How Mortal Kombat 2 Gives Iconic Villain More Depth Than Previous Adaptations Explained By Star

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Mortal Kombat II is showing a whole other side of Shao Khan.

Mortal Kombat II is a new movie based on the hugely successful Mortal Kombat video game series. Following the 2021 adaptation of the original game, this sequel brings even more characters and intense action. The film stars Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Tati Gabrielle, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, and Martyn Ford.

In a recent interview with Ash Crossan from ScreenRant, actor Ford discussed how his portrayal of Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat II goes beyond a typical villain. Ford explained he wanted to make the character relatable, saying he aimed to “create empathy and understanding for the character himself.” He believes it’s easy to overact as a villain, but that approach often lacks substance. You can find the complete quote from Ford below.

ScreenRant: What was important to you in portraying this character, Shao Kahn?

I wanted to help audiences connect with the character and understand his motivations. It’s easy to portray villains as simply ‘evil,’ but that lacks depth. Despite limitations with the costume – the helmet and arm – my goal was to make people not necessarily sympathize with him, but understand why he does what he does, and maybe even see a bit of themselves in his actions. That was what I was aiming for.

ScreenRant: How was fighting in that?

Martyn Ford: Hard. Very hard. We had some days that were interesting and expensive.

Joe Taslim: Expensive.

Martyn Ford described a challenging day on set while wearing heavy prosthetics. He was sweating so much that water would squeeze out of his gloves. During a scene involving a large hammer swing, the hammer slipped out of his grip – it wasn’t a prop, but the full-weight version – and flew through the air, smashing a light. He immediately apologized to the director, Simon, and admitted it was a memorable day.

As a huge fan of Mortal Kombat, I knew getting Shao Kahn right for the movie was critical. He’s the big bad, the final boss, in Mortal Kombat II, the game, so everyone had really high expectations. A massive part of the audience for any Mortal Kombat adaptation is going to be the gamers, and you have to satisfy them when it comes to characters like Shao Kahn!

Honestly, as a fan, I’ve been really excited about this villain ever since the first Mortal Kombat movie came out in 2021! They hinted at his arrival near the end, and when Shang Tsung didn’t finish off our heroes, it was pretty obvious he’d be the big bad. A lot of us have been anticipating this for a long time, and it’s great to finally see it happening!

Final bosses in video games often fall into the classic “pure evil” trope, as described by Ford. This is especially true in games like Mortal Kombat, where complex characters aren’t the main focus, and simply being villainous is enough. However, when adapting these characters for film, it makes sense to give them more backstory and motivation, as Ford did.

However, Ford understands the drawbacks of how his character is presented. The biggest issue is his costume – a large, armored headpiece that hides much of his face. This means Ford relies heavily on his voice to convey emotion and personality, which makes creating a complex character particularly difficult.

Ford finished the interview by discussing how he brought emotion to the character despite the bulky costume. He explained that he sweated so much during fight scenes – enough to soak his gloves – but he still focused on giving Shao Kahn depth and feeling in Mortal Kombat II.

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2026-05-09 00:08