Mortal Kombat Writer Greg Russo Reveals Movie Cut This Classic Easter Egg

For all of the different Easter eggs they managed to cram into the Mortal Kombat movie it's hard to imagine that some got left on the cutting room floor. "Finish Them," a "Fatality," and even "Kano Wins" all made it into the film but in a new interview, screenwriter Greg Russo revealed that another was shot and later cut out of the film, notably, "Toasty!" Speaking with Polygon, Russo said: "I worked really hard to get the line 'Toasty!' in there. It had a spot in the story that didn't feel cringe, like it worked, but it [was edited out]. Liu Kang said it, after somebody was eviscerated."

For those that aren't familiar with it, "Toasty!" began in Mortal Kombat 2 when game designer Dan Forden would appear on screen and deliver the line to coincide with an uppercut. The line and easter egg has become one of the most well known recurring gags in Mortal Kombat lore, appearing in many games throughout the franchise including the most recent Mortal Kombat 11. Considering what we know about other elements that had to tragically be cut out of the theatrical cut of Mortal Kombat, it would appear quite a bit was left out of the final version.

Responding to one fan who asked about an extended edition, star Lewis Tan previously replied: "There are much more fights that didn't make it including my faviorte (sic) one. Hopefully on special features...Its very common to cut scenes, most films have enough footage for a 5 hour cut. Plenty of stuff left for sequel too :)"

Speaking of sequels, the plan for follow-up movies was clearly in the cards considering how the film concluded. At the end of the film, Outworld and Shang Tsung have been defeated by Earthrealm and its champions, putting them at a bit of a disadvantage ahead of the actual Mortal Kombat tournament (which isn't seen in the film but is implied to be happening soon). Ahead of that time though Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Jax, and Cole Young have to prep for the tournament with Raiden and one way they intend to do that is to seek out Johnny Cage in Los Angeles.

There's also the matter of the death of Sub-Zero and his assumed return as the villain Noob Saibot. Actor Joe Taslim has apparently signed on for four more movies, so it seems very likely that the villain will return.

The Mortal Kombat reboot is now playing on HBO Max and in theaters. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the film right here.