‘Mortal Kombat II’ Successfully Pulls off Divisive Sequel Twist That Never Works

Spoilers for Mortal Kombat II are below!

Mortal Kombat II has already put up impressive numbers for the video game-inspired franchise. The sequel had the best opening weekend of any Mortal Kombat film, debuting to $40 million domestically and $63 million worldwide. The critics also gave the sequel higher marks than the first movie, with it currently holding a 65% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Popcornmeter score shows that paying audiences enjoyed the movie even more, giving it a stellar 89%. What is even more noteworthy is Mortal Kombat II‘s bold sequel twist that seldom works. Yet, if the box office and reviews are any indication, the movie pulled it off.

There are certain expectations among audiences when it comes to sequels, with the return of main characters being a key factor for many. It’s not that movie franchises can’t switch protagonists. The Rocky franchise continued to thrive with Michael B. Jordan’s Creed, and the Scream series found new life in 2022 thanks to the Carpenter sisters, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. The problem arises when a beloved protagonist is killed off to continue the story in an unsatisfying way, a move that rarely works. Unless you’re Austin Powers, then no one seems to mind when Vanessa turns out to be a Fembot, but that’s the beauty of comedies.

Terminator: Dark Fate killed John Connor in the opening scene, a move so unpopular that no other sequel has been seen since. Alien: Covenant was far from a perfect sequel, but the fate of Prometheus‘ Elizabeth Shaw didn’t help, and killing off Will Smith’s Steven Hiller clearly didn’t benefit Independence Day: Resurgence. So how did Mortal Kombat II do what no other sequel could?

‘Mortal Kombat II’ Successfully Kills off the Main Character of the First Movie

The nature of Mortal Kombat already primes audiences with the expectation that characters will be dying in horrifically violent ways. That expectation could help dampen the impact of Cole Young’s death, but the first movie spent far too much time establishing his family drama, which should have made his demise harder to pull off. The reason his death works so well lies in fan backlash and the sequel’s response. Cole was an original character who worked for casual audiences but displeased longtime fans, who pointed to the game’s substantial roster as ample reason not to include him.

Mortal Kombat II writer Jeremy Slater perfectly captured why Cole’s death works so well while speaking with GamesRadar+, saying:

“The idea was very much we need some deaths that are going to shock everybody. I love Lewis Tan. I think Lewis is the best, but Cole was a character that the hardcore fans did not respond to in the first movie, and they were very vocal about that, and very vocal about calling for his head. So Cole was a great example of a character where killing him would shock the casual fans, the people who are not terminally online and just went to see the movie and enjoyed it. It’s going to be a really shocking moment for them, but the hardcore fans are expecting him to die.

As Slater says, Cole’s death was not universally beloved. Some have taken to social media to voice their concerns with a unique flair in grammar, like TripleWhiskeyShot on Reddit, who asked, “How the hell could they do Cole so dirty like that?” Still, more people appear to have been content to see the character go. For example, Fellers on Reddit stated, “I’m happy he gone. I’ve been on the hatewagon since day 1 of MK2021.” Like many, Fellers felt Cole’s death was appropriate, adding, “He served his purpose.”

Cole’s death was brutal, with his head smashed into nothing by Shao Kahn’s hammer before his corpse was pushed into the acid of the Dead Pool arena. This action feels particularly petty, given that the movie establishes necromancy via Quan Chi; there just needs to be a body. With Cole’s body dissolved in acid, that should be the end of the road. However, some have speculated that actor Lewis Tan may return as another character, like Kenshi or Ermac. Still, the gory kill was clearly designed with fan backlash in mind, transcending what would have been unimaginable for any other franchise lead by becoming satisfying in its horrific audacity.

Mortal Kombat II helps ease the blow by largely ignoring Cole’s family. Yet, the video game sequel proved that protagonists in sequels can successfully be killed off as long as fans hate them enough. That caveat creates a narrow window for success, but Mortal Kombat II has just the right criteria to pull off a rare sequel feat with Cole’s death.