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Mortal Kombat Reboot Theory Says The Hero Might Be Johnny Cage In Disguise

After months of hearing absolutely nothing surrounding the project, the buzz for Warner Bros.' upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot has exploded into life over the last couple of weeks.

Mortal Kombat

After months of hearing absolutely nothing surrounding the project, the buzz for Warner Bros.’ upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot has exploded into life over the last couple of weeks.

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Since the video game adaptation was confirmed to hit the big screen and HBO Max on April 16th, we’ve seen the first set of official images showing the cast in action, as well as the briefest snippet of footage buried in a sizzle reel, which makes it pretty clear that a full-length trailer isn’t too far away.

The cast and crew have been saying all of the right things surrounding the latest stab at the property, and it looks as though director Simon McQuoid has found an impeccable ensemble to bring the characters to life. However, some fans have voiced their disappointment at the notable absence of longtime favorite Johnny Cage.

A new fan theory, though, puts forward the idea that Lewis Tan’s freshly created protagonist and audience surrogate Cole Young might actually be a modern day spin on the Hollywood action star who can more than handle himself in a fight. You see, Cole’s reputation as a struggling MMA fighter could be used to show Johnny Cage having fallen on hard times, now forced to scrap under a pseudonym after his movie career hit the skids.

As ScreenRant explains:

Per the official Mortal Kombat movie synopsis, Cole is an MMA fighter who is pulled into the tournament to defend Earthrealm, and such an origin could work in creating a new take on Johnny. Known to be a bit on the egotistical side in the games, the reboot’s version of Johnny might’ve fallen on some hard times, and now fights under the pseudonym of Cole Young to stay under the radar. Far from being the household name that Johnny Cage is known as, Cole might’ve actually been a failed action star who never hit the big time, now making ends meet as a fighter operating under a different name. Conversely, Cole might’ve reverted to his real name after his career failed with Johnny Cage having been his stage name, which would fit right in with John Carlton being Johnny’s real name outside of his career in Hollywood.

That’s pretty much as far as it goes, though, and while it would make an interesting and self-aware spin on Cage’s status as an A-lister who also moonlights by fighting in deadly tournaments, everything we’ve seen and heard about Mortal Kombat would seem to make it clear that Cole Young exists solely to immerse viewers in the world and drive the story forward, rather than being a walking Easter Egg.