Mortal Kombat II promises many exciting fight scenes, but some of them are definitely more hypeworthy than others. The Mortal Kombat fight scenes are the primary appeal of the video game adaptation franchise, and since the 2021 reboot, they’re now able to be as faithfully gory as ever thanks to the redefined R-rating.

The first trailer for the sequel has already shown off a few snippets confirming at least a dozen new fights in Mortal Kombat II. All of them are exciting prospects to some degree, but there’s no denying that some characters and match-ups are far more H๏τly anticipated than others.

12

Jax Briggs Vs. Jade

After the first movie, Jax Briggs and his cybernetic, ultra-powerful arms will be returning to bust some heads in Mortal Kombat II. It seems as though Jax will go up against Jade, a heroic Outworld warrior who fights with a staff and glaive. Jade can be seen trading blows with Jax while wearing some kind of mask, perhaps early on in her introduction to the film.

It’s not that Jax and Jade are a particularly bad match-up, but this fight seems to be little more than a brief sparring match to introduce the new femme fatale. It’s clear that the bloodshed and spectacle will be a good deal lower here than in other battles to come, and Jax has no particular history with Jade to raise the emotional stakes.

11

Cole Vs. Jax Vs. Liu Kang

Despite his lukewarm reception as the protagonist of 2021’s Mortal Kombat, original hero Cole Young, created specifically for the new movies, will be returning for the sequel. One sH๏τ in the trailer shows him engaging in a three-way match between Jax and Liu Kang.

This three-way battle seems to be a bit more heated, with Jax pounding the ground and sending sparks flying, but will probably boil down to being just a training exercise, as well. Jax, Cole, and Liu Kang are all on the same team, so no one is likely to be out for blood here, lowering the excitement all around.

10

Johnny Cage Vs. Kitana

Replacing Cole as the fish-out-of-water protagonist and viewpoint character, Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage is one of the most H๏τly-anticipated elements of Mortal Kombat II. His fight with Kitana, showing off the Outworld princess’ razor-sharp spinning fans, is a highlight of the trailer.

Despite how good Kitana’s telekinetic fans look in the teaser, this fight is unlikely to amount to much in the long run. Knowing Johnny Cage, it’s likely that this brief scuffle introducing the two Kombatants will include the tired cliché of the cocky male fighter’s mouth writing checks his expensive sunglᴀsses can’t cash.

9

Kitana Vs. Jade

A more intriguing sparring match among those shown off in the trailer for Mortal Kombat II is the smiling duel between Kitana and Jade. Though Jade is armed with her signature staff, Kitana seems to be showing off her prowess and experience by holding her off with nothing more than a silk scarf.

In the games, Kitana and Jade are close friends, and it’ll be great to see this dynamic explored via a friendly match, likely with a good deal of trash-talking thrown in for fun. Even if it won’t be the most climactic or bloody fight in the movie, Kitana and Jade’s friendly contest of might should be worth its while.

8

Johnny Cage Vs. Baraka

Johnny Cage’s annoying quips and irritating ego are always at their best when directed towards a gritty enemy who takes himself far too seriously. In the trailer, it seems as though the newly-introduced Baraka will make for the perfect foil for Cage to bounce his fighting style and winning personality off of.

As a Tarkatan, Baraka is armed to the pointy teeth with bone spikes that he is shown flinging at Cage in the trailer, giving him something to dramatically dodge with a series of impressive backflips. This fight doesn’t seem to have all that much gravity behind it, but seeing Johnny Cage annoy Baraka into submission will be worth the price of admission alone.

7

Liu Kang Vs. Kung Lao Vs. Unknown Fighter

Another busy three-way battle, Liu Kang and Kung Lao seem to be engaging one another before the two team up on some indistinguishable third party. This can be seen in the trailer when Kung Lao unleashes his ᴅᴇᴀᴅly bladed hat against the interloper, who appears to be interrupting his one-on-one with Liu Kang.

This scene might imply that Kung Lao will be antagonistic in Mortal Kombat II, with his ego rivaling the size of Johnny Cage’s in the games. More likely, he’ll be a revenant resurrected by Quan Chi to do the sorcerer’s bidding. Either way, his fight with Liu Kang is sure to excite, though the mysterious third fighter could raise or lower the stakes by a lot.

6

Johnny Cage Vs. Kano Vs. Noob Saibot

If there’s one fight between three characters that’s the most exciting of Mortal Kombat 2‘s confirmed battles, it’s the battle royale that seems to be taking place between Johnny Cage, Kano, and Noob Saibot. Noob and Johnny are two of the most eagerly-anticipated additions to the reboot series’ roster.

On top of that, Josh Lawson’s Kano stole every scene he appeared in during the first Mortal Kombat. It’s hard to imagine a better time than seeing all three of them face off, with Kano negging Johnny from the sidelines as he tries to defeat the shadowy Noob despite not having any powers to speak of.

5

Sonya Blade Vs. Sindel

Another villain making her grand debut in Mortal Kombat II is the ruthless Outworld Empress, Sindel, who can be seen battling Sonya Blade in the trailer. Sonya appears to be enduring Sindel’s haunting banshee scream, barely holding her ground against the overbearing sonic ᴀssault.

Sindel was one of the best parts of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and seeing her make her glorious grand return in a properly R-rated franchise is a tantalizing prospect. Pitting a character so powerful up against a scrappier fighter like Sonya is also sure to make for an entertaining match, if an unbalanced one in terms of power.

4

Kitana Vs. Shao Kahn

As great as Sindel and Noob Saibot are, no villain is as important to the franchise as the almighty Shao Kahn. The ruthless tyrant of Outworld will be finally joining the fray in Mortal Kombat II, going up against both his native political opposition and the forces of Earthrealm in the tournament to come.

Seeing him go up against Kitana is sure to be an exciting fight that truly lives up to the promise of Mortal Kombat. Being the one to kill Kitana’s father, Shao Kahn will draw out most of the princess’ ire while forcing her to pull out all the stops to survive, no longer able to play with an outmatched opponent like Johnny or Jade.

3

Liu Kang Vs. Shao Kahn

Even if characters like Cole Young and Johnny Cage might serve as the major perspective character and protagonist of individual films, the closest thing to a “main character” Mortal Kombat has as a franchise is easily the incredible Liu Kang. As such, seeing him go up against an iconic villain like Shao Kahn will be one of the main events of Mortal Kombat II.

Better yet, the fight between them teased in the trailer for Mortal Kombat II shows Liu Kang entering his great flaming dragon form, a staple of the series that even forms the franchise’s very logo. It’s clear that Liu Kang’s fight with Shao Kahn will be one of the most climactic action setpieces of the entire film.