Johnny Cage, famous Hollywood action hero, joined the first Mortal Kombat tournament for the publicity. As the Thunder God, Raiden, intoned at the time about the arrogant, loquacious Cage, "He is a hero… though he may not yet know it." Raiden was correct, of course: Johnny's martial arts skills were not special effects--and were pivotal in Earthrealm's victory. Johnny became a leader alongside Sonya Blade against Outwolrd and later Netherrealm. Sonya's initial dislike of Johnny turned to friendship and eventually to marriage. After their daughter, Cassie, was born, however, Johnny and Sonya split up. Now older and more somber, the 50-something Johnny is a consultant with a secret Special Forces unit under Blade's command. He tolerates the occasional run-in with his ex-wife mostly to spend time with his beloved Cassie--the group's squad leader.
Johnny Cage's life had turned out to be stranger than any science fiction film, but he knew the final scene was approaching.
With Raiden's direction Johnny was able to sail to Shang Tsung's abandoned island fortress, where his adventure had begun, to contemplate his future.
Amid the rubble, Johnny found an ancient tome.
Its pages revealed that Shang Tsung had unraveled the secret to Edenian long life.
Johnny Cage's retirement would have to wait.
Our initial goal was to define how Johnny had developed since the last game. Had his time in the Mortal Kombat tournament motivated him to take his martial arts skill seriously, or did he remain a lavish Hollywood playboy?
We knew Johnny would be heavily involved with Special Forces, and began looking for tactical equipment that would suit Johnny's fight style. The challenge was finding a balance between something too serious or stoic and something too goofy.
As we developed outfits, we were able to establish a timeline for this shift from Hollywood action film star to a fulltime Special Forces advisor.