With the new reboot of Mortal Kombat out in theatres and HBO Max, fans of the beloved video game series have the chance to see some of their favorite characters in a live-action adventure. The games are all about which characters are the best fighters, but the movie allows fans to see which are the most intelligent as well.

Still, given that it is a blood-and-guts video game movie, intelligence isn’t something that is the main focus. Indeed, some of these characters make very poor decisions and come off as dim-witted, but then there are others who use their minds to fight along with all the kicking and punching.

10 Kano

Along with being one of the secondary antagonists, Kano also serves as the comic relief for the movie. And a lot of the comedy seems to be based on how dumb he is. While he gets some good one-liners, Kano’s constant yammering just makes him sound like an ignorant idiot.

He is also seen making some pretty poor choices in the movie. From picking a fight with people he knows as super-powered to trusting that Sonya will pay him a large fortune to joining the bad guys who want to take over the world, his stupidity seems limitless.

9 Cole Young

Despite having so many interesting characters from the games to choose from, the movie makes the odd decision to create a new character to serve as the protagonist. Unfortunately, Cole has been seen by fans as not very interesting and clearly not the brightest hero on the team.

While it’s clear Cole is meant to be the audience’s surrogate to introduce the world of Mortal Kombat, however, it’s not very fun to see the main character just wandering around asking questions the entire movie. Even when he does snap into action, his plan to split the bad guys up and fight them one-on-one is what they had already been doing the entire movie.

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8 Jax

Jax is a character whose heroism seems to outweigh his intelligence at times. He is introduced as he saves Cole and his family from Sub-Zero, but when the powerful ninja catches up with them, Jax makes the baffling decision to fight Sub-Zero on his own when continuing to run would have been a lot smarter.

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After losing his arms, he is fitted with these hilariously tiny robotic ones that are hard not to laugh at. Yet he still thinks it would be a good idea to join the fight against super-strength warriors from another dimension.

7 Raiden

As the protector of Earth, Raiden is the most powerful ally on the good guys’ side. However, even with his amazing abilities, Raiden seems to think the best thing for him to do is to sit back and not really help in any way.

While he is kind enough to create a shield around his temple to prevent the bad guys from getting in, that is the extent of his helpfulness. He keeps saying that it is against the rules for him to get involved even though Shang Tsung keeps proving that the rules can be broken with zero consequences.

6 Liu Kang

Liu Kang is one of the better heroes in the story and a skilled fighter. He acts as a mentor of sorts for the other heroes and offers good advice in helping them realize their true potential. He would have seemed like a reasonably intelligent character if not for one strange choice.

When Shang Tsung and his minions are attacking, Tsung seizes Kung Lao and begins draining his soul. Liu runs to help his cousin but ends up just standing there watching the life literally sucked out of him. It could be that Liu knew he wasn’t powerful enough to take on Tsung, but as soon as Kung Lai is dead, he does try to do just that.

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5 Scorpion

Being one of the most famous characters from the games, it’s a bit surprising how little Scorpion appears in this movie, even if his character is integral to the plot. The movie opens with his origins, making him a sympathetic character and explains his quest for revenge.

However, given his limited screen time, it’s hard to determine how intelligent Scorpion really is. The fact that he is just a skilled fighter suggests he is intuitive and disciplined which speaks to his intelligence, but that’s the only indication given.

4 Sub-Zero

Though he is not the big bad of the story, Sub-Zero is the movie’s best villain, especially given his history with Scorpion. However, like Scorpion, he is mostly seen as a fighter which suggests some level of intelligence, but his character is not developed much beyond that.

However, he is not a mindless minion like some of the other villains. He is able to lure his enemies into traps and knows how to manipulate their emotions by going after their loved ones.

3 Kung Lao

Kung Lao is likely the best fighter among the heroes and a real asset to their team. Like Liu Kang, Kung Lao serves as a mentor for the newly recruited fighters, helping to prepare them for the upcoming battle. While he uses a tougher method of teaching than Liu Kang, he is also more effective.

He seems to know what motivates the fighters and is even able to get through to the hot-headed Kano. As a fighter, he is a patient and clever opponent. This can clearly be seen when he fights Nitara and delivers the movie’s only flawless victory.

2 Shang Tsung

It’s always interesting when the villain of the movie is one of the most intelligent characters. However, in the case of Shang Tsung, it is not that he is an evil genius but rather that he just uses better judgment than the heroes.

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While Raiden is a strict follower of the rules of Mortal Kombat, Shang Tsung seems to realize that there is nothing enforcing those rules. Rather than fight fair, he just plots to have all of Earth’s warriors killed before the tournament even begins. It might not be good sportsmanship, but it is clever.

1 Sonya Blade

It really feels like Sonya Blade should have been the main character of the movie as she is the most heroic, she has an underdog quality to her, and she is the most intelligent. Despite not being one of the chosen warriors for Mortal Kombat, Sonya manages to uncover the entire history of the tournament all on her own.

She also uses more practical thinking than many of the others, looking for helpful solutions rather than constantly asking questions.

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About The Author


Colin McCormick
(2026 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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