The new Mortal Kombat movie is missing a major character from the games – Johnny Cage. The reboot, directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, features most of the other characters from the original arcade game, including Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Kano (Josh Lawson), and Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), all of which supports the reboot being a faithful adaptation of the original games.
Johnny Cage’s original character and design were inspired by martial arts movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme, but rather than Van Damme starring as him in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, Johnny Cage was played by Linden Ashby, where he served as one of the main protagonists alongside Sonya and Liu Kang. However, early looks at the 2021 film showed no signs of Johnny Cage – an absence seemingly confirmed by the recently-released Mortal Kombat trailer. That exclusion has disappointed some fans, though the overall response to the trailer has been generally positive.
There are a few possible reasons Johnny Cage isn't in the Mortal Kombat movie, each of which likely played a role in the decision to exclude him. For starters, the new Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, a brand-new character who will serve as the film’s main protagonist. Cole fills the same outsider/audience surrogate role that Cage filled in the original movie, and it’s likely the writers opted to remove him from the ensemble so as to put more narrative focus on the rest of the cast. Mortal Kombat has lots of beloved characters, but they unfortunately can’t all fit in a theatrical-length film.
Cole Young's creation as a new lead hero also points to the reboot’s emphasis on actors and characters of Asian descent. The modern optics of a Caucasian man playing the lead role in a story about martial arts aren’t great, and Cage’s absence is an excellent opportunity to center Cole’s character and other non-Caucasian fighters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Jax, Raiden, and Liu Kang.
Lastly, the new Mortal Kombat’s story simply doesn’t seem to have as much of a place for Johnny Cage. The reboot is heavily focused on Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s rivalry, and hints point to Cole possibly being connected to both. Many of the other characters are also neatly ordered into pairs – like Liu Kang and Kung Lao or Jax and Sonya Blade – which makes it easier to develop more characters in less time. Johnny Cage has always been more of a comic relief character, with moves tied to his larger-than-life movie star status. That doesn’t seem to be as much of a fit in the new movie, though it doesn’t preclude him from appearing in a cameo, credits scene, or eventual sequel. For now, though, fans should prepare a Mortal Kombat movie without Johnny Cage.
