Johnny Cage



"I made this look easy!"

- Johnny Cage's Mortal Kombat (2011) battle cry John Carlton, better known as Johnny Cage, is an action movie martial artist in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He is one of the most recurring characters and one of the few original characters, debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game

About Johnny Cage
Johnny Cage is a Hollywood movie star. Originally entering the Mortal Kombat tournament to display his fighting skills and prove himself to skeptical movie critics and the movie-viewing public, who believed Cage was nothing more than an actor who relied too much on stunts and camera work and not a real proficient fighter. Eventually, Cage becomes one of the most important defenders of Earthrealm. Though he occasionally lapses into his former selfish and materialistic ways, he has always been a brave and loyal warrior for Earthrealm.

Appearance
Johnny Cage is depicted as the typical American action movie star; bare muscular build with karate pants and his trademark sunglasses which he keeps in his pants. In his debut, his clothing was modeled directly after Jean-Claude Van Damme's character in Bloodsport, consisting of black shorts with a red Kung Fu belt and black shoes. From MKII to MK4, he is depicted with black pants with blue accents.

In Deadly Alliance and onwards, his design becomes a fusion of his first and familiar appearances, regaining the black shorts, but with a Cage emblem and blue belt tied to his waist. He goes barefoot with bandages straps. Interestingly, he has dyed his hair to a blond color.

In MK (2011), he has a similar outfit from MKII but with slight changes: he keeps his sunglasses on all the time, his chest is tattooed with his name, he has straps in his arms and hands, his pants' accents are white and his last name is on his belt.

Storyline
A martial arts superstar trained by great masters from around the world. Johnny was derided by film critics and the movie-going public for using special effects and wires for his fights. Unknown to them, his Shadow Kick and Force Ball were not effects; he actually performed those supernatural feats. To prove it to the world, he entered the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Mortal Kombat
Johnny Cage is first seen in a harbor, waiting for the ship that will take him to the Shang Tsung's island, along with his agent and personal secretary. Both are fearful about his security, trying to convince him to not attend this tournament. Cage, however, says that no one will even touch him. After he boarded the ship, Cage is bullied by the Black Dragon Leader known as Kano and some of his allies. A fellow Shaolin Monk named Liu Kang manages to help Cage, beating some of the thugs, while the superstar attacks a distracted Kano, knocking him down with a Shadow Kick. After the brief fight, Cage and Kang meet. Arriving in the island, Cage had joined forces with Liu Kang and Sonya, member of a United States Special Forces. They become great friends later. Johnny, Liu Kang and Sonya formed an alliance to protect Earthrealm and they are mentored by the Thunder God Raiden. During the final battle between Liu Kang and Shang Tsung, Johnny teamed up with Sonya and Kano to fight Goro near the pit. When Shang Tsung's island fortress began to crumble because of his defeat to Liu Kang, Raiden saved Johnny and dropped him off at a boat that belonged to the Special Forces Agency near the island. He then met Major Jackson &quot;Jax&quot; Briggs and was interrogated by him on the whereabouts of Sonya. Johnny told Jax all about the events on the island, but the major didn't believe him. After Johnny was set free, he made the movie Mortal Kombat, based on his experiences.

Mortal Kombat II
Due to a recording from Kano and Sonya received by the U.S. Special Forces, Jax realizes that Cage's version of the history is true and the major prepares to find the superstar once more. Not long after that, Cage is shooting a commercial and he was suddenly attacked by a revitalized Shang Tsung, Kintaro, Baraka, Kitana, Mileena, and Jade. At the same time that Jax arrives in the set, Cage is violently blasted trough the wall right in his front. Jax manages to help him in the fight against the invaders. They were later joined by the other Earthrealm warriors to help fight the horde off. Raiden appears to put an end in the fight, and Shang Tsung proposes a new Mortal Kombat tournament. Once again, Johnny reunites with his allies to protect Earthrealm, traveling into Outworld. Eventually, Liu Kang challenged Shao Kahn, proving again he was the true champion of Mortal Kombat; Kang beat the emperor within inches of his life.

Mortal Kombat Trilogy
After his defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Shao Kahn led a massive invasion against Earthrealm in order to take this realm by force. Soon, Earthrealm is attacked by Kahn's extermination squad. During this entire riot, Johnny Cage is killed in fight by Motaro, leader of Kahn's forces. Cage's soul was unable to ascend to a higher plane of existence, and returns to its body. Cage then becomes one of the chosen warriors fighting against Kahn's invasion.

Mortal Kombat 4/Mortal Kombat Gold
After Shao Kahn’s defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Johnny’s soul was free to leave to a higher place. Johnny watched from the heavens as the events unfolded and the fallen Elder God Shinnok attacked Earthrealm. Johnny Cage sought out Raiden so that he could restore his deceased soul; the restoration of Johnny's soul allowed him to fight alongside Earthrealm defenders once more and help defeat Shinnok. After the defeat of Shinnok, it appeared as though Raiden’s revival of Cage was permanent as he did not ascend back to the heavens but instead remained on Earth.

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Years later, Johnny Cage went on to film Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage, in which he was repeatedly killed and brought back to life. Upset at the way he was being portrayed, believing his own adventures were far more entertaining, he wanted out of the movie but he couldn't due to his contract.

As luck would have it, he was approached by Raiden, who asked him to help fight the Deadly Alliance of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. At first, Johnny thought it was the actor who played Raiden, but when he saw the actor eating lunch, he realized it was the real Raiden, who told him to go to Shang Tsung's island for further instructions. He found a loophole in his contract and left the movie. He would then use this new adventure to make his own movie. Arriving on the island by way of parachute, he learned of Liu Kang's death and went to Outworld to help his friends.

Mortal Kombat: Deception
Cage was killed during the final assault on the Deadly Alliance (he, Sonya, and Jax were overwhelmed by the Deadly Alliance's Tarkatan warriors besides Kung Lao and Kitana were killed by Shang Tsung and Quan Chi). Soon afterward, he was resurrected by Onaga and made into his slave. Some time later, he was freed from this state by Ermac and the spirit of Liu Kang.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Johnny became disheartened that both Raiden and Liu Kang were unable to unite and lead the Earthrealm warriors. Then, he began to receive visions of Shinnok creating several portals in different realms. He decided to visit these areas to confirm his visions, and sure enough, he found evidence that Shinnok had been there. Deciding to take action, Johnny Cage saw in his visions that Shinnok's next destination was Shang Tsung's island fortress. When he arrived at the island, he saw Shinnok scheming with Quan Chi to take Shao Kahn's fortress by force. When Quan Chi vanished back through the portal which he came through, Johnny Cage attacked. He caught Shinnok off guard and appeared to have the upper hand, until the former Elder God retreated in a cloud of smoke, leaving Johnny to decide what to do next.

Soon after, Cage began to gathering many of the good-aligned warriors such as Nightwolf, Sub-Zero and Kenshi, only to create an army to fight against the Forces of Darkness during the Battle of Armageddon. The resulting battle killed nearly all fighters present, including Cage, who was decapitated by an unknown opponent.

Mortal Kombat (2011)
Johnny Cage has the first fight in the first Mortal Kombat tournament. Beforehand, he spends most of the time trying to hit on Sonya Blade. When Shang Tsung tells Johnny he will be facing Reptile, he assumes it is just an actor. After he defeats Reptile, he has to face Baraka, who he thinks has fake blades. After defeating Baraka, everyone begins to leave and Johnny is approached by Raiden and Liu Kang, who attempt to inform him of what will happen to Earthrealm. Johnny, however, doesn't believe anything that they say, stating that he's an actor, and only saves the world in movies. He then attempts to catch up to Sonya in an attempt to ask her out on a date.

Johnny finds Sonya on the Pit, where she gets annoyed with him and attempts to beat him in kombat. Johnny wins, but is astonished by her fighting ability. Afterward, Kano appears, and seeing that Sonya is hurt, attempts to finish her off. Johnny steps in and defeats Kano, earning the respect of Sonya in the process.

After Sonya helps an injured Jax escape Goro's Lair and defeats Kitana and Jade in kombat, Johnny, Raiden, and Liu Kang appear. Raiden uses his powers to heal Jax while Johnny explains to Sonya that Raiden is a God. Johnny, Sonya, and Jax agree to help Raiden.

In Johnny's next tournament fight, he is defeated by Cyrax and is eliminated from the tournament. Johnny then witnesses Liu Kang's eventual tournament victory and is present during the celebration at the Wu Shi Academy. When the Tarkatans attack, Jax is knocked out unconscious. When he awakens, Johnny is one of the Earth warriors who is seen standing over him. Jax learns of Sonya's capture by Shang Tsung, and all of the warriors proceed to the second tournament.

While Liu Kang and Kung Lao are sent to free their Shaolin masters, Johnny stays with Jax and Raiden. After Jax defeats, Raiden receives another vision and teleports the three of them to the Armory. Johnny makes comments about that annoy Jax, in which Jax then starts a fight with Johnny and gains the upper hand. Despite the fight, Johnny continues to accompany Jax and Raiden to the Dead Pool where Sonya is being held prisoner. Johnny is later seen along with Raiden in the Living Forest, as Raiden saves Smoke from the Lin Kuei cyborgs.

After Sub-Zero is captured by the Lin Kuei cyborgs, Raiden holds back Smoke to prevent the cyborgs from taking him away as well. Johnny can be seen alongside Smoke during the events. As Raiden realizes that his earlier actions of sparing Smoke have led to the automation of Sub-Zero, he decides to speak to Kitana, to which Johnny replies, "Sure, let's go ruin someone else's life."

When the Earth warriors approach Kitana in the Wastelands, she attacks and defeats both Smoke and Johnny. After Raiden tells Kitana to search Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits, the Earth warriors leave. They return to the Wastelands and find Jade, who moments earlier just defeated Mileena. Smoke attempts to fight Jade, believing Mileena (Kitana's clone) to be Kitana herself. After Jade defeats Smoke, Raiden talks to Jade while Liu Kang, Johnny, and Kung Lao chat in the distance, mainly consisting of the two monks belittling Cage. When Jade informs the Earth warriors of Kitana's capture, Kung Lao and Liu Kang go to free Kitana while Johnny stays with Raiden to continue in the tournament. Johnny is later shown being defeated and eliminated from the tournament by Ermac.

Johnny returns during the Earthrealm invasion, showing fighting Motaro on The Street, to which Raiden intervenes, and kills Motaro. Johnny appears with the Earth warriors during their discussions, is around when the Lin Kuei cyborgs ambush them. When Sindel emerges, she attacks and kills most of the Earth warriors, however Johnny, along with Sonya, survives his wounds.

When Raiden attempts to stop Liu Kang from attacking Shao Kahn, Johnny and Sonya appear in the background as Liu Kang is electrocuted. While Raiden tends to Liu Kang, Johnny and Sonya attempt to fight Shao Kahn, who easily blasts them away. After Raiden defeats Shao Kahn and the Elder Gods take Shao Kahn away for punishment, Johnny appears beside Sonya while Raiden tends to Liu Kang once again. Johnny, along with Sonya and Liu Kang´s body, is teleported away by Raiden at the end.

Biographies

 * Mortal Kombat: "A Martial Arts superstar trained by great masters from around the world. Cage uses his talents on the big screen he is the current box-office champ and star of such movies as Dragon Fist and Dragon Fist II as well as the award winning Sudden Violence."


 * Mortal Kombat II: "The world was shocked when martial arts movie star Johnny Cage disappeared from the set of his latest film. But in truth, he was following his former ally Liu Kang into the Outworld where he plans to complete in a twisted tournament in which lies the balance of Earth's existence as well as a script for another blockbuster movie."


 * Mortal Kombat Trilogy: "Killed in battle with an Outworld extermination squad, Johnny Cage's life came to a tragic end. But the celluloid superstar manages to cheat death when his path to the after life is blocked by the merger of Earth and Outworld. His soul takes possession of his body once again and enables Cage to rejoin his friends to battle for Earth's survival."


 * Mortal Kombat 4: "After Shao Kahn's defeat, Cage's soul is free to leave to a higher place. From the heavens, he observes his friends engaged in battle. With the heavens in disarray, he learns of the war waged against the Elder Gods by Shinnok. Cage seeks out Raiden to help him restore his deceased soul and join Liu Kang in his quest. Once again, Johnny Cage finds himself fighting alongside Earth's greatest warriors."


 * Deadly Alliance: "Johnny Cage had been fed up with the lame writing on his current movie "Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage," in which his character repeatedly died and was resurrected. To him, his real-life adventures were much more sensational... he kicked butt! But his studio felt that the hero needed to take a fall for dramatic purposes. Johnny Cage reluctantly agreed to continue with the project until the Thunder God Raiden called him away to a new adventure in Outworld. For maximum dramatic effect, Johnny Cage arrived on the island fortress of Shang Tsung by way of parachute. He glided to the exact place on the beach where Raiden has told him to rendezvous with the others. When night fell, the Earthrealm kombatants lit a fire and discussed possible strategies to defeat the Outworld threat. Once the fire has reached its full strength, Raiden finally appeared and revealed to them the events that had led to the formation of the Deadly Alliance."


 * Shaolin Monks: "Most think of Johnny Cage as nothing than a glory-seeking Hollywood actor. But there is more to this action star than his contemporaries know: Johnny Cage helped save the world. Now he must face yet another threat to Earthrealm's existence."


 * thumb|250px|right|Johnny Cage's Bio KardArmageddon: ''"It used to be, when there was a threat to Earthrealm, that Raiden would rally the Forces of Light to face the enemy in Mortal Kombat. Somehow he could always discover the truth behind the deception. I was one of his allies and fought with him against the Forces of Darkness. In those early days Liu Kang was the point man, he was the star. The rest of us played supporting roles, clearing the way so he could take on the main threat. But times have changed. Raiden has abandoned us. He's become darker, using more ruthless ways to keep the "peace." And Liu Kang was killed. Though his spirit is still around to help us, eventually he'll pass on into the Heavens. It seems like we have no clear leader. We're just not the fighting force we once were. We're scattered all over the realms. Maybe it's because there hasn't been a real threat since we took care of the Dragon King, I don't know. But I can't help but feel uneasy about the future. I used to think, "What if there's a new threat? Who's gonna lead us?" With Raiden gone, how would we even tell when something bad is about to happen? The answer came soon enough. I started having visions of someone we had defeated years ago: I saw the Fallen Elder God Shinnok plotting something and I decided to find out what. In my visions I could see Shinnok in different locations, conjuring these communication portals to give orders, which I couldn't quite understand, to his minions. I followed him, finding each place I saw in my visions, and always there was evidence that he had in fact been there. My visions weren't dreams after all. Shinnok was back! In my last vision, I clearly heard Shinnok say the next place he was going to contact his minion from was Shang Tsung's island fortress. That place has played a big part in the fight between good and evil. It seemed fitting that I would confront Shinnok there. When he finally showed up, I watched him for a while, to try to get some idea as to what he was planning. Was I surprised to see that the "minion" in the portal was Quan Chi! Shinnok ordered him to gather the Forces of Darkness and retake Shao Kahn's fortress in Outworld. When he dismissed the sorcerer, I approached Shinnok. He was startled and immediately conjured up a skeleton hand to trap me. I jumped out of the way and followed with a Green Shadow Kick to the chest. I pummeled him, and he never regained his composure. The coward escaped in a cloud of smoke... a teleport of some kind, I suppose. I seem to have discovered the next great threat to Earthrealm. Now I need to find the others. I'll need their help if I'm going to defeat Shinnok's forces. The fate of Earthrealm depends on me."''


 * Mortal Kombat 2011:" There is no greater martial arts movie star than Johnny Cage. Films such as "Dragon Fist", "Time Smashers" and "Citizen Cage" have made him one of the most highly paid actors in Hollywood. But there is more to Johnny than even he knows. He is a descendant of an ancient Mediterranean cult who bred warriors for the gods -- warriors who possessed power beyond that of mortals. This legacy has made Johnny Cage a star. More important, it will aid him in the battle to come."

Powers and abilities
Despite the behavior of a comedian, Johnny Cage is a strong and agile warrior, showing an excellent fighting technique during a battle. Due to the long period of training with many masters of martial arts, Cage mastered several fighting styles, like the famous Karate.

Human as he may be, Johnny Cage is not at a loss of superhuman powers. Due to his Mediterranean heritage, Cage appears to specialize in the shadow attributes, similar to Noob Saibot. By using this attribute, he is able to propel himself forward and increase the strength of his blows. When using this power, he leaves green-colored afterimages in his wake. He can further increase these shadow attacks if need be, which is represented by red afterimages. He also has the ability to throw concussive green blasts of energy.

Signature moves

 * Shadow Kick: Cage would slide across the floor with one foot at a steady speed connecting with a kick to the torso of his opponent with the other one. (MK)
 * Green Shadow Kick: Improving on the speed of his Shadow Kick, he would move faster, and leave a green trail. In MK 2011 the move is once again Shadow Kick, however he keeps the green trail. (MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM, MK:DA, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * Red Shadow Kick: The fastest version of the move, which leaves a red trail. This is the enhanced version of the Shadow Kick in MK 2011 and is called Eclipse Kick, and has increased range and damage, together with Johnny saying Cage! after the move is done. (MKT, MK4, MKG, MK 2011)
 * Green Bolt: His original fireball traveled straight across the screen. (MK)
 * Plasmic Fireball: This fireball curved upwards, and would remain Cage's standard projectile. In Deadly Alliance the screen shakes if the projectile hit the opponent, while in Armageddon the screen will not shake. In MK 2011 this is called a Forceball and can have a high arc or low arc. (MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:SM, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced versions are Double Low ball and Double High ball. On either one of these, Johnny fires a second ball in a straight direction at his opponent.
 * High Green Orb: A higher version of the curved fireball. (MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK 2011)
 * Triple Green Orb: Johnny shoots 3 low green orbs one after another. (MK:SM)
 * [[Image:Johnny_Cage's_nut_cracker.jpg|thumb|250px|Johnny Cage's Nut Breaker]]Nut Breaker: One of Cage's most memorable moves where he does the splits and punches the opponent in the groin. This only worked on male fighters. Available in both Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks and Mortal Kombat (2011), it can be performed on both male fighters and female fighters. In MK 2011 it is called Nut Punch. (MK, MKII, MK4, MKG, MK:SM, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Nutcracker and turns Cage's fist green with energy.
 * Green Shadow Uppercut: Cage would leap into the air and deliver an uppercut with his elbow which launched his foe into the air, leaving a green trail. In MK 2011 Cage uses this move as his Breaker attack. (MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK 2011)
 * Red Shadow Uppercut: A faster version of the move, which leaves a red trail. In MK 2011, this move is done after the Ultra Flipkick. (MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM, MK 2011)
 * Sliding Uppercut: A new move given to Cage had him do the split and rise up in the air delivering an uppercut to the opponent (this may resemble the "Shadow Uppercut" and the "Split Punch" combined). (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Flipkick: Cage does a somersault kick that launches his foe into the air, leaving a green trail. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Ultra Flipkick and leaves red trail, as well as following up with a Red Shadow Uppercut.
 * X-Ray Move - Ball Buster: Cage taunts his opponent. If, during this time, they attack him, he parries them and performs a triple Split Punch in the opponent's groin area. As they double up, he jumps and then slams his elbow on their back, dealing damage to their spine. (MK 2011)

Fatalities

 * Deadly Uppercut: Johnny Cage delivers a savage uppercut that tears his opponent's head off. A glitch allowed the fatality to be performed multiple times in MK. (MK, MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
 * Torso Rip: Johnny Cage grabs his enemy around the torso and rips their torso off, and throws it to the ground. (MKII, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
 * Triple Punch Decapitation: A bizarre fatality in which Cage performs his uppercut fatality, only instead of one head, Cage knocks off three. Most likely done in parody of a glitch discovered in the first Mortal Kombat game, where Johnny Cage could knock off multiple heads in his fatality. (MKII, MKT)
 * Torso Kick: Johnny Cage begins to smoke, right before he performs a Shadow Kick that tears the opponent's torso off. The severed head then falls on what remains of the enemy. (MKT)
 * Backbuster: Cage would lift his opponent over his head and then bend them over his shoulders causing the opponent to explode into pieces. Only available in the CD versions of the game. (MKT)
 * Brain Rip: Cage thrusts his hand through the enemy's head and pulls out their brain. (MK:DA)
 * Forceful Shadow Kick: Cage performs a Shadow Kick strong enough for his foot to penetrate the enemy's flesh. Only available in the SNES version of Mortal Kombat. (MK, MK:SM)
 * Nut Buster: Cage performs his groin strike move, only takes it a step further by continuing to assault his opponent's genitals with a series of punches until with one final blow, he punches the enemy in half. (MK:SM)
 * Heads Up: Cage uppercuts his opponent's head off, then he finishes by ripping off their torso and throwing it to the ground as the head bounces up then he catches the head. (MK 2011)
 * And The Winner Is...: Johnny Cage karate chops the opponent's head in half and takes out a trophy. He then says, "And the award goes to..." and plants the trophy in between the two chopped halves of the opponent's head. Then while the announcer says "Johnny Cage Wins." Johnny pushes the opponent, making them fall to the ground. For unknown reasons, Johnny does not plant the trophy in Kratos' head, as Kratos simply falls backwards when he gets his head split. (MK 2011)

Other finishers

 * Friendship: Autograph: Johnny Cage signs a photo of himself stating: "To My Greatest Fan! Cage" (MKII, MKT)
 * Animality: Hyper Kangaroo Kick: Cage turns into a kangaroo and kicks his opponent off screen. (MKT)
 * Babality: Johnny Cage takes a pencil and paper and draws on it. The wind then blows the paper, making it land on the screen with the paper having a picture of himself and a few words saying, "To My Best Fan! Johnny Cage." which is most likely an homage to his Friendship in earlier games, see above. (MK 2011)

Endings

 * Ecagend2.gifMortal Kombat (Semi-canonical): "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. He returns to Hollywood after defending his new title as Grand Champion. Cage goes on to film Mortal Kombat: The Movie and it's many successful sequels."
 * Cageend4.gifMortal Kombat II (Semi-canonical): "After disappearing from the set of his latest movie, Cage finally resurfaces. He used all his knowledge and experiences as a fighter to end the Outworld menace. Now heralded as a hero, Cage receives the respect he rightfully deserves. He also gets his inspiration for the sequel to his blockbuster movie, Mortal Kombat. MKII is released and quickly becomes the greatest motion picture event of all time. Cage realizes that MKIII is inevitable."
 * Mortal Kombat Trilogy:"With his nearly deceased soul restored, Johnny Cage finds himself fighting alongside his friends once again. This time he seeks revenge against the extermination squad that took his life. But during their battle, Cage learns that if they win against Kahn, his soul will again be deceased when Earth reverts back to normal. Knowing this, the movie star embarks on a one way mission to destroy Shao Kahn. His determination fuels his fellow warriors as they embark on one final onslaught against the evil emperor. The Earth warriors emerge victorious and when the realms revert to their normal state, Cage bids farewell to his comrades as his soul leaves to a higher place."
 * thumb|250px|right|Johnny Cage's ending in MK4Mortal Kombat 4:
 * (murmurs in an unseen theater audience. Johnny Cage comes on stage with an award in his hand. The crowd cheers.)


 * Johnny Cage: Wow! I don't know what to say! I guess I can start by thanking all my fans out there! (more cheers) Well, that's enough of the mushy stuff. I mean, let's get real here, huh? When am I gonna get some real competition? (awkward silence) C'mon! Don't get silent now! Where are the cheers? (crowd starts booing him) Hey, wait a minute! I'm your number one guy! I'm gonna remember this-- (crowd starts throwing things at Johnny) Ow! Okay, now I'm mad-- Hey, c'mon, quit it! Ow! I saw that, Arnold! Hey, cut it out! (Johnny keeps being assaulted by the still-booing crowd)


 * Deadly Alliance (Semi-canonical): "Upset by the way his adventures had been portrayed in the past, Johnny Cage found a loophole in his contract and left MCM studios during the production of "Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage". He then used his own money to fund the production of his next movie, which is rumored to be the true story of his latest adventures in Outworld. "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance" broke all records in its first weekend in theaters, and made Johnny Cage extremely wealthy. The movie told the true story of how Johnny Cage single handedly saved the world from the threat of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung's deadly alliance."
 * Armageddon (Non-canonical): "Johnny Cage defeated Blaze, and the power of the gods rushed through him. He gained superior strength and dexterity, but more important, a new insight into his existence. With the help of Shaolin masters, he renounced his superficial former life and became enlightened."
 * thumb|250pxMortal Kombat (2011): "As the last remnants of Shao Kahn disintegrated, Johnny felt strange, as if he had lost control of his body. Suddenly, powerful energy burst forth, destroying everything around him. Johnny sought the aid of Raiden and Nightwolf, but their efforts did nothing to stop these random spasms of destruction. Desperate, Raiden transported Johnny to Seido, the Realm of Order, where he could be taught to control his power. Johnny Cage will transform into a warrior powerful beyond mortal imagining."

Mortal Kombat
Johnny Cage was portrayed by Linden Ashby in the first Mortal Kombat movie. In the film, he caused the death of Goro, avenging the death of a fellow fighter named Art Lean. Before doing so, he fought Scorpion too, and won. The film also took a page from Malibu's 1994-1995 MK comic book adaptations by starting his love interest with Sonya. As a homage to his Friendship in MKII, he left behind an autographed picture of himself after he defeated Scorpion.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Chris Conrad played Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He makes a brief cameo appearance in the opening scene, in which he successfully saves Sonya Blade from certain death at the hands of Shao Kahn, only to be quickly slain by him himself.

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
Matt Mullins plays Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. Similar to his game counterpart, he is a movie star whose career goes dry. Then in the following events, he begins a career as a secret agent. He is then hired by Jax and Sonya Blade to get info on Baraka. After a brutal fight, Johnny is laying on the floor and Baraka decapitates him.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy


Matt Mullins reprises the role of Johnny Cage in the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In the third episode of the series, Johnny Cage is an action star fallen in disgrace, who's dropped by his producers who, after refusing two of his proposals for a show, declare that the audience is interested in action movies no more. Moments later, Johnny finds out that the two are using his ideas for the show to launch an actress: enraged, he violently beats one of the producers and some security agents. Leaving the studios, he's approached by Shang Tsung, who stops time and proposes him to change his life forever.

Mortal Kombat (film)

 * "Where d'ya get these guys?! And the press says I don't know how to do this?!"
 * "Do I look like your travel agent?"
 * "Y'know, when a woman looks at you like that...it usually means something."
 * "A little tournament, he said. Good for the career, he said. Yeah right..."
 * "This is our tournament, remember? Mortal Kombat. We fight it."
 * "Those were 500 dollar sunglasses, asshole."

Mortal Kombat (2011)

 * "Alright! It's show time!"
 * 'Money Shot!'
 * "Damn I'm good."
 * "That's it? Ha ha!"
 * "Here it comes!"
 * "Watch this!"
 * "He got Cage'd!"
 * "I'm so pretty!"
 * "What? "Massive Strike"? "Citizen Cage"? "Ninja Mime?"... None of those ring a bell?"
 * "And I'm taking you down! I'm taking you down! I'm taking you out! I'm taking you out! And I'm taking you out...for dinner."
 * "Man I LOVE those blades!"
 * "Finish him? Yeah, right!"
 * "Look guys, I'm an actor! I save the world for the cameras. If this emperor is really a threat, call the military. Me? I got a date with a blonde. Ciao!"
 * "Need help? I specialize in rescuing damsels in distress."
 * "Step away from the lady!"
 * "Fans think my moves are all wire works and special effects... Truth is... I AM the special effects!"
 * "YEAH! Throw that on your... barby... Shrimp..."
 * "Hey, looks like you found 'im. S'up, Sarge?"''
 * "What should we do besides standing around looking pretty?"
 * "Ready for your beatdown, Sunshine?"
 * "What's a Goro?"
 * "The wrestler guy with a cow skull on his head?"
 * "Maybe you could try for even nearer next time?"
 * "So what's the deal with you and Sonya, anyway? She is smokin' hot..."
 * "He was busy hitting me in the face."
 * "Um... Rai-dude..."
 * "Sub-Zero? Call me crazy with a K... but didn't we see him die?"
 * "You couldn't've seen that in one o' your hot flashes?"
 * "What's Raiden got that I haven't got?
 * "Sure, let's go ruin someone else's life."

Original Timeline

 * Hollywood movie star, trained by great masters around the world.
 * Entered Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat tournament.
 * Ally of Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya, Raiden, Kitana, Jax, and Sub-Zero.
 * Fought Goro at the end of the first tournament, alongside Sonya and Kano.
 * Arch nemesis of Goro.
 * Attacked by Kitana, Mileena, Baraka, Shang Tsung, Jade, and Kintaro in Mortal Kombat II. Jax arrives and helps him.
 * Entered Shao Kahn's Tournament in Outworld.
 * Killed by Shao Kahn's squad during Kahn's invasion on Earthrealm.
 * Cheated death and joined the Earth Warriors to fight Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
 * Joined the Earthrealm warriors to fight Shinnok in Mortal Kombat 4.
 * Employed Mokap to do some motion capture for the movie.
 * Joined Raiden's forces to fight the Deadly Alliance.
 * Killed by Baraka's Tarkatan hordes.
 * Revived by Onaga to serve him.
 * Freed from Onaga's spell by Ermac and Spirit Liu Kang.
 * Received strange visions about the former Elder God, Shinnok.
 * Investigates his visions, who leads him to Shinnok's new plan.
 * Attacked Shinnok before Armageddon.
 * Gathered the Forces of Light to fight Shinnok's forces.
 * Joined the Forces of Light in the last battle in Armageddon.
 * Killed in Armageddon.

Alternate Timeline

 * Entered the Mortal Kombat tournament.Reptile_defeated.png
 * Was the first contestant in the tournament and was pitted against Reptile.
 * Defeated Reptile.
 * Fought and defeated Baraka in the next match.
 * Prompted Sonya Blade into attacking him after insufferably flirting with her.
 * Bested Sonya in a fight.
 * Saved Sonya from an attack by Kano and defeated him in combat, earning Sonya's appreciation and respect in the process.
 * Joined Raiden's forces to protect Earthrealm.
 * Defeated by Cyrax and eliminated from the tournament.
 * Got into a fight with Jax Briggs while searching for Sonya.
 * Remained on Raiden's side during his quest.
 * Fought Kitana, alongside Smoke.
 * Entered Shao Kahn's tournament.
 * Defeated by Ermac.
 * Fought Motaro during the Earthrealm invasion, but the fight was interrupted by Raiden, who later killed Motaro.
 * Joined the Earthrealm Warriors to stop Shao Kahn.
 * Survived Sindel's attack along with Sonya.
 * Both he and Sonya attempted to fight Shao Kahn but were subdued.
 * Assisted Raiden to restore Earthrealm after Shao Kahn's demise.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy

 * Is a famous actor and martial artist.
 * His career goes dry.
 * Tried to regain his glory days making a new movie, but is ignored by the movie producers.
 * Attacked one of the producers and several of his bodyguards after discovering that his idea had been stolen.
 * Invited by Shang Tsung to participate in the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Movies

 * Trained and mentored by Master Boyd
 * Entered Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat tournament.
 * Ally of Liu Kang, Sonya and Kitana.
 * Fought and defeated Scorpion in the first movie.
 * Outsmarted and killed Goro in the first movie.
 * Killed by Shao Kahn after saving Sonya in the second movie.

Comics

 * Once trained with an actress named Lynn Kway.
 * Has a bodyguard named Bo.
 * Is romantically involved with Sonya.

Trivia
In general:
 * The original name for Cage was going to be Michael Grimm. It was changed during preproduction of MK.
 * Cage's "real name" came from Midway game programmer John Carlton, who worked on the popular NBA Jam arcade series.
 * Brandon Lee was originally cast as Johnny Cage in the film, but he died before filming began.
 * Gray Daniels, Tom Cruise, Ryan Reynolds and Johnny Depp were among some of the actors considered for the role in the film.
 * The name John Carlton was briefly mentioned in Johnny Cage's song from the Mortal Kombat album by the techno group "The Immortals"
 * Cage's body can be seen in the introduction of Mortal Kombat Deception, located on the beginning of the stairway which leads to the Soulnado chamber, along with the other fallen Earthrealm warriors.
 * Cage was the last character in the original MK to be given a Fatality. Until a last-minute brainstorm by co-creator John Tobias that later evolved into the Head Punch Fatality, he was simply going to throw his opponent across the screen as a finishing move.
 * In the first game, Cage was modeled after the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. The creators wanted Van Damme to be Johnny Cage in the first Mortal Kombat, but Van Damme was unable to due to his busy movie work. Johnny Cage's clothes in the first Mortal Kombat are almost identical to the clothes Van Damme wore in the last match in the 1988 movie Bloodsport and his split punch is taken directly from a move done by Van Damme in the movie.
 * The fictitious Johnny Cage film "Ninja Mime" is most likely inspired by the opening scenes from the action film "The Quest" which the hero, dressed like a mime, evades authorities using martial arts like moves. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme in the lead role, which whom Johnny Cage is based on.
 * Cage was the only character in the original MK who did not have a past history with any of the other characters.
 * In early arcade test versions of MKII, the word "Otomix" appeared on Cage's pants (they were worn by actor Daniel Pesina during filming), but was omitted in subsequent chip upgrades. Otomix is an established supplier of martial arts and athletic wear.
 * The Red Shadow Kick, and Red Shadow Uppercut special moves happened randomly in Mortal Kombat II. In Mortal Kombat 4, and Mortal Kombat Gold, selecting Player 2's outfit would cause the moves to have red shadow properties, rather than green. In MK 2011, the red shadow properties return as powered up versions of Cage's original green shadow attacks.
 * Cage was cut from the Game Boy version of MK due to memory constraints. He was also the only character from the first MK game who did not appear in Jeff Rovin's non-canon 1995 novel.
 * Cage was exclusively recreated for Mortal Kombat Trilogy because Daniel Pesina was fired by Midway after appearing in an ad for the arcade game BloodStorm dressed as Cage, and thus his MKII sprite wasn't used. He was replaced by Chris Alexander.
 * Also in the film, after Cage defeats Scorpion, a headshot photo signed 'To my greatest fan' lands in the debris, a nod to his Friendship finishing move in Mortal Kombat II.
 * Some think that Johnny had defeated Goro in the first Mortal Kombat tournament (most likely due to the movie). However in the videogame storyline it was Liu Kang who had defeated Goro in the tournament. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, there is another fight between Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Goro, in which Johnny intervenes and finishes off Goro. This is a homage to the film.
 * According to some of the extras in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, his official biographies, the official comics, the officially-released "Johnny Cage: In Your Face" video, Mortal Kombat Rebirth, and Mortal Kombat Legacy Johnny Cage has starred in the following movies:
 * Ninja Mime (a box office flop in America, but a cult classic in France; Cyrax loathed this film)
 * Dragon Fist
 * Dragon Fist 2
 * Son of Dragon Fist
 * HWAAAAA!! (according to MK:DA, it won an Oscar)
 * Sudden Violence (Said to be award-winning)
 * Aquatic Assault
 * Exiting the Dragon of Death (opposite Hong Kong action star Channie Jack, a spoof of Jackie Chan)
 * 7 Poisons
 * Cage Match
 * The Gist of my Fist
 * 24 Karate Gold
 * Who's That?
 * Wu Shu (a TV series)
 * Mortal Kombat
 * Mortal Kombat II
 * Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
 * Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage (cancelled)
 * Caged Rage
 * Every Dog Has Its Day
 * Massive Strike
 * Iron Claw
 * Time Smashers
 * Citizen Cage (a spoof of Citizen Kane)
 * Tommy Scissorfists (a spoof of Edward Scissorhands)
 * Fight Dirty
 * World's Most Wanted
 * Power Rangers (A T.V. series)
 * You Got Caged (2 pilots not picked up by the network)
 * Pirates of the Outworld Demons (a spoof of Pirates of the Caribbean)
 * Stryker: I Was Doing My Job as Kurtis Stryker (as of Stryker's MK 2011 ending) (cancelled by Stryker)


 * He also appeared on Celebrity SMASH TV (as a result, Smash TV and the Mortal Kombat series are both portrayed as occurring in the same fictional universe). He won the episode he was in, and donated his winnings to charity.
 * Cage is the comic relief character of Mortal Kombat (claimed in a bonus item in the Mortal Kombat: Deception double pack).
 * Though Mortal Kombat is notorious for replacing the letter "c" with "k", Cage is an exception. It's probably more than coincidence that Kage (影, pronounced "ka-ge") in japanese means shadow, and Johnny Cage is the master of many "shadow" move techniques.
 * In Unreal Championship 2, Raiden will occasionally taunt his opponent by stating that they "fight like Johnny Cage!".
 * His MKII ending showed him battling Shao Kahn on the big screen.
 * The movie poster seen during Cage's ending in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance featured both himself as the main character, standing in the forefront, and several other characters, including Sonya as his romantic interest, as well as Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Scorpion, and Moloch as antagonists.
 * Reportedly, John Vogel did not like Cage's storyline in Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Mortal Kombat 4, and Cage's Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance bio can be viewed as retconning this, with Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage explaining away - and mocking - his repeated death and revival during Trilogy and MK4. Fan reaction to this intent has been mixed; some like the loss of another "resurrection" storyline, but others feel the retcon destroys what was perceived as a refreshing change of pace for Cage's otherwise stilted storyline. Others do not view this as a retcon at all, as it would directly contradict his story screens in Trilogy and MK4 and therefore make them canonical. To these fans, the references to The Death of Johnny Cage movie therefore take on a more satirical aspect. This debate was put to rest in MK 2011, as one of the visions Raiden receives from his future self is Johnny being slain by Motaro, confirming the resurrection storyline as canon in the unchanged storyline.
 * A glitch in MK makes Johnny Cage's Uppercut, if performed quick enough, knock off a phantom head of the opponent, though this can be only done on Kano, Sub-Zero and Scorpion. In MKII this became an actual fatality, but this time Johnny Cage uppercuts three heads off.
 * Originally he used a variant of Mileena's X-Ray Move before it was changed to his infamous "Split Punch".
 * He is the character who has died and resurrected the most times in the series.
 * Cage is the first playable character in MK 2011´s story mode.
 * He is one of only two known survivors of the Earthrealm fighters in the MK 2011 story mode, the other being Sonya.
 * Cage is the only character in MK 2011 whose X-Ray move is a counter as opposed to be a direct damage attack like the rest of the characters.
 * MK 2011 is the first game to give an explanation for Johnny's shadow abilities, with him being descended from a mediterranean cult who bred warriors for the gods with special abilities.
 * If Johnny Cage performs his And the winner is... Fatality on Kratos, for some odd reason he will not get a trophy planted in his head. This may be an error, or just because he is a guest character.

Gallery
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