While everyone was still dissecting the first Mortal Kombat 2 trailer last week, a different kind of MK fight scene jumped in to steal the spotlight. Sure, the upcoming Warner Bros. sequel to the 2021 reboot delivers on fan-favorite elements, like more fatalities, game-accurate costumes, and Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) finally making an entrance. But fans noticed something else. Those quick-cut fight scenes weren’t fooling anyone. Urban (53) clearly isn’t pulling off his own stunts, and for a franchise built on brutal hand-to-hand combat, that stings a bit.
Enter Noah Fleder, swooping in like, well, a ninja out of a portal. The director has quietly dropped a new Mortal Kombat short series on Instagram, and this time, you’re watching actual martial artists tear into each other. No body doubles. No face-hiding edits. Just raw, clean, beautifully choreographed carnage.
The first short, simply titled EP 1, is a fight fan’s dream. It pits blind swordsman Kenshi Takahashi (played by Fleder himself) against Scorpion (played by none other than Chris Casamassa, who famously donned the yellow ninja suit back in 1995’s Mortal Kombat). Seeing Casamassa back in costume is nostalgia fuel for anyone who grew up on the original film.
The short kicks off with Scorpion stepping through a portal, facing down Kenshi. “Are you this realm’s protector?” Scorpion asks. Kenshi replies, “Somedays. Today I’m just a messenger. I’m here to tell you that this realm is not for conquering. Others have tried… Let’s just say, we’re still here. They’re not.” Then, Scorpion lets out his iconic “Get over here!” But in a slick twist, Kenshi throws his sword, intercepting the rope dart. Just as the two are about to clash, the clip ends. Brutal tease.
The best part is that fans are eating this up. “This is AMAZING!!! I’m seriously blown away by it all. You both did a spectacular job, can’t wait for the next episodes, 10000/10 hehe :)” wrote one fan. “Old meets new and it’s better than ever,” said another. One nostalgic viewer summed it up perfectly: “MIND BLOWN!!!! So good to see @chriscasamassa back in the suit in live-action. This is my childhood. And @noah_fleder still badass as usual, always doing awesome things! Thank you for making my day guys. Better yet, another two eps incoming!”
And yes, more is coming. Fleder confirmed EP 2 drops Wednesday and EP 3 on Friday. With reactions this positive, it’s hard not to wonder if Warner Bros. is paying attention. Imagine a full-blown Mortal Kombat series focusing on characters who aren’t central to the movies. With a massive roster of fighters in the MK universe, the possibilities are endless.
Would you rather watch perfectly choreographed martial artists who live and breathe this stuff or more actors pretending to fight with body doubles doing the heavy lifting? Exactly. This is the kind of content that deserves to be more than an Instagram teaser. Warner Bros., the ball’s in your court.
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