'Mortal Kombat 2' Pulled No Punches With Its Brutal List of Character Deaths (SPOILERS)
'Mortal Kombat 2' reportedly kills off several major characters, including one shocking death fans never saw coming.
Published May 13 2026, 4:21 p.m. ET
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the entire storyline of Mortal Kombat II.
Nobody walks into a Mortal Kombat movie expecting sunshine, friendship, and emotionally healthy conflict resolution. Fans show up for brutal fights, over-the-top fatalities, and at least one moment that makes the entire theater collectively yell, “OH MY GOD.”
Based on reactions and spoiler breakdowns, Mortal Kombat 2 absolutely delivered on that front.
According to ComicBook.com, the sequel reportedly racks up eight major deaths throughout the tournament. This surprisingly high body count even included a few longtime characters coming to very violent ends.
Even in a franchise where resurrection is practically a personality trait, the movie still seems determined to convince audiences that nobody is truly safe this time around. So, who dies in Mortal Kombat 2? Keep reading for the recap.
Who dies in ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ includes one shocking early fatality.
Fans had already suspected something was up with Cole Young heading into the sequel.
Despite being positioned as the lead character in 2021’s Mortal Kombat, Lewis Tan’s MMA fighter appeared much less prominently in Mortal Kombat 2 marketing. As it turns out, there was a reason for that.
Cole dies during the tournament after being matched against Shao Kahn in the acid-filled Deadpool arena. After briefly gaining the upper hand, Cole realizes too late that Shao Kahn has already stolen Raiden’s powers using Shinnok’s amulet. The villain survives what should have been a killing blow before smashing Cole’s head with his massive war hammer and dragging the body into acid to finish the job.
Per Entertainment Weekly, director Simon McQuoid later explained the creative team wanted audiences to feel like “no one is untouchable here.”
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine a clearer statement than killing off the previous movie’s main character.
The body count in ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ included several major Earthrealm fighters.
Jax suffers one of the movie’s most emotional deaths after Shao Kahn brutally overpowers him in Outworld. The villain tears off one of Jax’s metal arms, destroys the other, and kills him with the spiked end of his war hammer while Sonya Blade helplessly watches nearby.
Director McQuoid even described audience reactions to Jax’s death as a “palpable gasp.”
Kung Lao also dies again, although Mortal Kombat lore makes things slightly more complicated than a normal death scene. After returning as a revenant controlled by the enemy, Kung Lao eventually faces Liu Kang in one of the movie’s biggest fight sequences. Liu Kang ultimately defeats his former ally by using Kung Lao’s own spinning hat against him in a particularly gruesome fatality.
Noob Saibot/Bi-Han also meets his end after a chaotic battle involving Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Kano, and Jade.
And yes, Shao Kahn himself eventually dies too.
‘Mortal Kombat 2’ ends with Kitana finally taking down Shao Kahn.
After much of the film revolves around Shao Kahn’s domination over Edenia and Earthrealm, the final victory reportedly belongs to Kitana.
The climactic fight sees Kitana confront the man responsible for killing her father, King Jerrod, and conquering Edenia years earlier. After escaping captivity, Kitana battles Shao Kahn in one of the movie’s bloodiest fatalities. Using her signature bladed fans, she ultimately shreds Shao Kahn’s head apart in full Mortal Kombat fashion.
It was the kind of over-the-top finishing move longtime fans were hoping to see.
Mortal Kombat 2 does come to an end with a pretty massive pile of bodies. There, however, is one thing fans of Mortal Kombat have to remember: In this universe, dying and staying dead are not the same thing.