Mortal Kombat II added a number of franchise favorites to the sequel, including Kitana and Johnny Cage, but it also brought back a host of characters from the original film. Raiden, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Scorpion, and more all made their returns, and even death couldn’t keep Kung Lao and Kano from making a comeback. Not everyone from the original film made a return in the sequel though, and these are the 7 characters who were completely missing from the second film.
Cole Young was the main character of the original Mortal Kombat reboot, and by extension, so was his wife Allison Young. In Mortal Kombat II, Cole’s role is drastically reduced, and Allison’s role is nonexistent, which is wild if you saw the first film. Not to even get a mention is truly unexpected, but the movie clearly pivoted from Cole’s story pretty much in every way.
Speaking of the Cole family, Allison wasn’t the only character to get snubbed in the sequel. Just as Cole’s wife didn’t get an appearance, neither did Cole’s daughter Emily, which is even more surprising considering that the dynamic between Cole and Emily was a bigger focus of the first film. Emily was the one who really believed in Cole throughout his journey in the first film, so not having her in the second one is truly surprising. That said, considering what happens to Cole, maybe there’s a chance to see her in the third film down the road.
Another character who didn’t make a return in the sequel is General Reiko, who served as one of Shang Tsung’s devoted allies in the original film. Reiko was able to defeat Jax in an earlier battle between the two, but in the rematch later in the film, Jax absolutely destroyed Reiko. After Jax’s arcana awoke, he would deliver a beatdown to Reiko, destroying his hammer and beating him senseless until he smashed Reiko’s head into a million pieces with a head clap. Unlike Kano, Reiko stayed dead for the sequel.
Just like her cohort, Reiko, Nitara was an ally of Shang Tsung when he ambushed the heroes at Raiden’s Temple. While Kano did successfully bring down the barrier so they could attack, things didn’t go so well for Nitara, who tried to attack Kung Lao and, unfortunately, met her demise at his hands. Actually, it was a brutal Razor’s Edge from Kung Lao that killed her, but the end result is the same. Nitara is also like Reiko in that she didn’t come back from the dead this time around, but maybe she’ll be back somewhere down the line.
Kabal is part of the same battle at the Temple along with Reiko and Nitara, and he gives Liu Kang all sorts of problems in their first confrontation. Kang is teleported out with the others to fight another day, but later he has a rematch against Kabal, and this time the fight goes much differently. Kang takes a few hits, but he ultimately destroys Kabal with a fire dragon that burns him alive, which is Kang’s way of avenging Kung Lao’s death at Shang Tsung’s hands. That would explain why Kabal doesn’t return for the sequel.
One of the more popular villains in the Mortal Kombat series is Mileena, and the character would go up against another favorite, Sonya Blade. Mileena successfully managed to take down Blade temporarily and even stabbed her in the shoulder, but she would depart after discovering that Sonya wasn’t a chosen one. Later, Mileena would collide with Cole, and her teleportation abilities gave him some fits early. She would try to kill him in close combat, but Sonya would get her revenge and take her out with an energy blast, so it would seem Mileena is, at least for the moment, out of the picture.
In the first film, one of the more memorable battles is Cole vs Goro, as Goro unexpectedly shows up and ambushes Cole and his family. While Cole tries to use stealth and ingenuity to his advantage, Goro is able to get a hold of him, and that’s when Allison springs into action and hits Goro with an axe. They even drive a truck directly into Goro, but when that doesn’t work, Cole’s arcana finally awakens, giving him an armored suit and enhanced strength. This is when he’s able to take the fight to Goro, and with every punch he takes, Cole powers up a bit more.
Cole is finally able to strike a real blow, slicing off one of Goro’s hands and then stabbing him in the eye and slicing his stomach open at the same time. Cole kills Goro where he stands, and while he could return down the line, he isn’t coming back anytime soon.
Mortal Kombat II is in theaters now.
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