Mortal Kombat 2's original death scene for Liu Kang was a lot more violent, but "the audience hated it"

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Liu Kang was seemingly one of the main casualties in the bloody sequel Mortal Kombat 2. After fighting Shao Kahn, he was dealt a fatal wound before his body transformed into flames. However, there was a level of vagueness surrounding his passing in the film as he didn't become a corpse, leading us to wonder if he could return at some point.

Now it turns out that his death was originally a lot more definitive, rather than being left open-ended. Speaking on Brandon Davis' podcast, actor Ludi Lin says there were a whole bunch of different endings discussed for his character. One suggestion was a Game of Thrones-style mass killing of everyone but Kitana, while an earlier script killed off Liu Kang a lot earlier.

One other ending was even filmed, but the audiences they tested it with were not big fans. "There's also a version where Liu Kang's death is way more brutal and my stunt double, Tyson Tran, actually shot that scene," Lin explained.

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"Liu Kang gets smashed, he slams into a pillar, goes into [the] ceiling, falls down, does a scorpion where he comes over his back, snapping his spine, like ultimate fatality. I think in the end he falls on a spike or something like that. They tested it and the audiences hated it, they were like, 'No he deserves better.'"

For more on how it all went down, check out our breakdown of the Mortal Kombat 2 ending explained. We've also got all you need to know about other upcoming video game adaptations coming in 2026 and beyond.

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Fay WatsonDeputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

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