Mortal Kombat 11 will feature the return of one of the original characters in the series, as Johnny Cage is returning to the roster as a playable fighter. Johnny Cage debuted in the first Mortal Kombat as a movie star who only entered the tournament to prove that his combat prowess wasn’t the result of special effects.

He would go on to be a major character in the first Mortal Kombat movie and would have a memorable battle against Goro. The recent Mortal Kombat titles have played up Johnny Cage’s obnoxious film star attitude and made him more of a comedic figure than he was in the original game.

IGN has revealed that Johnny Cage will be returning in Mortal Kombat 11 with a debut trailer that shows his new design and array of fighting moves. Johnny Cage retains some of his moves from the earlier games, such as his Green Fireball and Shadow Kick, but he also has some new moves that are based around his acting prowess, such as calling on a stunt double (who is wearing one of Cage’s outfits from the older games) to grab the enemy or by blinding them with a camera before hitting them with a chainsaw.

The best part of the trailer is Johnny Cage’s Fatality move, which shows him using his Deadly Uppercut from the first Mortal Kombat game, except that he keeps screwing it up, resulting in multiple takes, as if the battle had been part of a movie. Johnny Cage celebrates his victory by playing with an action figure based on one of the early iterations of the character. Ed Boon also took to Twitter to poke fun at Cage’s character a little, with the help of Sonya Blade:

The addition of Johnny Cage to Mortal Kombat 11 means that all of the playable characters from the original Mortal Kombat will be returning, as Kano, Liu-Kang, Raiden, Scorpion, Sonya Blade, and Scorpion are also in the game. Sonya Blade is being voiced by WWE star Ronda Rousey, who has recently dressed like the character at wrestling events. Reptile’s return in Mortal Kombat 11 has also been leaked, even though he was originally only a secret villain in Mortal Kombat and wasn’t playable until later in the series.

Mortal Kombat 11 is shaping up to have an amazing roster, as it has also been revealed that Jade from Mortal Kombat II is coming to the game. There was a prominent fan petition to add Shaggy from Scooby-Doo into the game, but he is unlikely to be performing fatalities anytime soon.

There might be some fans who are disappointed that the character reveal wasn’t for someone brand new (such as the horror movie icons who appeared in the previous Mortal Kombat game) or that it isn’t one of the characters who has been leaked or rumored (such as Reptile or Spawn), but Johnny Cage is a staple of the Mortal Kombat series and it’s clear that a lot of love has gone into his moveset in Mortal Kombat 11. Johnny Cage might be a comedic character, but there is definitely room for levity in a game that has such absurd levels of violence.

More: Our Hopes for Shaggy in Mortal Kombat 11 Have Been Crushed

Mortal Kombat 11 will be coming to Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 23, 2019. The European version of the Nintendo Switch port of Mortal Kombat has been delayed to May 10, 2019.

Source: IGN