A fan-favorite character looks like he is going to be very prominent in Mortal Kombat II after having a surprisingly minor role in the first movie. Overall, it seems like the upcoming Mortal Kombat II will remedy the mistakes made by the first film by including an actual tournament and mostly focusing on characters that appear in the video games, rather than the divisive Cole Young.

Based on the trailer for Mortal Kombat II, it appears the sequel will sideline Cole Young and instead center around Johnny Cage, who will be played by the charismatic Karl Urban. In addition to Johnny Cage, there will be plenty of new characters in Mortal Kombat II, such as Baraka, Kitana, Jade, and Shao Kahn, who will lead Outworld in the tournament against Earthrealm.

Thankfully, several returning characters from the first movie will also get the chance to shine. Characters like Raiden, Sonya Blade, and Jax Briggs can all be seen fighting in the trailer. However, out of all of Earthrealm’s champions, it’s especially great to see Liu Kang get some time in the spotlight after being underused in the first movie.

Liu Kang’s Role In Mortal Kombat 2 Looks A Lot Bigger Than The 2021 Film

Even though Liu Kang is usually depicted as the main character in the Mortal Kombat video games, the protagonist of the 2021 movie was Cole Young. This upset many fans, since he had never appeared in any of the games. Despite this, it seemed like Cole Young was being set up to defeat major villains like Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn.

These are the final bosses of the first two Mortal Kombat video games, and they are both eventually defeated by Liu Kang. Since he won the game series’ first two tournaments, Liu Kang is generally regarded as Earthrealm’s strongest fighter. However, he has a surprisingly minor role in the 2021 movie.

Liu Kang is undoubtedly very strong. He at least gets the chance to show off his powers when he uses his dragon fire fatality against Kabal at the end of the first film. However, overall, Liu Kang is not that important to the story. He is a loyal Earthrealm champion who trains with Raiden, but the film mostly focuses on characters like Cole Young, Sonya Blade, and Jax Briggs.

Because of this, there were concerns that Liu Kang would once again be sidelined in Mortal Kombat II. Based on the trailer, it’s obvious the sequel will frame Johnny Cage as the main character, but it thankfully seems like Liu Kang will also have an important role. In fact, the trailer for Mortal Kombat II teases that Liu Kang will fight Shao Kahn, the movie’s main villain.

In the trailer, Liu Kang is shown summoning two large pillars of fire and hurling them towards Shao Kahn. He may not be the one to fight Outworld’s ruler at the end of the tournament, as he does in the second game, but including this fight between the two rivals will still appease fans. This will definitely make up for Liu Kang being underused in the first movie.

Mortal Kombat 2 Should Show Why Liu Kang Is One Of The Franchise’s Best Fighters

Liu Kang’s time in the spotlight in Mortal Kombat II won’t end with his fight against Shao Kahn. In the trailer, Liu Kang is also seen encountering his old ally Kung Lao in a unique portal location that seems to be inspired by a popular arena from the games. This moment in the trailer has raised many questions, since Kung Lao died in the first movie.

It’s definitely not uncommon for characters to be revived in the Mortal Kombat franchise. After all, the trailer confirms that Kano and Bi-Han will also return from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the upcoming sequel. However, a theory suggests that Shang Tsung might shapeshift into Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat II, rather than the previous Earthrealm hero officially being revived.

Since Shang Tsung swallowed Kung Lao’s soul during the climax of the first movie, it would make sense for the sorcerer to shapeshift into him and perfectly mimic his abilities and behavior in the sequel. If this theory is true, then it’s possible that Liu Kang will fight Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat II, which would be amazing to see since they are also rivals in the video games.

Therefore, there’s a chance that Liu Kang will fight Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung, two of the most prominent villains from the video game series, in one movie. Since Liu Kang was training with Raiden long before characters like Cole Young, Sonya, Jax, and especially Johnny Cage, it is only right for him to have a major role in the tournament in Mortal Kombat II.

Presumably, Liu Kang will survive his fights against Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung. Both of these fights will effectively prove how powerful of a fighter he is. Going forward, Liu Kang should absolutely be viewed as one of the best fighters in the movie franchise, so it’s exciting that he will be able to further show off his abilities in Mortal Kombat II.