The new Mortal Kombat movie features a huge number of characters being brought to life on the big screen. While characters like Liu Kang and Scorpion were seen in the original two Mortal Kombat movies from the 90s, characters like Kung Lao and Nitara have not been represented in a film yet.
There is one wholly new character that will be introduced in 2021's Mortal Kombat, Cole Young. Played by Lewis Tan, Cole Young is an MMA cage fighter who is invited to participate in the Mortal Kombat Tournament alongside all the recognizable characters shown in trailers so far.
13 Not Yet Credited: Reptile, Goro
Reptile and Goro were shown in the initial trailer for just a few seconds each – spoiler alert, Reptile gets his heart ripped out by a certain Australian criminal, and Goro leaps in slow motion.
While no credit has been given yet for motion capture, it has been confirmed that Goro is a 100% CGI character. In the original Mortal Kombat movie, Goro was played in a gigantic bodysuit, while Reptile was partially made with special effects.
12 Scorpion, played by Hiroyuki Sanada
The most iconic Mortal Kombat character had to make an appearance somewhere in this movie. In the 2021 reboot, Scorpion will be played by Hiroyuki Sanada, who also starred in 2002's The Twilight Samurai, and 2013's 47 Ronin.
It's a role made for the actor, whose intimidating appearance in the trailer was, of course, accompanied by Scorpion's catchphrase "GET OVER HERE." It never gets old.
11 Sub Zero, played by Joe Taslim
Sub Zero is the man who killed Scorpion's family and clan, and the subject of the specter's vengeance. The icy ninja will be played by Joe Taslim, whose roles span film from franchises like Star Trek to instant classics like The Raid.
In the trailer, Sub Zero is shown fighting with Scorpion, and their rivalry is sure to be a main plot element of the reboot.
10 Liu Kang, played by Ludi Lin
Liu Kang is, canonically, one of the best Mortal Kombatants that Earthrealm ever possessed. He is the lead character in most Mortal Kombat games and the main protagonist in the Mortal Kombat movies.
He will be played by Ludi Lin in the reboot, whose previous roles include the Black Power Ranger in the 2017 Power Rangers reboot and Captain Murk in Aquaman.
9 Sonya Blade, played by Jessica McNamee
Sonya Blade is a hardened special ops officer for the Earthrealm Special Forces, and will be played by Jessica McNamee. McNamee previously starred in The Meg but this will be her first time performing martial arts on-screen.
Sonya will be shown working with Jax Briggs to hunt down Kano, a main plot point from the original Mortal Kombat games.
8 Jax Briggs, played by Mehcad Brooks
Jax Briggs is one of the most recognizable Mortal Kombat characters for his bionic arms. Jax will be played by Mehad Brooks, and is shown in the trailer with both arms still attached until an encounter with Sub Zero.
In the games, the reasoning for Jax's bionic arms changes a lot, and this origin story is yet another new explanation not seen in the games or previous films.
7 Kano, played by Josh Lawson
Kano wasn't originally a rude, crude, Australian dude – he was actually half-Japanese in the first game. After his portrayal in the first Mortal Kombat movie, though, all later portrayals of the character turned him into an Australian.
The maniacal criminal with an eye beam will be played by Josh Lawson, whose previous comedic work will come into use playing Kano.
6 Raiden, played by Tadanobu Asano
Raiden has had terrible treatment in Mortal Kombat movies, until now. Played by Tadanobu Asano, who you might recognize Hogun a member of the Trio of Three in Thor and Thor: Ragnarok.
Raiden was played by Christopher Lambert in the first movie, who was replaced for Annihilation along with just about every other actor except Liu Kang and Kitana.
5 Kung Lao, played by Max Huang
Kung Lao, as of yet, has not had an appearance in a Mortal Kombat movie. Max Huang plays the Shaolin Warrior in the 2021 reboot, whose career is full of stunt coordination and performances but few starring roles.
It's fitting that a master of stunts was chosen to play a character whose entire being is martial arts, and it's exciting to see him on-screen again in a main role.
4 Shang Tsung, played by Chin Han
Shang Tsung will be played by Chin Han in the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie. Han's career has been primarily in action movies such as The Dark Knight, Marco Polo, and Dwayne Johnson's Skyscraper.
Shang Tsung was in need of a fresh take. While the original Mortal Kombat movie is fun for what it is, the character can be deadly scary when done right.
3 Mileena, played by Sisi Stringer
In the trailer, Mileena is only shown twice: once baring her teeth, and once being shot by Sonya for half a second during a quick-cut segment of fatalities at the end. She will be played by Sisi Stringer, who is relatively new to the film industry.
Stringer starred in 2020's Bloody Hell and Children of the Corn and was the assistant director for 2018's Matt Gaffney Must Die.
2 Kabal, played by Daniel Nelson
Kabal is only shown for a fraction of a second in the trailer and will be more of a side character than a main antagonist. He will be played by Daniel Nelson, who also did stunt work on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Godzilla vs Kong.
Nelson is also credited for additional stunt work on the set of Mortal Kombat, so he might have more than one actual appearance on-screen.
1 Nitara, played by Elissa Cadwell
Nitara was not shown in the Mortal Kombat reboot trailer but was confirmed to be in the movie by Greg Russo, one of the scriptwriters for the movie. Her appearance in the film will be her first appearance in a Mortal Kombat property since Armageddon (the references in MK11 don't count).
The vampire will be played by Elissa Cadwell, who did stunts for 2018's Aquaman and performed in several other TV shows and movies throughout her career.