Every Character in Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match has a big cast, with many being quite obscure, so let's break down their backgrounds and what the movie plans.

While fans of the Mortal Kombat franchise are looking forward to Mortal Kombat 2 -- yet another live-action movie -- Warner Bros. Animation has a new animated film due soon. It adds to the universe seen in Scorpion's Revenge, Battle of the Realms and Snow Blind, but as a prequel. This is none other than Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match.

Here, Earthrealm becomes embroiled in a supernatural war. This time, it's not a tournament on an island but a cult that's threatening the very fabric of reality. Interestingly, Cage Match is going to be using a mix of big names and obscure characters, so let's discuss who'll be involved in Cage's nostalgic origin story.

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Johnny Cage will once more be voiced by Joel McHale. In this case, this historical trip flashes back to a younger Cage in the City of Angels. From his mullet, the music and the neon lights vibe, it's definitely a retro-flick. And honestly, given McHale's crude sense of humor and how well he fits Cage, it's the perfect setting for Cage's toxic masculinity. He's been around since Mortal Kombat 1 and is considered an iconic franchise character, so diehard fans will be all in on his excessive personality here.

As the trailer shows, Cage is going to be quite sassy and a pain in the butt. It remains to be seen what he'll think of the mystical threat abounding and how he relies on his martial arts. But it's going to be interesting watching this younger Cage not bogged down by Liu Kang and Raiden's bigger missions or being distracted by Sonya Blade in his formative Hollywood years before he made it to Shang Tsung's competition in Scorpion's Revenge. That said, Jennifer Grey is voicing herself and looking like she'll also be catching Cage's eye. As such, Cage is going to have his attention very divided as he fights, flirts and hopes to frolic with all these empowered badass women.

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Ashrah will be voiced by Kelly Hu, who's done work in shows like Young Justice. Hu has also voiced D'Vorah, Sindel, and Frost in past Mortal Kombat games and will be voicing Li Mei in the upcoming reboot. Ashrah, though, is an even more under-used character in the franchise. She debuted in Deception and appeared in Armageddon as a Netherrealm demon who needed to kill monsters and cleanse her soul.

Fans considered her a Raiden knock-off due to her white costume, hat and pure, holy crusade, but she developed a cult following. CageMatch seems to have her in this same position, wanting to murder monsters unleashed on Earth. Of course, she and Cage are seen initially fighting, with Cage developing a crush. It has loyalists wondering how the by-the-book Ashrah will tolerate Cage's antics when they form their deadly alliance because she doesn't take crap from anyone.

Jataaka (voiced by Young Justice's Zehra Fazal) and Kia (voiced by Grey Griffin) will both appear as members of the Brotherhood of Shadow. These demonic assassins appeared in the Pyramid of Shinnok in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Since then, they've been relegated to the game's story mode rather than being used as actual fighters. Their main objective is to kill for Quan Chi and his master, Shinnok.

Jataaka is seen in the trailer attempting to murder Cage and Ashrah with her laser sword and flame abilities. This suggests the villains will be viewing Cage as a Chosen One. And more so, it'll follow the game's storyline, where they hunted Ashrah for being a traitor to their region. Kia isn't seen in the trailer, but she's on Cage Match's cover art. She's rocking her signature boomerang blades, suggesting she is out for Ashrah's blood, too.

Raiden is briefly glimpsed as he emerges from the shadows. It'd definitely excite fans who've loved the character since he appeared in the first Mortal Kombat game in the early '90s. Raiden's been in almost every iteration, with the latest narrative making him someone who tried to bend time and fix the timeline. He did this in these movies as well, which led to him dying and Liu Kang becoming a god.

He'll once more be voiced by Dave B. Mitchell, who did voice work in the game for MK11's Geras and Sektor. It feels as if Raiden will be monitoring Cage, possibly explaining why he pulls strings to get the warrior to the island in Scorpion's Revenge. It's all about finding the right fighter, which will further help clue Raiden in as to how the Elder Gods are being manipulated.

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Shinnok's another popular character from the series: the Elder God who turned on his own. He worked with Quan Chi to use mystical relics to assume power for himself, with Raiden and Liu Kang making him their direct targets. Ironically, they'd end up hatching a plan to kill Shinnok in this animated universe as well.

Voiced by Robin Atkin Downes once more, this looks to be just as much of a Shinnok origin story as a Cage one. His cult, which also includes David (voiced by the late Gilbert Gottfried), will be seeking a powerful scroll. The tyrant's seen fighting a magically powered Cage during a ritual, suggesting Shinnok may indeed be the reason Cage ends up turning into a superhuman able to battle gods and monsters. As for how the franchise will explain Cage not knowing Shinnok years later and why magic seemed to weird the movie star out on Shang Tsung's completion, well, that may be a plot hole that'll be tough to patch.

Boyd is a special mention because while he's not in the video game, he's important to Cage on the big screen. Played by Peter Jason, he appeared in the '95 live-action movie as Cage's martial arts master. He told Cage to go test himself on the island, but sadly, he turned out to be Shang Tsung in disguise. The shapeshifter wanted Cage's soul as he knew he was a fearsome warrior.

In Cage Match, Boyd (voiced by Armen Taylor) looks like he'll have a bigger and more direct role. Cage confirms he was bullied as a kid, so his mom enrolled him in karate class. Given how Cage turned out and the macho, overly-compensating philosophies he's spouting, it may be that the unseen Boyd's a throwback to Cobra Kai's Johnny Lawrence. This is an arc that fans are eager to see play out, as Cage had daddy issues in the past. Plus, Cage Match may indeed homage the '95 flick and have the sensei be someone who tricks Cage into a brutal combat path.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match will be released on Oct. 17, 2023.

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