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NetherReam showed off Jean-Claude Van Damme in a new Mortal Kombat 1 trailer. The veteran martial artist and movie star will be appearing as a skin for Johnny Cage. The skin will be available as part of the Premium Edition of the game.
The appearance of Jean-Claude Van Damme in Mortal Kombat 1 was first revealed at Summer Game Fest 2023. Series creator Ed Boon announced Van Damme’s appearance on stage in conversation with Geoff Keighley, but this is the first we have seen of him in actual gameplay.
Jean-Claude Van Damme has a history with the Mortal Kombat franchise. The original team at Midway originally planned on making a game based on Universal Soldier, it felt apart due to Van Damme’s unavailability. When the project became Mortal Kombat, Ed Boon used Van Damme as inspiration for Johnny Cage. With Van Damme now playing the character, the inspiration has come full circle.
It’s not the first time Jean-Claude Van Damme has appeared in a major fighting game franchise. He infamously appeared as Guile in the 1994 Street Fighter movie adaption, alongside Raul Julia and Kylie Minogue. He was also digitised for the tie-in video game, Street Fighter: The Movie.
He is also not the only Hollywood star set to make an appearance in Mortal Kombat 1. Megan Fox was recently confirmed to be the voice and likeness for Nitara.
Mortal Kombat 1 will be released on September 14, 2023 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.
