On paper, the idea of a brand new character created specifically for the Mortal Kombat reboot made a great deal of sense. The video game series may have been going strong for almost 30 years and boasts a loyal built-in following, but those unfamiliar with the source material would have needed a quick crash course in the mythology, and the audience surrogate is a tried-and-trusted method of delivering exposition through realization that cinema has relied on for decades.
However, the one notable flaw in the masterplan is that as a character, Cole Young kind of sucks. That’s not really the fault of star Lewis Tan, who manages to acquit himself perfectly well in the action sequences, but he just sort of moves from one location to the next with a continually perplexed look on his face as various other players in the story fill in gaps in both the narrative and lore via lengthy and dry monologues.
Nobody was particularly shocked to discover that Cole was a studio-mandated inclusion given how flimsily written he turned out to be, but we’ve nonetheless heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Warner Bros. were inviting pitches for TV shows set in the Harry Potter universe long before it was confirmed – that WB reportedly has big plans for someone who’s basically still a cipher at this stage and want him to be a major presence in the franchise.
You could probably bet your house on Cole Young being an unlockable character in the next Mortal Kombat game, but having made their bed by positioning him at the forefront of the resurgent live-action arm of the property, Warner Bros. will certainly have to lie in it when the inevitable sequel arrives by justifying the reasons behind the chosen one being positioned at the forefront of the story despite being so bland.
