The following contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat.
Fans of '90s video games know Mortal Kombat all too well. Like Street Fighter, it was popular in arcades and living rooms alike. The 2021 movie reboot of the story is a love letter to those fans, albeit an R-rated one. The movie is chock full of references for those fans to catch while watching.
Despite the movie featuring an all-new character, it borrows a lot of elements from the original storyline. The ninja clans, Outworld, and the tournament itself aren't Easter eggs since they are part of what keeps the story moving along. Instead, it's familiar game moves, quotable lines, and characters that don't make it into the movie that act as those fun to track down Easter eggs.
The Defeated Fighter
Jax introduces himself to Cole after Cole's fight at the top of the movie. When he does, Jax makes note that Cole beat the ring's previous champion, though Cole corrects him that it was long ago. That previous champion's name is Eddie Tobias.
While the name sounds innocent enough, fans might think twice about it. Ed Boon and John Tobias were the original creators of the Mortal Kombat game. This wouldn't be the first time their names were used as an Easter egg either. The game character Noob Saibot is a nod to the creators as their surnames spelled backwards.
The Tournament Invitation
Something new for this version of the story is that each of Earth's champions has a special marking. In the case of Cole, his bloodline means he's born with it. Everyone else earns theirs after defeating another champion. The mark, like a tattoo or even a birthmark on their skin, is a familiar sight.
It's the same image used as the logo for the original games. The dragon is slightly more difficult to make out this way, but it's certainly one of the references telegraphed throughout the movie.
Familiar Lines
Fans who got a sneak peek at the soundtrack before the movie released will already know that the game theme was updated for the movie. That's not the only audio cue that game fans will recognize though. There are plenty of lines in the movie that come straight out of the games.
"Flawless victory," is certainly one that comes with a memorable visual. Likewise, Scorpion's "Get over here," is said in the final confrontation between Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Kung Lao even asks Cole to, "test your might," in the training pit. That makes reference to a mini-game present in the larger games that involves breaking increasingly more difficult blocks of materials with just the right pushes of the controller buttons.
One Particular Sequence
This Easter egg can be a bit hard to spot if the audience is engrossed in the fight scene. When Sub-Zero takes on Jax and freezes his arm, there's actually a set of commands for a video game move on the wall behind the duo.
The graffiti on the wall depicts a down arrow, followed by a forward arrow and the letters "LP." Game fans will read that as, "down, forward, light punch." That would give them Sub-Zero's ice ball in the game.
Mortal Kombat Finishing Moves
Not every "fatality" is right out of the video games. Sonya Blade's move to get rid of Milena, for example, is a great visual, but it doesn't come from the video games. There are, however, a lot of characters who have iconic moves in the video games that make an appearance.
Kung Lao using his hat as a saw to cut down his enemy is the one that's going to stick out to most fans since it's the most graphic in the film. It's definitely not the only one. Kano's heart-ripping move, Liu Kang's dragon, and Jax clapping his enemy's head with his mechanical arms are both straight out of the games. Of course, so are Liu Kang's bicycle kick and Kung Lao's teleportation through the earth, though they aren't finishing moves.
The Pit
The CGI and locations used for the movie are particularly well done. Not all of the locations are going to be ones that game fans can point to and easily label. There is, however, one they can name without a doubt.
When Jax takes on Reiko, the scenery is visually familiar. A bridge in the middle of rocky formations where a fighter could fall to their deaths is the game stage known as The Pit. In The Pit of the games, there was also the chance that a player could push their enemy off the edge and onto spikes below.
Sonya's Board
When Sonya first talks to Cole about Mortal Kombat, she's got one intense board of information depicting her research. The research included indicates that there's enough information for prequels or sequels if the franchise gets the green light. There are some very interesting nods to game characters in that board as well.
One image on the wall features a Makota warrior. The picture used is the spitting image of Nightwolf, a character who debuted in Mortal Kombat 3. His picture indicates he's a past champion, so unless the movie's take the prequel route, the audience likely won't see him in action.
Another image is of a bust of what might be an Aztec warrior, providing a reference to the character of Kotal Khan. Kotal Khan debuted in Mortal Kombat X, taking over as Outerworld's emperor. There are potentially a lot of Easter eggs hidden on the board that fans can't quite see.
The Mural
When the characters gather in Raiden's temple to begin training, they walk along a route that has a mural on the wall. It depicts the history of Mortal Kombat, but it also features a few characters that don't make it into the movie.
One of those is the Great Kung Lao, ancestor to the Kung Lao depicted in the film. There's also Goro ripping someone in half (though he does appear to fight Cole later), and Shao Khan, a fan favorite antagonist of the games. A statue even honors him at another point in the movie.
Despite the slightly different wardrobe, one image does appear to feature Sindel in mourning as well. Whether any of these characters could appear in a future installment remains to be seen.
Mortal Kombat Artifacts
The mural isn't the only sign of Easter eggs in the temple. There are also artifacts sprinkled throughout the space. Kano even tries to steal one.
The piece he is reprimanded for grabbing is Shinnok's amulet. Known as the Elder God Of Death, Shinnok is a frequent antagonist of the games, and he always wears his amulet. Nearby is a blue fan, a nod to the character Princess Kitana. Her primary weapon in the games is her steel fans.
A Movie Poster
As the movie comes to an end, fans get one glimpse at just which character should appear in a sequel movie. That would be one Johnny Cage. He has the distinction of being the only one of the original seven playable characters to not appear in the 2021 movie.
While Johnny's face isn't seen, he is partially shown on a movie poster for Citizen Cage as Cole talks about leaving for Los Angeles. Cole, of course, has just been tasked with finding more champions by Raiden, indicating Johnny Cage is a must for the sequel. In the games, he and Sonya Blade end up married and with a daughter, who also becomes a character in the fighting tournament.