It won't come as a surprise that a lot of people die in Mortal Kombat 2; wincingly violent fatalities are a trademark of the series, after all. But you might have been a little surprised that a major character from 2021's Mortal Kombat met such a swift and definitive demise in the sequel. Turns out that swing of the hammer was motivated by extreme negative fan reaction, according to writer Jeremy Slater.
Warning: full spoilers for Mortal Kombat 2 follow. Not seen the film yet? Check out our Mortal Kombat 2 review.
Speaking exclusively with GamesRadar+, Slater addressed the unceremonious death of Mortal Kombat (2021) protagonist Cole Young (Lewis Tan). Despite returning to fight for Earthrealm in the sequel, Cole is far from a central figure this time around, and dies in one of the film's first fights against Shao Kahn. According to Slater, who wasn't involved in the first film, the "very vocal" reaction to the character of Cole Young – an original character who wasn't drawn from the games – sealed his fate.
"The idea was very much we need some deaths that are going to shock everybody," Slater tells GamesRadar+. "I love Lewis Tan. I think Lewis is the best, but Cole was a character that the hardcore fans did not respond to in the first movie, and they were very vocal about that, and very vocal about calling for his head. So Cole was a great example of a character where killing him would shock the casual fans, the people who are not terminally online and just went to see the movie and enjoyed it. It's going to be a really shocking moment for them, but the hardcore fans are expecting him to die."
The flip side of the coin to Cole Young's early exit is Liu Kang's surprise 'death' during the film's climax, which clears the way for Kitana to take her vengeance on Shao Kahn and win the tournament. In contrast, Liu Kang's demise was designed to shock fans, who know that the character has canonically won the tournament in the games.
"You contrast [Cole's death] with someone like Liu Kang, and there's a character that is not going to be that shocking for the casual fans, but for the hardcore fans who know that canonically, Liu Kang is the guy who wins the tournament, Liu Kang is the guy who kills Shao Kahn – that is a shocking moment that tells you, 'Oh, the gloves are off now. Nobody is safe.' We have now diverged from canon in a way that leaves the ultimate fate of the tournament up in the air.
"So it was really about figuring out who are those deaths that are going to have the most impact, that are going to really drive the story forward, and who is going to surprise the most amount of people, and then just trying to find a satisfying balance."
If you've seen Mortal Kombat 2, you'll know there's a significant loophole when it comes to character deaths, however. Thanks to the presence of necromancer Quan Chi, characters can be brought back from the dead, opening the door for Liu Kang, and even Cole, to return for a third film, potentially in new guises.
"Knowing that we are Mortal Kombat, we always do have the ability to resurrect fallen characters or bring back actors we like in different ways," Slater notes. "So even though some of those characters I love quite a bit, and love the actors playing them, some of those people who got a little bit less to do this time around, it doesn't necessarily mean that's the last time we're going to see them in a Mortal Kombat movie."
Mortal Kombat 2 is in theaters now. For a full breakdown, head over to our Mortal Kombat 2 ending explained, or check out our list of upcoming video game movies.
