The Mortal Kombat movie reboot could be turning classic villain Kano into a hero. The new film, directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, will be the third big-screen adaptation of NetherRealm’s popular video game franchise, and the first in over two decades. Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan alongside an ensemble cast that includes Joe Taslim, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Ludi Lin.
The film also stars Josh Lawson as Kano, the feared, merciless leader of the Black Dragon clan. Kano is one of the oldest Mortal Kombat characters, having appeared in the very first arcade game as a playable fighter, and he’s almost always played the role of the villain. From his deadly rivalry with Sonya Blade to his stint as general of the armies of Outworld, Kano has built an impressive resume of dark deeds over the course of the franchise.
That could be changing in the new movie, however. The official synopsis for Mortal Kombat out of Warner Bros. details how Lewis Tan’s Cole Young – a new character for the franchise – makes his way to train with Lord Raiden and the other warriors of Earthrealm in preparation for the Mortal Kombat tournament. Historically, Earth’s defenders include names like Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs, and Johnny Cage. The new movie seems to making a notable addition to that list, with Kano mentioned among Raiden’s group of fighters.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Kano has hopped over to the good side, but it does set up an interesting story arc. Promo images for Mortal Kombat have shown Kano in a duel with Sonya Blade, but that could be simply a sparring match in prep for the tournament. Kano is missing his trademark eye plate in the images released so far, which could suggest the film will serve as a kind of origin story for the mercenary. Kano may begin training with Raiden, as he is a human and a citizen of Earthrealm, but it seems likely he’ll be seduced over to the side of Outworld at some point.
Still, that’s not a guarantee. The Mortal Kombat reboot has already announced notable changes to past characters, such as having Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s rivalry begin in feudal Japan rather than the present day, and making Shang Tsung the Emperor of Outworld, rather than Shao Kahn. It’s possible the film will go a step further and twist Kano’s traditional villain story to make him more of an antihero. But fans will have to keep speculating until they can finally see Mortal Kombat for themselves.
