Mortal Kombat 2 Cast and Characters: Who's Who in the New Movie

The sequel to the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot will flawlessly hit theaters on October 24, and fans were recently treated to glimpses of Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, Martyn Ford’s Shao Kahn, and Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana -- alongside the returning Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion -- as the warriors of Earthrealm prepare for another hostile attack from Outworld and sinister sorcerer Shang Tsung's armies of evil.

Check out Johnny Cage, Kitana, and Shao Kahn below...

For those of you who might have missed it. Here is a first look at the Mortal Kombat 2 movie!

Includes shots of Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) Kitana, Shao Kahn and Scorpion! https://t.co/RenOSjHNg0 pic.twitter.com/4uoTdxQfdE— Ed Boon (@noobde) March 17, 2025

With these new images (released by Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon), we've decided to do a big roundup for the MK sequel, showcasing all the actors and characters, both new and returning. Genre icon Karl Urban adds some fresh star power to the franchise, as washed-up movie star Cage, while some returning faces offer up a bit of mystery, and speculation, regarding who they might be playing.

Here's a quick look at who's who in Mortal Kombat 2!

New Characters in Mortal Kombat 2

Karl Urban as Johnny Cage

A clean-shaven Karl Urban (LOTR Trilogy, Star Trek Trilogy, The Boys) debuts as washed-up Hollywood bad boy Johnny Cage -- a past-his-prime action star who gets thrown headfirst into a world of magical death-matches with the fate of humanity on the line. Cage was first played by Linden Ashby in the 1995 movie.

The character also appeared in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Matt Mullins (in S1) and Starship Troopers' Casper Van Dien (in S2).

Adeline Rudolph as Kitana

Steel fan-wielding warrior Kitana -- originally played by Talisa Soto in the 1995 movie -- will now be played by Adeline Rudolph (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Riverdale, Resident Evil).

Samantha Jo played Kitana on both seasons of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Tati Gabrielle as Jade

Originally played by Irina Pantaeva in 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the masked bo staff expert Jade will now be portrayed by Tati Gabrielle (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, You, The Last of Us).

Damon Herriman as Quan Chi

Aussie actor Damon Herriman (Justified, Mr. Inbetween, twice portrayer of Charles Manson) will play villainous necromancer Quan Chi.

Quan Chi appeared in the first season of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Michael Rogers.

Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn

The mountainous Martyn Ford will play hulking black magic warlord Shao Kahn. Kahn appeared briefly in 1995's Mortal Kombat, via CGI, and then was played by Brian Thompson in 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Shao Kahn appeared in Season 1 of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Aleks Paunovic.

Desmond Chiam as Jerrod

Desmond Chiam (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, With Love) will play Jerrod, who in the games was once the king of a realm that lost to Shao Kahn in the Mortal Kombat tournament.

King Jerrod appeared in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy - played by Kirby Morrow.

Ana Thu Nguyen as Sindel

Sindel, wife of Jerrod (and mother to Kitana), was the Queen of a realm that lost 10 Mortal Kombat matches to Shao Kahn's dark legions. Sindel will be played by Ana Thu Nguyen (Suka, NCIS: Sydney).

Beatrice Ilg played Sindel in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

CJ Bloomfield as Baraka

Aussie actor CJ Bloomfield (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) will don a ton of makeup and prosthetics as Baraka, a gnashing, violent ghoul with blades for forearms. Baraka appeared in 1997's Mortal Kombat Annihilation, played by Dennis Keiffer.

Baraka was played by Fraser Aitcheson in the first season of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Returning Characters in Mortal Kombat 2

Lewis Tan as Cole Young

Lewis Tan returns as original movie character Cole, an MMA fighter who discovers he's a descendent of Hiroyuki Sanada's Hanzo Hasashi and an integral fighter in Earthrealm's successful thwarting of Shang Tsung.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion

The multi award-winning Hiroyuki Sanada (most recently for FX's Shogun), will be back as Scorpion, though in a different capacity. "He plays a different role," MK co-creator Ed Boon told EW. "He's not part of the 'Super Friends' trying to defeat Shao Kahn, but his appearance is key and it is very essential for certain parts."

Scorpion appeared briefly in the '90s Mortal Kombat films, played by Chris Casamassa and J. J. Perry.

Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade

Jessica McNamee is back as Special Forces femme fatale Sonya Blade, killer of Kano in the 2021 movie. Bridgette Wilson played Sonya in 1995's Mortal Kombat while Sandra Hess took over the role for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Star Trek: Voyager's Jeri Ryan played Sonya in the first season of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Mehcad Brooks as Jax

Mehcad Brooks will once again play Jax, the (now) cybernetic Special Forces leader who you do NOT want a hug from. Seen only briefly in the 1995 movie, Jax was played by Lynn "Red" Williams in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Michael Jai White played Jax in the first season of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Ludi Lin as Liu Kang

Ludi Lin is back as Raiden protege Liu Kang, the fighter who got our heroes battle-ready in the 2021 film.

Robin Shou played Liu Kang in both '90s Mortal Kombat movies while Brian Tee played the character in both seasons of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Josh Lawson as Kano

Josh Lawson returns as laser-eyed mouthy merc Kano... the first of our dead characters to come back. While the actor himself has teased a "Kano 2.0" version, Ed Boon, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, said, "We've killed a number of characters who are in Mortal Kombat 1 and our latest games. So we deal with spirits and the NetherRealm and things like that. There are ways to bring dead characters back."

Trevor Goddard was Kano in the 1995 film while Darren Shahlavi portrayed him in the first season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Tadanobu Asano as Raiden

Tadanobu Asano, who since 2021 has garnered rave reviews, and a Golden Globe award, for his role on FX's Shogun, is back as Raiden for Mortal Kombat 2.

Christopher Lambert (Highlander series) played Raiden in the 1995 movie while James Remar (The Warriors, Dexter) played the character in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Ryan Robbins and David Lee McInnis played Raiden in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Chin Han as Shang Tsung

Chin Han (The Dark Knight, Marco Polo) is back as dastardly soul-collector Shang Tsung. Defeated in the first movie, what role will Shang Tsung now play in the new onslaught of Earth?

Shang Tsung was played by the legendary Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in 1995's Mortal Kombat, and again in the second season of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Joe Taslim as... Noob Saibot?

Joe Taslim is back for Mortal Kombat 2, but with Sub-Zero vanquished by Scorpion in the first movie, what role will Taslim play now? Fans speculate that Sub-Zero will be, in accordance with the game arc, resurrected as Noob Saibot - an undead wraith from the Netherrealm revealed to be Bi-Han - aka Sub-Zero.

One of the most popular characters from the games, Sub-Zero has appeared in 1995's Mortal Kombat as the Bi-Han version, played by Francois Peti, and then again in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation played by Keith Cooke (in a different SZ incarnation).

Kevan Ohtsji and Eric Steinberg portrayed Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Max Huang as... Dark Kung Lao?

Killed by Shang Tsung in the first movie, Earthrealm defender Kung Lao is back... but in what form? Max Huang returns for Mortal Kombat 2, where many dead characters are being resurrected, but will his Kung Lao now be an antagonist? There's certainly a game precedent for it.

Mark Dacascos played Kung Lao in Season 2 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.