Cole Young’s Mortal Kombat 2 Death Would Flip The Franchise’s Biggest Johnny Cage Insult From 27 Years Ago

Summary Cole Young's potential death in Mortal Kombat 2 may parallel a past character change, adding depth to the franchise's storyline.

Mortal Kombat 2 is highly anticipated, set to feature new characters and continue the Earthrealm champions' journey.

Killing off Cole Young in the sequel could be a risky move, but giving him a more interesting story may be the better option.

There has been a lot of speculation over the potential death of Cole Young in Mortal Kombat 2, and this twist would flip the franchise's biggest Johnny Cage insult from 27 years ago. Although Mortal Kombat 2 is only the second entry in the modern live-action movie series, the Mortal Kombat franchise is decades old, meaning that many potential storylines have already been tested out in other mediums. So, while Cole Young's Mortal Kombat 2 death may be a good idea, it draws parallels to a much older character change from a previous Mortal Kombat project.

Mortal Kombat 2 is finally on the way, with the highly anticipated sequel to the 2021 live-action video game adaptation now in development. Mortal Kombat 2 is expected to continue the story of its predecessor, with the first Mortal Kombat movie's cast heading out on an adventure to recruit more Earthrealm champions for the titular tournament. Karl Urban's Johnny Cage is the biggest new addition to the sequel, but he is far from the only new Mortal Kombat 2 character. However, all of these new characters will still be supporting the 2021 movie's original character, Cole Young.

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If Mortal Kombat 2 Kills Off Cole Young, It Will Mirror Annihilation’s Johnny Cage Insult

Paralleling The Worst Mortal Kombat Movie

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Many fans of the video game franchise were surprised to see that Cole Young was the protagonist of the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie, as he was an original character in a franchise full of well-known fighting icons. Because of this, many franchise fans are hoping that Mortal Kombat 2 will give more focus to a character like Johnny Cage. However, doing so will require Cole Young to be sidelined in the upcoming sequel. While it is possible that Mortal Kombat 2 could just make a different character the focus, another distinct possibility would be killing off Cole Young.

Related 10 Mortal Kombat 2 Theories That Predict The Upcoming Sequel's Story The confirmed cast and behind-the-scenes pictures of Mortal Kombat 2 gives fans a good idea of what the film will be about.

Although Cole Young's potential Mortal Kombat 2 death is just speculation, it would be an interesting addition to the franchise, as it would mirror Mortal Kombat: Annihilation's Johnny Cage insult. Johnny Cage was one of the main characters in the original 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, with him being one of the most popular parts of the film. However, Mortal Kombat Annihilation recast Johnny Cage only to kill him off in the first act, with this surprising twist being a huge disappointment for fans and one of the worst choices that the sequel made.

Why Mortal Kombat Annihilation Killed Off Johnny Cage So Early

It Was The Only Choice

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Mortal Kombat Annihilation made the surprising choice to kill off Johnny Cage early, and here's why. Mortal Kombat Annihilation is a famously terrible movie, with it being considered one of the worst film adaptations of a video game of all time. Although the first Mortal Kombat movie received mixed reviews, many stars of the original film decided not to reprise their roles in the sequel due to how poorly it was shaping up to be. Johnny Cage actor Linden Ashby was one of the actors who decided not to return, creating a problem for the film.

Mortal Kombat Annihilation couldn't just have Johnny Cage not appear, but they also couldn't do an entire story with an all-new Johnny Cage actor. Thus, Mortal Kombat Annihilation made the decision to recast Johnny Cage only for him to briefly appear, with him being killed off by Shao Kahn at the beginning of the film.

Should Mortal Kombat 2 Kill Off Cole Young?

It May Not Be The Best Idea

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Since Cole Young's role in 2021's Mortal Kombat was one of the most controversial parts of the film, killing him off may seem like the obvious answer. However, this may not be the best route, as Mortal Kombat 2 doesn't need to repeat Mortal Kombat Annihilation's fatal flaw. Killing off a main character due to poor reception isn't always the best way to go, as Mortal Kombat 2 could instead address the flaws and attempt to make Cole Young's role in the film work better than it did in the original.

Related Mortal Kombat 2’s Returning Characters Reveal The Sequel's Biggest Advantage Over Other Franchises Mortal Kombat 2 will have no shortage of returning characters, but there's an interesting quirk in the universe's canon that makes it even better.

Giving Cole Young a more interesting story seems like the first route that Mortal Kombat 2 should take, making him just as interesting as the adapted video game characters. However, it is also possible that Mortal Kombat 2 could simply give Cole Young a supporting role, with him being a secondary character to Johnny Cage or another adapted fighter. There are plenty of options that Mortal Kombat 2 has to choose from, but killing off Cole Young seems like the most drastic one.