The Mortal Kombat trailer has finally arrived, giving fans an in-depth look at the popular video game series’ return to the big screen. The new film, directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by The Conjuring’s James Wan, will be the franchise’s first cinematic outing since 1995’s Mortal Kombat and the heavily-panned sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Mortal Kombat is set to release on April 16, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and for streaming on HBO Max.
In keeping with the structure of the video games, the new Mortal Kombat movie will feature an ensemble cast of characters. That group includes fan-favorites like Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax Briggs (Mehcad Brooks), Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), and Shang Tsung (Chin Han). New character Cole Young (Lewis Tan) will also star as the film’s protagonist, offering an outsider’s perspective to those unfamiliar with the series’ past.
After months of scant information and a few promo images, the Mortal Kombat trailer has finally arrived. The previously announced fighters all appear, alongside some new faces. Signature moves and fatalities are thrown, and plenty of compelling matchups are teased for the tournament to come. Here are the biggest reveals from the new Mortal Kombat trailer.
Sub-Zero Rips Off Jax’s Arms
The trailer opens with narration from Sonya, explaining Outworld and the Mortal Kombat tournament to Cole. Her narration plays over footage of a mission from seven years prior, when she and Jax hunted a fugitive in Brazil who turned out to be Sub-Zero. Jax is quickly overwhelmed by Sub-Zero, who freezes his gun solid before brutally freezing and tearing off his arms. This is a major change from Jax’s backstory in the video games, and it casts Sub-Zero firmly as an ice-cold villain in the new movie.
The Fighters Of Earthrealm Assemble
After the confrontation between Sub-Zero and Jax, the trailer gives a bit of origin story for Cole – an MMA fighter who bears a curious dragon-shaped birthmark. Sonya and Jax inform Cole that Sub-Zero also bore the mark, and that it’s actually an invitation to the Mortal Kombat tournament. Cole is then seen meeting and joining up with Sonya, Jax, and the other human fighters, all of whom seem to be preparing for the deadly battles to come. Cole joins them and begins to train.
Mileena Walks Through Outworld
The trailer shows a shot of Mileena from behind – identifiable by the sais on her back – walking through a striking fantasy landscape. Presumably, this is the first glimpse of Outworld in the movie, the alternate dimension traditionally ruled by Emperor Shao Kahn, who wishes to conquer Earth via victory in the Mortal Kombat tournament. Wherever the vista actually is, it’s stunning.
The Mortal Kombat Tournament’s Origins Are Revealed
A cave painting is shown in the trailer, seemingly depicting an ancient battle from a past Mortal Kombat tournament. Sonya’s narration continues, explaining to Cole Young how cultures all over the world have stories about Mortal Kombat. This bit fits with the story of the games and the original 1995 Mortal Kombat film, where the tournament is a longstanding construct where warriors from Earthrealm and Outworld battle for dominion over the Earth. Details of how exactly the tournament works in this version remain unknown, but it’s clear that the latest showdown is coming soon.
Raiden And Shang Tsung Face Off
In one shot, the Mortal Kombat trailer shows Raiden and Shang Tsung – the respective leaders of the warriors of Earth and the forces of Outworld – facing off. Raiden is largely a mentor figure in the overall MK story, but he hopefully gets to mix it up a bit in the new movie. A duel between him and Shang Tsung would be great to see in particular. The trailer shot where they face off looks like its in the same building where Scorpion and Sub-Zero duel later on, suggesting that the two are active forces in the ninjas’ feud. Is Scorpion working for this time around Raiden, since Sub-Zero seems to be an agent of Outworld?
Scorpion’s Backstory Is Revealed
The trailer then jumps far back in time to show the origin of Scorpion, whose real name is Hanzo Hasashi. Hanzo is seen fighting off a group of assassins – presumably from Sub-Zero’s Lin Kuei clan. He fashions a makeshift kunai with chain from a garden tool and a length of rope, and proceeds to decimate his opponents in truly brutal fashion. The spear gets thrown around plenty, evoking Scorpion’s most iconic video game move. Sub-Zero himself doesn’t appear in the flashback, however, leaving some details of their rivalry’s origins yet to be revealed.
Sonya Spars With Kano
After the Scorpion backstory scene, the trailer does a roll-call montage for the Earthrealm fighters. Sonya Blade introduces herself first, speaking over a clip of her besting Kano in a fight. Since Kano appears to be a hero in the new movie, being listed among Raiden’s champions, this is presumably a sparring match in preparation for the tournament. Sonya and Kano have a brutal rivalry in the games though, and it’s possible Kano turns back to the dark side later on in the film.
Kano Uses His Laser Eye
Kano is next on the roll-call, showing off his signature laser eye blast in a cool shot. Kano’s trademark eye plate is missing in the new movie (or at least, it hasn’t been seen yet), which implies his laser powers come from some inner, supernatural power, rather than technological enhancement. The idea of Kano as a good guy is definitely interesting, especially since he’s often lacked the real intimidation factor needed to compete with the franchises true villains. However, that doesn’t guarantee he won’t turn bad eventually.
Liu Kang Shows Off His Fire Powers
Liu Kang introduces himself next, brandishing the fire magic that’s always been his trademark in the Mortal Kombat games. The Shaolin monk has often served as the de facto protagonist of the series, and it looks like he’ll play a prominent role in the reboot as well – albeit likely a smaller one alongside Cole, Scorpion and Sub-Zero. His fire powers look great, and it should be exciting to see them take shape in the tournament.
Jax Performs A Brutal Fatality
The next trailer shot shows Jax winding up for a brutal fatality, launching at an unidentified foe with his cybernetic arms spread wide, presumably about to smash his opponents skull between them. Jax is one of the most powerful MK characters when it comes to sheer strength, and those abilities are on full display in the trailer. He likely also has a particular vendetta towards Sub-Zero this time around.
Kung Lao Blocks Kano’s Laser
Kung Lao appears in the trailer alongside Liu Kang, sporting his iconic razor-sharp hat. A brief clip after his introduction shows him using the hat to deflect what looks to be one of Kano’s eye lasers, which could support the theory that Kano will turn evil by the end of the film. The shot could also just be a particularly intense sparring match, however, or maybe the two just meet in the tournament.
Lord Raiden Uses His Lightning Teleport
The guardian of Earthrealm, Lord Raiden, shows off his lightning magic in the new trailer, appearing to zap in with a variant of his classic teleport ability from the video games. As a god, Raiden is stronger than almost any other character in the Mortal Kombat universe. He doesn’t usually get to fight in the actual tournament, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get to show off some signature moves.
Kitana’s Fan Appears In The Background
During Raiden’s montage, an Easter egg for a separate character appears in one shot. While the warriors of Earthrealm stand behind Raiden, a blue fan can be seen in the background, mounted on a pedestal. This is clearly one of Kitana’s iconic weapons. Kitana hasn’t been confirmed for the film yet, and she doesn’t appear in the trailer directly. However, the inclusion of her fans suggests that Shao Kahn’s daughter might make an appearance in the full release.
Scorpion Is Resurrected From The Dead
Once all of Earth’s defenders are properly introduced, Scorpion is shown once again – this time resurrected and wearing his more traditional yellow outfit from the games. The costume itself is bulkier than his traditional look, but it still stays true to the essence of the character and looks great in action. One of Mortal Kombat’s remaining mysteries is how Hanzo comes back from the dead. Traditionally, he emerges as an enrages weapon of the Netherrealm – a hellish dimension rampant with evil. Now that he seems to be more of a good guy though, that story could change as he seeks vengeance on Sub-Zero.
Mileena Licks Her Bloody Sai
Mileena appears in a second trailer shot, this time in a close-up of the demoness licking one of her bloodied sais. Mileena has always been one of the most terrifying characters in all of Mortal Kombat lore, and the reboot’s version looks to be no different. It remains to be seen if her classic fatality of eating her opponent’s face makes it’s way into the live-action reboot.
Shao Kahn Appears As A Statue
Early promotional materials for Mortal Kombat named Shang Tsung as the Emperor of Outworld, rather than game villain Shao Kahn. The trailer confirms that Shao Kahn does indeed still exist in the film, though to what exact degree is uncertain. A giant statue of the Emperor is shown, clad in his trademark helm and shoulder armor and brandishing his giant hammer. It could be that Shao Kahn is a past champion of Outworld in this version, which would explain why Shang Tsung seems to be the main villain. It’s also possible that the promos labelling Shang Tsung as the Emperor were a mistake, and that Shao Kahn is still pulling strings from the shadows, as he did in the original arcade game.
An Invisible Attacker Looms Over Sonya
Sonya is shown in one shot of the trailer from the rafters of what seems to be the headquarters where she first meets Cole. The shot shows a mysterious, invisible, beastlike attacker phase in above her, presumably in preparation to strike. In all likelihood, this is Reptile, the series’ famous green ninja/demon/monster prone to turning invisible. A better look at Reptile comes later in the trailer, but this is an interesting first look at his abilities
A Mystery Ninja Emerges From The Smoke
The next shot shows an armored ninja emerge slowly from a cloud of smoke, leaving multiple possibilities for who it might be. The costume looks incredibly similar to Sub-Zero, and indeed the ninja in question may be him. However, he isn’t shown long enough to tell for sure. There are a couple other game characters the mystery figure could be. Smoke, the ninja of smoke, is an obvious pick, and Noob Saibot, the ninja of shadows (who Sub-Zero turns into later in the games) is another possibility.
Liu Kang Unleashes His Dragon Fatality
The Mortal Kombat trailer lets loose a bevy of brutal fatalities to excite fans, including one of the series’ most iconic – Liu Kang’s dragon fatality. The Shaolin monk channels his fire abilities into a powerful display in the trailer, summoning a massive dragon of pure flame. The shot cuts away before his opponent’s fate is revealed, but any fan of the video games knows what likely happens next – a fierce, swift attack from the dragon, cleaving Liu Kang’s foe in half. Both the fire magic and the dragon itself look stunning and stay true to their design from the games.
Goro Enters Mortal Kombat
Previously unannounced, Outworld’s four-armed champion Goro makes his return to the big screen in the new MK trailer. Goro served as one of the main bosses in the original arcade game, and his full look can be clearly seen in the trailer as he launches at a mystery fighter. His opponent seems to be clad in some sort of stone-like armored skin, though their head appears to be human. It’s possible that the fighter facing Goro is actually Cole, and that the odd texture around his body might be a result of his own unique magical ability – something early promotions have teased.
Sub-Zero And Scorpion Duel
It’s been known for some time that the Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero rivalry would play a major role in the new Mortal Kombat movie, and the trailer delivers on that promise with clips of a climactic duel between the two ninjas. Both fighters use a number of their signature moves, from Sub-Zero’s ice sheet/ice wall to Scorpion’s spear. In one shot, a third fighter can be seen in the background, who appears to be Cole. That could mean Scorpion and Cole team up against Sub-Zero, especially since Scorpion seems to be cast as the hero in their story this time around. The trailer hints a few times that Cole is in fact a descendent of Hanzo Hasashi. Could it be true?
Scorpion Says “Get Over Here!”
One of the most famous Mortal Kombat lines gets uttered by Scorpion in the trailer, when he hits Sub-Zero with his iconic chained spear and orders him to “Get Over Here!” It’s a great moment for fans and a promise of how exciting the full battle between the rival ninjas should hopefully be. Out of all the iconic attacks from Mortal Kombat, Scorpion’s spear might be the most infamous of them all.
The Original Mortal Kombat Music Plays
When the film’s logo appears, fans are met with a familiar tune – a new rendition of the beloved theme music from 1995’s Mortal Kombat film. The song weaves its way through the trailer in subtle ways but becomes bolder and louder when the logo comes into view. The Mortal Kombat theme has remained a huge hit even decades after the first movie released, and fans have called for its return since the reboot was announced. Those fans should be happy to know the catchy track is making a proper return.
Shang Tsung Demands Fatalities
After the logo comes and goes, Shang Tsung appears in the final seconds of the trailer to demand the fighters “finish” their foes. A brief fatality montage follows, featuring kill moves from Sonya, Scorpion, Kano, and Jax. Fatalities are obviously a huge part of Mortal Kombat, and it’s nice to see the new film lead with them so heavily in the trailer. For the most part, the finishing moves deliver on both brutality and adherence to the games, which should make diehard Mortal Kombat fans very happy.
Sonya Uses A Fatality On Mileena
A split-second shot in the fatality montage appears to show Sonya Blade using a brutal fatality on Mileena, who is blown back in a fatal-looking fall. A third figure is also visible on Sonya’s side, who seems to once again be Cole with the strange armor-like skin seen in the Goro shot. He also boasts some sort of arm blades in this shot, though it’s unclear whether they’re being held like tonfa weapons, or if they’re part of his body like Mortal kombat’s Baraka.
Reptile Battles Kano
Reptile returns at the trailer’s end, this time in full view for fans to see. Of all the returning game characters, his design is the most different, having shed nearly all semblance of a human appearance for a bulky, hairy, monstrous form. Kano battles him in a burning building and seems to blast a laser clean through him before finishing him off.
Kano Uses His Heart Fatality
The trailer ends with a victorious fatality by Kano over Reptile, reaching into the beast’s chest and tearing out its still-beating heart. He then proudly proclaims “Kano wins!” in reference to the signature announcer line from the MK games. It’s a brutal note to end on, and it gives one more indication that the new Mortal Kombat will be every but as gory and absurd as many fans have hoped.
