Mortal Kombat 2’s Most Controversial Character Has Me Strangely Excited About The Upcoming Sequel

Mortal Kombat 2 will continue with the franchise’s most controversial character, though I am weirdly more excited about the film because of this. The reboot of Mortal Kombat had a limited release in 2021 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet became a hit on WB’s MAX streaming service. This was enough to see Mortal Kombat 2‘s story announced, as the first movie’s characters return with new faces to fight in the titular tournament against the forces of Outworld.

With Mortal Kombat 2‘s release date confirmed for October 2025, we will not have to wait too long for the return of the franchise on the big screen. The ending of 2021’s Mortal Kombat certainly stoked anticipation by teasing the continued battle between Earth and Outworld, now with iconic game character Johnny Cage involved. However, where characters are concerned, there is one in the rebooted Mortal Kombat series that proved controversial. Ironically, I am more excited to see Mortal Kombat 2 now than I was before, specifically because of this controversial character.

Mortal Kombat Star Lewis Tan Teased Cole Young’s Surprising Role In The Sequel

Cole Young’s Mortal Kombat Story Will Continue

The controversial character in question is Cole Young. In Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat 2, Lewis Tan portrays Cole, an MMA fighter turned Mortal Kombat champion. While I personally never hated Cole Young’s storyline in Mortal Kombat, I understood the criticisms aimed at him. For one, Cole Young is an original character who is not known from the games, and his constant fish-out-of-water vibe got old quickly. Regardless of the controversy, Lewis Tan has teased what to expect from Cole in Mortal Kombat 2.

In an interview with Screen Rant at SDCC 2024, Lewis Tan mounted a defense for Mortal Kombat‘s Cole Young. In doing so, Tan teased a potentially surprising role for his character in the sequel to Mortal Kombat, which makes me even more excited to see the movie. When asked about Mortal Kombat 2 and Cole Young, Tan had this to say:

“Well, it was quite controversial to have a new character in the film, but I think actually, in my opinion, it’s not that controversial, because the Mortal Kombat game started with only a few characters. Nowadays, there’s 100-plus characters, so they’re not new to adding new characters to the film. And yeah, you’ll have to wait and see what kind of journey goes down, but I think people are going to be very surprised.”

It is the latter half of these comments that excites me. Not only is Tan returning as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat 2, but he has a different kind of role in the sequel. This certainly raises my anticipation for the film, as it is clear Tan and the other creatives behind Mortal Kombat have tried to rectify the criticisms Cole faced in the first movie. The creatives of Mortal Kombat have accepted the controversial nature of the character and have insisted on continuing his journey in a compelling way, as evidenced by the reveals at San Diego Comic-Con.

Mortal Kombat 2 Not Killing Off Cole Young Is Actually Exciting

Cole Young’s Character Could Develop In A Way Many Did Not See Coming

This update from Lewis Tan about Cole Young is exciting as it means Mortal Kombat 2 is not simply killing off the character. In many franchises, if a character was worse received than others, future installments may pivot away from such a character in favor of exploring the more compelling characters. One notable instance of this was in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, with George Lucas drastically reducing the screen time of Jar Jar Binks in Episode II and Episode III.

With Cole Young, however, it does not seem as though this will be the case. Rather than take the easy option and kill off the character to focus on iconic video game fighters, Mortal Kombat 2 is sticking with what was established in the first movie and developing Cole’s character. This is an infinitely more exciting choice than taking the easy way out, and makes me more excited for Mortal Kombat 2 than I admittedly thought I would be.

What Should Cole Young’s Role In Mortal Kombat 2 Be?

Mortal Kombat 2 Should Reverse Cole’s Role From The First Movie

With the news that Lewis Tan will return as Cole Young for Mortal Kombat 2, the question naturally turns to what his role will be. In the first movie, Cole served as the every-man character, someone who simply wanted to provide for his family before being thrown into a world full of fighters, warriors, tournaments, and otherworldly creatures. This played a large factor in the character’s divisiveness, as many found his character to simply be a vehicle for the audience to receive exposition.

In Mortal Kombat 2, it would be awesome if Cole Young was a much more developed character. Rather than be the unknowing, fresh-faced newcomer, Cole could have changed between the first and second movies and now be a hardened warrior and a leader of the fighters from Earth. This would make Cole immediately more compelling than he was in the first movie, giving Mortal Kombat 2 a solid reason for continuing his character arc.