Watch Karl Urban's Johnny Cage Be a B-List Movie Star in This Faux Movie Trailer
When Mortal Kombat first released back in 2021, fans of NetherRealm's long-running fighting game series collectively scratched their heads in confusion over one of its original characters, Johnny Cage, being absent from the film. As if overcorrecting from past mistakes, Warner Bros. has been leaning hard into advertising Cage as the central focus of its sequel film. Not missing a beat from announcing Star Trek, Dredd, and Lord of the Rings star Urban, Warner Bros. released a first look at the Hollywood actor-turned martial arts tournament contestant in a trailer for one of his in-universe films, Uncaged Fury.
One thing of note about the tongue-in-cheek trailer, which leans heavily into Cage's mystique as Mortal Kombat's resident actor, is that the above trailer isn't viewable on Warner Bros.' official YouTube page. The trailer, which is private on Warner Bros.' YouTube, can only be found on the website for Cage's in-universe action film, Uncaged Fury. How would you know to look for it there? Well, in the lead-up to Mortal Kombat II's official trailer release, Warner Bros did some sneaky internet marketing, creating an IMDb page for Cage, which lists a slew of films he's starred in, one of which being Uncaged Fury.
The more terminally online denizens of the internet found a link to the website for Uncaged Fury, which, upon clicking a still of Cage flipping the bird, whisked them to Warner Bros.'s private trailer. It's all as much of a headache as enduring one of the game's fatalities firsthand, so be thankful we spared you the trouble of scouring the internet to find a morsel of a glimpse at Cage ahead of Mortal Kombat II's official trailer release.
ItMustDeliverBig pic.twitter.com/ixjnb4QmKF
— Ed Boon (@noobde) July 15, 2025For those wondering why Warner Bros. would engage in such unconventional advertising, it all relates to Cage's role as Mortal Kombat's notable Hollywood A-list actor who becomes a contestant in the fighting tournament. This legacy has followed the character from the original 1992 video game to the present day. Any man willing to tattoo his last name across his navel deserves top billing for a fatality-filled battle that Mortal Kombat II is setting itself up to be with Cage as its central character.
'[Johnny Cage's] integration into the Mortal Kombat story and universe is a big part of what this movie explores,' Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat, said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. 'He's a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing. Karl, his depiction of Johnny Cage is different than our games in some ways. He's adding his own flair to it, but I think it'll feel fresh. There's like a novelty factor in there.'
Mortal Kombat II releases October 24.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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