Warner Bros. brought Mortal Kombat II to CinemaCon 2026 with a crowd-pleasing footage reveal that leans heavily on the man that is Johnny Cage. Thankfully, it looks like the sequel understands exactly why fans love him so, so much.

The scene begins with Liu Kang asking Baraka for help, but Baraka shuts him down. Kang tries to challenge him, but that goes nowhere, too. It is Johnny Cage who finally gets a reaction, though not in the smartest way possible. Cage mocks Baraka and the Tarkatans, which quickly gets Baraka’s attention and turns the moment into a challenge Cage instantly regrets.

From there, things get hilarious. Johnny clearly thinks he’s about to die, and nobody around him seems eager to tell him otherwise. As Baraka attacks, Johnny evades it all, but Baraka is relentless. Johnny runs and hides inside a hut, where he finds two Tarkatan kids already inside. “Eww,” he says, then promptly tells the kids to keep his location a secret. Unfortunately for Johnny, the kids immediately give him away the second Baraka walks in.

Johnny gets launched through the roof, and Jax dryly sums it all up by saying, “Well, this is a stupid way to lose.” Sonya gives Johnny the push he needs. He picks up his sunglasses, puts them on, and announces, “It’s show time.” From there, Cage finally starts fighting like the version fans came to see. Johnny Cage goes toe-to-toe with Baraka in a full-on showdown, trading blows and holding his own. Then, to cap it all off, he lands his iconic split punch, which gets the perfect reaction from Jax: “Goddamn.”

If this footage is any sign, Mortal Kombat II looks bigger, funnier, and more confident this time around. It knows how ridiculous this world can be, but it also knows how to turn that into a very good time. Johnny Cage may have stolen the footage, but the bigger win is that the film seems ready to embrace the wild energy fans have been waiting for.

Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8th.