Mortal Kombat 2 star Karl Urban really did one of Johnny Cage's iconic moves, but it was "the most difficult physical challenge" of his career

Mortal Kombat 2 star Karl Urban has revealed that he really did do one of Johnny Cage's iconic moves – but not without almost injuring himself.

"I think my biggest concern was the challenge," Urban told ComicBook.com. "You know, and this was, without a doubt, the most difficult physical challenge that I’ve ever encountered in making a movie. And I’ve made a few. And starting from scratch, starting with just learning how to move, agility, doing speed drills, then learning movement and form and style. Everything is so specific, and it’s not like a brawl where you can just push your way through it."

"I will say I was not injured," he added. "Almost injured. Yeah, I did do the splits." Johnny Cage does the splits as part of his classic Nut Punch move, which brings him low enough to… well, I'm sure you can guess.

First reactions to Mortal Kombat 2 have been pretty positive so far, calling the sequel a "crowd pleaser" with "improved action sequences" from the first movie. That's not the only way it's set to best its predecessor, either – it's set to double the opening weekend takings of the first Mortal Kombat movie at the box office, with predictions of up to $50 million compared to the first film's $23 million in 2021.

Urban joins Tati Gabrielle as Jade and Adeline Rudolph as Kitana as the sequel's new faces, joining returning cast members like Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, and Josh Lawson.

Mortal Kombat 2 arrives in theaters on May 8. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other biggest upcoming video game movies on the way in 2026 and beyond.