Johnny Cage

"I make this look easy!"

- Johnny Cage's Battle Cry in Mortal Kombat (2011). Johnny Cage is a martial arts movie star and a hero from the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games.

Mortal Kombat
Johnny Cage was a martial artist trained by masters the world over, but was looked down on by film critics and the movie-going public for using special effects and wires in the fight scenes of his movies. However, Cage's signature Shadow Ball and Shadow Kick techniques were real feats that he performed, not special effects. In order to prove that he was a real fighter, he entered the Mortal Kombat Tournament. While Liu Kang and Shang Tsung faced off in their final battle, Cage joined forces with Sonya Blade and Kano to fight against Goro. After Shang's defeat at the hands of Kang, the island began to crumble, but the movie star was saved by Raiden and dropped off on a U.S. Special Forces boat near the island. Cage was then interrogated by Major Jackson Briggs about the what had happened to Sonya. Cage told him everything about what had happened on the island, but the Special Forces did not believe him. After his release, Cage returned to Hollywood and made a movie about his adventure, titled Mortal Kombat, that revived his career.

Mortal Kombat II
Not long afterwards, Cage was filming a commercial when he was attacked by Shang Tsung, Mileena, Baraka, Kitana, and Kintaro. Overwhelmed at first, Jax arrived to help him and they were soon joined by the rest of Earthrealm's warriors, who helped them drive off the attackers. Cage then accompanied the others to Outworld to take part in the new tournament and Liu Kang succeeded in defeating Shao Kahn. However the defeated emperor ordered his warriors to kill the warriors of Earth and while Cage's comrades escaped, he was killed by the forces of Outworld.

Mortal Kombat 3
When Shao Kahn began merging Earthrealm with Outworld by having his dead queen, Sindel, resurrected on Earth, Cage's ascent to Earthrealm was blocked. He soon found that he was one of Raiden's chosen warriors, whose soul was protected. Johnny then aided the other chosen warriors in defeating Shao Kahn and stopping the merger. With the emperor defeated, Cage was free to ascend to the heavens.

Mortal Kombat 4
As Shinnok's invasion of Earthrealm began, Cage watched from the heavens as the events went on and sought out Raiden. Johnny then asked the thunder god to restore him so that he could fight alongside Liu Kang and help defeat Shinnok. After the fallen Elder God's defeat, Cage's revival seemed permanent and he stayed on Earth, where he resumed his movie career.

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance/Deception
A few years later, Cage was stuck working on the film, Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage, where his character was constantly killed and brought back again. Though upset at the way he was being portrayed and believing his adventures were far more entertaining, his contract prevented him from leaving. But luckily for Cage, Raiden approached him and asked him to help in the fight with the Deadly Alliance. At first, Johnny thought it was the actor that played Raiden, but when he saw the actor eating lunch, he realized that it was the real thunder god. Cage was told to go to Shang Tsung's island for more instructions and he found a loophole in his contract that allowed him to leave. Johnny decided that this new adventure would be used to make his own movie and after arriving at the island by parachute, he found out about Liu Kang's death, then went to Outworld to help battle the Deadly Alliance. However Cage was killed in the final assault against Shang and Quan Chi, overwhelmed along with his comrades by their Tarkatan horde. But when Onaga returned, he resurrected Johnny and the others as his slaves. Later, Cage and his allies were freed by the combined efforts of the spirit of Liu Kang and Ermac.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Johnny Cage had become disheartened by that fact that Raiden and Liu Kang could no longer unite and lead the Forces of Light. But he began to receive visions of Shinnok creating portals throughout the realms and decided to visit these places to confirm the visions. Upon arriving there, Cage found evidence that the fallen Elder God had been there and decided that he had to take action. His next vision told him Shinnok would be at Shang Tsung's island fortress and when he arrived there, Johnny saw the fallen Elder God plotting with Quan Chi to take over Shao Kahn's fortress. After the sorcerer disappeared into the portal he had come through, Cage attacked Shinnok and had the upper hand, until he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Cage was left to decide what to do next and eventually realized that he would have to unite the Forces of Light for the final battle himself.

In his ending, after Cage defeated Blaze, the powers of a god rushed through him, giving him greater strength and dexterity, as well as new insight to his existence. With help from the Shaolin masters, Cage left his former superficial life behind him and became enlightened.

Mortal Kombat (2011)
Before the Mortal Kombat tournament begins, Johnny Cage meets Sonya Blade and tries to hit on her, much to her annoyance. In the first match of the tournament, Johnny is pitted against Reptile, whom he assumes is merely an actor, by Shang Tsung, after making insulting comments regarding Tsung's age. He defeats Reptile, and celebrates his victory by bad-mouthing the other kombatants and flirting with Sonya before being ordered to face Baraka, who he believes is just another actor in make-up. Johnny defeats Baraka and is commanded by Shang Tsung to kill him. Initially taking this as a joke, Johnny, realising that Tsung is serious, refuses to do so. Afterwards, everyone begins to leave and Johnny is approached by Raiden and Liu Kang, who attempt to inform him of what will happen to Earthrealm should they fail to win the tournament. Johnny, however, doesn't believe anything that they say, stating that he is an actor, and only saves the world in movies. He then leaves to catch up to Sonya, in an attempt to ask her out on a date.

Johnny finds Sonya on the bridge high above the Pit and continues to flirt with her. Frustrated by his persistence, Sonya attacks him. Johnny manages to subdue Sonya, but feels guilty about the fight. Shortly after, Kano appears and throws Johnny off of the bridge, but he is able to grab onto the edge. Kano, seeing that Sonya is "softened up" from the fight with Johnny, seizes the opportunity to finish her off. Johnny then leaps back onto the bridge, steps in and defeats Kano in combat, earning the respect and gratitude of Sonya in the process.

After Sonya helps an injured Jax escape from Goro's Lair, and defeats Kitana, Jade and Kano in combat, the three of them are lead away by Shang Tsung, leaving Sonya and the injured Jax alone. Johnny, Raiden, and Liu Kang then appear. Raiden uses his powers to heal Jax, while Johnny explains to Sonya that Raiden is a God. Johnny, Sonya, and Jax agree to help Raiden.

Later in the tournament, Shang Tsung arranges a match between Johnny and Cyrax, who is assigned by the sorcerer to kill him. Johnny is defeated by Cyrax, but the assassin spares his life on behalf of Raiden. Due to his loss, Johnny is eliminated from the tournament. When the tournament ends in triumph for Earthrealm following Liu Kang's victory over Shang Tsung in the final bout, Johnny and the other Earthrealm warriors congratulate Kang on his victory. Johnny is also present during the celebration at the Wu Shi Academy. When the Tarkatans attack the Academy, Jax is knocked unconscious. When he awakens, Johnny is one of the Earth warriors who is seen standing over him. Jax learns of Sonya's capture by Shang Tsung, and all of the warriors proceed to the second tournament.

While Liu Kang and Kung Lao are sent to free their Shaolin masters from the Tarkatans, Johnny stays with Jax and Raiden. After Jax defeats Baraka, Raiden receives a vision of Sonya's scheduled execution and teleports the three of them to the Armory. Johnny berates Raiden about his teleporting that has left the three of them lost. Still attracted to Sonya, he starts questioning Jax about his relationship with her. Jax explains that he is Sonya's commanding officer, nothing more, but loses his temper when Johnny continues to brag about his interest in Sonya and gets into a fight with him. The scuffle is ended by Raiden, and the three are confronted by Jade, who orders them to leave immediately. Jax defeats Jade and apologizes to Johnny for his behaviour. Accepting the apology, Johnny continues to accompany Jax and Raiden to the Dead Pool where Sonya is being guarded by Sheeva and her guards. Defeating them, they free Sonya, and Raiden orders Johnny to stay close to him. Johnny and Raiden travel to the Living Forest, where Raiden saves Smoke from the Lin Kuei cyborgs.

After Sub-Zero is captured by the Lin Kuei cyborgs, Raiden holds back Smoke to prevent the cyborgs from taking him away as well. Johnny can be seen alongside Smoke during the events. As Raiden realizes that his earlier actions of sparing Smoke have led to the automation of Sub-Zero, he decides to speak to Kitana, to which Johnny replies, "Sure, let's go ruin someone else's life."

When the Earth warriors approach Kitana in the Wastelands, she attacks them. Johnny reluctantly fights Kitana alongside Smoke but are both defeated. After Raiden tells Kitana to search in the Flesh Pits, the Earth warriors leave. They return to the Wastelands and find Jade, who had moments earlier defeated Mileena. Smoke enters a fight with Jade, believing Mileena (Kitana's clone) to be Kitana herself and that Jade had betrayed her. After Jade defeats Smoke, Raiden talks to Jade while Liu Kang, Johnny, and Kung Lao chat in the distance, mainly consisting of the two monks belittling Cage. When Jade informs the Earth warriors of Kitana's capture, Kung Lao and Liu Kang go to free Kitana, while Johnny stays with Raiden to continue in the tournament. Johnny is later defeated and eliminated from the tournament by Ermac.

Johnny returns during the Earthrealm invasion, fighting Motaro on The Street. Raiden intervenes and kills Motaro, altering the timeline to allow Johnny's survival. Johnny appears with the Earth warriors during their discussions and when they are ambushed by Lin Kuei cyborgs, who they successfully defeat. When Sindel emerges, she battles and kills most of the Earth warriors, however, Johnny, along with Sonya, survives the onslaught.

When Raiden attempts to stop Liu Kang from attacking Shao Kahn, Johnny and Sonya arrive to witness Liu Kang being electrocuted. While Raiden tends to Liu Kang, both Johnny and Sonya attempt to fight Shao Kahn, who easily blasts them away, knocking both unconcious. After Raiden defeats Shao Kahn and the Elder Gods take Shao Kahn away for punishment, Johnny and Sonya help Raiden to his feet. Johnny, along with Sonya and Liu Kang´s body, is teleported away by Raiden.

Comic Series
After defeating Shinnok in the Jinsei Chamber, Johnny stayed with Sonya as the chamber's properties healed her. When Sonya awoke in his arms, he assured her the fallen Elder God was defeated and that Raiden would ensure he would never escape again. When Sonya complimented him for selflessly battling Shinnok, Johnny brushed it off and instead praised her for surviving a direct hit from the Elder God's amulet. Johnny then asked Sonya if he could take her to dinner and a movie before they went their separate ways after the war, and to his delight Sonya agreed.

Four months later, Johnny was in his condo in LA when Sonya arrived, and an excited Johnny answered his door, allowing Sonya in. Johnny talked Sonya's head off, saying he understood she didn't want a boyfriend while going on how they celebrated "like adults" after the war, before asking if Sonya had fallen in love with him. Sonya told Johnny to shut up before stunning him with the news she was pregnant.

Johnny and Sonya would marry, and Sonya would give birth to a girl they would name Cassandra Cage, but their marriage was hardly perfect. One night, years later, Johnny found Sonya preparing to leave for a mission for Special Forces to rescue Kenshi from the Red Dragon. Johnny asked if someone else could handle it, knowing Sonya would miss Cassie's birthday if she left. Johnny reminded Sonya she was responsible for Cassie and that she wouldn't forget this, but this failed to convince Sonya to stay.

Ultimately, the two would separate, though they would still see each other due to their work for Special Forces.

Johnny can be briefly seen as a projection created by Raiden alongside Sonya Blade when the thunder god mentions the few Earthrealm warriors left alive.

Though not present physically, Johnny's daughter Cassie is seen practicing with her friend Jacqui Briggs in his condo, damaging his award trophies in the process.

Johnny is revealed to have called Cassie several times in concern, not knowing his daughter was kidnapped. Sonya orders her Special Forces to get Johnny to help find Cassie in Outworld.

Johnny Cage makes his first physical appearance by snatching an attacking Reptile's tongue and urges everyone to calm down. Johnny approaches the wounded Kotal Kahn, offering medical supplies, but D'Vorah refuses, using worms to eat the bullet Sonya shot him with and seal the wound, much to Cage's disgust. Kotal Kahn makes it clear he will only speak with Raiden's champion, Johnny, with Cage not blaming the emperor after dealing with Sonya.

Johnny explains his daughter and Jacqui's disappearance while providing proof the Black Dragon were the ones who attacked them. Kotal is insulted by the accusation simply because of his connection to the Black Dragon and explains his own family loss. Johnny believes Kotal, and then shows him the picture of Erron Black Cassie took, asking if he would.

Both Kotal Kahn and D'Vorah explain Black's mercenary status and connection to the Black Dragon, as well as his frustration after the meeting with the Special Forces. Johnny tries to ease Sonya by saying Erron Black is just a rogue mercenary acting out, not Outworld declaring war but Sonya snaps at him to shut up and get Black's location. After Kahn provides Erron's location and orders Reptile and D'Vorah to take them to him, Johnny and the emperor shake hands in agreement, with Cage determined to find his daughter.

Johnny follows behind Sonya and D'Vorah as the group ventures deeper into the Outworld jungle in search of Cassie and Jacqui. Watching D'Vorah and Sonya exchange banter amuses Johnny to no end and he offers Reptile ten dollars, betting Sonya will snap first. When Sonya warns Johnny, and Cage starts to say he's only trying to lighten the mood when blood drips onto his sunglasses. Confused, Johnny looks up and announces to the group he has found their kidnapper, pointing up at the bound, bloody and beaten form of Erron Black tied to a tree.

After getting Black down and hearing the mercenary's story, Johnny is impressed when he learns Cassie is responsible for killing Mavado of the Red Dragon, observing Mavado's eviscerated body not far away. Johnny then learns that his daughter and her friend are on Shang Tsung's Island, where the chaos cleric Havik now holds them.

Johnny is with Sonya and the Special Forces soldiers at Kotal Kahn's palace in Z'unkahrah as the emperor reprimands Erron Black for his actions. When Sonya begins to break down over the possibility of their daughter and Jacqui being hurt of worse on Shang Tsung's Island, Johnny tries to comfort her but is angrily rebuffed. After Kotal Kahn explains the loss of his own people, Johnny is able to sympathize and tells the emperor he understands that he and Sonya will do anything to bring their family home. Kotal does and promises to give them his fastest ship and a battalion of his soldiers, but only if they survive the coming dawn and reveals a Shokan army will soon be upon them.

Johnny is present along with Sonya as Kotal Kahn outlines his plans to defend the city from the coming Shokan horde. Johnny is silent during the planning only to scoff in disbelief when Sonya begins to question numbers. He then witnesses the arrival of the Shokan, joined by the Oni Warlords.

Johnny secures sniper positions with several Special Forces members and some of Kotal Kahn's soldiers as they prepare to defend the city's perimeter defensive wall. Johnny is contacted by Sonya and after he confirms he and the snipers are in position, he tries to engage Sonya in conversation but Sonya cuts him off. Johnny gets serious when he cautions Sonya to watch her back, observing as D'Vorah and Ferra and Torr head off to negotiate with the Shokan, with Johnny feeling uneasy.

When the negotiations fail, Johnny reports movement in the horde and sees an Oni Warlord charging the wall. Johnny is caught in the attack as the Warlord destroys a section of the wall.

Johnny survives the Oni Warlord's attack and searches the rubble for surviving Special Forces soldiers. He finds a presumed survivor and begins to carry him away, saying once they are somewhere safe he will call Sonya, only to disappointingly realize that the soldier is already dead, cut in half at the waist. Johnny reassures the departed soldier that Sonya will no doubt blame him for his death and tries to contact his ex-wife, but only gets static.

Walking away from the destruction, Johnny is spotted by the Shokan, and their king, Gorbak, orders his death. Johnny flees, the Shokan hot on his tail, and comes across Sonya and Kotal Kahn by the corpse of a Oni Warlord. Shouting at them to get their attention, Johnny orders them to run.

In the final hours of the Shokan siege, Johnny battles against several Shokan warriors alongside Sonya Blade as Kotal Kahn duels with King Gorbak before successfully killing him and sending his horde into retreat. Johnny and Sonya observe Kotal speaking with Reptile and D'Vorah, with Johnny saying it's starting to look like Kotal's last stand, and after Sonya says they need to get the girls and go home, Johnny calls it the best plan ever before collapsing from his injuries.

Sonya asks where he was injured and Johnny shows her a bite mark from a Shokan on his side. Sonya applies pressure to his wound, saying he's lost a lot of blood, with Johnny commenting that he feels like he ran a marathon. Sonya tells Johnny to keep talking, and Johnny apologizes for Cassie freezing her out, saying he was the same at her age. After Sonya cracks a wise remark, Johnny laughs before starting to tell her something in case he doesn't make it out alive, Sonya calls him by his first name while telling him to shut up, much to his amusement.

Johnny and Sonya sit out the following battle with the Shokan/Oni Warlord Horde, refusing to fight alongside the Black Dragon. Johnny and Sonya wait in a room in Kotal's palace and when Sonya asks Johnny if she made the right call, Johnny admits he doesn't know, saying Kano could betray Kotal and take Outworld's throne for himself, while also pointing out that Kano now stands to make a fortune as Kotal's arms supplier, which will flood Outworld with Black Dragon tech.

Johnny tells Sonya that she can't save everyone and tells her they'll take a ship to Shang Tsung's Island to save what the really matters, the girls. Sonya hugs Johnny, who reminds her of his wounded ribs, when a massive explosion outside the city ruins their moment.

Johnny joins with Sonya in confronting the Black Dragon and witnesses Sonya take out Tremor with a shotgun. As D'Vorah is hauling Kano away, the Black Dragon leader takes a shot about Cassie, angering Johnny, who is held back by Sonya. Johnny is with Sonya as she and Kotal discuss venturing to Shang Tsung's Island, and the ex-star is shocked when Kotal reveals he will be joining them to stop Reiko and the Red Dragon.

Hours later, Kotal's servants are still loading the ship that will take them to Shang Tsung's Island, with Sonya getting impatient, and Johnny wondering what all Kotal is loading up. With Sonya getting angry over losing time, Johnny reminds her that they haven't been to the deceased sorcerer's island in years and tells her if Cassie wasn't involved, she'd be taking her time as well. When Sonya begins to consider the implications of what the Red Dragon could have done to their daughter, Johnny slips off his sunglasses and tells her that worrying won't help when his ex-wife suddenly becomes angered at the sight of a crate with the Black Dragon logo on it.

Johnny tells her not to lose it over some of Kano's gear when Sonya reveals the crate to be containing a W.M.D. inside it. Before Johnny can say anything, Kotal Kahn arrives, asking if there is a problem. Johnny whispers to Sonya that Kotal is there only ticket out of Outworld, and to Johnny's relief, his ex-wife plays it cool and lies easily to the emperor. As Kotal begins to lead the two to their quarters, Sonya tells Johnny they will talk about this, Johnny murmurs "The phrase every boy is just dying to hear."

As the ship sailed that night, Johnny offered Sonya a place on the bed in the cabin they shared, though Sonya refused. Johnny tells Sonya sharing a cabin wasn't his idea before wondering where they went wrong. Sonya tells him they were wrong from the start and reveals the details of her mission several years ago, when she was assigned to extract Kenshi from his Red Dragon undercover mission, telling Johnny she had been forced to kill a hostile armed with an RPG in front of her daughter.

Johnny is shocked at this, asking Sonya if she killed the girl as well, though Sonya tells him she didn't, before lamenting her lost time with Cassie. Johnny apologizes, saying Sonya never told him, though she coldly reminds him he never asked. When they are informed that the ship has almost reached Shang Tsung's Island, Johnny offers to keep talking with Sonya, but she declines, accepting the that she's lost her daughter's childhood. The two then head to the deck where Kotal Kahn informs them they will land at dawn.

The next morning, Johnny arrives on the beach of the island alongside Sonya, Kotal, and D'Vorah. Johnny muses to Sonya that he never thought they'd return here, when Reiko announces his presence by mocking how long it took for them to arrive. Johnny curses at Reiko, but his anger turns to shock when he sees Cassie and Jacqui corrupted by the Blood Code, ready to kill him and Sonya in Reiko's name.

Though Sonya tries to reach out to Cassie, this fails, and the girls attack, with Cassie going for Sonya while Jacqui focuses on Johnny. Cage blocks Jacqui flurry of punches, though he is struck in the stomach with enough force to make him hack blood, but when he hears Jacqui calling her father Jax a coward, he easily knocks her down, coming to the conclusion that the girls are not merely corrupted, but outright being controlled, and not very well. Johnny starts to tell whoever is controlling them they're abut to get Caged, when Jacqui punches his jaw, complaining how Cages never shut up.

Johnny continues to fight Jacqui and both witness Mileena and the Tarkata's arrival to the island.

Johnny refuses to fight back against Jacqui, even at Sonya's urging, and soon found himself being choked by Jacqui, only to be narrowly saved by Sonya's energy blast. After his ex-wife explained the girls now had super-strength thanks to the Blood Code corrupting them, Johnny decides to stop holding back. Slipping on his trademark sunglasses, Cage quips, "Shades on..." and unleashes a powerful Shadow Kick that knocks Jacqui off her feet while declaring, "Gloves off." Johnny is one of the many fighters struck by a Blood Code corrupted Raiden when the thunder god unleashes his lightning down on the island.

Johnny is knocked unconscious by Raiden's lightning and his body is collected by the Red Dragons and taken to the island's throne room, with Johnny having his blood drawn to be used in the ritual to ascend Reiko into godhood. Johnny regains consciousness in time to witness the ritual be completed as Reiko becomes the Blood God.

As Reiko basks in his power, he contemplates sacrificing Johnny and Sonya as tributes to himself, but is spared this fate by Havik, who states that he needs Johnny and Sonya alive to study Johnny's green energy abilities. Johnny then witnesses Reiko's violent death as Havik reveals him to be have been his pawn the entire time in an effort to summon Shinnok's amulet.

Johnny sees Havik test the amulet's power on a group of Shokan scouts that had been spying on the events unfolding, and after Havik returns from dealing with Queen Sheeva's ship, the chaos cleric has Jacqui Briggs stab Johnn with one of the Kamidogu, enslaving him to his will. Johnny is freed from his bonds, his eyes red with Blood Magik as he declares that there are no heroes. Before Havik can drain Ermac of his souls to destroy the barrier blockading their invasion of the Netherrealm, his hand holding the amulet is severed by Takeda Takahashi, armed with his new serrated whips.

Possessed by the Blood Code, Johnny stays on the sidelines with Sonya, Mileena, and Raiden by Havik as Cassie and Jacqui briefly fight with Takeda, only to swiftly lose to the youth. When Takeda attempts to fight Havik, Johnny takes part in the all out attack on him, landing one of his signature Nut Punches on the younger boy, all the while mocking Takeda by stating Hanzo would be disappointed in him.

Johnny observes as Havik tortures Takeda with Shinnok's amulet, and when D'Vorah arrives with reinforcements from Outworld, and Havik speaks through Johnny to greet them. Cage joins his Blood Code corrupted ex-wife in battling Sheeva, having his punch deflected by the Shokan queen.

Johnny continues to battle Sheeva, finding himself on the receiving end of a stomp and quickly thrown in a pillar before the Blood Code's hold on him is broken. Johnny stands with his daughter and Jacqui as the warriors gather together, and as Cassie speaks with her mother, Johnny tries to cheer up Jacqui after she comments on her father never letting her leave home again, though Johnny is quick to add that Jax probably would slap a padlock on her door, and Jacqui is quick to inform her uncle that he is not helping. After Cassie returns from talking with Sonya, Johnny happily embraces his daughter.

A week after the battle against Reiko, Johnny is on Jax's farm along with Sonya and Cassie, watching as Jacqui reunites with her father and mother. Happy to see the Briggs family's "Hollywood ending", Johnny is unsurprised at Sonya's eagerness to get back to work, before offering to Cassie that they take a "dad-daughter detour" in Vegas, but is surprised when his daughter refuses in order to spend time with her mother on the base. Johnny is amused as he watches Cassie fall in line to Sonya's orders to move out, musing that this should be fun to watch.

Story
A few years after the Battle of Earthrealm, Johnny and Kenshi join Sonya and the Special Forces in the fight against Shinnok. Along the way to the Sky Temple, their aircraft is attacked by Scorpion and Sub-Zero and the soldiers are killed. After they crash, Johnny defeats both ninjas, lamenting that he liked it better when he and Sub-Zero fought on the same side. He then joins Sonya and Kenshi and they continue on.

In the forest, the three of them and their forces are attacked by the revenant Smoke, now calling himself Enenra, Jax, and Nightwolf. After defeating Enenra, Johnny rescues Sonya from Jax and defeats him, promising to “fix him someday.” After reminding her that Jax is not himself, the two of them join Kenshi and head for the Sky Temple after the ninja finds the portal. They arrive at the Jinsei just in time to save Raiden and Fujin from Shinnok, but no one is able to defeat the fallen Elder God. As Shinnok prepares to enslave Sonya, Johnny leaps in between, blocking the attack with his inner power. After defeating the god, he kicks the amulet back to Raiden, who uses it to capture and seal Shinnok inside. He then stays in the Jinsei with an unconscious Sonya, allowing the chamber’s power to heal her. Kenshi questions why he’s smiling, and he answers that it is because she called him “Johnny.”

After the battle, Johnny learns from Raiden that his power comes from his ancestry of a Mediterranean war cult. Since he could not awaken the power after the battle with Shinnok, the Elder God speculates that it triggers whenever Johnny sees a loved one in danger.

Sometime later, Johnny and Sonya infiltrate Quan Chi’s fortress, where they are attacked by the sorcerer and his revenants. Johnny defeats Sub-Zero and Jax, but is later stabbed in the back by the latter. As he lays dying, his revenant starts to take form. Raiden arrives and stalls the process long enough for Sonya to defeat Quan Chi. The thunder god then reverses the spell, saving Johnny and reverting Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Jax to their human forms.

Johnny and Sonya marry afterwards, and they have their daughter Cassie. However, Sonya gets caught up with her work and she spends less time with her family. This angers Johnny and the two of them divorce.

Twenty years after the victory over Shinnok, Johnny creates a special team comprising of Cassie, Jax’s daughter Jacqui, Kenshi’s son Takeda, and Kung Lao’s younger cousin Kung Jin. For their first mission, Johnny sends them to the Lin Kuei Temple to assert if Sub-Zero is still their ally. But it is later revealed that Johnny and Sub-Zero set them up so the Grandmaster can test their skills as a team.

They are then called back to base by Sonya, and they learn from the refugee leader Li Mei that Mileena is in possession of Shinnok’s amulet. When they find out that Kano is among the refugees, Johnny prepares to go with Sonya but she orders him to talk to Colonel Flagg to keep him away. He angrily confronts his ex-wife later, saying that there was a time where she put her family first before her job.

At the refugee camp, Sonya finds and defeats Kano. As she chokes him, the mercenary says that she will never find Shinnok’s amulet if she kills him. Johnny pleads for Sonya to stop so that she will not do another thing that she will regret. She complies and Kano talks.

After learning the amulet’s location, Johnny joins Sonya at Jax’s home to persuade him in helping them capture Quan Chi. He also assures Jax that Jacqui is fine and that the team will succeed in their mission, not knowing that they have been captured by Kotal Kahn.

When Jax succeeds in capturing Quan Chi, the sorcerer is brought to Earthrealm as prisoner so Raiden can make him undo the spell on his revenants. But Scorpion, now Hanzo Hasashi, infiltrates the base to kill the sorcerer for the murder of his clan and family. Johnny, Sonya and Kenshi try to stop him but are all defeated and bound. D'Vorah then arrives with the amulet, allowing Quan Chi to release Shinnok before he is beheaded by Hanzo. The fallen god defeats everyone with his amulet, and Johnny is taken captive to the Sky Temple.

At the Jinsei, Johnny is bounded by D’Vorah as Shinnok corrupts Earthrealm’s life force. D’Vorah then unleashes her flesh-eating bugs on Johnny, leaving horrible scars on his face. Cassie then arrives with Kung Jin and defeats D’Vorah. As she tries to free him, Johnny pleads for her to stop Shinnok. He whispers that he loves her before passing out. During the fight, Shinnok begins to drain Johnny’s life with the amulet, causing him to scream in agony. But Cassie steps in and unleashes her inherited powers, eventually defeating Shinnok. After Raiden heals the Jinsei, Johnny is attended to by Cassie. Sonya later arrives, and he tells her how their daughter defeated Shinnok. She replies that he did a great job with his team and calls him “Johnny,” something that he is glad to hear.

Abilities
Johnny Cage is an extremely skilled martial artist, thanks to his extensive training and despite being a human, he is not without a few supernatural powers. These powers specialize in shadow and he can use them to propel himself forward, increasing the strength of his blows and leaving green afterimages in his wake. Cage can increase the speed of these attacks, which instead leaves a red afterimage and can also throw a ball of shadow energy. He also has a move where he drops doing the splits and then punches the opponent in the groin, though this only works on male fighters. As his alternate weapon fighting style, Cage uses a set of nuchaku.

Movie appearance
Johnny Cage was portrayed by Linden Ashby in the first Mortal Kombat movie. In the film, he caused the death of Goro, avenging the death of a fellow fighter named Art Lean. Before doing so, he fought Scorpion too, and won. The film also took a page from Malibu's 1994-1995 MK comic book adaptations by starting his love interest with Sonya. As a homage to his Friendship in MKII, he left behind an autographed picture of himself after he defeated Scorpion.

Chris Conrad played Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He makes a brief cameo appearance in the opening scene, in which he successfully saves Sonya Blade from certain death at the hands of Shao Kahn, only to be quickly killed by him.

Matt Mullins plays Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. Similar to his game counterpart, he is a movie star whose career goes dry. Then in the following events, he begins a career as a secret agent. He is then hired by Jax and Sonya Blade to get info on Baraka. After a brutal fight, Johnny is laying on the floor and Baraka decapitates him.

Matt Mullins reprises the role of Johnny Cage in the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In the third episode of the series, Cage is an action star fallen in disgrace, who's dropped by his producers who, after refusing two of his proposals for a show, declare that the audience is interested in action movies no more. Moments later, Cage finds out that the two are using his ideas for the show to launch an actress. Enraged, he violently beats one of the producers and some security agents. Leaving the studios, he is approached by Shang Tsung, who stops time and proposes him to change his life forever.

Trivia

 * Cage's original name was going to be Michael Grimm, but this was changed during Mortal Kombat's preproduction.
 * His "real name," Jonathan Carlton, comes from the Midway programmer, John Carlton, who worked on the NBA Jam series.
 * Cage was the last of the original Mortal Kombat characters to get a fatality and before a last-minute idea by Ed Boon to make his fatality the Head Punch, he was instead going to toss his opponent across the screen.
 * In the first game, Cage was modeled after the actor, Jean Claude Van Damme, who the creators had wanted to portray him in the first game, but was unable to do so because of his movie schedule. Cage's clothes in the game greatly resembled Van Damme's outfit in the last match of the movie, Bloodsport, and his split punch move is taken from one that he used in the movie.
 * Cage once made a movie called "Ninja Mime" that is most likely based on the opening scenes of the action film, "The Quest," where the hero, dressed as a mime, evaded the authorities using martial arts moves. The movie also starred Jean Claude Van Damme, who Cage was based on, in the starring role.
 * In early arcade test versions of Mortal Kombat, the word "Otomix" appeared on Cage's pants, which were worn by the actor, Daniel Pesina, during filming, but this was omitted later. Otomix is a supplier of athletic and martial arts wear.
 * He is the only character in the original Mortal Kombat not to have any connection with the other characters.
 * Cage's Red Shadow Kick and Red Shadow Uppercut moves happened randomly in Mortal Kombat II. In Mortal Kombat 4, selecting Player 2's outfit would cause the moves to have red shadows.
 * Cage was cut from the Game Boy version of Mortal Kombat because of memory constraints and the only member of the original MK cast never to appear in Jeff Rovin's 1995 novel.
 * Cage's sprite was recreated for Mortal Kombat Trilogy due to the fact that Daniel Pesina, who portrayed him earlier, appeared in a commercial for the arcade game, Bloodstorm, dressed as Cage and was replaced by Chris Alexander.
 * Brandon Lee was originally going to portray Johnny Cage in the first Mortal Kombat movie. Also in the same movie, after Cage defeated Scorpion, a photo of him signed "to my greatest fan" lands in the debris, a reference to his friendship finisher in MKII.
 * Some think that Cage defeated Goro in the first Mortal Kombat tournament, but in the video game storyline, it is was Liu Kang who defeated him. In Shaolin Monks, when Kang and Kung Lao fought Goro, Johnny Cage intervened and finished him.
 * According to Deadly Alliance, Johnny has starred in Ninja Mime, Dragon Fist, Dragon Fist 2, Son of Dragon Fist, HWAAAAA!, Sudden Violence, Aquatic Assault, Exiting the Dragon of Death, 7 Poisons, Cage Match, The Gist of My Fist, 24 Karate Gold, Who's That?, Wu Shu (TV series), Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, and Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage. He also appeared on Celebrity SMASH TV.
 * Cage is regarded as the comic relief character of Mortal Kombat.
 * Though Mortal Kombat usually replaces "c" with "k" in the games, Johnny's last name is an exception. It is probably more than coincidence that the Japanese word, kage, means shadow.
 * John Vogel was reported to dislike Cage's storyline from Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Mortal Kombat 4. His repeated death and revival is mocked by Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage.
 * In Unreal Tournament 2, Raiden will occasionally taunt his opponent by saiyng that they "fight like Johnny Cage"
 * Cage's fatality in Shaolin Monks, where he punches the opponent repeatedly in the crotch then delivers a final punch that smashes off the opponent's legs, was voted third on Screwattack's Top 10 Mortal Kombat Fatalities list.
 * On Screwattack's Top 10 Mortal Kombat Kharacters list, Cage was voted number 10.