In the early 1990s, Jean-Claude Van Damme was at the height of his action star fame, with hit movies like Bloodsport and Universal Soldier gaining massive popularity. Amidst this success, Midway Games was eager to capitalize on the booming fighting game genre, inspired by the enormous success of Street Fighter in arcades. Unlike Capcom’s colorful and cartoonish style, Midway envisioned creating a darker, more intense fighter to attract a different audience.
According to Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat, Midway even considered building a game entirely around Jean-Claude Van Damme himself. Boon explained,
“We said, ‘let’s make the bad-boy version of this game. Let’s do something with blood. Kind of like the MTV version of Street Fighter. At one point, Midway’s solution was to create a game about JCVD himself. We wanted to call it Van Damme. We just wanted to see huge letters, ‘Van Damme’ when you walked by. You couldn’t pass that up,”
Ed Boon, Co-creator of Mortal Kombat.
Creating the Iconic Johnny Cage Character
The attempt to sign Van Damme for the game ultimately fell through, but Midway still found a way to honor the actor. They created Johnny Cage, a martial artist character heavily influenced by Van Damme’s persona, incorporating his signature splits and flamboyant attitude. This playful homage added levity to the otherwise brutal and violent game, which quickly shook up the arcade scene and stirred controversy due to its graphic content.
Following the explosive success of the game, a film adaptation was developed and released in 1995, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, where Johnny Cage became a central figure on screen.
Van Damme’s Near Role as Johnny Cage in the 1995 Film
When the Mortal Kombat movie went into production, casting for Johnny Cage drew considerable attention. Interestingly, Jean-Claude Van Damme was offered the chance to play the role, which would have brought Midway’s original vision full circle by having Van Damme embody the character inspired by him. However, Van Damme declined this opportunity because he had already committed to starring in the Street Fighter movie as Colonel William Guile. Consequently, Linden Ashby took on the role of Johnny Cage in the film.
Reflecting on a Missed Casting and Its Impact
The decision not to cast Van Damme as Johnny Cage remains a notable “what if” moment for fans of both the game and the films. Many consider the Mortal Kombat movie a stronger adaptation compared to Street Fighter, and Van Damme’s portrayal of the confident, cocky actor-fighter would likely have enhanced the character’s appeal. Imagining Van Damme delivering Johnny Cage’s iconic “let’s dance” line adds an extra layer of excitement and nostalgia to the franchise’s history.
This missed opportunity highlights how closely tied the evolution of the Mortal Kombat franchise was to Van Damme’s influence during that era. His involvement—whether as a game icon or a film star—could have reshaped how fans remember both the character and the franchise itself.
