Mortal Kombat is well-known for its bloody fatalities, and several film adaptations have presented fatalities to rival even those in the games. In the Mortal Kombat mythos, warriors from Earthrealm battle the forces of the Outworld to defend their world from being conquered. First debuting in the early '90s, Mortal Kombat proved so popular that it made the leap to the big screen with the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, with numerous movie and television adaptations being produced since.
Not every Mortal Kombat movie has been heavy on fatalities, with the first two '90s Mortal Kombat films being PG-13. However, 21st-century adaptations of the game have dived headfirst into R-rated territory, especially in the famed fatalities that the franchise is known for. Many of Mortal Kombat's fatalities are instantly recognizable and often associated with specific characters who execute them. Both attributes that the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and 2021's big-screen Mortal Kombat movie take to heart. Here are seven fatalities in the Mortal Kombat movies that rival those in the games.
Kitana's Fan Chop—Mortal Kombat: Legacy Season Two
In the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Kitana (Samantha Win) and Mileena (Jolene Tran) are introduced as fighting for Outworld's conquest of Earthrealm, but Kitana decides to switch sides in season two. That does not go over well with Mileena (played in season two by Michelle Lee), with Kitana and Mileena going to war and Mileena's head being chopped in two with Kitana's fan blades.
Mileena, being one of the most savage warriors in the Mortal Kombat mythos, puts up quite a fight with her sister, so much so that a wounded Johnny Cage (Casper Van Dien) just barely helps tip the scales in Kitana's favor. Thankfully, Johnny and Kitana's double-team effort pays off, with Kitana slashing her way to her famed fatality from the Mortal Kombat games.
Scorpion Breathing Fire —Mortal Kombat (2021)
2021's Mortal Kombat reboot begins and ends with outstanding fight scenes with Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), with the two finally Scorpion and Sub-Zero in the latter. Double-teaming with Cole Young, Scorpion is able to defeat Sub-Zero in the movie's climactic showdown, with Scorpion using his "Toasty" fatality to roast his family's killer into the Nethrrealm with his fire breath.
Students of the Mortal Kombat lore know that Bi-Han's story is not likely to end here, with the former Sub-Zero becoming Noob Saibot and being fully up for a potential return in Mortal Kombat 2. Even removing any permanence from Sub-Zero's demise, Scorpion's fire breath is as iconic as his spear and demands his enemies to "Get over here!" and Mortal Kombat does it proud in the movie's final fight.
Cole Defeating Goro—Mortal Kombat (2021)
One of the most feared kombatants in the Mortal Kombat universe is none other than the four-armed beast that is Goro, who returns in 2021's Mortal Kombat to terrorize Cole Young and his family in 2021's Mortal Kombat. Despite Cole's self-doubt that he has what it takes to fight to protect Earthrealm, he rises to the occasion and unlocks his "arcana." Newly armed with a golden armor suit and two-bladed tonfas, Cole guts and impales Goro through the eye to come out on top. While it is hard to imagine Goro staying dead permanently with Mortal Kombat 2 in the works, Cole's victory is a fittingly bloody fatality.
Sonya Blasts Through Mileena—Mortal Kombat (2021)
Like Cole and the rest of Earthrealm's new defenders, Sonya Blade has to train hard to develop her arcana in Mortal Kombat. Sonya finally unlocks her powers in the final battle, arming herself with her energy blasts from the games and using one to blast a hole through the torso of the viciously aggressive Mileena (Sisi Stringer). Sonya's victory is a curiously "clean" fatality, with Mileena's spinal column remaining intact and in place even after a hole has been blasted through her torso. That more than makes Sonya's win the definition of a memorable fatality.
Scorpion's Spine Rip—Mortal Kombat: Legacy Season Two
The rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero has been central to Mortal Kombat since its inception and is equally significant in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In season two of Legacy, Hanzo Hasashi (Ian Anthony Dale) battles Kuai Liang (Harry Shum Jr.) in the tournament, fighting for Outworld after being tricked into believing that Sub-Zero murdered his family. Sub-Zero's efforts to reason with Scorpion come to no avail, with the former having his skull and spine ripped right out of his body. As with every classic Mortal Kombat fatality, Legacy brings Sub-Zero's over-the-top demise to life with plenty of gusto.
Kano's Heart Rip—Mortal Kombat (2021)
Heart rips are the most dime-a-dozen fatality in the Mortal Kombat universe, which makes it somewhat surprising that no live-action Mortal Kombat adaptation ever presented one until the 2021 big-screen reboot. Kano (Josh Lawson) gets to do the honors in an early confrontation with Reptile when he arrives to take out Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) and Cole Young (Lewis Tan).
Kano's as proud of his victory as any Mortal Kombat character has ever been, even bordering on breaking the fourth wall with his exclamation of "Kano wins! You f---ing beauty!" Mortal Kombat has long since gotten heart rips down to a science, and in Mortal Kombat 2021, Kano proudly flaunts his PhD.
Kung Lao's Buzz Saw Hat—Mortal Kombat (2021)
Kung Lao had to wait considerably longer than most Mortal Kombat characters to make it to the big screen, only finally doing so in 2021's Mortal Kombat, played by Max Huang. Fortunately, Liu Kang's fellow Shaolin monk brings his signature fatality of splitting his enemy in two using his hat as a buzz saw. Mortal Kombat puts Kung Lao's fatality to work on the winged Nitara (Mel Jarnson), bringing her aerial attack on Earthrealm's fighters to the bloodiest end possible.
While Kung Lao himself meets an unfortunate end at the hands of Shang Tsung (Chin Han), he is avenged by Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) in the final battle. Moreover, Mortal Kombat's inherent supernatural elements hardly preclude Kung Lao's eventual resurrection, such as in a Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks spin-off. It may have taken close to three decades for Kung Lao's buzz saw hat fatality to be realized cinematically finally, but it was worth the wait, and as Kung Lao himself describes it, a flawless victory in Mortal Kombat.