Mortal Kombat: Johnny Cage is now Jean Claude Van Damme

Following yesterday’s viewing of the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer, has your stomach finally felt better? Even while Mortal Kombat has never been known for its sunny disposition, that unveil trailer’s CGI gore really upped the squelch factor.

If you didn’t know, Mortal Kombat 1 introduces a “reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang” and will feature Shang Tsung as a playable character. Even though we haven’t seen any actual gameplay, it looks extremely insane from the unveiling trailer.

Watch the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer below, but be forewarned: it contains graphic violence.

According to Polygon, it has been confirmed that Johnny Cage, one of the series’ most recognizable characters (who will appear in the game among other legendary fighters like Kitana and Raiden), will return to his very earliest roots. Johnny Cage, who was partially the inspiration for the original Mortal Kombat, and actor Jean-Claude Van Damme will both eventually appear in the game as characters (although skins).

Van Damme was approached more than once in the past whether he’d like to be included as a skin for Mortal Kombat, but each time he declined, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon stated in an interview with Polygon. He’s obviously finally had a change of heart.

The bad news is that the Van Damme skin is an add-on; it will be a part of the expensive Premium and Kollector’s Edition versions of the game, which cost $109.99 and $249.99, respectively, and come with the Kombat Pack DLC. If the skin will also be available separately is unclear.

In the meantime, Mortal Kombat 2 is now in development, and Karl Urban of The Boys is rumored to be playing Johnny Cage in the movie. Van Damme already stated his interest in the part, so perhaps he’ll appear in both the next game and movie? We’ll need to keep an eye on this.