While audiences were far kinder to theMortal Kombatmovie than critics (scoring it an aggregate of 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), everyone seemed to agree on one thing: Cole Young. An original character made just for the film, he took centre stage over series icons, and many argued that he was boring, forgettable, and out of place, with his unique power essentially being plot armour.
He’s returning for the sequel, which is set to introduce a few notably missing fan-favourites,like Johnny Cage, but don’t worry. According to leakers, he won’t be the main character this time around, as he’s set to die in the first 20 minutes of the movie.
That lines up with previous reports thathe has a “much smaller role”.
They didn’t say it was outright Cole, but come on, it’s Cole. Justtake a look at what they said: “Let’s just say the character everyone hated doesn’t survive the first 20 minutes.” Who else could it be?
A few people have thrown this claim around now in light ofrecent screen tests, and it’s hard to imagine Warner Bros., especially with a new writer at the helm, sticking by the original movie’s most controversial character. But not everyone is convinced that Cole will stay dead.
In the first movie, it’s revealed that Cole Young is a descendant of Scorpion, and he even helps Hanzo to kill Sub-Zero. It’s likely then that Bi-Han will rise from the dead as Noob Saibot to get his revenge in what will no doubt be a cathartic scene for fans, but that connection might be a clever way for “the character everyone hated” to return under a more familiar guise.
Some fans, like u/SpellcraftQuill, are “worried [that] he’s not really gone” but will instead become another Scorpion. Though not everyone hates the idea. “I am perfectly fine with that. I like the actor, just not the character he currently plays,” u/airbornejaws said. In the same thread, u/SadisticDance chimed in with, “That would be better”.
For those who don’t know,Lewis Tan played Kung Jin in [an unreleased film]that was going to tie in with MKX, but it was cancelled for some reason and never released. Then he gets cast in the movie but as an OC that wasn’t even from the games — J0hnBoB0n.
So, maybe Cole dying and being resurrected as a new Scorpion, much like howMortal Kombat 1toyed around with Kuai Liang taking on the mantle, is a way for Lewis Tan to finally earn his stripes. After all, most seem in agreement that he was never the problem, and that he “constantly gets snubbed” by the series.
