Ed Boon is co-creator of Mortal Kombat and Chief Creative Officer of NetherRealm Studios, but he's trying on some new hats as Mortal Kombat II draws nearer. The face of the franchise played host at the New York Comic-Con, discussing the upcoming film with cast & crew, and giving us a preview of his role. Watch the whole panel experience right here:

Mortal Kombat II has been a victim of its own success according to returning director Simon McQuoid. The filmmaker invoked the popular opening scene from the first film while touting the momentum of the sequel, which is a Summer blockbuster that explores the realms of MK -- moved from its October release to May next year. "You will cry when you watch this movie" says Boon, who has seen it multiple times, and emphasized the emotional drama as well as the action.

Karl Urban and writer Jeremy Slater discussed their interpretation of a brooding Johnny Cage, who's fallen out of his martial arts training and successful moviestar career, but will rediscover himself as he's recruited by Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Adeline Rudolph may have earned a yellow belt in taekwondo, but she worked hard to adopt fight choreography as Kitana. She shares the film as one of its main characters, struggling with Tati Gabrielle as Jade, a real life best friend whose loyalty is torn under Martyn Ford's evil Emperor Shao Kahn. Of course, they aren't the only new talent hitting the screen. Boon unveiled his cameo role of Ed the Bartender, as well.

The cast also did battle with cosplaying fans in a round of Kombat trivia. Live stream watchers couldn't see the behind the scenes featurette shown to the NYCC crowd, but you can watch it now right here. Mortal Kombat II comes to theatres and IMAX starting May 15th, 2026. Are you excited by what you've heard? Share your thoughts in the comments below and discuss more movie mayhem in the Media & Merchandise category!