How Mortal Kombat 2 Sets Up Another Sequel

Contains spoilers for "Mortal Kombat II" 

A word to the wise: Make sure you've watched our "Mortal Kombat II" recap before heading in, because the movie spends a lot of time lore-dumping and sneakily setting up its own sequel. Its ending makes clear that the budding film series doesn't intend to end here, as the surviving protagonists set out to retrieve fallen friends — something Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) also promises to Kung Lao (Max Huang) earlier. But what sort of sequel is being teased, and where are our heroes headed in the third "Mortal Kombat" movie, which is already in the works?

Arguably the biggest clue is the immortality-granting Amulet of Shinnok, which Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) uses as a cheat code. Shinnok is a fallen Elder God with connections to the Netherrealm, which plays a large role in "Mortal Kombat II." He debuted in "Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero" and returned in the 1997 mainline game "Mortal Kombat 4" as the follow-up Big Bad to Shao Kahn. 

Apart from Shinnok, there's another big villain tease. The mission to bring back fallen comrades — presumably revenants like Kung Lao and Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen) — suggests that the revenant-creating necromancer Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) will step up. A major antagonist in the games, casting two-time Charles Manson actor Herriman in the role indicates we might see a different Quan Chi than the sycophant type he's playing in "Mortal Kombat II."

Along with villain teases, we get hints about heroic characters we might see in the potential "Mortal Kombat III." Liu Kang ups his fire magic game throughout the movie, and his odd "defeat, but not really" moment at the hands of Shao Kahn near the end seems to confirm that he's ascending to God of Fire status, as he does in the games. As it happens, fire god Liu Kang is who canonically takes over Netherrealm after Shinnok's defeat, so expect to see a very powerful Liu return in the possible third movie.

Combined with a sequel likely being named "Mortal Kombat III," and the teases of a revenant-rescuing storyline imply that we might see some specific characters from the "Mortal Kombat 3" game, all of whom spend time as revenants. These would include riot cop Kurtis Stryker and the Native American hero Nightwolf. Kabal, a "Mortal Kombat 3" character who appeared and perished in the 2021 film, might also make his return as a revenant — especially since he happens to be voiced by Quan Chi actor Damon Herriman in the 2021 movie.

The first "Mortal Kombat II" reactions left critics stunned, and seeing as many of the "Mortal Kombat II" rumors that got fans hyped indeed turned out to be true, it's no surprise. Here's hoping the action-heavy movie will find a big enough audience to warrant further entries.