Johnny Cage

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Johnny Cage is the stage name of John Carlton, a video game character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

[edit] About Johnny Cage

Johnny Cage is a movie star who is a master at martial arts. Although he is a primary character, he's more of a stab at comic relief in contrast to the stoicism of Liu Kang. He jokes around a lot and can be a little full of himself every now and then. Nevertheless, his skills are nothing to joke about, and he is a good friend to Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and particularly Sonya Blade, whom he is known to possibly have a relationship with.

In interviews during the development of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks it was stated by Ed Boon and several other staff members that Cage is indeed considered the comic relief character of Mortal Kombat. This is also noticeable throughout the series as Cage as often been the root of many jokes by the team working on the series (such his MK4 ending and his storyline in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance).

[edit] Storyline

Johnny was derided by film critics and the movie-going public for using special effects and wires for his fights. Unknown to them, his Shadow Kick and Force Ball were not effects; he actually performed those supernatural feats. To prove it to the world, he entered the Mortal Kombat tournament. During the final battle between Liu Kang and Shang Tsung, he teamed up with Sonya and Kano to fight Goro near the pit. When Shang Tsung's island fortress began to crumble because of his defeat to Liu Kang, Raiden saved Johnny and dropped him off at a boat that belonged to the Special Forces Agency near the island. He then met Jax and was interrogated by him on the whereabouts of Sonya. Johnny told him everything he knew, from the tournament to Sonya's whereabouts but Jax didn't believe any of it. After Johnny was set free he made the movie Mortal Kombat based on his experiences, which revived his then-failing career.

Not long after that, Johnny was attacked while shooting a commercial by a revitalized Shang Tsung, Kintaro, Baraka, Kitana and Mileena. Luckily for him, Jax arrived and tried to help him. They were later joined by the other Earthrealm warriors to help fight the horde off. He then traveled into Outworld with his friends for Mortal Kombat, eventually Liu Kang challenged the emperor, proving again he was the true champion of Mortal Kombat, Kang beat Kahn within inches of his life. Defeated, Kahn ordered his forces to kill the Earth warriors. Johnny’s comrades were fortunate to make their way back to earthrealm, Cage however was caught by one of Shao Kahn’s extermination squads and killed

When Shao Kahn invaded Earthrealm by way of a loophole involving having his deceased Queen Sindel reincarnated on Earth in Mortal Kombat 3, Cage, due to the merger of the realms blocking his ascent into the Heavens, was one of the chosen warriors whose soul was protected by Raiden. Like the other chosen warriors, he became a target for Kahn's Extermination Squads yet again.

After Shao Kahn’s defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Johnny’s soul was free to leave to a higher place. It is around this time Johnny Cage’s biggest hit, Mortal Kombat II, is released. Perhaps Johnny stuck around on earthrealm long enough to shoot another film or was it merely a gift from the heavens? Either way Johnny watched from the heavens as the events of Mortal Kombat 4 unfolded. The fallen Elder God Shinnok attacked Earthrealm. Johnny Cage sought out Raiden so that he could restore his deceased soul and fight along side Liu Kang once more and help defeat Shinnok. After the defeat of Shinnok, it appeared as though Raiden’s revival of Cage was permanent as he did not ascend back to the heavens but instead remained on Earth and filmed another movie, but after receiving an award, he opened his big mouth and received the proverbial vegetable thrown at him by film critics.

Years later, in the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Johnny Cage went on to film Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage, in which he was repeatedly killed and brought back to life. Upset at the way he was being portrayed, believing his own adventures were far more entertaining, he wanted out of the movie but he couldn't due to his contract.

Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II

But as luck would have it, he was approached by Raiden, who asked him to help fight the Deadly Alliance of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. At first, Johnny thought it was the actor who played Raiden, but when he saw the actor eating lunch, he realized it was the real Raiden, who told him to go to Shang Tsung's island for further instructions. He found a loophole in his contract and left the movie. He would then use this new adventure to make his own movie. Arriving on the island by way of parachute, he learned of Liu Kang's tragic death and went to Outworld to help his friends.

In Mortal Kombat: Deception, Cage was killed during the final assault on the Deadly Alliance (He, Sonya, Kung Lao, Kitana, and Jax were overwhelmed by the Deadly Alliance's Tarkartan warriors). Soon afterward, he was resurrected by Onaga and made into his slave.

In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Johnny Cage is released from Onaga's control, though no explanation is given as to how it happens. Ermac's Deception Ending, which shows him and Liu Kang's spirit being successful in rescuing the slaved Earthrealm warriors, is generally accepted as the possible explanation, though no official word has been made as to whether this is true or not.

Cage's bio for Mortal Kombat: Armageddon tells of his worries about the future. Since Liu Kang had died, and Raiden was now following his own personal agenda, the warriors who have long battled against the forces of darkness didn't seem to have a leader anymore. Some time later, Cage began to receive visions of Shinnok, who was coming up with a plan and giving commands to his minions. Cage decided to find out what was going on, by visiting the locations that he saw in his visions. He found evidence that Shinnok had been to these places, and eventually found Shinnok himself at Shang Tsung's island fortress. Communicating via a portal, Shinnok was speaking to Quan Chi, commanding him to gather their forces and take control of Shao Kahn's Outword fortress. Once the portal disappeared, Cage approached Shinnok, and the former Elder God attempted to use his powers against him. Cage evaded Shinnok's attacks, and even managed to overpower him. Shinnok retreated by vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Now that Cage knew something about Shinnok's schemes, and with no-one else to lead an assault, he took it upon himself to gather his allies and plan a course of action.^[1]

In his Armageddon ending, after defeating Blaze and gaining godlike powers, Johnny Cage gives up his superficial life for a life of enlightenment.^[2]

[edit] Movie career

As a movie star, Johnny Cage's career consists of many successful (and apparently non-successful) films. According to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, his official biographies, and a movie poster that can be seen in the Subway background in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Johnny Cage has starred in:

• Ninja Mime (a box office flop in America, but a cult classic in France; Cyrax loathed this movie)
• Dragon Fist
• Dragon Fist 2
• Son of Dragon Fist
• HWAAAAA!! (won an Oscar)
• Sudden Violence
• Aquatic Assault
• Exiting the Dragon of Death (opposite Hong Kong action star Channie Jack, a spoof of Jackie Chan)
• 7 Poisons (a take on the Shaw Brother's classic "Five Deadly Venoms")
• Cage Match
• The Gist of my Fist
• 24 Karate Gold
• Caged Rage (a poster of this movie can be seen in the Subway stage in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon)
• Who's That?
• Iron Claw
• Massive Strike
• Wu Shu (a TV series)
• Mortal Kombat
• Mortal Kombat II (Broke box office records)
• Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage (Never finished)
• Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (Possibly Non-Canon, as the canon ending of Deadly Alliance had Johnny Cage die)
• Every Dog Has His Day (Non-Canon, was only depicted in the MK Comics by Malibu, in which he also got Sonya Blade an acting bit).

[edit] Combat characteristics

[edit] Signature moves

• Green Orb / Plasmic Fireball: Cage throws a green fireball into the air, which leaps in the air before curving down towards the ground, if doesn't hit the opponent. In the games preceding Deadly Alliance, this move had a variation, in which Cage sends the fireball to a higher distance. (MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:SM)
• Shadow Kick: Cage would slide across the floor, connecting with a kick to the torso of his opponent. As its name implied, he left a trailing image of himself. However in Deadly Alliance and Armageddon he just leaves a trail of green behind him. (MK, MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM, MK:DA, MK:A)
• Split Punch / Sliding Uppercut: One of Cage's most memorable moves where he does the splits and punches the opponent in the groin. This only worked on male fighters, except in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, where he is able to do the move on Kitana. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and Mortal Kombat Armageddon Cage can do a modified version of this when instead of punching the groin, he rises up with a surprise uppercut with his punching arm is glowing green. (MK, MKII, MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:SM, MK:A)
• Shadow Uppercut: Cage would leap into the air and deliver an uppercut which launched his foe into the air. (MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)

[edit] Recurring fatalities

• Decapitation: Johnny Cage delivers a savage uppercut that tears his opponent's head off. A glitch allowed the fatality to be performed multiple times in MK, while in MKII the multiple decapitation was a legitimate, joke finishing move (achieved by holding a certain button combination, after performing the regular decapitation fatality). (MK, MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
• Torso Rip: Johnny Cage grabs his enemy around the waist, rips their upper body from their lower, and throws it to the ground. (MKII, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)

[edit] Appearances in other media

[edit] Film

Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat.

Johnny Cage was portrayed by Linden Ashby in the first Mortal Kombat movie. In the movie, he fought and defeated Scorpion and later killed Goro (after a scene in which he crushes Johnny's $500 sunglasses and Cage retorts with a Split Punch). The movie also took a page from the MK comics produced during the 1992-1993 years by Malibu by starting his love interest with Sonya, which was later imported to the games (his ending in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance seems to be the most indicative of this). It is interesting to note that, even though Johnny enters the tournament to prove he is not a hoax, in both movies he always tries to do his Shadow Kick but it always gets interrupted. In the first movie, he does his Shadow Kick (or, more accurately, Shadow Jump Kick) with his fight with Scorpion, who interrupts it by transporting them to Scorpion's lair. In the second movie, Johnny tries to save Sonya from Kahn by performing a Shadow Kick but Johnny is then punched and thrown to the ground. The only move from the game that he uses is the Split Punch, applied to Goro at the beginning of their fight. There's also a nod to his MK2 Friendship move: after Johnny defeats Scorpion, an autographed photo of him falls in the fire resultant of Scorpion's explosion.

He appeared briefly in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, in which he was played by Chris Conrad (The Next Karate Kid) and killed by Shao Kahn in the first five minutes. Interestingly, Cage is seen removing his sunglasses as he first appears onscreen, despite the fact that they were crushed by Goro in the previous movie.

[edit] Comic books

Johnny Cage is one of the main good characters in the Malibu Comics series. His portrayal in the comics is faithful to the games, keeping both his desire to prove his moves are real and his personality traits. He appears during the whole Blood & Thunder series, most of the time alongside Sonya (from which the comics hints at a relation). His most serious moment is during issue 4 when he, under Raiden's advice, decides to not seek the power of the Tao Te Zhan since that would be like faking his moves in the set.

During the second series, Battlewave, he is seen returning to his actor career when Sonya asks him to help on an investigation after Jax was brutally attacked. At first he refuses due to his busy life, but later reconsiders what's important and decides to follow with Jax into the Outworld. In the comics he also has a muscle-bound bodyguard, Bo, which he sent to protect Liu Kang.

[edit] Character Development

The original name for Cage was going to be Michael Grimm. It was changed during preproduction of MK. Cage's "real name" came from Midway game artist John Carlton, who worked on the popular NBA Jam arcade series.

In the first game, Cage was modelled after the Belgian actor Jean Claude Van Damme. His character is loosely based around Van Damme's Portrayal of Dux Ryu Ninjutsu founder Frank Dux in the 1988 movie Bloodsport. This is apparent in more than one way as Cage's outfit in the first MK is nearly identical to the one used by Van Damme in the last fight of the movie. Also, his split punch is taken from an actual scene in the movie.

Cage was the lone character in the original MK who did not have a past history with any of the other characters. Though not determined, his lack of storyline may likely have played a part in his omission from several MK side projects.

[edit] Game Information

Cage was the last character in the original MK to be given a Fatality. Until a last-minute brainstorm by co-creator John Tobias that later evolved into the Head Punch Fatality, he was simply going to throw his opponent across the screen as a finishing move.

He was also the only one character in MK2 who has two different images in his profile and versus screen.

Cage was left out from the Game Boy version of MK, MK2, MK4 and MK:DA due to memory constraints.

In early arcade test versions of MKII, the word "Otomix" appeared on Cage's pants (they were worn by actor Daniel Pesina during filming), but was omitted in subsequent chip upgrades. Otomix is an actual established supplier of martial arts and athletic wear. [1] [2] [3]

The Red Shadow Kick special move occurred randomly in MKII. In MKT the Red Shadow Kick is a separate move from the Green Shadow Kick. In MK4 and MK Gold, selecting Player 2's outfit would cause the moves to have red shadow properties, rather than green. Also, in Shaolin Monks, Johnny Cage's shadow uppercut appeared red, oddly, while all of his other moves were green.

Cage was exclusively recreated for Mortal Kombat Trilogy due to the fact that Daniel Pesina was fired by Midway in 1994 after appearing in an ad for the arcade game BloodStorm dressed as Cage [4], and thus they couldn't use his MK2 sprite. He was replaced by Chris Alexander.

One of Cyrax's Konquest missions in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance has him practicing moves against Johnny Cage, supposedly taking out his frustration over how much he hates Cage's films (especially Ninja Mime). One of the comments made in the instruction boxes is "Johnny Cage is not afraid to die", a line from the song about Cage, "Prepare Yourself" by The Immortals on Mortal Kombat: The Album.

In MK: Armageddon Johnny Cage and Goro are shown in one of the main menu screen, portraying them as rivals. But while all the other menu screens in the game have the evil/neutral character in the foreground and the good character in the background with full-body, Johnny Cage and Goro are shown the other way around. Interestingly, this seems to be the only one of the menu screens influenced by the first movie, as opposed to any in-game rivalry. In addition, Johnny Cage's main menu model is black short-haired, based on early games, but his in-game model is blonde, with longer hair and different sunglasses.

Reportedly, John Vogel did not like Cage's storyline in Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Mortal Kombat 4, and Cage's Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance bio can be viewed as retconning this, with Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage explaining away - and mocking - his repeated death and revival during Trilogy and MK4. Fan reaction to this intent has been mixed; some like the loss of another "resurrection" storyline, which is becoming increasingly common in the Mortal Kombat story, but others feel the retcon destroys what was perceived as a refreshing change of pace for Cage's otherwise stilted storyline (with Cage's death and subsequent semi-altruistic resurrections portraying him more compassionate and understanding of the gravity of the tournament, instead of simply using them as inspiration for more of his movies). Others do not view this as a retcon at all, as it would directly contradict his story screens in Trilogy and MK4 and cannot therefore be canonical. To these fans, the references to The Death of Johnny Cage movie therefore take on a more satirical aspect.

[edit] Other Appearances

According to his MK: Deadly Alliance Konquest mode, he appeared on Celebrity SMASH TV! (as a result, Smash TV and the Mortal Kombat series are both portrayed as occurring in the same fictional universe). He donated all of his winnings on the show to charity.

Cage appears in a sketch in the animated TV series, Robot Chicken along side another Mortal Kombat character Kano. The sketch shows Cage having his heart ripped out due to a fatality, his surgery to put his heart back into his chest, his recovery and his physiotherapy treatment. He then returns to have a rematch with Kano only to have his heart ripped out again.

[edit] Trivia

• He was the only character from the first MK game who did not appear in Jeff Rovin's non-canon 1995 novel, and the only one of the seven playable fighters in MK not to appear in the 1996 animated series.
• Some think that Johnny had defeated Goro in the first Mortal Kombat tournament (most likely due to the movie). However in the videogame storyline it was Liu Kang who had defeated Goro in the tournament. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, there is another fight between Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Goro, in which Johnny intervenes and finishes off Goro in a homage to the film. The official MK2 comic written by John Tobias also has Cage running into and fighting Goro alongside Kano and Sonya as they attempt to escape the then-crumbling island the tournament was held on. Despite this, Cage and Goro are often pictured together probably in homage to the film. In the last game, Mortal Kombat Armageddon, the random main menu shows Cage on the front of Goro. A promo image of Goro decapitating Johnny Cage was found on magazine covers and is an unlockable picture in Deadly Alliance's Krypt. Even the Mortal Kombat toyline included a Cage-Goro two-pack. [5]
• Though Mortal Kombat is notorious for replacing the letter "c" with "k," Cage is an exception. It's probably more than coincidence that Kage ("KAH-geh") in Japanese means shadow and Johnny Cage is the master of many "shadow" move techniques. It probably wasn't changed also due to the Virtua Fighter character named Kage-Maru, whose name would be pronounced by Americans like Cage. Nonetheless, his last name is pronounced like the kind of "Cage" one would keep an animal in.
• He can be seen in the prison stage in Mortal Kombat: Deception.
• He is mocked in one of Raiden's taunts in Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict - "You fight like Johnny Cage!".
• The movies Johnny Cage stars in that are based on the MK games portray Johnny as the one who defeated the villain, although he has never actually done so canonically.
• Johnny Cage was part of Jazwares.inc's third wave of Mortal Kombat action figures along with Kano, Noob Saibot and Reptile released just prior to the holiday season of 2006.
• In his Mortal Kombat 4 ending, when his "fans" throw various items at him, Johnny says: "Hey, I saw that, Arnold!" This could be a reference to actor Arnold Shwartzenegger.

[edit] References