Even diehard Mortal Kombat fans are likely to miss some of the details included in the
latest live-action movie.
These are the Easter eggs you may have missed.
From series standbys like Liu Kang and Sonya Blade to more obscure fighters such as Nitara
and Reiko, Mortal Kombat manages to incorporate a wide array of characters from the long-running
game series.
And that's only to mention those who actually appear in the film.
If you pay close attention, you'll notice that even more characters get referenced throughout
the movie, even though they aren't seen on screen.
Early on, Sonya shows Cole Young her research on the Mortal Kombat tournament and Outworld.
One of the documents is a page from a book that includes an illustration of a Native
American man with the caption "Matoka warrior."
The person in the illustration looks remarkably like Nightwolf, a fighter introduced in Mortal
Kombat 3 who's a member of the fictional Matoka tribe.
Sonya's research also includes an image of what appears to be an Aztec bust, which could
be a nod to Kotal Kahn.
Mortal Kombat X introduced the intimidating character whose design draws some obvious
inspiration from Aztec culture.
Elsewhere in the movie, characters namedrop Shao Kahn, the brutal Emperor of Outworld,
as well as Bo' Rai Cho, the martial arts grandmaster who trained Liu Kang.
Raiden's temple also contains a couple of visual nods to unseen characters.
The signature fan blades of the Edenian Princess Kitana can be seen displayed in one of the
temple's corridors, and one crucial scene sees Kano stealing an item that looks very
similar to the Amulet of Shinnok.
The appropriately named magical talisman in question belongs to Shinnok, an elder god
who first appeared in Mortal Kombat 4.
Not only does the new Mortal Kombat movie make numerous references to characters who
don't even appear in the film, but it also pushes things even further by paying homage
to the series' creators.
We get our first taste of this when Jax introduces himself to Cole Young.
Jax mentions a past fight where Cole managed to take the belt away from a fighter named
"Eddie Tobias," a subtle nod to Mortal Kombat co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobias.
Tobias is responsible for much of the original character design, lore, and world-building
of the early games.
Additionally, the movie honors the Mortal Kombat franchise's real home: Chicago.
When Cole's relation to Scorpion is revealed, the protagonist finds it hard to believe.
He considers himself just a kid from the Southside of Chicago.
The Windy City was the home of original Mortal Kombat developer Midway Games, which was also
responsible for other arcade hits like Rampage and NBA Jam.
Midway Games filed for bankruptcy in 2009; Warner Bros. bought the Mortal Kombat IP that
same year.
Chicago can still claim Mortal Kombat because NetherRealm Studios, the studio responsible
for the current crop of games in the franchise, is based in the city.
Colors play a huge role in Mortal Kombat, especially the older games in the series.
Much of the ninja characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Rain were different from each
other visually thanks to the primary colors used in their design.
It only makes sense for the new movie to play around with this concept in its own unique
way.
When we're first introduced to Cole Young, he's seen prepping his hands for an MMA fight,
wrapping them yellow tape.
This is a reference to Scorpion and his clan, the Shirai Ryu, whose main color is yellow.
It's also an early hint that Cole is somehow related to the clan and Scorpion.
There's even a spot of yellow on the strap of his gym bag.
Not to be outdone by his rival, Sub-Zero also provides us with a major visual clue that
hints at his ultimate fate.
During his final battle with Scorpion and Cole, the ice-cold assassin gets rid of the
blue parts of his outfit showing himself in complete black.
This is a reference to the super-dark Noob Saibot, a character that the first Sub-Zero,
Bi-Han, later becomes after being killed by Scorpion in the games.
Noob Saibot is a play on the reversed last names of Ed Boon and John Tobias.
The character was introduced in the series, thanks to Boon, in Mortal Kombat II.
However, Noob Saibot was so secret a character that not even Boon's partner Tobias knew about
him at first.
Tobias was already a few months into development on Mortal Kombat 3 before he learned about
the secret character's existence.
Mortal Kombat movie wouldn't be considered authentic without the iconic techno theme
that has become associated with the series.
Fortunately, there are two scenes in the new film where bits of it can be heard.
When Liu Kang launches his trademark bicycle kick against Kabal, a few familiar notes play
in the background.
It's subtle, especially compared to when the theme makes its second appearance during the
film's conclusive stretch.
When Scorpion finally appears to face Sub-Zero in their ensuing battle, the theme returns,
this time booming in an impressive remix.
The Mortal Kombat theme is officially called "Techno Syndrome," created by Belgian duo
The Immortals, also known as Maurice "Praga Khan" Engelen and Oliver Adams.
The two are also known for their work from the group Lords of Acid.
Midway Games contacted Engelen and Adams about making an album to go along with the 1994
home console release of the hit arcade game.
While between tours, the two got to work producing the entire record in four weeks.
Mortal Kombat: The Album featured songs based on the original roster of characters, but
it was Techno Syndrome that became the defining hit.
It went on to be used in commercials, movies, and just about anything the series has dipped
its brutal hands in.
For the soundtrack of the 2021 movie, composer Benjamin Wallfisch gave the theme a new EDM-tinged
feel.
Early on in the film, Sonya fills Cole in on the legend of the Mortal Kombat tournament
by showing him her collection of newspaper clippings and other research materials.
"Throughout history, different cultures all over the world reference a great tournament."
One obscured headline includes the text "storm causes panic."
Although the first word is mostly cut away, it seems possible that the whole phrase is
meant to read "lightning storm causes panic."
Considering it's on Sonya's wall of research, that could be a reference to Lord Raiden,
who arrives in Earthrealm via an intense series of lightning strikes on multiple occasions.
The headline could be describing what Raiden's strikes looked like to normal Earth-dwellers
who were unaware that they were witnessing the approach of the God of Thunder.
Similarly, another incomplete headline ends with "breaking hailstorm."
Presumably, it's meant to say "record-breaking hailstorm," which could be a reference to
Sub-Zero.
Earlier in the movie, he arrived in Earthrealm and manifested a fierce ice storm while attempting
to kill Cole.
Could he have done something similar at another time, leading to people confusing his supernatural
powers for an extra intense weather event?
Mortal Kombat is a game series that isn't afraid to make changes to its own canon.
For instance, the ninth title in the franchise, also titled Mortal Kombat, was a reboot for
the series and made some key changes in the stories of the first three games.
The new movie is just as happy to play around with established lore.
Whether it be Kano teaming up with the heroes, or introducing a completely new protagonist
to the fold.
But things get a little ridiculous when it comes to Jax and how he loses his arms.
Sub-Zero is the one to take away Jax's human arms in the new movie.
But this is only the latest in a variety of unfortunate ways Jax has lost his arms in
the game series.
In the ninth game, Jax has his arms exploded when Ermac uses his telekinetic powers.
In the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, grenades destroy Jax's arms.
And in the animated Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, Goro just completely rips
them off.
Let's hope that the next retelling of how Jax loses his arms is kinder to the Special
Forces Soldier.
Mortal Kombat more than earns its R rating thanks to the graphic fatalities that conclude
many of the brawls in the movie.
In fact, the film actually recreates several of the iconic finishing moves from the game
franchise.
Early in the movie, an encounter between Kano and Reptile ends with Kano reaching into the
creature's chest and ripping out its heart.
That same move was used as Kano's fatality in the very first Mortal Kombat game.
Similarly, the fire-breathing finisher that Scorpion pulls on Sub-Zero, is a throwback
to the original game.
Two of the movie's goriest moments also come directly from the source material.
Kung Lao's hat is the butt of quite a few jokes throughout the film, but he proves its
brutal utility when he quickly ends an encounter with the winged Nitara by turning the bladed
headwear into a buzz saw and feeding her into it.
A version of this particularly gruesome fatality was first used in the spin-off game Mortal
Kombat: Shaolin Monks, and has gone on to become a mainstay of Kung Lao's repertoire
in the main series.
Meanwhile, Jax gets the chance to test out his new arcana-powered metal arms while fighting
Reiko.
After beating Shang Tsung's lackey to his knees, Jax claps his hands on Reiko's head,
bursting it like a melon.
This move was one of Jax's first fatalities when the character made his debut in Mortal
Kombat II.
Liu Kane gets an opportunity to show off his
impressive arcana power as well, summoning a giant dragon
made of fire to fatally burn Kabal.
This is a variation of Liu Kang's dragon transformation fatality that he first started using in the
franchise's second installment.
Longtime fans of the franchise are no doubt going to be thrilled that Mortal Kombat is
full of small references to the particulars of the video games.
Take, for instance, Kung Lao's words of encouragement to Cole and Kano when they begin their training:
"All you can do now is test your might."
This is a nod to the first game in the series, which featured a mini-game called "Test Your
Might."
It tasked players with mashing buttons to make their characters chop through piles of
material ranging from planks of wood to a block of pure diamond.
The filmmakers also managed to incorporate other bits of now-iconic dialogue players
would regularly hear from the game's announcer at the end of matches.
Several of the fight scenes in the movie conclude with the characters saying things like "flawless
victory" and "fatality."
After he defeats Reptile, Kano even giddily announced:
"Kano wins."
These references aren't just relegated to dialogue.
The set design of Mortal Kombat draws some inspiration from the levels of the games,
specifically the iconic stage known as the Pit.
There have been several versions of this arena throughout the franchise, but the basic gist
is always the same: The Kombatants fight on a bridge overlooking a pit of razor-sharp
spikes.
A version of this concept appears late in the movie when Jax squares off against Reiko.
Fatalities aren't the only moves from the Mortal Kombat games that pop up in the film.
Cole's spirited daughter Emily frequently tells her father to use an uppercut during
his fights, a punch that has been ubiquitous for nearly every character in the series starting
with the first game.
During a 2016 interview with Game Informer, series co-creator Ed Boon even said that nailing
the uppercut was integral in the development of the first game.
He recalled, "The big thing was this uppercut.
Once we got this uppercut going ... suddenly everybody is coming into my office, 'Aw, let
me see the game!'"
Another frequently used maneuver from the original games that got a special callout
in the movie is the leg sweep.
In what appears to be a nod to players who love to spam the move in order to score an
easy victory, Liu Kang leg-sweeps Kano several times during one of their training sessions.
After Kano successfully hops over one of the sweeps, Liu Kang then fakes him out before
getting him with another one.
This will no doubt feel familiar to anyone who has thrown their controller in frustration
because their friend wouldn't stop using the move.
And, of course, many of the characters get a chance to show off their special abilities.
Liu Kang gets his fireballs, Kano has his laser eye, and even Sonya's pink energy rings
make an appearance.
When the characters got revealed for the latest Mortal Kombat movie, we all had one burning
question: Where is Johnny Cage?
Mortal Kombat producer Todd Garner announced the sad news that the character wouldn't appear
in the film, but gave hope of his appearance in a potential sequel.
And now, a huge Easter Egg has ignited our hopes for Cage's return to the big screen.
The movie ends with Shang Tsung's evil crew defeated, but Raiden has requested that our
heroes seek out new defenders for Earthrealm.
As Cole leaves his MMA gym on this mission from the Thunder God, he reveals that his
search is taking him to Hollywood.
We then get an image of a poster for a movie titled Citizen Cage, starring actor-turned-Kombatant
Johnny Cage.
Johnny Cage is a staple character for the game series and even shares the spotlight
with his daughter Cassie Cage in Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11.
With such a big personality and his trademark split punch, Johnny is, unsurprisingly, modeled
after a real Hollywood action star: Jean-Claude Van Damme.
The minds behind the IP wanted Van Damme to be in what eventually became Mortal Kombat,
but he wasn't interested.
Thus, Ed Boon and John Tobias forged ahead.
The project turned into Mortal Kombat, and Johnny Cage was born.
FATALITY.
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