Cole Young was one of Mortal Kombat (2021)’s biggest problems, and the only way for Mortal Kombat 2 to fix it would be to have Cole become the new Scorpion. Despite having a plethora of Mortal Kombat characters to pick from, the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot decided to create an original character that could serve as the audience’s point of view amidst the often complicated Mortal Kombat lore. While having an inexperienced character serving as the audience’s guide through a new world is a proven storytelling trick, Mortal Kombat’s Cole Young did not work – and it is now up for Mortal Kombat 2 to try to improve the character.

The first theatrical Mortal Kombat movie in more than 20 years, Mortal Kombat (2021) had the difficult mission of rebooting the franchise on the big screen following the disastrous Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. That is why the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot had to be an origin story that was as simple as possible, similar to what the 1995 Mortal Kombat did so that the world and the characters could be better introduced. Mortal Kombat (2021) took a lot from the current Mortal Kombat lore, especially from the rebooted Mortal Kombat timeline, and it placed the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero at the center of the story. The Mortal Kombat tournament did not happen in 2021’s Mortal Kombat, but other than that, the reboot checked all the boxes of a Mortal Kombat origin story.

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The problem, however, is that the Mortal Kombat movie combined all of its most important storylines into an original character – Cole Young. A human with no previous knowledge of the Mortal Kombat tournament or of any magic at all, Cole Young appeared to be Johnny Cage’s replacement in the Mortal Kombat reboot. Johnny Cage is usually the human with no previous knowledge of the Mortal Kombat tournament who later becomes one of Earthrealm’s champions, the exact role Cole Young had in Mortal Kombat. However, not only Cole Young was a Johnny Cage replacement in Mortal Kombat, but he was also connected with Scorpion's story. Cole is a descendant of Hanzo Hasashi, therefore a member of the Shirai Ryu clan who had a strong connection with Scorpion. However, Cole Young did not work either as Johnny Cage's replacement or as a Scorpion descendant. For Mortal Kombat 2 to work, the Cole Young problem has to be resolved, that is, the character has to receive a better purpose in the story. Considering that Mortal Kombat already skipped a lot of Hanzo Hasashi’s story in favor of Cole Young, it would therefore be better for Mortal Kombat 2 to make Cole Young into the new Scorpion.

Mortal Kombat’s Cole Young Story Did Not Work

Mortal Kombat 2021 Cole Young

The idea of saving Johnny Cage for Mortal Kombat 2 was risky, especially considering that Cole Young was given the exact same role Cage plays in Mortal Kombat origin stories. Cole Young as a character never really had a chance, as he was labeled as the Johnny Cage replacement right from the beginning. In addition to having the same story purposes, Cole also shared a few similarities with Johnny Cage in terms of personality, with the former acting playful and joking about the Mortal Kombat warriors the same way the latter does. Comparisons between Cole Young and Johnny Cage would be difficult to avoid, and Mortal Kombat only made those worse.

Cole Young and his family were supposed to be Mortal Kombat’s emotional hook. However, they ended up coming off a distraction that got in the way of the stories of established Mortal Kombat characters like Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Sonya Blade. Mortal Kombat was already skipping the tournament, and thus spending a lot of screentime with Cole Young and his family was a mistake. Not only that, but Cole Young being a Scorpion descendant had little to no effect in his story. Cole Young simply finds out he is a Hanzo descendant destined to fight, and later teams up with Scorpion to battle Sub-Zero.

Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat 2 Makes Cole Young’s Story Needless

Johnny Cage and Cole Young in Mortal Kombat

After Mortal Kombat ended with a Johnny Cage tease, Johnny Cage is confirmed to appear in Mortal Kombat 2. While not surprising, the Johnny Cage announcement should ease audiences’ worries regarding the absence of the iconic Mortal Kombat character. Still, it will not be easy for Mortal Kombat 2 to add Johnny Cage. Cole Young already played Cage's usual Mortal Kombat routine in the 2021 film, meaning that Mortal Kombat 2 will have to make the two characters feel distinct. Johnny Cage is an audiences-favorite not only in the Mortal Kombat games but also in other adaptions, and it is likely that Mortal Kombat 2 will favor him over Cole Young. Therefore, Cole has to be given a new role in the story, otherwise, the character risks being completely overshadowed by Johnny Cage.

Related: Wild Johnny Cage Theory Explains Why Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Sucks

Why Mortal Kombat 2 Should Make Cole Young The New Scorpion

Mortal Kombat (2021)'s Cole Young and  Scorpion

Despite being promoted as a Scorpion and Sub-Zero movie, Mortal Kombat gave Hiroyuki Sanada’s Hanzo Hasashi a disappointingly small amount of screen time. Hanzo only appears in Mortal Kombat’s opening sequence, followed by a blink-or-miss appearance in front of Cole Young, and then during Mortal Kombat’s final battle against Sub-Zero. Mortal Kombat overlooked a lot of Scorpion’s story, and it skipped over Hanzo’s entire journey from a dead warrior to a Netherrealm specter. Scorpion ended up being just part of Cole Young’s story, and not the other way around. Even Scorpion’s revenge against Sub-Zero was reworked to fit into Cole Young’s story, with the final Scorpion versus Sub-Zero fight in Mortal Kombat only happening so that Cole could save his family.

Now that so much work was put into Cole Young, it would be a waste for Mortal Kombat 2 to kill off the character or suddenly diminish his role in the story. Mortal Kombat 2 has to improve Cole Young rather than giving up on the character, and the best way to do it would be to use the already-established Scorpion setup. By making Cole Young into the new Scorpion, Mortal Kombat 2 would guarantee that a least a version of Scorpion could be front and center rather than just a supporting character, plus it would make Cole Young much more close to a Mortal Kombat game character rather than an original character. Scorpion is sometimes described as its own entity that often takes over Hanzo Hasashi, an interpretation that could be used in Mortal Kombat 2 to make Cole Young the new Scorpion. Granted, Cole Young already has his own Arcana powers, but nothing stops Mortal Kombat 2 from designing a new version of Scorpion with a slightly different set of abilities.

Cole Young As The New Scorpion Fix 2 Mortal Kombat Problems

Mortal Kombat's Cole young and Scorpion

Replacing Hanzo Hasashi with Cole Young as Scorpion would be a controversial decision, but it would make sense considering Mortal Kombat’s problems. The Mortal Kombat reboot failed to deliver the Scorpion story it had promised in the trailers and promotional material, mostly because the real main character was actually Cole Young. Considering that it is unlikely that Mortal Kombat 2 writes its main character off, having Cole Young as the new Scorpion would at least make him more interesting. Not only that, but with Cole Young as the new Scorpion, then this new Scorpion would for sure receive a lot of screen time – at least more than what Hanzo Hasashi received in Mortal Kombat. Therefore, Cole Young as Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 2 can fix two Mortal Kombat problems – the lack of Scorpion as a protagonist and Cole Young’s dispositioning story.