Mortal Kombat: Annihilation makes the bold decision to kill off Johnny Cage in the sequel’s opening, but why is his death so abrupt? Despite the original having been a huge hit, for some reason, the studio behind Mortal Kombat: Annihilation released an unfinished cut of the sequel to theaters. This accounts for its terrible visual effects and poor pacing, and while the sequel was a modest hit, it was so poorly received it killed what could have been a major franchise.

Annihilation is easily the worst of the live-action Mortal Kombat movies and it famously recast nearly all the actors from the first entry. The most egregious is James Remar replacing Christopher Lambert as Raiden, with the actors looking and sounding nothing alike. Annihilation’s actor replacements are even more jarring since it begins about a minute after the original ended. The sequel also recast Johnny Cage with Chris Conrad, where Johnny foolishly engages Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson) in a fight and gets his neck snapped as a result.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Killed Off Johnny Cage After Having To Recast The Character

Linden Ashby opted out of Annihilation

Linden Ashby’s hilarious smarmy turn as Johnny Cage was a highlight of the first film, and the star was more than open for a return; that is until he read the script. Disliking both Annihilation’s screenplay and the offer he received for it, Ashby dropped out and has been highly critical of the sequel in the years since (via The Action Elite). This is also why Cage is killed so early in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, since Ashby’s performance was too distinct for another actor to simply copy.

In fact, Conrad has no speaking lines during his brief screentime, with his most memorable moment being Johnny taking off his sunglᴀsses. It’s impossible to gauge how well Conrad could have fared in the role had Johnny Cage lasted longer than five minutes. Conrad might look similar to Ashby, but he lacks the same screen presence, and the follow-up wastes no time disposing of the character. While Cage’s death was intended as a shocker to returning viewers, it feels more like a cheap trick to get around Ashby’s absence in the sequel.

Linden Ashby’s Cage Would’ve Been Hard To Replace After The First Mortal Kombat Movie

Ashby’s Cage lowkey stole the first movie

In the Mortal Kombat games, Johnny Cage was directly based on Jean-Claude Van Damme. It’s unknown how Van Damme himself feels about this character being such an egomaniacal douche, though Ashby’s performance is a masterclass in playing a likable jerk. It’s the kind of role that would be played by Joel McHale now (who later voiced Cage in several animated Mortal Kombat movies), and while Annihilation theoretically could have found a suitable replacement, Ashby had already left a big mark on the role.

It also would have been too jarring to see somebody else wearing Ashby’s costume and imitating his performance. Ashby’s brought a charm and swagger to Cage that was unique to him, so outside of casting a genuine movie star to take the part – like a Van Damme – recasting it just wasn’t going to work. It could also be argued Cage’ death was a nod to the video games, where the movie star dies before the events of Mortal Kombat 3. That might be giving producers too much credit though.

Johnny Cage’s Abrupt Death Was Just The Start Of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’s Problems

Cage’s death was an ominous sign for the sequel

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a deflating instance of a movie starting bad and only proceeding to get worse. The first five minutes would be terrible with or without Cage’s death, but it’s borderline impressive that the sequel continues to lower the bar. It’s difficult to say how much better Annihilation would be had New Line bothered to complete post-production, but at least the special effects and baggy pacing would have been improved.

It’s bizarre that a film that has almost non-stop fight sequences should feel so boring. Annihilation’s story is so thin it barely exists, the acting is almost universally poor and there are far too many characters and fights. Despite a large budget, it looks and feels so cheap, and whatever the faults of the first entry, it had engaging characters and cool action to compensate. The sequel has few high points to speak of – though some might have fun with how bizarre it gets.

Replacing Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage and then killing the character feels like it had a domino effect on the entire production. It opens with a terrible decision, and the poor choices snowball from there. The failure of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was so profound that it took nearly 25 years for another movie to arrive. The 2021 reboot is no classic itself, but it’s eminently more fun than the previous outing.

Source: The Action Elite, Rotten Tomatoes