Mortal Kombat 2’s Two Dead Character Returns Officially Explained: “It’s Too Much Fun” [Exclusive]

Mortal Kombat II looks to be improving upon its already successful predecessor in a variety of ways, and that includes the roster. are all making their grand debuts in the sequel, but there are also a few characters that are unexpectedly back from the dead. ComicBook had the chance to speak with Mortal Kombat II writer Jeremy Slater all about those surprise returns and how the movie is handling resurrecting dead characters overall.

It’s already been revealed through footage and character posters that both Kano and Kung Lao are back for the sequel, which is surprising given that they both died in the first film. When asked about resurrecting dead characters like Kano and Kung Lao, Slater said, “I think it’s the fun of Mortal Kombat, honestly, it’s, it’s like, you know… before I took the job, one of the things I was like, ‘You have to let me bring Kano back to life’, because Josh Lawson was my favorite thing about the first movie. I was like, ‘he’s the guy who understood the assignment, and that tone that he is hitting in this movie is the tone that I want this entire movie to have’. So I’m like, ‘I have to bring Kano back. I have to bring Kung Lao back. I’ve got to get that hat in a fight scene and, and play with it. It’s too much fun, and he’s too cool of a character.”

Mortal Kombat II Brings Back Dead Characters, But Not How You Expect

While Slater wanted to bring both characters back for the sequel, he didn’t just want to retcon their deaths in the first movie or just not address them at all. Instead, he wanted them to come back in ways that would surprise fans and also have an impact on the story, and this is likely going to also be in play for Mortal Kombat III, given that Lewis Tan recently teased that there are multiple fatalities in play in the sequel.

“It’s my job to figure out how do we get some of them back in, but maybe how do we get them back in, in ways that the audience is not necessarily expecting. How do we use those deaths as a jumping-off point to tell interesting stories for some of these characters or to take them on new journeys,” Slater said.

“How do we use something that could be a liability – the sort of the resurrections – and make that a strength in this universe that, yes, there are, there are ways to bring people back, but sometimes there are consequences to those ways, or sometimes it’s not as, as clear cut or as simple as you may hope,” Slater said.

“So, that’s always the goal. We have a lot of toys in the toy box, and the audience wants to see their favorite characters, so how do we balance the weight? We still want it to hurt when you lose them,” Slater said. “We still want the audience to be upset in those moments when your favorite character gets taken out. But at the end of the day, we do always have that sort of escape hatch built into the franchise because they’ve been killing people and bringing them back to life for 34 years now.”

In Kung Lao’s case, we’ve seen some of those consequences in action. In the recently revealed , Kung Lao is now corrupted in some way, and seems to be under the influence of something or someone with black eyes and none of his former spark or personality. Meanwhile, Liu Kang is 100% aware that this is his former friend, and it has an impact on him throughout the battle.

As for Kano, the cybernetic nature of the character in the games perfectly suits returning from the dead, and Kano star Josh Lawson has even teased that fans will be seeing a Kano 2.0 in the sequel (via The Direct), though, as with Kung Lao, what happened in the previous film will still leave scars and have an impact on his character moving forward.

Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8, 2026.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!