Mortal Kombat's Jax has been a staple of the franchise since its early days, and looks to be finally getting his due on the big screen. To put it succinctly, Jackson "Jax" Briggs is one bad dude, and not someone to be messed with lightly. After all, Sonya Blade is one of the biggest badasses in Mortal Kombat history, and Jax is her superior officer in the special forces, probably teaching her a lot of her skills. Jax may strive to uphold the law, but those who break it won't be shown any mercy.
Jax and Sonya's nemesis organization is international crime syndicate The Black Dragon, most notably represented by popular villain Kano, he of the bionic eye laser. Jax debuted in Mortal Kombat 2, but took things to a new level of awesome in Mortal Kombat 3, getting his arms enhanced using cybernetics. In the original Mortal Kombat mythology, it's not clear how or why he made that move, but Mortal Kombat 2011's continuity reboot had his arms get severed, forcing Jax to get new mechanical appendages. Either way, they make for formidable weapons when used in combat situations.
Unfortunately, while Jax has appeared at least briefly in both prior Mortal Kombat movies, neither one really did much of note with the character, or represented him properly. That looks about to change.
Mortal Kombat Reboot’s Jax Is The Best Looking Movie Version Yet
Fans could be forgiven for forgetting that Jax was even in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, as it's a one-scene role. Played by Gregory McKinney, Jax appears along with Sonya Blade early on, and doesn't really bear much resemblance to the Jax seen in Mortal Kombat 2 or 3, the video games. There's no cybernetic arms, and he wears a generic SWAT-type cop uniform. Unfortunately, while Jax gets a noticeably bigger role in 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, fans of the character likely wish he hadn't.
Actor Lynn "Red" Williams can't really take the blame for Jax's failures, as the script is dreadfully written, and his characterization is lame. Williams could only do so much without rewriting his dialogue and storyline. Jax also looks silly, sporting fake-looking mechanical arms, which turn out to simply be a piece of prosthetic armor that he uses for added strength and can take off whenever he feels like it. By contrast, the Jax seen in the new Mortal Kombat movie's first look images looks deadly serious, and has enhanced arms that actually look like machinery grafted onto his body. He also has the old-school Jax mustache, as opposed to the recent full beard Jax has in the newer games, which many fans wish would be restored there too. In one image, this new Jax is already the best movie version.
