Mortal Kombat 2 has to break a disappointing franchise trend to be the sequel Mortal Kombat deserves. With an expansive modern slate of video game movie adaptations, ranging from well-received to critically slammed, the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2 hopes to join the latter part of the conversation and finally give fans of the fighting game series the live-action experience they deserve. Unfortunately, every attempt to bring Mortal Kombat to life in a different media has struggled when it comes to sequels.

Mortal Kombat kicked off in 1992 as a beloved arcade classic, spawning the most successful fighting game series and one of the biggest media franchises ever. Warner Bros and NetherRealm Studios’ brutal franchise of iconic characters and bloody fatalities produced an unstoppable and beyond passionate fan base. Decades later, those fans have seen the complicated development of various movie adaptations, from the 1995 cult classic to the animated Mortal Kombat Legends series. After prevailing through development hell, the James Wan-produced Mortal Kombat movie, led by original character Cole Young, showed long-awaited hope of a strong future.