Mortal Kombat 2 star Mehcad Brooks hints at how the sequel will see Jax grow as a character, as well as the massive undertaking of creating a bigger tournament. The actor made his debut as Special Forces Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs in the 2021 film adaptation of the iconic video game franchise that explores the battles between Earthrealm and Outworld. He’ll be one of many fighters in the Mortal Kombat 2 cast representing Earthrealm in the coming tournament, with the sequel promising to expand on the first movie’s roster of characters.
Speaking to Mortal Kombat 2‘s greater scope, Brooks tells Screen Rant that the movie features 27 fights, a big step up from the original’s 17. Highlighting how important Jax is to him, Brooks states that Jax’s role will allow him to highlight more of his character, alongside his values and what drives him.
Jax is in my DNA. Love him. I understand him. He’s a great guy. And in this film, you’re going to see a lot more of Jax’s personality, a lot more of his humor, a lot more of what he believes, and some really, really awesome fighting. There are 27 fights in the movie, and we worked really hard to get those right.
Brooks was also quick to highlight the greater involvement in crafting the sequel’s fight scenes, celebrating the work of producers Todd Garner and E. Bennett Walsh and director Simon McQuaid in bringing the movie’s 27 fights to life.
We had an incredible team with producer Todd Garner and director Simon McQuoid and producer E. Bennett Walsh. We had one of the best stunt teams and fight teams and fight coordinators and fight choreographers in the business. It’s just going to feel like something people haven’t seen before and I’m so proud to be a part of that.
What This Update Means For Mortal Kombat 2
The Deadly Tournament Will Grow
While 27 fights may seem like a daunting number, it is unsurprising given how many characters will feature in the sequel. Alongside Brooks and the remaining five surviving characters, Mortal Kombat 2 will feature the debut of nine beloved characters from the video game franchise. Taslim, Max Huang, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Josh Lawson are confirmed to return despite their characters passing, hinting at resurrections inbound.
While Taslim, Huang, and Sanada’s characters have prior experience in being revived, it is unknown how Lawson’s Kano may return from beyond the grave.
In terms of Earthrealm’s fighters, Jax and partner Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) will be joined by Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage. A former action movie star sought out by Cole Young (Lewis Tan) in Moral Kombat‘s ending, Johnny has a relationship with Sonya in the video game timeline and eventually joins Special Forces, providing the trio with a shared connection.
While fans of the video games will be heartened by the promise of more action, the sheer number of fight scenes does present a challenge when it comes to character development. Since it’s unclear how much time will be dedicated to fleshing out the movie’s many new faces, Mortal Kombat 2 will likely have to lean on its returning characters for emotional stakes, and from Brooks’ comments, it sounds like Jax will be key to that effort.
Our Take On Jax’s Potential Growth
Old Foes And New Opportunity May Give Jax Plenty Of Greater Roles
While Jax was given the opportunity to show off his skills as a fighter both before his incident and after he received his mechanical arms, the character primarily played a supporting role in the first Mortal Kombat. Despite him leading investigations into the strange tournament, Cole’s story was the central focus as the character who best functioned as the audience surrogate. As such, Jax held his own in the tournament, but was left undeveloped.
However, with Mortal Kombat 2 bringing back Taslim’s Sub-Zero as the Undead Noob Saibot, it may be cathartic to see Jax have a rematch against the man who took his arms. Furthermore, with the characters having survived one tournament and new characters with ties to Earthrealm’s Special Forces entering the fray, perhaps the sequel could see Jax build the organization into a fighting unit fit to protect humanity from Outworld’s many threats, giving him a more major role.
