Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Mortal Kombat II. As was promised ahead of release, Mortal Kombat II was pretty kill-happy, with 9 major character deaths in a little under two hours. And we’re not talking push-over characters and henchmen here either: Simon McQuoid’s sequel killed a god-like menace in Shao Kahn, a god-in-waiting in Liu Kang, an undead zombie who almost killed a god (Lord Raiden) in Kung Lao, and a host of other heroes and villains. In other words, the Grim Reaper removed some of the franchise’s power players (even if it doesn’t last), and rearranged the power hierarchy heading towards the already-confirmed Mortal Kombat 3.
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So which of the remaining characters is the most powerful? Technically, we could include Scorpion in here, since he’s not killed in the Netherrealm, but he’s actually still dead, so calling him a survivor is a bit of a stretch. We also don’t know the fate of Queen Sindel, who was killed (at least twice) and resurrected as a Revenant, but who didn’t reappear at the end of Mortal Kombat II. If she’s back, she’s another formidably powerful character and would easily push the lowest power player off the ranking. But for now, he’s protected by that veil of ignorance…
7) Johnny Cage
In a surprising twist, Karl Urban’s Johny Cage isn’t actually all that powerful when we meet him at the start of Mortal Kombat II. But then, he’s also not particularly cocky either, since his Hollywood career is in the dirt and he’s been consigned to the scrap heap. But Cage is still chosen by the fates to be Earthrealm’s final champion after Kung Lao’s death, and he proves himself an impressively skilled martial artist. Ultimately, Johnny Cage pips Kano to the final place on this list because of the Arcana power he finally unlocks at the end of the movie (the resurrected Kano might have a laser eye, but there’s no mention of other powers), even with some ring rustiness. That will presumably develop even further in the sequel as Cage gets more confident, too.
6) Sonya Blade
Honestly, this place could have gone to either Sonya or Jade in a head-to-head, but Sonya wins because Jade was beaten in combat in Mortal Kombat II by Jax). Sonya spends too much time harmlessly watching fights dazed from the arena floor for someone of her obvious powers, but that doesn’t distract from her genuine potential. She has a genuinely useful energy blast power (which he uses way too little), is a master tactician thanks to her military training, and in close combat is one of the most skilled of the Earthrealm heroes. The way she takes down Sindel is pretty clear evidence of how powerful she can be at full power.
5) Baraka
He might not have supernatural powers, but Baraka is an absolute tank, and on strength alone, he belongs here. The Tarkatan champion has one of the coolest – and most intimidating – looks in the series, and backs up his impressive bite with bone spurs he can shoot out of his arms for a dangerous ranged attack. On top of that, he has basically superhuman strength and endurance levels, and he’s only undone by Johnny Cage because of a punch to the genitals, which is enough to take anyone down. The deadly nomad will probably also look naturally more powerful in the upcoming sequel when he has more to do.
4) Kitana
It’s not entirely confirmed by Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat II, but his death and subsequent realization that he’s not the Chosen One leaves open the suggestion that Kitana actually is, given she’s the one to take down Shao Kahn. The daughter of two incredibly powerful characters in MK lore, she’s incredibly well-trained thanks to Jade (and Kahn, to be fair), is somehow able to survive her adoptive father choking her, and is the only one to face the hulking villain who doesn’t get killed in comically quick time. That counts for a lot, and she should be a key fighter in the Netherrealm, even if she
3) Quan Chi
Now, Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) might not be much of a fighter in Mortal Kombat II, but that doesn’t mean he’s not supremely powerful. The necromancer has a singular power: resurrection, which is top-tier no matter what franchise you’re talking about. In the games, he combines his dark magic mastery with actual combat skills, so there’s precedent here to suggest he’s a bit of a sleeper. There were flashes of his magical prowess beyond his ability to revive the dead, too, so there’s a good chance he has more in his locker too. Fundamentally, he’s powerful enough that he’s literally going to drive the entire plot of the threequel after the ending set-up.
2) Shang Tsung
Let’s not get it twisted here, Mortal Kombat II sort of screws Shang Tsung over. After he was the main villain of the 2021 original, Chin Han’s master sorcerer ends up playing Shao Kahn’s sidekick in the sequel and gets precious little opportunity to show off his full power level. Interestingly, while he’s not shown to be killed by Lord Raiden when he tries to steal his powers at the end of the movie, we also don’t know for certain what happens to him or where he goes. But you surely can’t leave a villain of this magnitude out when Shao Kahn has left a power vacuum to fill?
1) Lord Raiden
It’s always going to be hard to look beyond an actual god. You don’t get the job as God of Thunder or the protector of Earthrealm without having some serious credentials, and while Tadanobu Asano’s sage leader is almost killed by the resurrected Kung Lao, it’s very much a sucker punch that catches him by surprise. Just looking at the pure energy that pours from his neck wound confirms exactly how powerful he is, and his power, combined with the Amulet of Shinnok, makes Shao Kahn temporarily invincible. Raiden is the real deal, and unless Mortal Kombat III brings in Shinnok himself, or the One Being, or the Elder Gods, the only competition he’ll have will be when Liu Kang inevitably returns as the Fire God.
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