“I’ll Play a Kickboxer” – Jean-Claude Van Damme Throws Shade at Street Fighter in Mortal Kombat

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It’s no secret Mortal Kombat‘s Johnny Cage was based on action legend Jean-Claude Van Damme. The franchise would have looked mighty different had Midway managed to cut a deal to use JCVD’s likeness in the video game and make him the central piece of Van Damme; however, this never happened, and the Muscles from Brussels actually jumped over to the world of Street Fighter a few years later.

Jean-Claude Van Damme Was Nearly Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat

Now, the journey comes full circle as Mortal Kombat 1 features an official Jean-Claude Van Damme skin for Johnny Cage, which also boasts the actor’s voice as he recorded a few lines for Cage’s interactions with foes. In typical Cage fashion, though, there is a cockiness to his quips, and it is dished out in Van Damme’s inimitable delivery. At the same time, Van Damme seems to pick his favourite between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter once and for all with a killer line.

In 1994, director Steven E. de Souza landed a major coup by securing Jean-Claude Van Damme as Colonel William Guile in the Street Fighter live-action film. Not only did this movie feature Raul Julia as the indomitable M. Bison, but the inclusion of JCVD also added serious action legitimacy to the cast. The film wasn’t universally well received upon arrival, but it built up a cult following in the years since its release.

Landing Van Damme wasn’t as difficult as some might have imagined as de Souza revealed to A Trip to the Movies with Alex Zane. The filmmaker explained how Capcom demanded a well-known action name for the movie and the parties started throwing around possibilities within the budget.

“Originally, they said, ‘Can you get Stallone? Can you get Schwarzenegger?’ And we just said, ‘You can’t afford