Lewis Tan’s Mortal Kombat Character Has Been Revealed

With only three months to go until its release, Warner Bros. is peeling back the curtain on its long-in-the-works Mortal Kombat reboot. Entertainment Weekly has premiered the first official photos from the latest big-screen take on the beloved fighting games. The images show the film’s version of fan favorite characters like Scorpion, Jax Briggs, Kano, Liu Kang, and Sub-Zero. Plus, we finally have the inside scoop on which character Lewis Tan is playing in the movie.

Tan’s role has been kept a secret ever since he joined the reboot’s cast in 2019. But now, we know that he’s playing Cole Young, a brand new addition to the Mortal Kombat universe. And while he’s not in the best of places when the film begins, it won’t be long before Cole finds himself in the middle of the centuries-old war between Scorpion and Sub-Zero. At this point, it’s not clear how or why that happens. But it definitely has something to do with the mysterious birthmark on his chest in the shape of the famous Mortal Kombat logo.

“When we first meet Cole, he’s in a really bad spot,” said Tan. “He’s down on his luck. He’s kind of a washed-up MMA fighter who used to be a champion, who used to believe in himself, who used to have a lot of hope in his career. And it’s all gone down the drain. It’s a very interesting place for a hero to start, and I think that, along the journey of Mortal Kombat and Cole discovering where he comes from, you’re introduced to all these other iconic characters and elements that everybody loves so dearly.”

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Cole’s birthmark makes him the target of Outworld emperor Shang Tsung, who sends Sub-Zero to Earthrealm to track him down. However, Cole isn’t the only one who possesses the iconic mark of the dragon. Jax has been blessed (or cursed?) with a similar blemish, and he advises Cole to seek out Sonya Blade for answers. Cole’s journey will bring him face-to-face with several other MK staples, including Lord Raiden, whose temple serves as a sanctuary for those who bear the mark. There, Cole and his fellow fighters will train for a “high-stakes tournament” against enemies from Outworld.

“I’ve been playing the game since I was a kid,” added Tan. “For lack of a better way to describe it, you don’t want to mess it up because it’s so iconic. You want to bring something new to the table that people haven’t seen before, but at the same time, really respect and pay homage to these legendary worlds that were already created.”

Mortal Kombat hits theaters and HBO Max on April 16. You can check out the latest images from the reboot in the gallery below.

Are you excited to see Tan’s character in the film? Let us know in the comment section below!

Recommended Reading: Mortal Kombat X Vol. 3: Blood Island

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