Mortal Kombat Already Told You How Kano Gets His Bionic Eye In The Sequel

Mortal Kombat 2 can align its canon for Kano’s eye with the source material, and the first movie has already laid the groundwork for how this can be achieved. 2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot movie included various key figures from the games, including Kano. However, the film made some divisive deviations from the established franchise lore regarding how Kano and the other characters got their abilities. Although Kano’s powers do match his game counterpart’s, the movie omitted an iconic aspect of the character’s design.

Kano is believed by many to be one of the best Mortal Kombat characters from the games, so it made sense to introduce him so soon as part of the Mortal Kombat cast. Despite the character’s fate in the first movie, Josh Lawson is returning to the franchise to once more embody the legendary character. As well as continuing Kano’s in-movie story arc, the upcoming sequel can also build on the foundations already laid for alterations made to the appearance of Lawson’s character.

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Every Fight In Mortal Kombat 2021

The Mortal Kombat franchise is defined by fights to the death; we list every match in the 2021 video game adaptation (and who won).

Kano’s Eye Was Destroyed At The End Of Mortal Kombat (2021)

Lawson’s character fell to Sonya Blade

Sonya Blade proved a worthy opponent for Kano, even after the latter developed his Arcana abilities. Of their various altercations throughout the first Mortal Kombat movie, Sonya always held her own. During their final face-off, Sonya didn’t just emerge victorious, she also managed to destroy Kano’s organic eye in the process. The eye that was pulverized by Sonya was responsible for imparting Kano’s laser powers onto his opponents, so it seems as if his Arcana has been rendered useless very soon after it manifested.

The introduction of Arcana to explain every character’s superhuman abilities was Mortal Kombat‘s most controversial lore change when compared to the games. In the source material, each character has a unique story to explain where their abilities come from. For Kano, he augmented himself with cybernetic enhancements in the games, so he could continue to face off against stronger and stronger opponents. Arcana bypasses this, meaning Kano’s laser eye in the movies comes about in a way that’s much different from the original story. The reworked canon also means Kano is missing other artificial upgrades.

Kano Will Be In Mortal Kombat 2 (Meaning He Needs A New Eye)

The Mortal Kombat sequel can correct the first movie’s biggest Kano mistake

When Sonya defeated Kano in the first movie, she inherited his mark. The transference of the dragon symbol only occurs when a champion is killed, so it may be surprising to consider that Kano will somehow return. However, the Mortal Kombat franchise has always treated death as a temporary condition, so Kano’s resurrection is nothing unusual. When Kano comes back, he’ll need to replace the eye he lost that made him so formidable. Thankfully, technology within the world of Mortal Kombat could be used to give Kano a cybernetic eye more akin to the one from the games.

Kano was already a capable fighter in the movie before finding his Arcana, so the laser eye was simply a bonus. Sonya destroying Kano’s original eye and forcing him to replace it with an artificial one means that Kano’s overall origin in the new movie adaption looks like it will very closely resemble his video game backstory. Kano’s loss of the dragon logo will presumably mean he can no longer fire a laser from his eyes himself, but a cybernetic replacement would negate that shortcoming. In short, Kano could be just as strong as he ever was.

Why Mortal Kombat 2’s Kano Return Is Great News

Kano is one of the best characters in the Mortal Kombat reboot so far

Josh Lawson’s Kano is one of the most compelling characters in Mortal Kombat. His fickle alignment with Cole Young and the other champions always looked to fall apart at any moment, given the nature of their interactions. By the time Kano switches sides, he knows Sonya’s fighting style very well, which is why their last battle in the first movie is so exciting. Now that Sonya has her own Arcana due to slaying Kano, he will be feeling especially vengeful. This quest for revenge will give other bouts between Kano and the other heroes more layers.

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Mortal Kombat 2’s Returning Characters Reveal The Sequel’s Biggest Advantage Over Other Franchises

Mortal Kombat 2 will have no shortage of returning characters, but there’s an interesting quirk in the universe’s canon that makes it even better.

In addition to the benefits of having Kano back for the sequel, the fact he returns at all is also good news for other characters who might meet their end. It was possible that the movies could have taken a more grounded approach to death than the games. However, Kano being able to rejoin the fight despite his death means there’s little risk of a character being ejected from the story for good. So, even if other figures are taken down in Mortal Kombat 2, Kano is living proof that the cast will only continue to grow in future sequels.

Mortal Kombat 2

The sequel to the Mortal Kombat 2021 film franchise reboot, Mortal Kombat 2, will follow the original cast and new faces as they prepare for the Mortal Kombat tournament. Cole Young and his allies will continue training and enlisting new warriors to prepare for the contest between Earthrealm and Outworld, which will determine the fate of humanity.

Director

Simon McQuoid

Cast

Martyn Ford , Desmond Chiam , Ana Thu Nguyen , Damon Herriman , Lewis Tan , Jessica McNamee , Josh Lawson , Tadanobu Asano , Mehcad Brooks , Ludi Lin , Karl Urban , Tati Gabrielle