The Internet Reacts to Mortal Kombat 2's Reveal of Karl Urban's Johnny Cage

It’s true: Mortal Kombat 2, the movie, is coming this fall. After the 2021 reboot Mortal Kombat, fans are clearly curious about how this sequel film is going to kick its way into theaters — and, ultimately, if it will be any good. Fans are already analyzing the film, between its budget and return potential, casting (Johnny Cage, Shao Khan, and Kitana got their first looks this week), potential release date swaps, and more. So what does the internet think about the Mortal Kombat sequel so far? Let’s dive into all the predictions and opinions. Round 1, fight!

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

Fans have been debating the franchise’s new main character, as established in the 2021 reboot. Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan, is something of a player insert character, as he doesn’t know anything about why he’s being hunted down and thus is an excellent vehicle for reboot exposition — but it seems a lot of folks would rather see the focus on a character who was already part of the franchise.

“I really enjoyed the remake except for the new character they created for no reason. Hopefully he takes a backseat in this one,” one fan wrote, while another replied with part of their comment obscured for spoilers (so take heed!), “He isn't the main character anymore, Johnny is. [OK] I'm not sure if it's Johnny but a lot of leaks have said he isn't the MC anymore.”

Several fans seem to have it out for Cole, and are definitely happy that someone else will be taking center stage. “Johnny is the main character this time 100%. Urban got top billing on the poster they released and he’s prominently featured in the first promo images,” one Redditor wrote of Karl Urban
's Johnny Cage.

However, some find Urban’s casting a bit baffling, particularly surrounding his age. “Who the hell made this thinking Karl Urban is the perfect guy for Johnny Cage?” one fan wrote, while another remarked: “I like Karl Urban but at 49 he is miscast and doesn't have the outlandish optimistic charisma that Cage has in the lore.” A third user said: “I'll never understand why they thought casting a 50 year old to be Johnny Cage was a good idea.”

Others suggested the likes of Glen Powell, Chris Evans, Austin Butler, Jack Quaid, or The Miz for the legendary character. But some fans came to Urban’s defense. “Have you seen the movie yet? People said the same thing about Ledger being The Joker,” a Redditor clapped back. “While I’m not suggesting this movie or performance will be anywhere on that level, I think it's unfair to suggest Urban can't pull it off. The dude has been really good in a ton of very different roles.” Another fan hilariously added: “Primitive monkey brain triggers ‘Karl Urban in movie, take my money.’”

Meanwhile, fans have been debating the overall budget of the sequel and, in turn, how much money it may bring in at the box office. One fan suggested on a r/BoxOffice thread that the film would bring in around $250 million. “If the budget stays reasonable, that wouldn’t be too bad,” another fan replied. Another fan went in even higher on the film’s return. “Under $300 million,” the person wrote. “But it’ll do huge on streaming. It doesn’t need no more than a 5-6 week long theater run.”

In response to another Redditor who noted it would take double the first film’s budget ($55 million) to make this one, one user said: “This probably made sense when the budget was less than the first but then strike delays blew it up.” Filming for Mortal Kombat 2 was halted in July 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, but resumed a few months later in November 2023 and was finished by January 2024.

Some folks are more convinced that this film isn’t going to do too well. “Feel like this might bomb honestly. First one wasn’t even well received and I doubt people will be rushing out to see this sequel. Also weird late October release date,” another fan said, noting it might make more sense to move things around in the release calendar for maximum potential. “If I was WB I would push Zach Cregger’s Weapons up to late October and push this to January or February 2026.” Others feel star Karl Urban’s work on The Boys will help push it forward. “I think you’re underestimating how big The Boys is, it has 55 million international viewers. I think the movie will do solid even outside the U.S.” one user said in response.

Other fans are just plain excited for the film. “First one was good fun and I loved these silly action movies growing up,” one Redditor wrote. “Looking forward to this.” Another user added: “F—k me but I’m excited for it. I liked the first one. It was corny but it’s Mortal Kombat which isn’t high art.” A third fan wrote: “This sub really needs to stop underestimating Video Game Movies.”

A rumor that the movie may also move to the August date currently reserved for Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film One Battle After Another is also being discussed. “That would make more sense,” one user noted. “The PTA movie would get a Venice premiere and awards season, while Mortal Kombat gets late summer.” Another fan added that “MK screams August, IMO.”

It seems as though, no matter what they think, fans are fired up about Mortal Kombat 2. We have a fair few months to wait and see what the movie has in store, but one thing is for sure: we’ll keep talking about it until then. K.O.

What do you think about Mortal Kombat 2? Let us know in the comments!

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.