With theMortal Kombatmovie adaptation making its way to the big screen in a few weeks, fans of the long-running franchise are curious to know whether or not their favorite characters will be included in the slice-and-dice action. Todd Garner, the producer of the film, took a specific approach to cast the characters and the details of his creative process could give fans a clearer idea of which ones made the cut and which ones didn’t.
In the early stages of the film’s development, when Garner and his creative team were figuring outwhichMortal Kombatcharacters to include, they made sure that any decisions they made were genuinely “respecting” the overall storyline. As much as they wanted to include everyone, they did not want to go forward with certain characters simply to appease fans who want to see their particular favorites on-screen.
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At this point, we know for sure that one character from the video game will definitely not be appearing in the movie.The purple-costumed ninja Rain, who harnesses the power of water during combat, was ultimately passed on by the creative team. The decision to cut him from the reboot was reportedly made early on in the pre-production stages of the film. According to Collider, Garner and his creative team felt that his function was just too similar to anotherMortal Kombatcharacter: Reptile.
Back when game developers were working onUltimate Mortal Kombat 3, they actually included Rain as a sort of intentional “trick” on players. He was shown inUltimate Mortal Kombat 3’s “Attract mode,” but he did not actually exist in the game itself. WhileRain became a full-fledged characterwith his own history and lore, his story may have not fit in well with Garner’s vision for the movie, and perhaps that’s why he was cut.
Of course, that’s not to say Rain won’t be appearing in any sequels, and based on what Garner is saying, sequels are very much a possibility. In an interview with Den of Geek, Garner stated thattheMortal Kombatfranchisehas the potential to expand beyond just one film reboot. He hinted that a Mortal Kombat Cinematic Universe was possible, noting that they could definitely take some notes from Marvel.
In fact, Garner admitted that the upcoming movie adaptation itself was started on the very premise of: “What would Marvel do?” With a whole world of possibilities ahead for theMortal Kombatfranchise, fans can hope for alotmore fatality-filled fun in the near future.
Mortal Kombatwill debut in theatres and on HBO Max in the United States this July 19, 2025.
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