The Best Johnny Cage Moments
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VOICE OVER: Todd Haberkorn
WRITTEN BY: Briana Lawrence
Johnny "I do all my own stunts" "You got Caged!" Cage is a legend both in and out of the Mortal Kombat universe. He has some of the best and funniest moments in the Mortal Kombat series, so here are our picks for the best of Cage.
Johnny Cage Moments
Welcome to MojoPlays! Please try and contain yourselves as we talk about gaming’s biggest celebrity: Johnny “Yes I Do All My Own Stunts” Cage!
“Caged!”
With a last name like Cage there was no avoiding the inevitable puns, but it takes true skill to beat everyone to the punch. With the 2011 reboot, we were reintroduced to our favourite action star, who came equipped with an even bigger ego — hard to believe, we know. Showing up to the tournament in a fresh new suit and bright, cocky grin, after defeating his first opponent he introduced us to the catchphrase: “He got caged!” Get it? Cuz his last name is... yeah. This wouldn’t be the only time we’d hear this gem, as Johnny went on to use it to... combat piracy? Sadly — and we use that term loosely — we think he’s close to retiring it. Thanks Cassie.
His Reaction To “Mortal Kombat”
We get it. The idea of a single tournament deciding the fate of the world sounds more than a little far fetched. But you’d think that after fighting Reptile, Baraka, and having an old guy spout on about finishing your opponents that you’d be, at the very least, suspicious. Well, if you’re like Johnny, you chalk it up as an elaborate movie set where you can hire Baraka for... Tommy Scissorfists? Raiden tries to explain what’s happening with the whole fate of the world thing, (say this next part sarcastically) and Johnny responds in a calm, mature fashion. We’re kidding. He’s a total jackass. There’s a hero in there somewhere, though... right?
“Here’s Johnny!”
Here we go. The core of Mortal Kombat: fatalities. As one of the original kombatants, Johnny knows a thing or two about ending a match in blood, sweat, and uppercuts powerful enough to make you lose your head. As a Hollywood icon, it was only a matter of time before we got some pop culture references in his brutal finishers, and what better wink to the camera than a nod to Jack Nicholson’s chilling performance in The Shining. After ripping his opponent’s chest open with his bare hands — big YIKES — Johnny looks through the gruesome opening to announce, “Here’s Johnny!” We never thought we’d say this, but the axe may have been a kinder way to go.
“She Called Me Johnny”
Is there a better lady’s man that Johnny Cage? Well Hundreds, probably thousands, to be honest. We’ve been poking fun at his personality but there’s no denying the absolute cringe of his early interactions with Sonya. However, witnessing the complete annihilation of a bunch of beloved characters, along with the invasion of Earth, does things to a man: even one as full of himself as Cage. By the time Mortal Kombat X rolled around he’d changed for the better, working with Sonya to defend Earthrealm from Shinnok. After defeating him — for now — Johnny took a moment to give a real, genuine smiling as he realized that he’d earned something greater than Earth’s safety: Sonya’s respect.
Punching Goro In The Gonads
The fatalities. The shadow kick. The insult to injury autograph friendship. All noteworthy moves, but there’s one that’s, arguably, even more iconic: the split punch ... or nut punch, or nutcracker, or... the move where he slams his fist into your nether regions. This has been a Cage staple since the very first game and has evolved, even been passed down to future generations, but we can’t talk about brutal crotch shots without referencing Cage’s greatest battle yet: Goro, prince of the Shokan, champion of Mortal Kombat... until Johnny utters the words let’s dance, drops into a split, and... you know the rest. To answer Mortal Kombat X’s Johnny question: yes, Shokan DO have yam sacks, and they, apparently, hurt to punch.
“Where Do You Get These Guys?”
If there’s one thing that gets on Johnny’s nerves; it’s having to work with amateurs who forget their cues, (“This is where you fall down”) which can cause him to get confrontational with his film directors. Still given how cutthroat working in Hollywood can be, we can’t entirely blame him, but at the same time his lack of respect for others has gotten him into hot water with his fans in the past. While he may have gotten his attitude in check in the latest games, every now and again he’ll run into an unprofessional hiccup, but at least now he knows how to make the most of it.
Training The Next Generation
See what’d we told ya. Not only did Johnny improve in his treatment toward Sonya, but he went on to prepare the next generation of fighters. Twenty years after besting Shinnok in kombat, we see Johnny leading a team of Special Forces in the hopes of getting them ready to take the mantle of Defenders of the Realm... (Speak in a panicked tone for this next part, its talking about the terrible “Defenders of the Realm” cartoon) No! nononononono not like that! Forget that! It Never happened! Abort! Abort! Abort! … Phew Where were we? - Umm well The team is a combination of Special Forces, Shaolin, and Shirai-Ryu, better known as: Johnny and Sonya’s daughter, Jax’s daughter, Kung Lao’s cousin, and Kenshi’s son. It’s hard to believe that the guy with his name tattooed across his chest has become one of the most responsible, and necessary, factors to keeping Earthrealm safe.
$500 Sunglasses
That’s not to say that Johnny is squeaky clean and doesn’t take the time to make a quip or two. He’s full of them in Mortal Kombat X, but our favorite has to be him reminding Goro about a certain pair of sunglasses . Yep, Johnny’s still playfully holding a grudge twenty years later — though wouldn’t punching Goro in the junk be enough payback? We suppose those glasses were $500, after all. Johnny challenging Goro back then took guts, but to stroll up to him, pull off the glasses, and use the same lines of dialogue he used when filming his movie? There’s being cocky, and then there’s being badass, and Johnny Cage was — and still is — the latter.
Welcome to MojoPlays! Please try and contain yourselves as we talk about gaming’s biggest celebrity: Johnny “Yes I Do All My Own Stunts” Cage!
“Caged!”
With a last name like Cage there was no avoiding the inevitable puns, but it takes true skill to beat everyone to the punch. With the 2011 reboot, we were reintroduced to our favourite action star, who came equipped with an even bigger ego — hard to believe, we know. Showing up to the tournament in a fresh new suit and bright, cocky grin, after defeating his first opponent he introduced us to the catchphrase: “He got caged!” Get it? Cuz his last name is... yeah. This wouldn’t be the only time we’d hear this gem, as Johnny went on to use it to... combat piracy? Sadly — and we use that term loosely — we think he’s close to retiring it. Thanks Cassie.
His Reaction To “Mortal Kombat”
We get it. The idea of a single tournament deciding the fate of the world sounds more than a little far fetched. But you’d think that after fighting Reptile, Baraka, and having an old guy spout on about finishing your opponents that you’d be, at the very least, suspicious. Well, if you’re like Johnny, you chalk it up as an elaborate movie set where you can hire Baraka for... Tommy Scissorfists? Raiden tries to explain what’s happening with the whole fate of the world thing, (say this next part sarcastically) and Johnny responds in a calm, mature fashion. We’re kidding. He’s a total jackass. There’s a hero in there somewhere, though... right?
“Here’s Johnny!”
Here we go. The core of Mortal Kombat: fatalities. As one of the original kombatants, Johnny knows a thing or two about ending a match in blood, sweat, and uppercuts powerful enough to make you lose your head. As a Hollywood icon, it was only a matter of time before we got some pop culture references in his brutal finishers, and what better wink to the camera than a nod to Jack Nicholson’s chilling performance in The Shining. After ripping his opponent’s chest open with his bare hands — big YIKES — Johnny looks through the gruesome opening to announce, “Here’s Johnny!” We never thought we’d say this, but the axe may have been a kinder way to go.
“She Called Me Johnny”
Is there a better lady’s man that Johnny Cage? Well Hundreds, probably thousands, to be honest. We’ve been poking fun at his personality but there’s no denying the absolute cringe of his early interactions with Sonya. However, witnessing the complete annihilation of a bunch of beloved characters, along with the invasion of Earth, does things to a man: even one as full of himself as Cage. By the time Mortal Kombat X rolled around he’d changed for the better, working with Sonya to defend Earthrealm from Shinnok. After defeating him — for now — Johnny took a moment to give a real, genuine smiling as he realized that he’d earned something greater than Earth’s safety: Sonya’s respect.
Punching Goro In The Gonads
The fatalities. The shadow kick. The insult to injury autograph friendship. All noteworthy moves, but there’s one that’s, arguably, even more iconic: the split punch ... or nut punch, or nutcracker, or... the move where he slams his fist into your nether regions. This has been a Cage staple since the very first game and has evolved, even been passed down to future generations, but we can’t talk about brutal crotch shots without referencing Cage’s greatest battle yet: Goro, prince of the Shokan, champion of Mortal Kombat... until Johnny utters the words let’s dance, drops into a split, and... you know the rest. To answer Mortal Kombat X’s Johnny question: yes, Shokan DO have yam sacks, and they, apparently, hurt to punch.
“Where Do You Get These Guys?”
If there’s one thing that gets on Johnny’s nerves; it’s having to work with amateurs who forget their cues, (“This is where you fall down”) which can cause him to get confrontational with his film directors. Still given how cutthroat working in Hollywood can be, we can’t entirely blame him, but at the same time his lack of respect for others has gotten him into hot water with his fans in the past. While he may have gotten his attitude in check in the latest games, every now and again he’ll run into an unprofessional hiccup, but at least now he knows how to make the most of it.
Training The Next Generation
See what’d we told ya. Not only did Johnny improve in his treatment toward Sonya, but he went on to prepare the next generation of fighters. Twenty years after besting Shinnok in kombat, we see Johnny leading a team of Special Forces in the hopes of getting them ready to take the mantle of Defenders of the Realm... (Speak in a panicked tone for this next part, its talking about the terrible “Defenders of the Realm” cartoon) No! nononononono not like that! Forget that! It Never happened! Abort! Abort! Abort! … Phew Where were we? - Umm well The team is a combination of Special Forces, Shaolin, and Shirai-Ryu, better known as: Johnny and Sonya’s daughter, Jax’s daughter, Kung Lao’s cousin, and Kenshi’s son. It’s hard to believe that the guy with his name tattooed across his chest has become one of the most responsible, and necessary, factors to keeping Earthrealm safe.
$500 Sunglasses
That’s not to say that Johnny is squeaky clean and doesn’t take the time to make a quip or two. He’s full of them in Mortal Kombat X, but our favorite has to be him reminding Goro about a certain pair of sunglasses . Yep, Johnny’s still playfully holding a grudge twenty years later — though wouldn’t punching Goro in the junk be enough payback? We suppose those glasses were $500, after all. Johnny challenging Goro back then took guts, but to stroll up to him, pull off the glasses, and use the same lines of dialogue he used when filming his movie? There’s being cocky, and then there’s being badass, and Johnny Cage was — and still is — the latter.
