow trained Shaolin monk, an eponymous ancestor of the Great Kung Lao, and in recent games, a bit of a rapscallion. In contrast to the humble and kind Liu Kang, Kung Lao can feel like a Han Solo type; he still follows the irenic, spiritual teachings of the White Lotus Gild, but does so while flirting, smirking, and behaving like a lovable beast. And if you're wondering if his powers involve his big ol' lid, proficient news: They exercise! It's a razor-edged hat which Kung Lao chucks and hurls at his opponents with magical elan, culminating in his signature fatality which slices his opponent clean in half, hat-style.
The motion-picture show positions Kung Lao as another teacher alongside Liu Kang and Raiden, helping the newcomers find their forcefulness and arcana. We notably see some of the rabble-rousing tendencies of Kung Lao come up out during a heated argument with Kano, and we notably see some of the selfless tendencies of Kung Lao come out during dramatic moments later.
Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada)
Scorpion, aka Hanzo Hasashi, utters the most famous line in all ofMortal Kombat: "Get over here!" He throatily barks this as he shoots a rope-spear out of his hand, plunging information technology into his opponents' bodies and yanking them over to pummel them. Easily one of the most recognizable moves non but inMortal Kombatjust in all of video game history, its only one of Scorpion's many powers, which too include the usage of fire, teleportation, and straight up sword fighting. Scorpion was originally perceived as a villain in the original games (and '95 moving picture), which tracks with his signature fatality where he removes his yellow mask to reveal a skull-face, and breathes fire onto his opponent, burning them to a crisp. But recent incarnations of the character cast him every bit a noble, heroic member of the Shirai Ryu association (Hanzo Hasashi) who is driven to madness, vengeance, and hellish possession (Scorpion) only when his family is murdered.
The film version takes this history and runs with information technology equally a framing device, opening the film with the devastation of his family and life past the evil Bi-Han, aka Sub-Zero. Information technology goes on to present an ancient prophecy that the presence of Hanzo Hasashi'southward blood (like, his lineage, though at that place's plenty of his literal blood) is the central to uniting a new group of Earthrealm warriors to stop an Outworld takeover. And as Sub-Zero continues his path of destruction and Cole keeps having strange visions of Scorpion announced before his very eyes, information technology all leads to a cathartic climax for Mr. Scorpion.
Sub-Zilch (Joe Taslim)
While the canon ofMortal Kombathas two separate ninjas who have adorned the "Sub-Zip" moniker, for the purposes of how it relates to the film version, nosotros're but going to focus on i: Bi-Han. A single-minded, remorseless assassin of the Lin Kuei clan, Bi-Han is what we might telephone call "neutral evil"; he kills his targets (including Scorpion and his family unit) without a second idea, his darkness ultimately corrupting his soul and transforming him into the class known as Noob Saibot (seen in a higher place, because to use the Sub-Zip from Mortal Kombat 11 would be using theotherSub-Nil, and we simply cannot meld continuities like that!). But under his Sub-Zero moniker, his powers obviously involve the wielding of ice every bit a ability, with his power to fling water ice balls that freeze people in their tracks being his most notable special move. His signature fatality involves ripping a head off his opponent'southward body, its spinal cord hanging precariously beneath. Yuck!
The picture show, over again, starts with Bi-Han finding Hanzo Hasashi and his family unit, and murdering him. It then presents him as a kind of ice-cold Terminator, hunting later on Cole, Jax, Sonya, and any other Earthrealm warriors who go far the fashion of Outworld domination. Many things come up to a caput for Mr. Sub-Nix through the movie, and he causes many things to freeze and shatter along the manner.
Shang Tsung (Mentum Han)
One of the nifty villains of theMortal Kombatfranchise, Shang Tsung is a cunning, fallacious, and shape-shifting wizard with an insatiable appetite for souls. He's the master boss in the firstMortal Kombatgame who possesses the ability to turn into all of the other characters, beingness able to use their movesets as well. While he does pledge fealty to Shao Kahn and the other Outworld rulers, Shang Tsung has a sense of trickery and independence that makes him a particularly scary, manipulative, and even charming villain. His signature fatality, and kind of his whole M.O., is to suck the souls from his victims in the course of a greenish aureola, leaving the deceased a gray sack of mankind. Fun fact: ThisMortal Kombat 11version of him is performed in phonation and body byCary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who played the villain in the '95 moving picture and immediately calcified much of what we love most the character, Kano-fashion.
In this '21 picture show, Shang Tsung is very aware of this "Hanzo Hasashi blood means another tournament" dominion, and desperately wants to stop it before Outworld is at risk once again. He'southward willing and set to take over Earthrealm fifty-fifty if it ways breaking the rules. So he gathers his team of evil chess pieces and sics them on anyone possessing that dragon mark. And don't worry, yous'll see him stealsomebody 'due southsoul...
Kabal (Daniel Nelson/Damon Herriman)
In a chilling, steampunk Bane mask that likewise acts equally his respirator, Kabal strikes quite the visage in the pantheon ofMortal Kombatvillains. He is a mercenary willing to take whatever gig serves him the best, meaning that even though Outworld emperor Shao Kahn is the human being who resulted in him needing his face up protector and breathing mechanism, he'll still work for evil forces if the toll is right. Kabal possesses super speed and ferocious hook swords, dashing and spinning around his opponents every bit he skewers and skins them like shish kabobs. And in i of his most notable fatalities, he actually takes off the mask and reveals his horrifically scarred face, which is so scary it makes his opponent'due south soulleave their body. Shang Tsung could never.
Kabal is framed as a rival of Kano's in the '21 film, making him willing to work with Shang Tsung and his Outworld crew to endeavor and stop the Earthrealm warriors. Yet, he uses his skills of status-shifting to his advantage, moving character allegiances almost every bit quickly as his literal speed.
Goro (Angus Sampson)
A former Mortal Kombat champion for Outworld, a Prince of the Shokan warriors, and an absolute unit of measurement of a chunky boi, Goro has four artillery and they're all ready to kick your donkey. He'southward been a loyal correct hand man to Shang Tsung since serving as the first game's secondary boss, and while he has the ability to shoot fireballs, the primary appeal of his attacks come up from all the things he can practise while punching with 4 arms (I'm particularly addicted of his bottom 2 arms picking someone up while his top ii artillery pummel their head). He doesn't have a "signature" fatality per se, since he didn't take one in the first game, simply one of my faves since involves him standing on his opponent's torso and ripping their 4 limbs off all at the aforementioned fourth dimension with his 4 artillery. Hunks can become away with then much, ya know?
The motion-picture show finds Goro used as a warrior by Shang Tsung in his quest to stop Earthrealm, per usual, and gives him one of the nearly important fights in the picture confronting Cole at a pivotal moment.
Mileena (Sisi Stringer)
At that place is a kind, good, and just female ninja in the world ofMortal Kombat named Princess Kitana. Mileena is technically Kitana's sister — though "clone made under ill-advised circumstances past Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung" is a more apt description — but that'south where the similarities end. Mileena isevilevil. She's vicious, sadistic, unstable. She's a particularly impetuous Outworld warrior who uses her daggers as the burden of her special attacks, while later games discover her literally eating her opponents' flesh with a set of horror-movie-monster-esque teeth. This is where her signature fatality draws from: She gobbles up her opponent in their entirety, then spits out all their basic on the floor. She would not be a fun hang.
In the movie, Mileena is basically used every bit one of several Outworld assassins Shang Tsung utilizes to try and stop our Earthrealm crew. She gets quite the fight scene, besides!
Reptile
Reptile is a reptile. Got it? Great, moving on!
Just kidding :) Reptile is a monstrosity of a creature, of humanoid shape only of mutated lizard DNA. He's a fearsome ninja with the ability to turn invisible, and he'south often used by his Outworld bosses to sneak upon and destroy his targets. Nonetheless, in recent games, he's painted as a tragic figure who's trying to detect other members of his race, pledging loyalty to masters who don't accept his best interest at eye in the process. Beyond his invisibility, Reptile tin spit burning acrid and shoot force assurance at his foes. In his signature fatality, he removes his green mask, zaps his natural language towards his opponent'southward head, and rips it clean off. Later consuming it, he rubs his belly and gives a satisfied noise. At least information technology'south keto?
The film features Reptile in simply 1 dramatic, brutal fight scene, where nosotros see many of his powers including his invisibility in his attempts to stop the Earthrealm warriors on behalf of Shang Tsung. Notably, he feels less like a humanoid ninja and more like an out-and-out lizard monster.
Nitara (Mel Jarnson)
Introduced in the slept on 2002 video game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance , Nitara is a pretty deep cut for this moving-picture show to include. She'south a vampire who, as vampires are wont to do, feeds on her opponent's blood as a key part of her armory in kombat (she also flings blood balls at people, which rules). And while she is generally "evil," she's less interested in joining your standard Outworld players like Shang Tsung and more interested in "doing her own thing." Her fatality is absolutely a vicious blood-sucking, with chunks of claret and flesh flying as she chows down.
The film finds her operating as one of Shang Tsung's Outworld assassins, simplifying her more than complicated video game relationship to serve the story. She gets to fight, and that's almost it!
Reiko (Nathan Jones)
First introduced in 1997'due south Mortal Kombat 4 , the series' first 3D game, Reiko is another deep cut for the film to include, and I'chiliad hither for it! He's a general of Shao Kahn's army, an Outworld visitor man through and through, who wields a big ol' hammer in his fighting manner. And most hilariously, he has kind of a crush on Shao Kahn. He dresses like him, uses a hammer like him, fifty-fifty puts on his mask when he's not around. He wants to exist just like him, making him a dopily endearing entry to the series. Across his hammer, Reiko also hurls throwing stars and uses all kinds of teleportation tactics in his fighting way. One of my favorite fatalities of his involves a huge kick to the torso — so huge that the torso flies backwards, leaving the caput and arms to spin in midair before falling to the footing.
The moving-picture show, sadly, does not go into Reiko's love of his boss, instead simply casting him as another body to try and terminate the Earthrealm warriors. He gets to fight, he gets to concord a big hammer, he does not get to trip the light fantastic toe effectually playing pretend as Shao Kahn.
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Source: https://collider.com/mortal-kombat-characters-cast-2021-explained/
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