This Martial Arts Actor Played Johnny Cage In An Underrated Mortal Kombat Adaptation

In the "Mortal Kombat" lore, Johnny Cage is a martial arts star, à la the action heroes of the '80s who had educated fists and feet. While Linden Ashby trained in martial arts before playing the character in the 1995 film, there is another actor who has played Cage and just so happens to be a multi-time world champion and high-ranking black belt in Shōrei-ryū. That person is Matt Mullins, who brings the fan-favorite fighter to life in the first season of the highly underrated 2011 web series "Mortal Kombat: Legacy."

In the late 2000s, Mullins was cast as Len in "Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight." The CW show brought attention to his talents, and filmmaker Kevin Tancharoen cast him as Cage in the 2010 fan film "Mortal Kombat: Rebirth." This short eight-minute film resulted in Tancharoen receiving the greenlight to turn his concept into the YouTube series "Mortal Kombat: Legacy."

Alongside his co-stars Jeri Ryan, Michael Jai White, and Ian Anthony Dale, Mullins came back for this grounded take on "Mortal Kombat" with the episode "Johnny Cage," which follows the character's downfall. In the story, Cage is a former action hero who's trying to rebuild his career, so he pitches a reality show called "You Got Caged" to network executives. After the execs pass on the idea but repackage and give it to another star, Cage loses it and beats them up. Then Shang Tsung (Johnson Phan) appears with an opportunity for Cage to recapture his former glory.

In an interview with Kamidogu after the first season of "Mortal Kombat: Legacy," Matt Mullins said, "I really hope ['Legacy'] is made into a full-length film and I would love to reprise Johnny Cage, I think I just cracked the surface of John Carlton." Fans appreciated his performance in this sizzling "Mortal Kombat" adaptation, too. His return didn't happen, though, as Mullins announced he wouldn't be back for the second season of the web series in November 2012.

It was later confirmed that Casper Van Dien, star of several "Starship Troopers" movies, would replace Mullins as Cage in "Mortal Kombat: Legacy" Season 2. According to Kiai-Kick's Michael S. Moore, who reached out to Mullins for comment, the actor wasn't brought back because the production wanted a "name actor" for the role. Mullins wasn't the only performer replaced – David Lee McInnis stepped in for Ryan Robbins as Raiden while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprised his role from the 1995 film and took over Shang Tsung duties from Johnson Phan.

Even though Mullins didn't get to play Johnny Cage again, he's done more than okay for himself since then. He kicks up a storm in 2017's "Death Fighter" alongside martial arts acting legends like Don "The Dragon Wilson" and Cynthia Rothrock, while he's also carved out an impressive resume as a stunt performer and choreographer. You can see him in multiple Marvel projects like "Luke Cage" and "The Defenders" as well as several blockbuster movies, such as "Godzilla vs. Kong" and "The Odyssey."