onto a bed of spikes. Tsung's death releases all of the captive souls, including Chan's. Before ascending to the afterlife, Chan tells Liu that he will remain with him in spirit until they are reunited. The Earth warriors return to Earthrealm, where a victory celebration is taking place at Liu's Shaolin temple. The jubilation stops when the Outworld Emperor appears and declares he has come for everyone's souls. Rayden and the warriors take up fighting stances. Cast Christopher Lambert as Lord Rayden: God of thunder and protector of Earthrealm who guides the warriors on their journey. He desires to aid the heroes in defending Earthrealm, but as he himself is not mortal, he is not permitted to participate in the tournament and may only advise them and act to prevent cheating. Sean Connery was offered the role, but turned it down. Robin Shou as Liu Kang: A former Shaolin monk, who enters the tournament to avenge his brother's death. He is among the first who notice Kitana's sympathy towards Earthrealm. As in most of the games in the Mortal Kombat series, Liu Kang is the main protagonist. This was Shou's second American film, as his first American role was in 1990, the made-for-television film Forbidden Nights. Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage: A Hollywood superstar who enters the tournament to prove to the world that his martial arts skills are legitimate. Ashby trained in karate, tae kwon do, and kung fu especially for this film. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung: A powerful sorcerer and the host of the tournament. Tagawa was the filmmakers' first and only choice for the role; he was instantly selected after he came to his audition in costume and read his lines while standing on a chair. Tagawa was allowed to play a younger version of Shang Tsung in order to avoid the excessive makeup that would have been required to duplicate the character's aged appearance in the first game. Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade: An American Special Forces officer pursuing Kano after he kills her partner. Wilson, who was jokingly nicknamed "RoboBabe" during production by director Paul W. S. Anderson, performed all her own stunts, including fight scenes. Talisa Soto as Kitana: The Outworld emperor's adopted daughter who decides to help the Earth warriors. She is attracted to Liu Kang, who reciprocates and takes her advice to go further. Soto had previously appeared alongside Tagawa in