Mortal Kombat 2 actors Kitana and Jade praise the film's female characters

Mortal Kombat 2 has a lot to prove. While the first movie didn't fare too badly with fans, there were some big complaints like the bizarre explanation of everyone's abilities and the inclusion of an original character over some favorites from the games.

Another point of contention is that it was a very dude movie. The only woman fighting for Earthrealm was Sonya Blade, and while there were a few other female characters, Mileena and Nitara fought for the villains. We didn't see much of them and they didn't interact much with Sonya at all.

Fortunately, that changes in Mortal Kombat 2. With Kitana, Jade, and Sindel joining the fray, it immediately expands the female cast. Even better, Kitana and Jade are best friends in the lore, sharing plenty of scenes together in the new movie. And as it turned out, it was a deliberate move on the part of the director.

Actors Kitana and Jade praise the inclusion of more female characters in Mortal Kombat 2

“I think it was very intentional to introduce some female characters in the second movie,” says Adeline Rudolph, who plays Kitano.

Co-star Tati Gabrielle, who plays Jade, agrees. She says director Simon McQuoid wanted to “not just bring in, but honor” the fighters from the Mortal Kombat franchise.

“[McQuoid is] to bring these female characters and show that they really fit into this world,” says Gabrielle. “They're not strangers in this world. They're just as strong and yet still just as vulnerable. Even in their vulnerability, they have strength. I think Simon took incredible care with that and supported that every step of the way.”

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The press conference for the film also touched on this. Here, Sonya Blade actress Jessica McNamee shared what it felt like to have more female characters in the sequel.

“I was relieved to find out there were more women in this,” she says. “I walked off the set of the first one and became a dude myself. It was so weird to come back from that job and put on heels. I was like, 'What is this?'

“There was such a different change on set, like the dynamic was completely different this time, just because it was so much more balanced.”

Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters on May 8.