The Mortal Kombat games have some of the goriest fatalities in the video game biz. Now one of the most iconic franchises of all time, Midway Games’ beat ‘em up started as an arcade game in 1992 before earning a wider release on home platforms. Turns out that beating your friends and ripping their avatar’s spines out is pretty fun, and before long, Mortal Kombat blew up into a bonafide franchise complete with movies, TV series, and comics.
Whether you’re a fan of the games or a series newcomer, delving into Mortal Kombat’s many movies and shows can get confusing with its different continuities and timelines. Here’s how to watch the Mortal Kombat movies and TV shows in order and where you can find them on streaming services.
Mortal Kombat Series in Chronological Order
In some franchises, watching in release order works just fine. While that’s certainly one way to experience the Mortal Kombat series, those wanting a more chronological viewing need to shift watch order around a bit.
Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998-1999)
Mortal Kombat: Conquest acts as a prequel to the original Mortal Kombat movie, explaining how tournament champion Kung Lao (Paolo Montalban) plans to train a new generation of warriors to protect Earthrealm. Technically speaking, that makes it the starting point for the franchise storywise. The issue? Certain character introductions and continuity don’t quite make sense. Still, Mortal Kombat: Conquest contains a solid amount of lore for those who can look past its low-budget and cheesy dialogue. At the very least, many consider it a step up from Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, even if it only ran for one season of 22 episodes.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
With Mortal Kombat II being the latest and greatest video game of the time, Paul Andersen came on to direct a live-action adaption. Mortal Kombat follows franchise favorites Liu Kang (Robin Shou), Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), and Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), whose attempt to save Earthrealm forces them into a sinister tournament run by Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). With crisp martial arts sequences and stunning cinematography, audiences forgave its lackluster script, and the film became a quick hit, grossing $122 million at the box office. Really, 1995's Mortal Kombat is the best series’ starting point. However, it also works as a follow-up to Conquest, considering it’s set a few hundred years later in the same timeline.
Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)
Those wanting the full Mortal Kombat experience will also want to watch Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins. This direct-to-video animated film released just before 1995’s Mortal Kombat. While intended to be a prequel of sorts, it actually takes place during the events of the original movie and fleshes out the origin stories of characters like Shang Tsung and Scorpio. In that regard, watch order comes down to personal preference, if you decide to watch it at all.
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996)
With Batman: The Animated Series reaching acclaimed heights throughout the ‘90s, it’s not surprising Mortal Kombat decided to get in on the animated series trend (alongside its fighting game competitor Street Fighter). Running for just 13 episodes in 1996 before cancellation, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm delivers the expected MK plot: Raiden assembles a group of champions to protect Earthrealm from various threats. Often referred to as a “soft sequel,” Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm continues the character storylines that started in Mortal Kombat (1995), with a more toned-down, child-friendly vibe. Just keep in mind that Defenders of the Realm is non-canon, making it more of an optional watch for those seeking a canon viewing of the franchise.
Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997)
After the success of 1995’s Mortal Kombat, New Line Cinema brought in John R. Leonetti to direct the sequel. Mortal Kombat Annihilation scrubbed most of the original Mortal Kombat cast, having only Robin Shou and Talisa Soto reprise their roles of Liu Kang and Kitana, respectively. With Liu Kang taking lead, the film features an altercation with Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson) that picks up after the events of the previous film. Unfortunately, Annihilation flopped hard. Both critics and audiences took issue with the plot, performances, and fight scenes. As a result, the sequel underperformed at the box office, and any talks of a third movie evaporated. While the film has a niche fanbase, most agree that Annihilation is too cheesy, and not in a good way.
Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011-2013)
Mortal Kombat: Legacy marks the first departure from the timelines started by 1995’s Mortal Kombat. First debuting in 2011 via Machinima’s YouTube channel, the two-season web series provides more realistic backstories for the characters in the original game. By this definition, you could watch it anywhere, but it arguably works best as an interlude between the Mortal Kombat 1995 timeline and the Legends film series. In some ways, Mortal Kombat: Legacy is like an anthology. With each episode dedicated to a specific character and minimal continuity between episodes, it’s the perfect series for picking away at. Those feeling extra ambitious can also check out the short film that inspired the show, Kevin Tancharoen’s Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge kicks off the start of Warner Bros. Animation’s direct-to-video Legends series. If you didn’t already guess it by the title, the movie chronicles Scopion’s (Patrick Seitz) bloody story of revenge while also delving into Johnny Cage (Joel McHale), Liu Kang (Jordan Rodriguez), and Sonya Blade’s (Jennifer Carpenter) experience in the tournament to save Earthrealm. Borrowing Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon as a creative consultant, Scorpion’s Revenge delivers an impressive showing of brutality, gore, and stylized violence worthy of the franchise. It also marks a break in continuity. Despite pulling from the same source material, Scorpion’s Revenge and the rest of the Legends movies exist in their own separate universe. No prior knowledge of the franchise is required.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
When it comes to Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, watch order is important. Serving as a direct sequel to Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, the film picks up with Shao Kahn (Fred Tatasciore) declaring war on Earthrealm and forcing Raiden (Dave B. Mitchell) and company into action. While the group heads to Outerworld, Scorpion (Patrick Seitz) sets forth on his own mission of locating an ancient relic. Criticized for underdeveloped characters and messy plot, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms failed to live up to its predecessor’s reception. Still, it contains enough violence and action-packed fun to delight franchise fans.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is a direct sequel to Battle of the Realms in the sense that it’s set years after Shao Kahn’s defeat. That said, it also works well as a standalone film, not necessarily reliant on knowing what happened in previous Legends movies. Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind depicts a dystopian-esque Earthrealm run ragged by Kano (David Wenham) and the Black Dragon clan. This time, it’s the hero Kenshi (Manny Jacinto) who must step up to stop the growing threat with the usual slice-and-dice fare.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)
Like its predecessor, Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match can function as a standalone film. Although billed as a prequel, watch order doesn’t particularly matter in this case. As teased in the title, Cage Match is a Johnny Cage (Joel McHale) origin story, chronicling the martial artist’s attempt to break into the film industry and, later, the secret society he must face off against to save his co-star, Jennifer Grey (Herself), and Earthrealm. Compared to the other Legends movies, Cage Match offers something different. It’s a love letter to ‘80s action movies. While it’s a lot of fun for audiences who get the references, Cage Match has the potential to disappoint those looking for that signature Mortal Kombat feel.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
After Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’s disastrous reception, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. went back to the drawing board with Mortal Kombat (2021). Although it’s the third live-action film in the franchise, Mortal Kombat (2021) is a reboot, existing in a separate universe from 1995’s Mortal Kombat and its sequel. While familiar characters make appearances, 2021’s reboot primarily puts Cole Young (Lewis Tan) at the center of its plot. Lore changes make Mortal Kombat (2021) a little confusing at times, but those looking for the series’ signature gratuitous violence and action-packed fight scenes will find all that and more. Mortal Kombat (2021) has an R-rating, and it makes sure you know it.
Mortal Kombat 2 (2025)
As the second entry in the franchise’s rebooted live-action film series, Mortal Kombat 2 sends Cole Young (Lewis Tan) and company into another tournament. Mortal Kombat (2021) director Simon McQuoid returns with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire writer Jeremy Slater manning the script. In addition to the returning cast, Mortal Kombat 2 welcomes Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, and Tati Gabrielle as Jade. Plot details are still limited, but expect the sequel to deal with Shang Tsung’s (Chin Han) big threat of unleashing armies on the heroes of Earthrealm. Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters on October 24, 2025.
Mortal Kombat Series In Order By Release Date
Not bothered by continuity? Then, watching Mortal Kombat in the order each film released also works just fine.
- Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)
- Mortal Kombat (1995)
- Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996)
- Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997)
- Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998-1999)
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011-2013)
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)
- Mortal Kombat (2021)
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)
- Mortal Kombat 2 (2025)
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Fall of Edenia (TBA)
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