Special Report: Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Finish him. Or at least finish the plot. Mortal Kombat II arrives with the promise of the full tournament, a new roster of fighters, and the long-awaited arrival of Johnny Cage — played by Karl Urban — as the wisecracking Earthrealm champion fans have been demanding since 2021.

Mike White and Chris Stachiw of The Kulturecast take on Simon McQuoid's sequel to the 2021 reboot, written by Jeremy Slater. The film pits Earthrealm's champions against Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) and the forces of Outworld, with Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Lewis Tan, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada all returning, and Adeline Rudolph and Tati Gabrielle joining the fight as Kitana and Jade. Mike and Chris weigh in on whether the sequel improves on its predecessor or lands with all the dramatic weight of a finishing move on easy mode.