The 50 Best 'Mortal Kombat' (2021) Easter Eggs Ahead of 'Mortal Kombat II'

In video game lore, Scorpion's mortal name is Hanzo Hasashi, a member of the Shirai Ryu clan. He later becomes known as Scorpion after his resurrection from Hell.

Scorpion's signature weapon is the kunai, a multi-purpose spear attached to a rope. We see Hanzo's wife using it as a garden tool before her and the rest of the clan's deaths.

In video game lore, the first Sub-Zero is Bi-Han, who Scorpion believes is responsible for massacring his clan. The twist, however, is that it's actually the demon Quan Chi. The movie appears to simplify this lore by making Bi-Han the actual culprit. There is still time to retcon this; however, Quan Chi will debut in the sequel.

Raiden is the Thunder God and Earthrealm's protector. The character has become notorious for being bad at his job—for sitting on the sidelines when he shouldn't and for being frequently tricked and outplayed by the antagonists. His early role in this movie, of intervening to save the last remaining heir to Hasashi's bloodline, is one of the most hands-on actions he's ever taken.

You can see the name Hegarty on the posters in the locker room. Scott Hegarty is credited as a Junior Set Designer on the movie.

Another poster has the name Kuneman. Dominic Kuneman is another junior set designer on the movie.

Cole's sister tells him to do an uppercut on his opponent. This is a meta reference to the video games, where the uppercut is one of the most powerful attacks in the original trilogy.

'Eddie Tobias' is a combination of the names Ed Boon and John Tobias, the co-creators of Mortal Kombat.

The birthmark that Cole (and every chosen fighter) has is a rough approximation of the franchise's iconic dragon logo.

If you look at the graffiti in the background of the Sub-Zero vs. Jax fight scene, you can see DOWN, TOWARDS, LP, which is the command to perform Sub-Zero’s Ice Attack in the original game trilogy.

There are multiple stories and continuities for how Jax loses his arms. In Mortal Kombat 9, he loses them to Ermac. In the original continuity (and in the Annihilation movie), he has cybernetic implants, plated over his original arms.

Shang Tsung's visible age varies, depending on the iteration. In this movie, he presents himself as a late-to-middle-aged man. He says that his minions need to "Finish This!" which is very close to the "Finish Him/Her" catchphrase from the video games.

The character General Reiko may be unfamiliar to casual players. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat 4, as a general of Shao Kahn's Outworld armies.

Like Reiko, Nitara is also a lesser-known character. She made her debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, where she was an unlockable character in the Krypt.

We meet Mileena in this movie, who is played by actress Sisi Stringer. In the games, Mileena is the genetically mutated clone of Princess Kitana. It seems, however, that the current filmmakers are abandoning that backstory. Adeline Rudolph, not Sisi Stringer, will play Princess Kitana. (Mileena also died in the first movie.) To be fair, though, there are lots of ways to work around that in a franchise as off-the-wall as Mortal Kombat.

There are a few Easter Eggs on Sonya's wall. There's this drawing of Nightwolf of the Matoka tribe, who made his video game debut in Mortal Kombat 3.

This tribal mask resembles the headgear of Kotal Kahn, who debuted in Mortal Kombat X and ruled Outworld after Shao Kahn's death.

There's a drawing of the Qin Dynasty burning. This was the first dynasty of ancient China, which ruled from 221 to 206 BC. In other words, the Mortal Kombat tournament has been around for a long, long time.

The substitution of C with K in the franchise originated in a brainstorming session during the first video's game's development; no one could agree on a title that everyone liked. Ed Boon used the letter substitution on Twitter to tease the release of Mortal Kombat 11.

The acid spit has been a staple of Reptile's moveset since he debuted as a playable character in the video game Mortal Kombat II. It's his only move that reveals his invisibility.

Reptile's signature invisibility helped him significantly in Mortal Kombat II; he was widely considered a low-tier character, but turning invisible could give him a psychological edge, as it did in the film.

Reptile's original finisher used his long tongue to rip off the opponent's head and eat it.

Kano performs his original Fatality in the movie, where he rips the opponent's still-beating heart out of his chest. He exclaims, "Kano wins," one of the game's more obvious catchphrases.

Liu Kang performs a High Fireball at Kano, which is the sole projectile move he had in the original 1992 game. Later iterations would expand his zoning abilities to include a Low Fireball and an Air Fireball.

There's multiple examples of Easter Egg artwork on Raiden's temple. This one is a depiction of the Great Kung Lao (ancestor of Kung Lao) defeating Shang Tsung.

This artwork depicts the invasion and fall of Edenia by Outworld.

This is Shao Kahn, the current emperor of Outworld, with his signature hammer. A major antagonist in the franchise, he will feature in the upcoming movie.

Kano attempts to steal the Shinnok amulet, one of the most powerful magical artifacts in the MK universe. It was created by the fallen Elder God Shinnok and would increase its holder’s power to the point of causing instant death and destruction.

Kung Lao teleports into battle by rising from the floor, which is the same way he teleports in Mortal Kombat II.

There's another meta joke when Kano faces off against Liu Kang in the training pit. Liu Kang uses three leg sweeps to defeat Kano. The leg sweep is one of the most abusable moves in the original trilogy, especially if you're playing against a novice player who hasn't learned to block.

Liu Kang shouts this catchphrase before Cole squares off against Kung Lao. It originates from the first game and references the strength mini-games that took place between the fights.

In the first game, Kano did not use his glowing red eye as a weapon. But in Mortal Kombat 3, it became his secondary finisher; he could fire it from across the screen and make his opponent explode.

She's not in this movie, but we can see Princess Kitana's signature razor fans in the background of this shot. She will be performed by Adeline Rudolph in the new film.

Liu Kang mentions being trained by Master Bo' Rai Cho, who made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as a drunken kung fu master.

Kung Lao has used multiple Buzzsaw fatalities over the years. The 2021 version is most similar to his Mortal Kombat X rendition of the move, where the hat spins on the ground and the opponent goes into the blade head-first.

Kung Lao exclaims, "Flawless victory!" after killing Nitara—another catchphrase from the original video game trilogy. To hear it, win a round without taking any damage yourself.

One of the more cartoony special moves from Mortal Kombat 3, Kabal's Nomad Dash made the opponent spin around like a top. The new movie gives it a much cooler, practical application.

In the games, Goro is the final boss to end all final bosses. He's been the reigning Mortal Kombat champion for the past 500 years. So it's bizarre that Cole, who just discovered his arcana, is able to defeat him in one-on-one combat. Maybe he gets resurrected in the sequel? But this was definitely out of step with the established lore.

Shang Tsung repeats his catchphrase from the first movie, "Your soul is mine!" and then steals Kung Lao's soul. This has been one of Shang Tsung's most recurrent Fatalities, dating back to his debut as a playable character in Mortal Kombat II. In that game, Tsung held up the opponent with his hand; later games had him levitating the opponent midair.

Jax debuted his robot arms in Mortal Kombat 3. They could shoot missiles, and they gave him an enhanced Bionic Charge which could launch the opponent across the screen. Hopefully, the sequel film can explore these additional abilities.

This was Jax's signature Fatality in Mortal Kombat II. Unlike in the movie, Jax did not need his metal arms in order to perform it.

The trailer fight between Kano and Sonya is a homage to the trailer fight in Kill Bill: Volume 2, where The Bride takes on Elle Driver in a fight to the death. Both fights end with the hero destroying her opponent's eye.

Mileena shows off her signature teleporting abilities. The Teleport Kick in Mortal Kombat II was one of the most cheesy, effective counterattacks in the game, and it was one of several reasons why Mileena was considered god-tier.

The sequence where Mileena licks her sai is taken directly from Mortal Kombat X, where she does the same thing as a victory pose.

The Energy Ring shot is Sonya's signature projectile in the games. However, in most iterations, it's the result of Special Forces technology attached to her wrists. In the movie, it's a supernatural representation of her arcana.

Liu Kang performs a Bicycle Kick on Kabal. The powerful special move debuted in Mortal Kombat II. You had to hold LK for five seconds and then let go.

In the video games, Liu Kang's Dragon Fatality typically involves him becoming a dragon and then eating his opponent. In the 2021 movie, the finishing move is a bit tamer. Liu Kang conjures a fire dragon (apart from him), which burns Kabal to death instead of taking a bite out of him. Liu Kang then says, "Fatality," which is the only time we hear the catchphrase in the movie.

Hasashi, now renamed Scorpion, spears Sub-Zero and yells, "Get over here!" before yanking him. This catchphrase and the interchangeable, "Come here!" have been signature Scorpion lines since the very first game.