The Mortal Kombat trailer provides the first glimpse into the classic characters headlining the long-awaited reboot, and the footage looks to include Reptile. Directed by Simon McQuoid, the martial arts fantasy is revamping the film series based on the popular video game franchise. After several delays, the movie will finally release in April as part of WB's streaming deal with HBO Max.
McQuoid's Mortal Kombat will mark the third live-action installment inspired by the video game. The first debuted in 1995 and was followed by the disappointing sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. An additional sequel was in the works since the late '90s before becoming stuck in developmental hell for nearly three decades. After a swap of franchise rights and scrapped sequel plans, WB stepped in with the intention of a full reboot. Following more budgetary issues, the ball got rolling when James Wan signed on as a producer in 2015. The script took years to complete, but filming for Mortal Kombat commenced in 2019.
Mortal Kombat focuses on Cole Young (Lewis Tan), an MMA fighter hunted by Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) and other assassins due to his secret lineage. Cole serves as a brand new character to the franchise, being created for the reboot. He will, however, join a team of fighters chosen to defend Earthrealm from threats stemming from the forces of Outworld. The figures Cole comes in contact with will surely be familiar to fans of the franchise. Classic protagonists set to play a major role include names like Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jackson "Jax" Briggs (Mehcad Brooks), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), and Raiden (Tadanobu Asano). The reboot will also feature a slew of notable villains joining Sub-Zero, such as Kano (Josh Lawson), Shang Tsung (Chin Han), Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Mileena (Sisi Stringer). Based on the footage, there will be several surprise characters, including Reptile, aka "Syzoth."
Where To Find Reptile In The Mortal Kombat Trailer
While the Mortal Kombat trailer is jam-packed with fight sequences and nods to the original video game franchise, it also features what seems to be a surprise cameo. Toward the end of the footage (at the 2:15 mark), Kano can be seen fighting a reptilian creature. Seeing as this figure doesn't appear to a previously confirmed character for the reboot, all signs are pointing to Reptile's presence. Though it could be the signature "Animality" form of a Mortal Kombat character, it would make more sense for the movie to include an original video game figure to appease long-time fans.
If Reptile is the surprise character, it would be fitting since he originally debuted as a secret figure in the original Mortal Kombat arcade game. Granted, his appearance is radically redesigned for the reboot, taking more of a reptilian approach rather than a human form mirror the designs of Sub-Zero and Scorpion. Reptile's design hinted at in the new movie mirrors the character's appearance in the 2002 video game, Mortal Kombat V: Deadly Alliance. It will be interesting to see if this drastically different look for Reptile stirs up controversy if he plays an integral role in Mortal Kombat.
