The first trailer for Mortal Kombat 2 has just been released, and it already supports the biggest Cole Young theory that has been making the rounds ahead of the sequel’s release. Since Cole Young was the protagonist of 2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot movie, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding his role in the sequel, the the first trailer may have given some insight.

While plenty of characters from the Mortal Kombat roster are getting added to the Mortal Kombat 2 movie, the biggest addition is undoubtedly Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage. The Mortal Kombat 2 trailer almost entirely focused on Johnny Cage’s story, with the Karl Urban character being at the center of the film’s marketing campaign so far.

The trailer presents Johnny Cage as a washed-up action movie star, paralleling his story from the Mortal Kombat video games. Cage is approached by fighter from the Mortal Kombat tournament, with him being brought in and having to learn how to fight. Plenty of returning Mortal Kombat characters are seen in the trailer, but one has a notable lack of screentime.

Cole Young Is Barely In Mortal Kombat 2’s Trailer

Despite Being The First Movie’s Protagonist

Despite being the protagonist of the first Mortal Kombat movie, Cole Young is barely in the trailer for Mortal Kombat 2. While plenty of other characters are featured, Cole Young has been sidelined completely. This could be due to his lack of popularity from the first film, as many fans didn’t like that the movie was centered around an original character.

While it was confirmed that Cole Young would return for Mortal Kombat 2, many franchise fans hoped that he would not be the main character again. The announcement of Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage eased fears that Cole Young would be the protagonist, as it seemed clear that the star playing a big name character would be getting a lot of focus.

The end of the first Mortal Kombat movie teased that Cole Young and the gang had to hunt down Johnny Cage and recruit him as a fighter for Earthrealm, setting up an obvious story for Mortal Kombat 2. However, this story would obviously be over when Johnny Cage was found, with it seeming like the first movie’s cast may be handing the baton to Karl Urban.

Because of all this, a popular theory has made the rounds: Cole Young will die in Mortal Kombat 2. The Mortal Kombat franchise is known for killing characters, and since Cole Young wasn’t popular and isn’t going to be the main character in the sequel, this seemed like the obvious solution.

This theory was developed after the producer of Mortal Kombat 2 teased that Cole Young would have a smaller presence in the film. On top of that, the character was barely in the film’s marketing ahead of the trailer’s release, although other characters have been seen throughout.

Cole Young’s Minor Presence In Mortal Kombat 2’s Trailer Makes The Death Theories More Believable

Will He Actually Be Killed Off?

Now that the first trailer for Mortal Kombat 2 has been released, it seems incredibly likely that Cole Young will die in the sequel. While it seemed impossible for a sequel to kill off the main character from the original film, the trailer confirms that he will have an incredibly small presence in the movie, unless the film is hiding something.

Cole Young will be in Mortal Kombat 2, as he is seen in the trailer. However, these few sH๏τs could all come from early in the story, with Cole Young getting killed off shortly after. This would clear the spotlight for Johnny Cage to step in, becoming the protagonist of the live-action Mortal Kombat movie series.

While many fans will be happy to see Cole Young go, this may be a risky decision for the franchise. Cole Young wasn’t popular due to him being an original character, but casual Mortal Kombat fans may not care about this. Watching a sequel only to see the main character get killed off could be divisive, hurting the reception of the sequel.

If pulled off correctly, though, the decision to kill Cole Young could be exciting. The dramatic death at the beginning of the film would raise the stakes for Johnny Cage. Killing off the main character of the previous film would prove that nobody is safe in the world of Mortal Kombat, putting everybody in danger.

Based on the story that the trailer is presenting, Cole Young isn’t really needed for the story of Mortal Kombat 2. After finding Johnny Cage, Cole probably won’t have much left to do. After all, Johnny Cage is taking the place of the outsider that Cole Young filled in the first film, meaning that he is nothing more than a generic fighter now.

While there are still other possible explanations for Cole Young’s absence from the Mortal Kombat 2 trailer, his death is looking more and more likely. Based on the deaths from the previous Mortal Kombat and the character’s unpopularity, further Mortal Kombat 2 marketing materials could bring Cole Young’s death closer to reality.