A perfect Mortal Kombat spin-off would see Johnny Cage front his own solo martial arts movie. Mortal Kombat is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to iconic characters, from Sub-Zero to Scorpion or Liu Kang and Sonya Blade. One of the biggest fan favorites would have to be Johnny Cage, who in the world of the games is an action movie star in the vein of Jean-Claude Van Damme. In fact, the creators of Mortal Kombat wanted Van Damme to be in the game, and Cage's look, moves and persona were modeled after the star.
Van Damme also turned down the Johnny Cage role in 1995's Mortal Kombat movie, ironically opting for the part of Guile in the Street Fighter adaptation instead. Cage's brash, cocky persona has made him a beloved part of the franchise, though he was notably absent from the 2021 film reboot. That said, that movie's ending very much teased Cage's arrival in a sequel, with names like Scott Adkins, The Miz and even Jean-Claude Van Damme being thrown around in fan circles for who could take on the role.
Mortal Kombat is a franchise with so many characters and mythology that there's almost endless potential for spin-offs aside from the numbered entries. Mortal Kombat 2 was confirmed to be in development in early 2022, and it will no doubt actually feature the titular tournament, which the first movie avoided in favor of gathering together the main fighters. The arrival of Cage in Mortal Kombat 2 is also highly anticipated, but if the series wants to expand, the perfect spin-off should be a straight-ahead Johnny Cage martial arts action adventure with no ties to the overarching story. This could be a modestly budgeted, straight to HBO Max affair that works as a solid action movie in its own right, while also introducing Cage's movie star persona.
Mortal Kombat 2021's ending itself introduced the perfect title with the poster for Citizen Cage, while the games have also listed other Johnny Cage flicks like the Ninja Mime series, Dragon Fist, You Got Caged and many more. This theoretical spin-off could be a throwback to the kinds of martial arts movies that starred Dolph Lundgren or Van Damme, while also throwing in some Mortal Kombat easter eggs. Assuming it casts an actual martial artist on the level of Adkins or even Van Damme in the Cage role, it could also display the actor's fighting prowess.
Not only would this Johnny Cage movie be a fun, meta spin-off for the series, but it could also whet appetites for Mortal Kombat 2. Warner Bros will want to build off the success of the original Mortal Kombat, and a solo Cage movie could be a unique, relatively inexpensive (at least compared to the budget of the first film) way to test the waters outside of main entries. Whether the studio sees the value in going the route is another question.