Ludi Lin will soon be seen as Liu Kang in the upcoming Mortal Kombat, but audiences have already seen him in some high-profile roles before. The much anticipated cinematic reboot of Mortal Kombat will be hitting theaters and HBO Max on April 23rd, with a wide array of characters from the games arriving for the deadly tournament to save Earthrealm. Liu Kang is one of the most recognizable characters of the Mortal Kombat franchise and a clear analog for the legendary Bruce Lee. Though it's likely to be Ludi Lin's biggest breakout role to date, he's also been seen in other projects big and small.
Lin is a practitioner of Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu, having trained heavily in Thailand and Japan, and got his start in the film industry with roles in numerous short films, such as "The Intruders" and "Stasis." Lin also appeared in the TV movie Holiday Spin as Clayton, and was also seen as Takeyoshi in the short film Broken Sword: Shadow of the Blade. Lin later appeared in Hong Kong movies like Monster Hunt and Lost in Hong Kong, along with appearing in an episode of the Netflix series Marco Polo.
Lin first gained widespread attention for his portrayal of Zack, the Black Ranger, in Power Rangers, the 2017 reboot of the long-running kids' superhero TV series. Lin's very next appearance would be another superhero adventure in 2018's Aquaman. In the film, Lin portrayed the Atlantean military Captain Murk, bleaching his hair and undergoing a significant make-up job for the role, making him virtually unrecognizable to audiences.
Lin would subsequently appear in movies such as In a New York Minute, and TV shows like The Ghost Bride, portraying the role of Lim Tian Bai in the latter. Lin was also seen in the movie Son of the South, and will be seen on the TV series Humans, as well. Additionally, Lin will also be seen as Michael Hong in the upcoming The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu, and is set to appear in the seventh episode of the CW's reboot of Kung Fu in the role of Kerwin Tan.
While both Zack in Power Rangers and Murk in Aquaman came with plenty of pre-established character history of their own, Liu Kang is easily the most widely known and iconic character Lin has portrayed yet. Gamers know Liu Kang very well as perhaps the most user-friendly character in the Mortal Kombat franchise, while co-creator Ed Boon has likened his significance to Mortal Kombat to that of Luke Skywalker's to Star Wars. At the same time, the reboot is changing things up a bit.
From the trailer and plot information that's out there, Liu Kang looks to be in more of a supporting role this time, with the focus of the film centering on Lewis Tan's Cole Young, an original character not from the games (unless he's secretly Johnny Cage, as many have posited). That said, audiences aren't about to be shortchanged on Liu Kang's involvement in the tournament, with the trailer showing him right on the front lines to defend Earthrealm, and breaking out his trademark fireballs to do so. Lin and Kung Lao actor Max Huang have also expressed interest in a spin-off centered on the two Shaolin monks, hearkening back to the 2005 game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, with the two also now cousins in the reboot. Until such a spin-off is greenlit, audiences can look forward to Ludi Lin unleashing Liu Kang's fighting skills and fireballs when Mortal Kombat is released later this month.
