Let’s be real for a second. When the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot was announced, most of us were looking for two things: high-octane fatalities and a reasonably accurate Sub-Zero. We got those. But what we didn't expect was for a loud-mouthed, crude, and deeply problematic mercenary to basically walk away with the entire film in his pocket.
The mortal kombat kano movie experience—which is how many fans now refer to the 2021 flick—turned a B-tier villain into the undisputed MVP. Josh Lawson, the Aussie actor who stepped into the boots of the Black Dragon leader, didn't just play Kano. He lived him. He inhaled the character's sleaze and exhaled pure, unadulterated comedy. It’s a strange phenomenon when the guy you’re supposed to hate becomes the only person you want to see on screen.
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The Josh Lawson Factor: Turning Trash into Gold
Kano has always been a bit of a weird one in the games. Originally, he was written as a Japanese-American orphan. Then the 1995 movie happened. Trevor Goddard played him with an accent so confusingly "international" that everyone just assumed he was Australian. The developers liked it so much they actually retconned his entire heritage in the games.
Josh Lawson took that accidental legacy and dialed it up to eleven.
Honestly, the writing for some of the other heroes felt a bit... stiff? You had Cole Young (the new guy) trying to find his "arcana," and Liu Kang and Kung Lao being very serious about destiny. Then you had Kano. He was just there for the beer and the money. Lawson reportedly ad-libbed a massive chunk of his dialogue, which explains why his lines feel so much punchier than the standard "chosen one" tropes.
Why he actually worked
- The "Everyman" Perspective: In a world of gods and sorcerers, Kano is just a guy who wants a "fortune cookie" from Raiden.
- Relatable Incompetence: Watching him try to learn his powers by just getting angry at a dinner table was way more entertaining than any training montage.
- Authentic Slang: Lawson used real Aussie "piss-taking" humor that felt lived-in, not scripted by a Hollywood room trying to guess what people in Brisbane sound like.
He’s a "dirty, tattooed piece of shit," to use Lawson's own words from an Inverse interview. And yet, when he finally unlocked his eye-laser—his "Arcana"—it felt like a genuine win for the audience. We were rooting for the bad guy because the bad guy was having the most fun.
The Rivalry: Sonya Blade and the Garden Gnome
You can't talk about Kano in the movie without mentioning Sonya Blade. Jessica McNamee played the straight man to Lawson’s chaos. Their chemistry was built on pure, concentrated loathing. It wasn't that "will-they-won't-they" tension you see in bad action movies; it was "I am actually going to shove a garden gnome through your skull" tension.
And she did.
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That final fight in Sonya’s house was a highlight for many. It wasn't a graceful martial arts dance. It was a messy, desperate brawl in a kitchen. It felt grounded in a way the CGI-heavy fights sometimes didn't. When Sonya finally plunged that gnome into his eye socket, it was the perfect "fatality" for a character who had spent the last 90 minutes being a Grade-A jerk.
What’s Next for Kano in the Sequel?
If you thought a lawn ornament to the brain was the end of the road, you haven't been paying attention to how Mortal Kombat works. Nobody stays dead. Well, except maybe the guys nobody liked.
Official casting for Mortal Kombat 2 (slated for late 2025/early 2026) has confirmed that Josh Lawson is returning. There’s been a lot of talk about "Kano 2.0." In the lore, Kano is famous for his cybernetic upgrades. Losing an eye is basically just a Tuesday for him. It's the perfect excuse to give him the classic metal eye-plate from the games, which was notably missing in the first film.
The Revenant Theory
Some rumors and early casting leaks suggest we might see a "Revenant" version of Kano. In the games, Revenants are undead versions of the warriors resurrected to serve a darker power (usually Quan Chi). While Lawson has joked in interviews about his character entering a "new chapter" called death, the fans are betting on a full-blown cyborg resurrection.
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Imagine Kano, but with even less of a filter and a permanent red laser beam. That's a scary thought for the heroes, but a great one for the box office.
The Johnny Cage Problem
There’s a bit of a debate brewing in the fandom. With Karl Urban joining the sequel as Johnny Cage, will there be enough room for two "comic relief" characters? Cage is traditionally the guy who provides the meta-commentary and the jokes.
Kano filled that void in the first movie because Johnny wasn't there. If you put them in a room together, it’s either going to be the funniest scene in cinema history or a total headache. The trick will be keeping Kano's "villainous edge." He isn't a hero; he's a mercenary who would sell his own mother for a cold pint.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to catch up or dive deeper into why this specific version of the character hit so hard, here’s what you should do:
- Rewatch the "Dinner Table" Scene: Pay attention to the background. Lawson is constantly doing something—eating, drinking, or making faces—that makes the world feel more real.
- Check out Lawson’s other work: To see how he handles comedy, look at The Little Death. It shows you exactly where that "dark humor" streak comes from.
- Monitor the MK2 Leaks: Keep an eye out for any "Kano 2.0" costume reveals. The transition from the "scarred eye" to the "cybernetic plate" is going to be a major visual milestone for the franchise.
- Play MK11: If you want to see the version of Kano that most influenced this movie, the 2019 game features an older, "distinguished" Aussie Kano that shares a lot of DNA with Lawson's portrayal.
Kano might be a scumbag, but he’s our scumbag. He proved that even in a movie about interdimensional tournaments and soul-stealing wizards, a bit of well-timed sarcasm and a thick Australian accent can go a long way.