{"id":1906835,"date":"2026-04-28T12:01:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1906835"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:01:48","slug":"jax-actor-mehcad-brooks-reveals-struggle-with-mortal-kombat-movie-fight-scenes-but-had-more-confidence-going-into-mortal-kombat-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1906835","title":{"rendered":"Jax Actor Mehcad Brooks Reveals Struggle With Mortal Kombat Movie Fight Scenes, but Had More Confidence Going Into Mortal Kombat 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-cy=\"article-content\" class=\"jsx-2870106660 article-content page-0\">\n<section data-cy=\"article-subtitle\" class=\"article jsx-3932497636 article-section jsx-28683165 news\" data-autopogo=\"true\">\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Mehcad Brooks, the actor who plays Jax in the Mortal Kombat movies, has revealed his struggle with the fight scenes for the first movie \u2014 struggles he overcame for the imminent sequel.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">In a virtual press conference ahead of the release of <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/movies\/mortal-kombat-ii\">Mortal Kombat 2<\/a>, Brooks said that for the first film, released in 2021, he took the character of Jax to his therapist. Major Jackson &#8220;Jax&#8221; Briggs is a veteran Mortal Kombat who made his debut in 1993\u2019s Mortal Kombat 2 as a cybernetically-enhanced Special Forces officer. He&#8217;s known for his signature metal bionic arms, which he obtains in the first movie.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cI actually sat with my therapist for about six sessions and figured out why he was who he was,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cI like to overthink a character and then underplay them. And then I think what happened for me was the first film, I didn&#8217;t know if I belonged in the fighting scenes. So that was the hard part for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Who&#8217;s Who in Mortal Kombat 2<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Here's a quick look at who's who in Mortal Kombat 2!\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NEW CHARACTERS&lt;p&gt;\nKarl Urban as Johnny Cage&lt;p&gt;\n\nJohnny Cage was probably the most significant MK character not to appear in the 2021 movie. Fortunately, the sequel looks to be making up for lost time. All signs point to Karl Urban\u2019s Cage being the central protagonist of Mortal Kombat 2, perhaps even pushing Tan\u2019s Cole Young into a secondary role (we\u2019ll get to him in a minute).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nUrban\u2019s Cage is introduced in a way that will be familiar to fans of the franchise. He\u2019s played as a middle-aged, washed-up action hero long past his moviemaking prime and the days of box office hits like Uncaged Fury. (Warner Bros. even released a fake trailer for Uncaged Fury this week too.) But unlike most Hollywood action stars, Johnny actually has the moves to back up his bravado. That\u2019ll come in handy as he\u2019s reluctantly drawn into the conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\u201cWe start him at a very low point,\u201d Urban told IGN. \u201cHis career is completely in the dumps. He has no self-confidence. He has neglected his martial arts training. And at his lowest point, he gets called up to, essentially, be a warrior that represents the Earthrealm and fight for the very future of humanity. And as I read the script, I found it just such a compelling, interesting, dynamic journey. We start this character in one place, and as an audience, we get to see him evolve and grow.\u201d&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nWe also see a shot of Cage flirting with Jessica McNamee\u2019s Sonya Blade in the trailer. That\u2019s significant, as in the games their romance eventually results in a daughter named Cassie Cage, a very formidable fighter in her own right.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nCage was first played by Linden Ashby in the 1995 movie. The character also appeared in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Matt Mullins in Season 1 and Starship Troopers' Casper Van Dien in Season 2.\n\n\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 19 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Adeline Rudolph as Kitana&lt;p&gt;\n\nAnother fan-favorite hero is joining the cast in MK2, as Adeline Rudolph plays the steel fan-wielding Kitana. In the games, Kitana is the princess of Edenia, the daughter of Queen Sindel, and a love interest for Liu Kang. She\u2019s also one of the most important figures in the fight to stop Outworld from conquering all of reality. We don\u2019t get the impression any of that will be changing for Mortal Kombat 2, though with a cast this large, we\u2019ll see if there\u2019s much room to build a romance between Kitana and Liu.  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nKitana was originally played by Talisa Soto in the 1995 movie, while Samantha Jo played Kitana on both seasons of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.\n\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Tati Gabrielle as Jade&lt;p&gt;\n\nThe masked bo staff expert Jade will now be portrayed by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina\u2019s Tati Gabrielle. In the games, Jade is Kitana\u2019s bodyguard and best friend, meaning she\u2019s got her work cut out for her.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nJade was originally played by Irina Pantaeva in 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Damon Herriman as Quan Chi&lt;p&gt;\n\nAussie actor Damon Herriman (best known for twice portraying infamous cult leader Charles Manson) will play villainous necromancer Quan Chi. We don\u2019t actually see Quan Chi in the trailer though, and it\u2019s not clear how big his role will be. Given that Quan Chi is a rival to Shang Tsung and a talented sorcerer in his own right, MK2 could be laying the seeds for a future movie where Quan Chi is concerned. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nQuan Chi appeared in the first season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Michael Rogers.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\n\n(Image: Damon Herriman from Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood)\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn&lt;p&gt;\n\nThe mountainous Martyn Ford will play hulking black magic warlord Shao Kahn. Kahn is Shang Tsung\u2019s master and the emperor of Outworld, making him the reigning villain of this movie. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nKahn appeared briefly in 1995's Mortal Kombat, via CGI, and then was played by Brian Thompson in 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Shao Kahn appeared in Season 1 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Aleks Paunovic.\n\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Brooks has a major fight scene in the first movie where he goes up against Joe Taslim, who plays Sub-Zero. Taslim, who reprises his role for Mortal Kombat 2 \u2014 this time as Bi-Han \u2014 is a martial artist who starred in 2011\u2019s The Raid, 2013\u2019s Fast &amp; Furious 6, and 2016\u2019s Star Trek Beyond. During the scene, Sub-Zero turns Jax\u2019s arms into ice before ripping them off, leading to Jax\u2019s rebirth of sorts as the cybernetically-enhanced Special Forces officer we know from the video games.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Behind the scenes, however, Brooks struggled to feel like he belonged in the fight scenes, given the martial arts expertise and experience of his co-stars. During the press conference, he recalled one scene in which he \u201cmessed up,\u201d leading to Taslim accidentally punching him in the face.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cWhat you saw in the film was my desire to be the best at what I was doing, matching my devotion, right? But in the rehearsals, I was like, \u2018I&#8217;m not getting this right.\u2019 I was 5% away for a month and I literally broke down in my hotel room in tears and I was like, \u2018Do I belong here?\u2019 And it was psychological because I&#8217;d never done a 27-step choreography with Joe Taslim. And I messed up once and he punched me in the face. And there was something about that, that I knew I belonged there as an actor, but I didn&#8217;t know if I belonged there as a fighter. And I&#8217;m really hard on myself when it comes to that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2021719738 video jsx-2008855984 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9\">\n<div class=\"badge jsx-1349606671 jsx-3647116352\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-play jsx-2750866048 jsx-1044454891\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"icon-play\" aria-label=\"Play\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">However, with the confirmation of the sequel, and being asked to return for it, Brooks felt a newfound confidence in the fight scenes.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cWhen I got to the second movie, I was like, \u2018Oh, I got this.\u2019 And it&#8217;s really affirming because we had such a great reception from the fans for the first one. So it was very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Trailers for Mortal Kombat 2 have shown Jax going up against Jade, played by Tati Gabrielle, and Shao Kahn, played by Martyn Ford, so he certainly has his work cut out.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters May 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-1475529924\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 bobble bobble-1 pogocnt pg-article\">\n<div data-mix-name=\"secondaryMedrec\" data-pos=\"1\" data-pogo-hide=\"1\" class=\"jsx-343126785 pogo-slot\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Mehcad Brooks, the actor who plays Jax in the Mortal Kombat movies, has revealed his struggle with the fight scenes for the first movie \u2014 struggles he overcame for the imminent sequel.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">In a virtual press conference ahead of the release of <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/movies\/mortal-kombat-ii\">Mortal Kombat 2<\/a>, Brooks said that for the first film, released in 2021, he took the character of Jax to his therapist. Major Jackson &#8220;Jax&#8221; Briggs is a veteran Mortal Kombat who made his debut in 1993\u2019s Mortal Kombat 2 as a cybernetically-enhanced Special Forces officer. He&#8217;s known for his signature metal bionic arms, which he obtains in the first movie.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cI actually sat with my therapist for about six sessions and figured out why he was who he was,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cI like to overthink a character and then underplay them. And then I think what happened for me was the first film, I didn&#8217;t know if I belonged in the fighting scenes. So that was the hard part for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Who&#8217;s Who in Mortal Kombat 2<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Here's a quick look at who's who in Mortal Kombat 2!\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NEW CHARACTERS&lt;p&gt;\nKarl Urban as Johnny Cage&lt;p&gt;\n\nJohnny Cage was probably the most significant MK character not to appear in the 2021 movie. Fortunately, the sequel looks to be making up for lost time. All signs point to Karl Urban\u2019s Cage being the central protagonist of Mortal Kombat 2, perhaps even pushing Tan\u2019s Cole Young into a secondary role (we\u2019ll get to him in a minute).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nUrban\u2019s Cage is introduced in a way that will be familiar to fans of the franchise. He\u2019s played as a middle-aged, washed-up action hero long past his moviemaking prime and the days of box office hits like Uncaged Fury. (Warner Bros. even released a fake trailer for Uncaged Fury this week too.) But unlike most Hollywood action stars, Johnny actually has the moves to back up his bravado. That\u2019ll come in handy as he\u2019s reluctantly drawn into the conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\u201cWe start him at a very low point,\u201d Urban told IGN. \u201cHis career is completely in the dumps. He has no self-confidence. He has neglected his martial arts training. And at his lowest point, he gets called up to, essentially, be a warrior that represents the Earthrealm and fight for the very future of humanity. And as I read the script, I found it just such a compelling, interesting, dynamic journey. We start this character in one place, and as an audience, we get to see him evolve and grow.\u201d&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nWe also see a shot of Cage flirting with Jessica McNamee\u2019s Sonya Blade in the trailer. That\u2019s significant, as in the games their romance eventually results in a daughter named Cassie Cage, a very formidable fighter in her own right.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nCage was first played by Linden Ashby in the 1995 movie. The character also appeared in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Matt Mullins in Season 1 and Starship Troopers' Casper Van Dien in Season 2.\n\n\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 19 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Adeline Rudolph as Kitana&lt;p&gt;\n\nAnother fan-favorite hero is joining the cast in MK2, as Adeline Rudolph plays the steel fan-wielding Kitana. In the games, Kitana is the princess of Edenia, the daughter of Queen Sindel, and a love interest for Liu Kang. She\u2019s also one of the most important figures in the fight to stop Outworld from conquering all of reality. We don\u2019t get the impression any of that will be changing for Mortal Kombat 2, though with a cast this large, we\u2019ll see if there\u2019s much room to build a romance between Kitana and Liu.  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nKitana was originally played by Talisa Soto in the 1995 movie, while Samantha Jo played Kitana on both seasons of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.\n\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Tati Gabrielle as Jade&lt;p&gt;\n\nThe masked bo staff expert Jade will now be portrayed by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina\u2019s Tati Gabrielle. In the games, Jade is Kitana\u2019s bodyguard and best friend, meaning she\u2019s got her work cut out for her.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nJade was originally played by Irina Pantaeva in 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Damon Herriman as Quan Chi&lt;p&gt;\n\nAussie actor Damon Herriman (best known for twice portraying infamous cult leader Charles Manson) will play villainous necromancer Quan Chi. We don\u2019t actually see Quan Chi in the trailer though, and it\u2019s not clear how big his role will be. Given that Quan Chi is a rival to Shang Tsung and a talented sorcerer in his own right, MK2 could be laying the seeds for a future movie where Quan Chi is concerned. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nQuan Chi appeared in the first season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Michael Rogers.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\n\n(Image: Damon Herriman from Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood)\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn&lt;p&gt;\n\nThe mountainous Martyn Ford will play hulking black magic warlord Shao Kahn. Kahn is Shang Tsung\u2019s master and the emperor of Outworld, making him the reigning villain of this movie. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nKahn appeared briefly in 1995's Mortal Kombat, via CGI, and then was played by Brian Thompson in 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Shao Kahn appeared in Season 1 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Aleks Paunovic.\n\n\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Brooks has a major fight scene in the first movie where he goes up against Joe Taslim, who plays Sub-Zero. Taslim, who reprises his role for Mortal Kombat 2 \u2014 this time as Bi-Han \u2014 is a martial artist who starred in 2011\u2019s The Raid, 2013\u2019s Fast &amp; Furious 6, and 2016\u2019s Star Trek Beyond. During the scene, Sub-Zero turns Jax\u2019s arms into ice before ripping them off, leading to Jax\u2019s rebirth of sorts as the cybernetically-enhanced Special Forces officer we know from the video games.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Behind the scenes, however, Brooks struggled to feel like he belonged in the fight scenes, given the martial arts expertise and experience of his co-stars. During the press conference, he recalled one scene in which he \u201cmessed up,\u201d leading to Taslim accidentally punching him in the face.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cWhat you saw in the film was my desire to be the best at what I was doing, matching my devotion, right? But in the rehearsals, I was like, \u2018I&#8217;m not getting this right.\u2019 I was 5% away for a month and I literally broke down in my hotel room in tears and I was like, \u2018Do I belong here?\u2019 And it was psychological because I&#8217;d never done a 27-step choreography with Joe Taslim. And I messed up once and he punched me in the face. And there was something about that, that I knew I belonged there as an actor, but I didn&#8217;t know if I belonged there as a fighter. And I&#8217;m really hard on myself when it comes to that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2021719738 video jsx-2008855984 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9\">\n<div class=\"badge jsx-1349606671 jsx-3647116352\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-play jsx-2750866048 jsx-1044454891\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"icon-play\" aria-label=\"Play\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">However, with the confirmation of the sequel, and being asked to return for it, Brooks felt a newfound confidence in the fight scenes.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cWhen I got to the second movie, I was like, \u2018Oh, I got this.\u2019 And it&#8217;s really affirming because we had such a great reception from the fans for the first one. So it was very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Trailers for Mortal Kombat 2 have shown Jax going up against Jade, played by Tati Gabrielle, and Shao Kahn, played by Martyn Ford, so he certainly has his work cut out.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters May 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mehcad Brooks, the actor who plays Jax in the Mortal Kombat movies, has revealed his struggle with the fight scenes for the first movie \u2014 struggles he overcame for the imminent sequel. In a virtual press conference ahead of the release of Mortal Kombat 2, Brooks said that for the first film, released in 2021, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,243],"class_list":["post-1906835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-ign-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1906835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906835\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1906835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1906835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1906835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}