Not being able to remember your name is badass?

wtf...hehe, you got me there, LOL. Well, at least it wasn't etched on his forehead, like Manson.

If it is a complete reboot I think it would be easy. Just have him be this great action star who goes into the tournament for fame or some sort of comeback. Basically his intentions should be selfish. Then have him realize that there is more at stake than his career so that way it gives him a character arc. I see him as the Iron man of MK. He is a cocky, confident, and a jack ass who then realizes his wrong doing in life and is making amends at the tournament, but he still retains the same personality,

Hah! Exactly! It looks pretty stupid on Saints Row wannabes, but at least none of them get Malcolm tattooed on their chest just in case they want to borrow a library book at a spur of the moment!

Character development for Cage would be great, though.
In a sense, he's the character whose arc should've taken him the farthest. He had the most growth to make in unreal situations like these. He wasn't born for it like Liu Kang, or trained for it like Sonya (and Liu)... Hopefully MK9 delivers more than just the long awaited reveal of why he started dying his hair in the last few games!

You're a couple days late, we've told that joke already. The tattoo isn't there so HE remembers, it's there so YOU remember who kicked your ass.

FFS!!! SPOILER TAGS!!!

I'm sorry. I read the title thread "Character Development for Cage in MK9" and had a good 5 minute laugh. Thanks. That made my day.

glad I made your day, but there are a lot more characters in MK that are more blatantly imbecilic and idiotic than JC. How about Sindel (Cruella de Ville anyone?) or Dairou (stupid look, stupid costume, stupid moves, stupid everything) or Havik or Drahmin, etc, the shit-list goes on. LOL

On a side note, how about an alternate costume for Cage where he has Van Damme's look from Double Impact (the Alex look), that would truly make him rad doncha think?

Be careful when you're dissing Sindel, there's like a whole little club of her fans around here and they're kinda rabid and weird.

Personally, I never saw the appeal. The whole "old lady with giant gray hair" look never did it for me and I always thought the story would've been better served if one of those times someone had invaded Edenia, like in MK4, they'd actually thought to KILL the queen instead of just putting her behind bars like an idiot.

Johnny Cage....and character development..?


HA...next you'll tell me oil and water mix!

I disagree. Hollywood types are prone to heavy drug use. He probably has the long term memory of a fruit fly.

It's different strokes for different folks, isn't it? I just don't like the fighters to be looking like they've come from a beauty parlor that got burned down.

I'm not a big fan of the tattoo of his name on his chest. Seriously, who does that?
As for character development, he needs it by the truck load. It's something he's lacked over the years but he's not suffered for it as badly as other characters. They did finally get on the right track with his MKA bio. It's a shame it may not progress further than that. Here's hoping it does though.

Cage in essense is trully a good guy hidden under a sarcastic and cocky tone. The reason why I favor him over most of the 60 or so characters in the history of Mortal Kombat is because he is perhaps one of the only realistic type characters we can associate with who comes from the same culture as us compared to ninja clans, monks, gods, and mythical creatures. Johnny Cage is a guy from America venturing to these mysterious worlds and that is one trait that I find really cool.

If you kept close tabs over Cage in the years you would be able to see some of the noble traits about him that Tobias incorparated, keep in mind he may not be so appealing now because most of his depictions in media was around in the early 90's so some of his dialouge may seem corny but like others said Cage in the beginning was only out for himself and he had something to proove. In his Ending for the first game I quote

"Through the battles and life or death situations faced during the Tournament, Johnny Cage learns the true importance of his fighting skills. He also realizes the full potential of the Tournament."

I think that first game really sparked something in Cage, after witnessing other people dying for this cause of protecting their world and fighting for his own life that created Johnny Cage the hero instead of the Johnny Cage "It's not in my contract" kind of guy.

The novelization of the movie poked at his background saying that he was a regular joe in Brooklyn with nothing but a sack over his back and he was picked up by the best martial artists of his time and went on this huge journey learning his ablities and while he was gone the guys he grew up with were either dead or in prison. Then Cage took his abilities and put them on film to make a name for himself. This is the Cage I want to see in MK9.

Another thing that I found real interesting about Cage is his MK2 bio, After he survived the first tournament he was filming the first Mortal Kombat movie but when he learned that Liu Kang was going into Outworld he simply left without telling anyone and disapeared. Cage could have just said "fuck it" my part in this is done I'm going to the bank with what material I got but instead he returned to fighting after prooving himself to the world and he wanted to help out Liu Kang who he befriended and help save Sonya, very noble if you ask me.

Vogel and the team kind of took the whole "Hollywood Guy" think a little far by making Cage a mockery of himself in recent titles such as MK4 and Deadly Alliance but I honestly think they took a hint from these message boards and started taking him a little seriously with his Armageddon Bio, although that really wasn't effective seeeing how the plans for bios were shot after a few characters.

All in all Cage is an awesome character, hate him if you will but consider the history of the character and do look at him as the comic relief of the series but don't forget that he is a formidable fighter and is very capable and reliable, they should show more of the true John Cartlon side of Cage aswell as his cocky side which reminds me of Spider-Man when he fights the bad guys, maybe then he will be admired by all.

I think you'll find that the tattoo itself holds the answer to that question, lol.

Let Johnny have his tattoo! It's awesome and is 100% what johnny would do! Maybe he should have gotten his portrait tattooed on him. That would have been great

If this is just a retelling of the first trilogy then their isn't a whole lot of room to improve a characters story ...... seeing as well already know what happens.

This is my biggest gripe too , We played the original trilogy, then we played Shaolin Monks, and now we get ANOTHER game that focuses on the same story.

Its getting to be like Star Wars. They should call this "Mortal Kombat : The Directors Extended Uncut Remastered Special Trilogy Anniversary Edition "

... which is why he'll be my Practice mode punching bag.

Absolutely.

Whether you love him or hate him, one thing is certain: Johnny Cage is no doubt one of Mortal Kombat's most iconic and recognizable faces.

I am extremely happy and pleased to see him return. After all, we all know that his absence in MKvsDC was brutally questioned and his presence was highly demanded by the fans. I love it how this trailer mainly focused on the characters (maybe with the exception of Nightwolf) that should had been playable during the events of MKvsDC.

Back to Johnny:

His Story/Role:

MKA gave Johnny Cage the purpose, role, and personality we have all been yelling for. It was truly heroic and epic. Johnny Cage suddenly became the leader of all the warriors of light and the main piece in the puzzle that would eventually determinate the fate of the worlds.

I pray that they keep his MKA Bio and Ending in mind while developing his character. Like someone suggested: Johnny Cage should begin as the star that we all know him to be, he enters the tournament for shallow reasons but eventually finds his real self and grows to become what he was born to be: One of the Chosen Ones.

For those who laugh at the impossibility of making his character have a deeper development, go choke on his MKA role. Sure, it took him a while to get that serious, but, at least he hasn't been going from bad to worse to absolute ridicule like other characters.

My main problem with Johnny Cage is that he has been one of the characters who's been most stagnant in his role/storyline. Sure he played a HUGE role in the series as one of the main defenders of the realm, but unlike his other friends, he wasn't really developed much. He stayed in the same stupid boring idea of "movie star". His path was never really filled with possibilities to grow because the writters didn't give him any.

However, some people judge him too harshly thinking he has always been about movies, jokes and fun, when in fact, he was shown a serious personality and role way in the past before MKA: Anyone remember MKTrilogy and MK4? There wasn't that much to him, but he surely wasn't on another movie quest.

And people like to judge him harshly because they are still all confused about "his death", when it was already been perfectly established that IT NEVER HAPPENED. And its funny to see them complain about this when Scorpion has died and been brought to life more than anyone else in the game.

Anyway, Johnny Cage is an interesting nugget to be developed.

He has the looks, charisma, moves, personality, and story potential to make him a charming character from beginning to end. Just take a look at MKSM. He was THE STAR of that game. Highly praised by fans and players all over (You just got CAGED!!!).

Bottom line: Cage has potential, and THIS IS HOW HE SHOULD BE PORTRAYED:

1) Start as a superficial warrior who joins the tournament for shallow reasons.
2) Let him discover his true potential, powers, and mission while encountering his enemies and making his new friends.
3) Let him remain uncertain about himself and about what should be his main priorities for a good part of the story.
4) Let him grow and step away from his superficiality to become a mature figure, looking up to characters like the Shaolin and Sonya.
5) He will finally understand his priorities. Give him his well earned significant role in the defeat of the forces of evil.
6) Prepare him to reach the level of seriousness he reached during MKA.

HOWEVER!!!! His personality and charisma must remain UNCHANGED. He needs to loose it in the end, but not entirely. Not 100%. He needs to be serious when he needs to show us he has grown. But he can later resume his style. That's what makes him so unique and original among the others.

And what about his involvement with characters? Well, this is one of the things that gets me so super excited about this game. There are so many possibilities to explore. Here goes a few examples:

1) Explore his relationship with Sonya Blade. Even before the movies made it famous, this love story was already implemented in both the official and unofficial MK comic books. It later had some space in the games where they gave little nods of this to the fans.

2) He can now have a main reason to have a rivalry with Goro. While never officially stated in the canon, it has definitely been hinted (thanks to the movie) ever since MK4. It was specially hinted in MKA.

3) We can explore a potential connection with Shinnok, the main antagonist of MKA, with whom he has a significant encounter.

4) We can see him grow while learning from Liu Kang, Sonya and Raiden. His interaction with them was perfectly done in MKSM, but it was just not enough...at all.

5) We can see him sacrifice something important during the story.

6) I want to see his interaction with someone like Raiden, who is really a big opposite of what Johnny Cage is. Same with an enemy like Shang Tsung.

etc etc tec

You get the idea.

Regarding his look:

I'm not too impressed or that happy about it:



I'm a big fan of the super-star, BUT, I honestly don't dig the tattoo on his chest. My primary annoyance, however, is his weird haircut. It's not that its bad, its just that it doesn't feel right when compared to his other looks:







I understand its supposed to resemble his MK2, MKSM, and MK4 look...but he looks a little old with that hair.

It's early in development, so, I hope they have taken the time to realize that the tattoo is really unnecessary (delete that!) and that his hair cut needs some major remake.

He is the sexy super star (male) sex bomb of MK. He dons't look as such in this game.

As for his costume, it looks cool, but, as with all the other characters that were shown, I am hoping to see them featuring a new look. A revamped fresh and new unique design that makes them and the game feel new and not like I'm playing MKD and MKA all over again.

His Special Moves and Gameplay:

WOW!!!!!!! I simply can't wait to see his NUT PUNCH back on action! I can't wait to see Johnny Cage splitting his legs and breaking more balls. That is truly one of MK's most classic recognizable special moves and one big trademark:

Scorpion's Spear
Sub-Zero's Ice
Sonya's Leg Grab
Johnny's Nut Punch

4 of the most infamous special moves of the series.

Johnny Cage looks deadly and like he is going to be a lot of fun. I;m so happy he is back. I expect the developers to make him grow and be a significant character like he proved he can be, and I expect to see his most famous classic moves and NEW specials for him in this game.



That's were you might be mistaking.

The game will focus on the canon and official events that we all know very well, but there will most definitely be some major official changes and developments in the story of the world that we all know.

Just to give you an example of what I mean: We all learned in MKDA about Bo Rai Cho and his role with Liu Kang, etc. So, we might see him in some shape or the other during the events of MK1.

Another example that is a little more unlikley to happen, but still an example of what they are aiming for: We all know Kahn captured and chained Sonya and Kano during MK2, well, this time around we might learned that Shao Kahn did something "special" to both characters that might later have some major consequences for other characters in the story.

Maybe we will even see him trying to marry Sonya like suggested ages ago. Remember the comics? The idea was that he was going to marry her to rightfully claim Earth as his own.

Yeah, stuff like that.

We won't get everything 100% like we know it. There will be changes.



Rabid, weird, murderous, crazy, psychotic and ready to bite your head off if you diss on our sexy Banshee goth Queen.

I love Sindel.

I'll respect Johnny Cage when he's as awesome as these posters:

^^^

LOL LOL LOL!!!!

I love the one with Chun Li.

And as for the MKDA poster: If Sonya ever saw that picture, I would feel very sorry for poor Johnny Cage.

That tattoo is terrible.

Terribly awesome.

I don't think many people are getting the whole "Johnny's SUPPOSED to be a tool, that's his personality" thing.