Alongside numerous other films released directly to Warner Brother’s streaming platform Max (formerly known as HBO Max) in 2021, there was also a new entry into the long line of live-action adaptations for an iconic video game, Mortal Kombat.
Quickly becoming praised by fans and critics alike who pointed out that the martial arts fantasy movie was much more faithful to the lore of the best-selling franchise than past productions, they also celebrated the fact that this modern reboot was not afraid to show the more gruesome and violent side of the fights just like they were depicted when the first Mortal Kombat came out in 1992. With our favorite characters like Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Raiden, and Goro more powerful than ever before, fatalities never looked so satisfying.
Captivating casual streamers during that time and hardcore video game enthusiasts waiting over twenty-five years for this series to get another chance on the big screen, Mortal Kombat became the most streamed movie on HBO Max in 2021. Becoming this much of a success during the pandemic beckoned Warner Brothers to call for a sequel, and production on this much-awaited sequel will start in June of this year in Australia.
Over the years, the Mortal Kombat video games have had their fair share of guest characters that players can choose from, like Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street horror franchise as well as a horrifying Xenomorph from Sigourney Weaver’s Aliens. It’s only rightfully fitting that these same types of crossovers start to appear in the Warner Brothers-created Mortal Kombat universe. After all, the main character returns to his family by stepping through a magical portal. As the very first cameo fighter, doesn’t a very dangerous and skilled assassin seem like a great first pick to toss into the Shaolin tournament?
From Winston's Continental to Raiden's Temple?
With the iconic movie persona of John Wick first being introduced to the world close to ten years ago and cementing his legacy through four tremendous theatrical entries (and a spin-off television show on the way), fans have become fully enamored with the man who was forcibly pulled back into the world of coins, bullets and guns after too many unfavorable events sent him on a warpath.
Actor Keanu Reeves balances the subtle personality of Mr. Wick by showing just enough emotion during those moments where an otherwise cold contract killer becomes visibly conflicted with his choices. These glimmers of a real individual and not of a two-dimensional character only lend to the believability of Baba Yaga’s deadly skill set.
Translated from Slavic folklore, John Wick’s reputation is synonymous with that of the Boogeyman, having well over four hundred kills counted and confirmed through his films using any weapons available at the moment. Confidently harnessing a hyper-lethality, it seems that he is not swayed by any danger that comes his way either.
If it's his wife dying from an illness, his first dog being murdered, his house purposely set ablaze by a member of the Camorra mafia family, or all of his co-workers turning against him when the money is right, it can be said that nothing can stop John Wick’s drive.
No matter how hard the challenge may seem that is standing in front of him, he always fights his way out. Combined with the underlying mystical and fantastical world that he already lives in, where there is a very secretive organization of high-ranking cult-like crime families that are ultimately led by one single sultan who lives like a derelict in the deserts of Morocco, a world where people possess otherworldly abilities such as wielding fire or shooting purple energy blasts all because of a dragon birthmark on their body can’t be too far off.
Both Franchises Are Open to Crossing Over
As said earlier and beginning with the ninth Mortal Kombat game that was released in 2011, there has been an ongoing tradition that pertains to having characters from other franchises join the fray. For the newest game, John Cena’s Peacemaker, Antony Starr’s Homelander, and Invincible’s Omni-Man were recently leaked to be a part of the newest game slated for release in September.
On the other hand, Warner Brothers is widely notorious for diving into crossover territory, as seen by the many different IPs featured in 2018’s Ready Player One or 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy, for example, among others. Specifically looking into the former, Warner Brothers let many of their trademark creations stand next to other big names not under their umbrella, including the RX-78-2 mecha from the Gundam franchise and Mechagodzilla from Toho Co's Godzilla franchise. This shows that the long-standing film studio will play with others as long as the right conditions are met.
Whether he would be traversing the barren wastelands once more in search of another highly regarded name, such as The Elder, or accidentally finding an entrance to Raiden’s temple and coming across a half-dead Sub-Zero in the catacombs of Paris, John Wick making any sort of appearance in the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie would be a flawless victory the entire audience would not forget for years to come.