Mortal Kombat 2 Cast and Characters: Who’s Who in the New Movie

Lewis Tan returns as Cole Young, an original character created for 2021’s Mortal Kombat. Cole is an MMA fighter who discovers he’s a descendant of Hiroyuki Sanada’s Hanzo Hasashi and an integral fighter in Earthrealm’s successful thwarting of Shang Tsung. The big question coming into this sequel is whether Cole is still the main protagonist. The trailer certainly makes it seem as though the focus is shifting to Johnny Cage. Is Cole still the chosen one destined to save Earthrealm, or is his story less important now that his family business has been settled?

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion

Ludi Lin is back as Raiden protege Liu Kang, the fighter who got our heroes battle-ready in the 2021 film. If the MK series has a main protagonist, it’s Liu, though that hasn’t really been true for these rebooted movies. We expect he’ll remain more of a supporting character and a mentor to characters like Cole and Johnny.

Robin Shou played Liu Kang in both ’90s Mortal Kombat movies, while Brian Tee played the character in both seasons of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Josh Lawson as Kano

Tadanobu Asano, who since 2021 has garnered rave reviews and a Golden Globe award for his role on FX’s Shogun, is back as Raiden for Mortal Kombat 2. Raiden is hellbent on stopping Outworld from conquering the other realms, and he’s never been afraid to get his hands dirty protecting the innocent.

Christopher Lambert (of the Highlander series) famously played Raiden in the 1995 movie while James Remar (from The Warriors and Dexter) played the character in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Ryan Robbins and David Lee McInnis played Raiden in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Chin Han as Shang Tsung

Chin Han (The Dark Knight, Marco Polo) is back as dastardly soul-collector Shang Tsung. Defeated in the first movie, what role will Shang Tsung now play in the new onslaught of Earth?

Shang Tsung was played by the legendary Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in 1995’s Mortal Kombat, and again in the second season of web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Joe Taslim as Bi-Han

Joe Taslim is back for Mortal Kombat 2, but with Sub-Zero vanquished by Scorpion in the first movie, what role will Taslim play now? Fans have speculated that Sub-Zero will be, in accordance with the game arc, resurrected as Noob Saibot – an undead wraith from the Netherrealm revealed to be Bi-Han – aka Sub-Zero. We see what appears to be Noob Saibot battling Scorpion in the trailer, so that theory seems to be correct.

One of the most popular characters from the games, Sub-Zero has appeared in 1995’s Mortal Kombat as the Bi-Han version, played by Francois Peti, and then again in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation played by Keith Cooke (in a different SZ incarnation).

Kevan Ohtsji and Eric Steinberg portrayed Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Max Huang as… Dark Kung Lao?

Killed by Shang Tsung in the first movie, Earthrealm defender Kung Lao is back… but in what form? Max Huang returns for Mortal Kombat 2, but will his Kung Lao now be an antagonist? There’s certainly a game precedent for it. We briefly see Kung Lao with Lu Kang in the trailer, where both heroes appear in a realm seemingly inspired by the Lost Bridge stage from the Mortal Kombat 3 game.

Mark Dacascos played Kung Lao in Season 2 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

And that’s the massive cast of Mortal Kombat 2. Which fighter are you most excited to see in this sequel? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to brush up on every video game movie and series in development.

Note: this article was originally published in March 2025 and updated on July 17, 2025 with the latest news about Mortal Kombat 2.