Mortal Kombat brings a ton of classic video game characters back to the big screen, but one fighter was cut from the original script – Rain. The new movie primarily consists of characters from the first two MK games, like Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Scorpion (Tadanobu Asano), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), and Jax (Mehcad Brooks). Mortal Kombat is scheduled for release in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23.

First introduced in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Rain is an Edenian prince who can manipulate the weather to his will. His name, purple costume, and royal status are all homages to the musician Prince and his song “Purple Rain,” as MK co-creator Ed Boon was reportedly a big fan. Rain has appeared in numerous entries in the series since his debut, becoming one of the more popular characters introduced after the original Mortal Kombat 3.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

The original plan for the Mortal Kombat reboot film also included Rain. In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, director Simon McQuoid discussed screenwriter Greg Russo’s original script for the movie and revealed why Rain was ultimately cut. Rain was only written for one scene, which was deemed too expensive for the minor role he would have played in the story. McQuoid has been vocal about the film’s mission to tell an efficient, streamlined story, which required some tough calls from time to time. Read McQuoid’s full quote below.

[EXCLUSIVE] “There’s only one character that was early on who went by the wayside, just simply because they weren’t moving the story forward. The scene they were inside of was really expensive and not really helping in any way, and that was Rain. By just judging, you have to balance the pros and the cons. It wasn’t that anyone didn’t like him, it was just that how he was being brought about in that particular moment was just not buying enough bang for the buck.”

Admittedly, while Rain has been a part of the broader Mortal Kombat roster for some time, he’s never truly been one of the story’s key players. More established fighters like Liu Kang and Sub-Zero have always driven the narrative in the games, and the trimmed cast of the MK reboot should hopefully allow those core characters to develop more fully. McQuoid has promised a character-driven story led by Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s rivalry and by new protagonist Cole Young (Lewis Tan).

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The more glaring character exclusion in Mortal Kombat is Johnny Cage, who’s the only fighter from the original arcade game not appearing in the film. McQuoid and producer Todd Garner have both given strong explanations for Cage being left out, primarily citing his stark tonal differences from the other characters. Garner has said he fully intends to include Johnny Cage in a sequel if one gets made. Either way, the roster assembled for the Mortal Kombat reboot already has most of the games’ fiercest fighters.

Key Release Dates
  • Mortal Kombat (2021)Release date: Apr 23, 2021
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Rick Stevenson
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Rick Stevenson is a writer, editor and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s written on TV, film and games for over six years, in addition to assorted stints in bookselling, carpentry, and TV production. Rick studied writing at the College of William & Mary and Oxford University, and can report with some authority that they are both old. He lives and dies for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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