Mortal Kombat 2 has finally entered the (box office) arena, and with a few surprises up its sleeve, there's a good chance you're looking to have that Mortal Kombat 2 ending explained, which is where we come in.
From every fight and fatality, to how Mortal Kombat 2 sets up a potential threequel, we're diving deep into the critically acclaimed beat 'em up sequel. We also answer the all-important question: is there a post-credits scene? All we'll say for now is: don't get your hopes up.
Yet to return to the Netherrealm? Then be warned: full spoilers for Mortal Kombat 2 follow, so why not check out our Mortal Kombat 2 review instead? Already seen Mortal Kombat 2? Then (scary Scorpion voice) get over here already.
Mortal Kombat 2 ending recap
After achieving immortality, Shao Kahn takes on Liu Kang and Sonya Blade simultaneously in the final fight of the tournament. Meanwhile, Johnny Cage and Kano head to the Netherrealm, with Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion as their guide, to retrieve the Amulet of Shinnok from Bi-Han/Noob Saibot. Scorpion and Bi-Han square off as Cage and Kano take on Bi-Han's shadow manifestation, Saibot.
Back in Edenia, Kahn makes quick work of Sonya, and turns his attention to Liu Kang. Despite a valiant effort (Kahn is cheating, after all), Kang is bested and impaled through the stomach. But he doesn't die. Instead, Kang turns into floaty embers and says he's heading to the Netherrealm to bring Kung Lao back from the dead. "This is not the end, it's only the beginning." Sound the sequel setup klaxon!
For a brief moment, it appears that Kahn may have won… until Sonya crawls over to Kitana, who has been tied to a statue after betraying Kahn, and frees her. Kitana officially defects to Team Earthrealm, and takes on her 'father' in a 1v1 fight for the tournament. In Raiden's sky temple, Shang Tsung closes in on the defenceless and incapacitated Raiden, ready to land a killing blow.
Back in the Netherrealm, Scorpion bisects Saibot vertically. Jade arrives to help Team Earthrealm, but Bi-Han steals back the amulet. Johnny Cage finally unlocks his arcana, shadow kicking and destroying the amulet. Raiden immediately regains his strength and dispatches Shang Tsung.
Now facing a mortal Shao Kahn, Kitana gains the upper hand, using her razor fans like a rotor blade to cut open Kahn's mask. Just as it looks like she could win, Kahn grabs Kitana by the throat and starts to strangle her: "Weak, just like your father." This is the last push Kitana needs to enact her vengeance in the very same arena her father died in two decades earlier, using both fans to make mincemeat out of Shao Kahn's head. Flawless victory.
Earthrealm is saved from Shao Kahn, and Kitana is crowned the new queen of Edenia. The movie ends with Team Raiden capturing Quan Chi, and saying they will use the necromancer to bring their fallen allies back from the dead. See you for round three!
Who fights in Mortal Kombat 2?
There are many, many fights in Mortal Kombat 2, but the tournament itself consists of eight rounds:
Round 1: Johnny Cage vs Kitana
Winner: Kitana
Stage: Edenia
What happens to the loser?: Kitana leaves Cage alive to fight another day, as she is secretly working with Raiden to take down Shao Kahn.
Round 2: Sonya Blade vs Revenant Sindel
Stage: The Pit
Winner: Sonya Blade
What happens to the loser? Sindel gets a pit spike through what's left of her brain.
Round 3: Cole Young vs Shao Kahn
Stage: Dead Pool
Winner: Shao Kahn
What happens to the loser? Despite slicing his throat, Kahn's immortality means the wound immediately heals. Cole is thrown to the ground and his head obliterated by Kahn's hammer.
Round 4: Jax vs Jade
Stage: Edenia
Winner: Jax
What happens to the loser? Jax leaves Jade to fight another day in return for Kitana letting Johnny Cage live.
Round 4: Liu Kang vs Revenant Kung Lao
Stage: Blue Portal
Winner: Liu Kang
What happens to the loser? Liu Kang pulls Kung Lao onto his razor-edged hat, which is stuck in the ground and spinning like a buzzsaw.
Round 6: Jax vs Shao Kahn
Stage: Edenia temple
Winner: Shao Kahn
What happens to the loser? Jax is stabbed through the neck by Kahn.
Round 7: Liu Kang and Sonya Blade vs Shao Kahn
Stage: Edenia
Winner: Shao Kahn
What happens to the losers? Liu Kang is impaled by Shao Kahn, but turns into embers rather than a pile of meat. Sonya Blade is knocked out, but lives.
Round 8: Kitana vs Shao Kahn
Stage: Edenia
Winner: Kitana
What happens to the loser? After the amulet is destroyed and Kahn rendered mortal, Kitana cuts his head to ribbons with her razor fans.
There are also two noteworthy, non-tournament fights:
Johnny Cage vs Baraka
Stage: Tarkatan village
Winner: Johnny Cage
What happens to the loser? Baraka yields after taking a devastating Nut Punch, declaring Cage the greatest fighter he's ever seen.
Scorpion, Johnny Cage and Kano vs Noob Saibot
Stage: Netherrealm
Winners: Scorpion, Johnny Cage and Kano
What happens to the loser? Saibot is cut in half by Scorpion. Bi-Han is not seen after Cage ends the fight with a Shadow Kick.
Who dies in Mortal Kombat 2?
It's almost easier to list who doesn't die in Mortal Kombat 2. But the main casualties are (in chronological order of their deaths):
- King Jerrod (impaled by Shao Kahn)
- Sindel (killed by Sonya Blade)
- Revenant Kung Lao (killed by Liu Kang)
- Cole Young (killed by Shao Kahn)
- Jax (killed by Shao Kahn)
- Liu Kang (willingly spirits himself away to the Netherrealm)
- Saibot (bisected by Scorpion)
- Shao Kahn (head diced by Kitana)
All the fatalities in Mortal Kombat 2
Here's every fatality and signature move we spotted in Mortal Kombat 2. Any we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
- Kahn-Sequences – it's missing the initial head bop and disemboweling, but Shao Kahn lifts King Jerrod into the air on the end of his hammer in the opening fight.
- Buzz Saw – Kung Lao is killed when Liu Kang pulls him onto his own hat as it's spinning on the ground. There isn't a 1:1 in the games, but it's not dissimilar from this classic fatality. And, of course, it parallels how Kung Lao kills Nitara in 2021's Mortal Kombat.
- Nut Punch – Johnny Cage deploys this signature move on Baraka.
- Clean Cut – Again, it's not a 1:1, as Scorpion uses his kunai in the game and his sword in the film, but Hanzo Hasashi sure likes cutting people in half.
- Shadow Kick – Johnny Cage uses his other signature move to destroy the amulet and neutralize Shao Kahn.
- Royal Blender/Royal Execution – Kitana's finisher isn't a direct pull from the games, but there's some similarity to the way she uses her spinning fans to mince her opponents.
Is there a Mortal Kombat 2 post-credits scene?
There is no post-credits scene in Mortal Kombat 2. Instead, enjoy the latest remix of all-time bop 'Techno Syndrome', which plays over the animated credits.
Will there be a Mortal Kombat 3?
While nothing's official at the time of writing, Mortal Kombat 2 clearly sets the stage for a third round. Early on, we learn that Shao Kahn's necromancer, Quan Chi, can resurrect the dead as revenants – brainwashed undead without souls who are loyal to Shao Kahn. However, when Kano is resurrected in order to determine the location of the amulet, he's brought back as regular old Kano, not a revenant, because, as Shang Tsung puts it, there was barely a soul to take.
This suggests that anyone can be brought back from the dead, souls intact, assuming their bodies aren't mincemeat (sorry, Cole), and could explain how the likes of Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Jax may return for a third film, now that Quan Chi is working for Team Earthrealm. Liu Kang, in particular, seems to have made it his mission to bring Kung Lao back from the Netherrealm.
It also seems like Johnny Cage could be sticking around for any potential threequel with Cage noting that "Hollywood can wait" by the movie's end. Screenwriter Jeremy Slater has already confirmed that he's started work on Mortal Kombat 3, albeit without the greenlight from studio Warner Bros. So if those sky-high box office predictions are accurate, don't be surprised if a third film is soon confirmed.
Mortal Kombat 2 releases in theaters on May 8. For more, check out our list of upcoming video game movies or our full list of upcoming movie releases.
