If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

I've seen Karl Urban's Johnny Cage fight in Mortal Kombat II and he's giving vintage Jackie Chan vibes

Am I convinced that Karl Urban is a great martial artist? No, but I do know that he can entertain when he's on screen and that's what counts.

Karl Urban As Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat 2 — Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Features by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Sun Oct 12 2025

Popverse's top stories

DC K.O. to feature guest stars from Mortal Kombat, The Conjuring, The Boys, and more in 2026
Charlie Cox's Daredevil, the Venom symbiote, and a Spider-Gwen-less Gwen Stacy promised in Marvel's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2
Batwoman, Lobo and more take DC Comics to the Next Level in 2026 with new comic book series

One of the biggest movies of 2025 suddenly became the most anticipated movie of 2026 when Mortal Kombat II shifted its release date from October to May. With Karl Urban set to star as Johnny Cage, there is a sense of bigger star power to go along with the new summer blockbuster release date. We all know Urban can act, but can he fight? Well, I’ve seen his Johnny Cage in action and I still can’t tell you, but I can say he can entertain and that he’s doing it by channelling Jackie Chan.

This isn’t a slight against Karl Urban, who I count as one of the best actors working today. The man can disappear into a role in a way that few people can. He can do comedy. He can do action. He can be the law. But he isn’t exactly known for being a martial artist, which is something at the heart of the Mortal Kombat franchise, so my big question going into the movie has been if he is going to be able to play a convincing fighter.

Karl Urban As Johnny Cage In Uncaged Fury Mortal Kombat 2 — Image credit: New Line Cinema

During the Mortal Kombat II panel at New York Comic Con 2025, we got to see a long clip of the movie, which is presumably finished as they wait for the new release date, and it showed Johnny Cage in his absolute element as the Earthrealm warriors try to recruit Tarkatan leader Baraka to their fight against Shao Khan. At first, we think we’re going to see Lui Kang versus Baraka, but after several minutes of hearing him mouth off, Baraka chooses to fight Johnny instead.

Urban is a lot of fun in this bit, where he’s leaning into the bravado and bluster of Johnny Cage as a hype-man who has bitten off more than he can chew. However, when the actual fight comes, he insists he’s not actually a fighter. He’s just an actor. Which makes sense because he doesn’t do much fighting for the first half of the fight. He runs away, uses the environment in clever ways, and generally tries not to get stabbed and/or eaten by his superior opponent.

Cage finds his mojo eventually in the fight, after a dramatic donning of the sunglasses and an unconvincing pep talk from Sonya Blade to “act like a fighter,” but I found myself having a lot more fun when Cage was running away rather than when he was actively fighting. Karl Urban is a naturally funny person, and he’s surprisingly good at physical comedy here. There are a lot of flops, jumps and attempts to run away. He gets a couple of good blows in using a hunk of wood, but for the most part, he’s giving Jackie Chan vibes as he avoids fighting altogether. The audience laughed the whole time and we were all rewarded with that iconic split nut punch at the end, which is all we could ever want.

At the end of the clip, I’m still not entirely convinced that Karl Urban can convincingly fight. There are a lot of really helpful camera angles and special effects to make him look more impressive. However, I am convinced that he can at least entertain us while he’s running around, and that’s even more important.

Here's everything you need to enjoy New York Comic Con 2025:

About New York Comic Con

Welcome home, hero. This is your event where you can feel unafraid to geek out. Where you’re accepted and embraced for being yourself, regardless of your cultural background, physical ability, personal identity, or self-expression. Where you can experience the best in pop culture, be inspired, get star struck, treat yourself, and create all of those memories with the people you care about the most.