The upcoming Mortal Kombat movie's lineup includes Sub-Zero, Raiden and Scorpion. Here's our guide to their cast, their characters, and their powers.

The bloody red band trailer for 2021's Mortal Kombat movie is here, featuring an exciting array of characters from the video games. From the fiery fists of Liu Kang to the lethal ice powers of Sub-Zero, the mix of abilities on display promises some epic fights and gruesome fatalities.

The feature debut from director Simon McQuoid, Mortal Kombat is set to premiere simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April. This is the third live-action movie based on the popular fighting game series, following the 1990s films Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. A third film has been in development for over two decades, so anticipation for Mortal Kombat is understandably high - especially with the benefit of modern CGI to bring the fighters' incredible powers to life.

The trailer for Mortal Kombat introduces Lewis Tan as protagonist Cole Young, who discovers that a birthmark on his chest is actually a symbol of his destiny to fight in an ancient battle to the death. The movie's cast also includes Hiroyuki Sanada, Mehcad Brooks, Joe Taslim and Ludi Lin. Here's our guide to the characters of Mortal Kombat, what their powers are, how they've changed from the games, and where you've seen the actors before.

Cole Young (Lewis Tan)

Mortal Kombat's protagonist is Cole Young, an original character created for the movie (unless, of course, he turns out to be a classic MK fighter under a different name). According to the official synopsis, Cole is an MMA fighter who is "accustomed to taking a beating for money" and is "unaware of his heritage." Besides his basic MMA fighting moves, Cole's power set is being kept secret for now, as his journey will be about unlocking the abilities hidden inside his soul. His birthmark/brand in the shape of Mortal's Kombat dragon logo isn't taken from the games, and has presumably been introduced in the movie to guide Cole towards his destiny.

Cole is played by Lewis Tan, whom audiences may recognize from his roles as Gaius Chau in Into the Badlands and Lu Xin Lee in Wu Assassins. He also played the mutant superhero Shatterstar in Deadpool 2, and the drunken martial arts master Zhou Cheng in Netflix's Iron Fist.

Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)

Sonya Blade is an American soldier and one of the original Mortal Kombat characters. Together with Jax Briggs, she investigates otherworldly threats to Earthrealm and forms a special forces unit called the Outer World Investigation Agency. In the trailer Sonya says that she and Jax first learned about the existence of Mortal Kombat and its superhuman combatants seven years previously, "on a mission in Brazil to capture a wanted fugitive," which indicates that her role will more or less be in line with the games. Sonya is human and therefore doesn't (as far as we know) have any supernatural powers, though in the games she does have the ability to fire pink projectiles.

Like many Australian actors who eventually made the leap to Hollywood, Jessica McNamee got started with a recurring role in the soap opera Home and Away. She also starred in the Australian family comedy Packed to the Rafters, and in the USA Network sitcom Sirens. More recently she starred alongside Jason Statham in the giant shark movie The Meg.

Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)

One of the main protagonists of the Mortal Kombat video games, Liu Kang is a Chinese Shaolin monk, a master of kung fu, and a protege of the thunder god Raiden. In addition to his physical prowess as a fighter, Liu Kang can also conjure and control fire, and is known for a finishing move in which he transforms into a dragon and chomps his opponent in half. The variation on this fatality seen in the trailer - with Liu Kang using his fire magic to conjure a dragon instead of transforming into one - is similar to how the move is executed in the 2019 game Mortal Kombat 11.

Liu Kang is played by Ludi Lin, who is best known for playing Zack (the Black Power Ranger) in the 2017 Power Rangers movie. He also appeared in the Black Mirror episode "Striking Vipers" as, coincidentally, a video game avatar. Last year Lin played a lead role in Netflix drama The Ghost Bride, and he also starred in Ximan Li's 2019 feature film In a New York Minute.

Kano (Josh Lawson)

Kano's appearance in the Mortal Kombat trailer marks some of the biggest changes from the games. For starters, his bionic eye is a lot more subtle, marked only by a red glow in the eye itself and some scarring on his face around it, in contrast to the metal plate he has over his eye in the games. Then there's the fact that he appears to be working alongside Sonya and Jax, which is surprising given that Kano has a long-standing enmity with Sonya in the games. Kano is notoriously treacherous, however, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if Mortal Kombat includes a heel turn for the character. As demonstrated in the trailer, Kano is a cyborg and his bionic eye can fire a deadly laser. The trailer also shows the end result of a finishing move lifted from Mortal Kombat 11, in which Kano punches through his opponent's chest and rips out their heart.

Kano is played by Australian actor Josh Lawson, who played thickly-accented studio executive Kench Allenby in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and had a recurring role as pharmacist Tate Staskiewicz in NBC's sitcom Superstore. His Mortal Kombat character was originally written as Japanese-American, but was retconned as an Australian after Trevor Goddard's take on the role in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie.

Jax Briggs (Mehcad Brooks)

Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs is easily recognized by his bionic arms, and the trailer for Mortal Kombat reveals a new backstory for how he lost his original arms. It appears that during Jax and Sonya's first encounter with Sub-Zero, the Cryomancer froze his arms and then shattered them into gory little ice chunks. The story behind Jax's arms has changed throughout different Mortal Kombat games and adaptations. In the 1995 movie, Jax's arms were actually bionic sleeves that he wore over his normal arms. In last year's animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, Jax's arms are gruesomely ripped off by Goro. In the comics, it's Baraka who robs Major Briggs of his arms. This latest new backstory for Jax gives him a straightforward reason to want revenge against Sub-Zero.

Jax is played by Mehcad Brooks, who is best known for his role as James Olsen in the CW series Supergirl. He also starred in USA's comedy-drama Necessary Roughness, and played season 2 villain Matthew Applewhite in Desperate Housewives.

Kung Lao (Max Huang)

Like Liu Kang, Kung Lao is a Shaolin monk - but his powers are more hat-based than fire-based. Kung Lao's Razor-Rimmed Hat functions as both fashionable headwear and as a weapon, and in the trailer for Mortal Kombat he's also seen using it as a shield. His finishing moves from the games most often include his deadly hat, such as using it like a buzz saw to slice his opponent's torso in half, or throwing it like a boomerang to decapitate them. He also has the ability to teleport, which he can use to get behind his enemies for a surprise attack.

Kung Lao is played by Chinese-German actor and martial artist Max Huang, who is thus far best known for his work as a stunt performer and coordinator in movies like Kingsman: The Secret Service, Hitman: Agent 47 and Bleeding Steel. Mortal Kombat marks his first major acting role, but Huang has been part of Jackie Chan's stunt team for years and worked with him on several films.

Shang Tsung (Chin Han)

One of the main villains of the Mortal Kombat franchise, Shang Tsung is a sorcerer whose trademark move is to consume his opponent's soul. In the trailer for Mortal Kombat he wears armor that's covered in screaming faces, perhaps representing the souls that he has eaten in order to maintain his own strength and life. The movie makes a notable change to Shang Tsung's character from the games; according to the synopsis, he's the emperor of Outworld rather than simply being an ally of Emperor Shao Khan. According to the official synopsis for Mortal Kombat, Shang Tsung sends Sub-Zero to hunt down Cole Young - though exactly what kind of threat Cole presents to Shang Tsung remains to be seen.

Shang Tsung is played by Chin Han, who is known for playing Gotham City crime boss Lau in The Dark Knight, World Security Council member Yen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Togusa in the 2018 movie adaptation of Ghost in the Shell.

Raiden (Tadanobu Asano)

Raiden is the God of Thunder, and easily one of the most powerful characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Fortunately for the people of Earthrealm, he's also on the side of the good guys, and served as a mentor for Liu Kang and Kung Lao. As you might expect from a thunder god, Raiden has powerful control of electricity and his signature fatalities involve electrocuting his opponent so violently that they explode in a shower of bones and gore, or collapse to the ground as a smoking skeleton. As if that didn't make him lethal enough, he also has the ability to fly and teleport.

Raiden is portrayed by Tadanobu Asano, who played the lead role in Takashi Miike's acclaimed 2001 film Ichi the Killer. He's also known for his role as Hogun, one of the famed "Warriors Three," in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor movies. His other U.S. movies include 2012's Battleship and Roland Emmerich's 2019 film Midway.

Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada)

The sworn enemy of Sub-Zero, Scorpion's most famous fatality move is also accompanied by his famous catchphrase, "Get over here!" - both of which make an appearance in the Mortal Kombat trailer. Scorpion is one of the core characters of the franchise: once a warrior of a Japanese ninja clan, he was murdered by a rival called Bi-Han (a.k.a. the original Sub-Zero) and became an undead spectre bent on revenge, known as a revenant. In the games a sorcerer called Quan Chi arranged for the murder of Scorpion's family, but if the frozen body outside his home in the Mortal Kombat trailer is any indication, it looks like the movie will change this so that Sub-Zero killed both Scorpion and his family. Scorpion has the power to summon Hellfire, and his main weapon is a blade called a kunai, which is attached to a chain or rope that he can fling at his opponents.

Scorpion is played by Hiroyuki Sanada, who also starred in the 2013 X-Men spinoff The Wolverine as Shingen Yashida, and had a recurring role as Musashi in Westworld season 2. Sanada also had a brief role in Avengers: Endgame as Akihiko, a yakuza leader who is dispatched by Hawkeye (during his Ronin phase).

Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim)

As demonstrated by the main poster for Mortal Kombat, Scorpion and Sub-Zero are mirror images of one another, sporting similar face coverings and wielding opposing elements in battle. In contrast to Scorpion's Hellfire, Sub-Zero is a Cryomancer and has a terrifying set of powers that revolve around lethally freezing his opponents. This can be used, for example, to flash freeze Jax's arms so quickly that they shatter. One of Sub-Zero's most famously gruesome fatality moves, however, is the spine rip - in which he rips out his opponent's head and spine and holds them up as a trophy.

Sub-Zero is played by Joe Taslim, who is known for his roles as Li Yong in the TV show Warrior, Owen Shaw's henchman Jah in Fast & Furious 6, Raka in the acclaimed Indonesian action film The Raid, and Ito in the 2018 Netflix movie The Night Comes for Us.

Mileena (Sisi Stringer)

Also on the side of the bad guys in Mortal Kombat is Mileena, a character whose purple face covering conceals an inhuman jaw with vicious teeth and a serpentine tongue. Her combination of beauty and horror are owed to Mileena's heritage as a half-Edenian and half-Tarkatan. The people of Edenia are known for their lovely appearance, while the Tarkata are brutal warriors with demonic faces and rows of sharp teeth. Mileena's weapon of choice is a pair of Sai, which she is seen "cleaning" in the trailer for Mortal Kombat, but she will also enthusiastically bite her opponents with her deadly Tarkatan teeth.

Mileena is played by newcomer Sisi Stringer, who also appeared in last year's Children of the Corn remake as Tanika.

Mortal Kombat's Supporting Cast & Characters

The trailer for Mortal Kombat also offers a glimpse of a couple of other notorious antagonists from the games: Shang Tsung's servant Reptile, and the terrifying four-armed Goro. Both are formidable fighters, but Goro's sheer strength and high damage made him extremely difficult to defeat in the early Mortal Kombat games. Both of these characters look to be fully CGI in the movie. There's also a brief glimpse of Kabal, a character who has fought on both sides in the games but (based on the fact that he's fighting Liu Kang) looks to be allied with the bad guys in the movie. Kabal is played by actor and stunt performer Daniel Nelson.

More: Mortal Kombat Trailer Breakdown: All 27 Story Reveals, Secrets & Fatalities