'Mortal Kombat' Cut An Iconic Video Game Character From The…

With the Mortal Kombat movie adaptation making its way to the big screen in a few weeks, fans of the long-running franchise are curious to know whether or not their favorite characters will be included in the slice-and-dice action. Todd Garner, the producer of the film, took a specific approach to cast the characters and the details of his creative process could give fans a clearer idea of which ones made the cut and which ones didn't.

At this point, we know for sure that one character from the video game will definitely not be appearing in the movie. The purple-costumed ninja Rain, who harnesses the power of water during combat, was ultimately passed on by the creative team. The decision to cut him from the reboot was reportedly made early on in the pre-production stages of the film. According to Collider, Garner and his creative team felt that his function was just too similar to another Mortal Kombat character: Reptile.

Back when game developers were working on Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, they actually included Rain as a sort of intentional "trick" on players. He was shown in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3's "Attract mode," but he did not actually exist in the game itself. While Rain became a full-fledged character with his own history and lore, his story may have not fit in well with Garner's vision for the movie, and perhaps that's why he was cut.

Of course, that's not to say Rain won't be appearing in any sequels, and based on what Garner is saying, sequels are very much a possibility. In an interview with Den of Geek, Garner stated that the Mortal Kombat franchise has the potential to expand beyond just one film reboot. He hinted that a Mortal Kombat Cinematic Universe was possible, noting that they could definitely take some notes from Marvel.

In fact, Garner admitted that the upcoming movie adaptation itself was started on the very premise of: "What would Marvel do?" With a whole world of possibilities ahead for the Mortal Kombat franchise, fans can hope for a lot more fatality-filled fun in the near future.

Mortal Kombat will debut in theatres and on HBO Max in the United States this April 16, 2021.

MORE: Here's Everything You Might Have Missed In The Mortal Kombat Trailer

Source: Collider