Summary
Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion are the main poster children for theMortal Kombatfranchise. However, since his debut in the first game, Johnny Cage has been a mainstay; this has resulted in him becoming a fan favorite, starting from the first game toMortal Kombat 1.
However, like every character throughoutMortal Kombatgames and adaptations, the A-list actor turned realm-saving hero has had his ups and downs over three decades across games, movies, and even television. Not every incarnation worked, while some revolutionized the character forever.
Updated August 30th, 2024, by Melody MacReady:Mortal Kombat 1 is set to start it’s second year of content with not only a DLC that features the likes of the T-1000 and Ghostface joining the game, but fans are also getting a new story expansion with Khaos Reigns. Continuing where the Mortal Kombat 1 storyline ended, Khaos Reigns takes place after the events in the post-credit scene, with Havik became the new main villain across timelines. In it, Johnny Cage is set to return, with new scenes and likely more than a handful of witty jokes and pop culture references to make the player laugh. This makes it the perfect time for fans to look back at the long history of Johnny Cage to see how far he’s come since 1992.
14Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Wasted An Iconic Character In The Opening Scene
From the beginning,Mortal Kombat: Annihilationdid not waste time showing just how much of a downgrade from the first movie it was. In the first ten minutes, Johnny Cage was not only recast (along with most of the other cast members as well), but he was killed off despite being a fan favorite in the first movie.
Fans of Johnny Cage were taunted even more whenAnnihilationgave him his Shadow Kick special move from the games, only for Shao Kahn to parry it and kill him off by snapping his neck. It was at that moment that fans would realize thatMortal Kombat: Annihilationwas not the epic sequel they were hoping for.
With a then-modern redesign with blonde hair, Johnny Cage inMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliancelooked like a typical 2000s character, for better and worse. He had his iconic moves, but his combos were lackluster at best due to the divisive change to 360-degree movement of the 3D Era.
Sadly, like most characters, not much changed with Johnny Cage inMortal Kombat: Armageddonother than slightly smoother controls.Armageddonis often criticized for having little-to-no innovation, and that was showcased as much by Johnny Cage as any other character. There’s nothing terrible about him in the 3D Era, he simply pales in comparison to other versions.
Tried To Make A Dark And Edgy Version Of Johnny
Mortal Kombat Legacy
Mortal Kombat: Legacy brings to life the complex and rich history of the gaming world of MORTAL KOMBAT. Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung are obsessed with reigning over various realms (parallel universes) and the winners of Mortal Kombat competitions are granted supreme control over these worlds. The Earthrealm (Earth) is an unconscious participant in this competition and only a few select humans understand the consequences of losing Mortal Kombat and what it will mean to Earth. In a universe with powerful evil sorcerers, cyborgs, Gods and movie stars, this Mortal Kombat digital media series drives a cohesive understanding of what this Universe is all about.
Johnny Cage was given a dark, gritty, and realistic take in the first season ofMortal Kombat: Legacy. He was a martial artist turned reality television star with extreme anger issues. It was a nice attempt to make Johnny Cage into a more tragic character, but there needed to be more of him for it to sink in.
Unfortunately,Mortal Kombat: Legacyonly featured Johnny, as played by Matt Mullins, in one episode, since the series was more of an anthology, while the second season went in a completely different direction. Matt Mullins was replaced with Casper Van Dien and so the first season almost seems obliterated from continuity.
11Mortal Kombat: Legacy - Season 2
Johnny Cage Was Treated Like A Joke
Overall,Mortal Kombat: Legacyseason 2was a weaker season compared to the first, with some characters feeling overused while others were underused, and some were straight-up missing. Johnny Cage was recast from the first season and was now played by Casper Van Dien, and overall, the actor portrays Johnny’s arrogance and cocky nature rather well.
Unfortunately, Van Dien’s potential as Johnny Cage was ruined due toMortal Kombat: Legacyreducing Johnny to a useless character. Rather than an expert fighter, he spends most of the episodes complaining and running away. Even when he fought, he was eliminated in anticlimactic ways, leading to him becoming forgettable.
WhileMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monksdoes deserve praise for taking a bold step in a new direction as aGod Of War-esquehack-and-slash video game, it was not a game about Johnny Cage. As the title suggests, the game was almost purely about Liu Kang and Kung Lao on their own adventure set between the first twoMortal Kombatgames.
However,Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monksdid feature Johnny as a secondary character in the story, and HE could be unlocked to play as, but only in the two-player Versus mode. He plays just as well as the other characters, showing the potential for another game, but this was the last timeMortal Kombatexperimented with spin-off titles.
The Classic Is Still A Beloved Arcade Fighting Game
Mortal Kombat (1992)
PREPARE YOURSELF… The #1 arcade hit is here!- Deliver Cage’s patented shadow kick!- Liu Kang’s fireball!- Let the tournament begin!
It was theMortal Kombatgame that started it all,helped define the 90s gaming era, and introduced everyone to the future of M for Mature games, as well as Johnny Cage. Johnny’s uppercut Fatality became so iconic that it is the starter Brutality for every character inMortal Kombat 11andMortal Kombat 1.
The only issue that comes from the originalMortal Kombatafter decades of aging is that, aside from their special moves, every character on the roster has the same gameplay; high punch, low punch, high kick, and low kick. So, Johnny only stands out due to his flair, which is far from a bad thing.
Johnny Cage came back in the immediate sequel,Mortal Kombat 2, with new powers, and the consensus for him was the same as for the game itself: bigger and better. From the animations of the sprites to new and brutal Fatalities to eventhe silly inclusion of Friendship finishers,Mortal Kombat 2proved that sometimes a sequel can surpass the original.
In Johnny Cage’s case, he was given his now-signature green magic powers that have stuck around in every game since; at least until the series was given a reboot withMortal Kombat 1. His autograph signing as a finisher was so famous it would continue to be referenced in future games.
Aside from infamously bad ending cutscenes for characters,Mortal Kombat 4wasstill a top-tier fighting gamethat brought Johnny Cage back strong after being absent fromMortal Kombat 3. This was due to the gameplay inMortal Kombat 4being a sturdy middle-ground betweenMortal Kombat 3andMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
Mortal Kombat 4experimented with the 3D aspect while keeping most of the new aspects that were introduced inMortal Kombat 3, including the combo system that gave every character more depth to their gameplay. Johnny is fast, with all the expected special moves and a new design that still fit his character.
When Johnny Cage was missing from bothMortal Kombat 3andUltimate Mortal Kombat 3, fans of the character were left disappointed. Thankfully, Midway rewarded their patience withMortal Kombat Trilogy,which took gameplay and characters from the first three games and fused them to create the best of all three.
Johnny Cage finally returned to the franchise inMortal Kombat Trilogy, sporting a fancier sprite, and was given the combo system fromMortal Kombat 3, which changed the wayMortal Kombatwas played forever. Sadly, this version of Johnny is rarely remembered, sinceMortal Kombat Trilogydoes not have the same amount of adoration asUltimate Mortal Kombat 3.
When NetherRealm Studios rebootedMortal Kombatthanks to the convenience of time travelafter the disappointment ofMortal Kombat: Armageddon, Johnny Cage was brought back to his roots in terms of design, but changed just enough to stand out. This resulted in even more attitude, and a tattoo of his name that became his signature appearance throughout a trilogy of games.
Mortal Kombat, also known asMortal Kombat 9, also brought back classic 2D fighting with 3D characters, resulting in gameplay for all characters being praised for being simple to pick up and play, but featuring many layers to master with every character, including Johnny.
