Here's why the new 'Mortal Kombat' movie stars a new, original lead character

In the games and the original movies, Kano has always been portrayed as a thieving, conniving villain, and little else (besides a mortal rival for Kombatant Sonya Blade). In this film, he is the engine that keeps the story moving, as he steals every scene he's in and gets the biggest laughs. And like Cole, he is the audience's other surrogate in understanding "Mortal Kombat's" bizarre, violent, supernatural world, and the beings that live in it, including the thunder god Raiden.