Johnny Cage

Johnny Cage is a character from the Mortal Kombat franchise.

Johnny Cage was a struggling Hollywood action movie star who wanted to get his fame back. Originally, he entered the Mortal Kombat tournament to display his fighting skills and prove himself to skeptical movie critics and the movie-viewing public, as they believed Cage was nothing more than an actor who relied too much on stunts and camera work and was not really a proficient fighter. Eventually, he became one of the most important defenders of Earth. Despite his materialism, airheadedness, and occasional immaturity, Cage has always been a brave and loyal warrior for Earthrealm, although his antics frequently annoy his allies.

Cage matures considerably by the time of Mortal Kombat X, losing much of his earlier arrogance and airheadedness. In the process, he becomes a more rounded and serious character, although his penchant for humor remains mostly intact. He maintains this persona in Mortal Kombat 11, complemented by the additional presence of his past self, who shares his former cockiness and brash traits.

Appearance
Johnny Cage is depicted as the typical American action movie star; bare muscular build with tight pants and his trademark sunglasses. In his debut, his clothing was modeled directly after Jean-Claude Van Damme's character in Bloodsport, consisting of black shorts with a red sash and black shoes. From MKII to MK4, he is depicted with black pants with blue accents.

In Deadly Alliance onwards, his design becomes a fusion of his first and familiar appearances, regaining the black shorts, but with a Cage emblem and blue belt tied at his waist. He goes barefoot with bandage straps. Interestingly, he has dyed his hair blond.

In MK 2011, he has a similar outfit from MKII, but with slight changes: he keeps his sunglasses on all the time, his chest is tattooed with his own name, he has straps on his arms and hands, his pants' accents are blue, and his last name is on his belt.

In MKX, 20 years prior to the main events of the game, he sports a military vest and pants. His default form in the same game features him with a short sleeved hoodie, along with a grayish blue shirt that partially covers his chest tattoo. He also has bandages wrapped around his wrists and black fingerless gloves. Cage's hair has begun to gray as well.

In MK11, a present Johnny Cage retains his military appearance from the last game, but now sports an olive green vest along with a dark gray long sleeved shirt that fully covers his chest tattoo. He also wears knee pads and military boots, along with dog tags around his neck and a pistol on his hip. A young Johnny Cage wears his Mortal Kombat (2011) outfit, but now added with blue and purple jacket and purple-framed sunglasses. They also retained their last name on his belt, which can be customized. During the Black Dragon infiltration of the Special Forces base, the young Johnny Cage's left cheek is badly grazed by a bullet, causing a faded scar to appear on the older Cage's face.

Personality
Johnny Cage is shown to be an arrogant, cocky and egotistical action movie star with a wise-cracking sense of humor who enjoys being at the center of attention. Because of this, many initially find Cage to be nothing but an annoying nuisance. Cage's ego knows no bounds, as he disrespectfully greeted Raiden and Liu Kang. His arrogance is so bloated that he refused to believe the sinister and supernatural elements occurring around the tournament and thought it was just another fighting tournament that can help him achieve his goals. until much later. Despite this, Cage is also very determined and ambitious albeit his goals were initially of the selfish kind as he only joined the first Mortal Kombat tournament to prove to his movie critics that his incredible skills are real and not just mere stunt-work. Cage however, shows his true heroic and selfless nature when he saved Sonya Blade from being killed by Kano. He then started to believe the reality of the tournament and joined Raiden, Liu Kang, Sonya and the rest of the heroes on their quest to keep Earthrealm safe from the likes of Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn.

In his Armageddon ending Johnny Cage wants the power of Blaze to become a better fighter. Yet unlike the other kombatants while Johnny wanted his skills increased he doesn't want to use the power to become a god or to rule like most of the others. Johnny not only uses the power to improve his skills he uses Blaze's power to gain insight and decides to become a monk gain enlightenment. Even though Johnny Cage is arrogant, cocky, egotistical, annoying, self-centered and enjoys the spot light he really has good intentions.

In Armageddon many kombatants want Blaze's power to rule with peace or to rule with force and fear. Some want the power to destroy, some to become a god, some to become champion and the best kombatant. Others wish to permanently get rid of all darkness or steal the powers from all the kombatatns. Johnny's wish is different from many of the others ture he wants to become a great fighter. But Blaze's power help him see things the way he has never seen things before.

As he got older, however, Johnny grew to be more serious and wise due to him raising his daughter Cassie while still making cheeky remarks to his friends and enemies alike. He truly loves the family he has as he managed to reconcile with Sonya after their divorce and is shown to be proud of his daughter for her valiant efforts and achievements. During the events of Mortal Kombat 11, Johnny is even shown to be disdainful of his younger self for his annoying behavior when being with him in person but understands that he'll learn maturity and wisdom later on.

Abilities
Despite his air-headed and superficial demeanor, Johnny Cage is a strong and agile warrior, showing an excellent fighting technique during battle. After long periods of training with various masters of martial arts, Cage himself has acquired mastery of several fighting styles, such as the famous Karate.

Although Cage is a human being, he possesses superhuman powers. According to MK 2011, Johnny descended from a Mediterranean cult that bred warriors for the gods: warriors with special abilities. One of these is the ability to propel himself forward and increase the strength of his blows. When Cage uses this power, afterimages of a green color are produced. Cage can augment the power of these shadow attacks, which are represented by afterimages of a red color. In addition to these physical shadow abilities, Cage also has the ability to launch blasts of energy.

As shown in Mortal Kombat X, Cage can also harness this energy and encase his body with it, strong enough to withstand a death blow from Shinnok without receiving any injury to his person. This energy was also potent enough to allow him to fight on equal terms with the Elder God. Raiden theorized that this power can only come about when the want arises to protect a loved one from imminent danger.

Signature Moves

 * Green Shadow Kick: Cage slides across the floor with one foot at a steady speed, followed by a green-colored afterimage and connects with a kick to the torso of his opponent with the other one. In MK 2011 and MKX the move is called Shadow Kick, however, he keeps the green trail. Also in MKX, it's one of the few moves his Stunt Doubles can perform.
 * In MKX the enhanced version is called Eclipse Kick, just like in MK 2011, but keeps its green trail. It is executed faster, covers the whole screen, has armor and increased damage.
 * Flashy Shadow Kick: An alternate version of Johnny's regular Shadow Kick that allows him to charge it and cancel out of the charge with a dash or run. The longer this move is charged, the more damage it will inflict and the farther it will travel across the screen. The move is also boosted during Red Shadow Mode. This replaces Shadow Kick in Cage's A-List variation.
 * This move's enhanced version is still Eclipse Kick and is unchanged.
 * Red Shadow Kick: The more powerful incarnation of the Green Shadow Kick, which leaves a red trail. This is the enhanced version of the Shadow Kick in MK 2011 and is called Eclipse Kick, the range and damage of this technique is augmented, and Johnny is armored while performing the kick. After the move is done, Johnny sometimes says "You got Caged!" or "Watch this!". In MKX, this can be performed during the Red Shadow Mode, which is the boosted version of the regular Shadow Kick.
 * Plasmic Bolt: Cage throws a green orb of energy at the enemy. In MKII and onwards, the bolt is curved upwards. In Deadly Alliance the screen shakes if the projectile hits the opponent, while in Armageddon the screen will not shake. In MK 2011 and MKX this is called Low Force-ball. Also in MKX, this is one of Cage's specials that are boosted during Red Shadow Mode.
 * The enhanced version in MK 2011 is Double Low Ball and in MKX it is Double Low Force-ball. In both games, Johnny fires a second ball in a straight direction.
 * High Green Orb: A higher version of the curved energy bolt. Called High Force-ball in MK 2011 and MKX.
 * The enhanced version in MK 2011 is Double High Ball and in MKX it is Double High Force-ball. In both games, Johnny fires a second ball in a straight direction.
 * Straight Force-ball: Johnny shoots a Force-ball in a straight direction at his opponent. This replaces his Low Force-ball in the Stunt Double variation.
 * The enhanced version is called Double Straight Force-ball and has Johnny shoot two Straight Force-balls in a row.
 * Triple Green Orb: Johnny shoots three low green orbs one after another.
 * Split Punch: One of Cage's most memorable moves where he does a split and punches the opponent in the groin. This previously only worked on male fighters -- against women, instead of punching, he would simply do a split and stand back up. Available in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Mortal Kombat (2011) and Mortal Kombat X, it can be performed on both male fighters and female fighters. In MK 2011 and MKX it is called Nut Punch. In MKX this move is also boosted during Red Shadow Mode. In the mobile version of MKX, the move is simply called the Kracker.
 * The enhanced version is called Nutcracker both in MK 2011 and MKX. In MK 2011 it turns Cage's fist green with energy, increasing its damage. In MKX, Johnny will follow up with an uppercut, leaving his foe vulnerable to a juggle.
 * Nut Breaker: A different version of Nut Punch that allows Johnny Cage to charge up the attack, making his fist glow with green energy and increasing the damage of the attack. The move is also boosted during Red Shadow Mode. This move replaces Nut Punch in the A-List variation.
 * The enhanced version is still Nutcracker and remains unchanged.
 * Johnny Cage may also choose to enhance this move to add the launching uppercut after connecting with the first hit of Nut Breaker.
 * Once the Nut Breaker is fully charges, it can not longer be enhanced after it deals damage.
 * Green Shadow Uppercut: Cage would leap and deliver an uppercut with his elbow which launched his foe into the air, leaving a green trail. In MK 2011 Cage uses this move as his Breaker attack. In MKX it's called Rising Shadow and replaces his Flipkick in the Stunt Double variation, being also one of the few moves his Stunt Doubles can perform.
 * The enhanced version is called Shadow Dropkick. It's armored and adds two overhead kicks after the uppercut, knocking the enemy down. If performed by a Stunt Double, it will land one kick instead of two, but will bounce the opponent off the floor, allowing for a juggle.
 * Red Shadow Uppercut: A faster version of the move, which leaves a red trail. In MK 2011, this move is done after the Ultra Flipkick and after performing this move he will say "Johnny Cage!". In MKX, this can be performed during the Red Shadow Mode, which is the boosted version of the regular Rising Shadow.
 * Sliding Uppercut: Johnny Cage does the split and rises up quickly, delivering an uppercut to the opponent. This attack may resemble a combination of his Shadow Uppercut and Split Punch moves.
 * Flipkick: Cage does a somersault kick that launches his foe into the air, leaving a green trail. This move began as a command attack available in MK:DA. In MKX it's available in all variations but Stunt Double. It is also boosted during Red Shadow Mode.
 * The enhanced version is called Ultra Flipkick both in MK 2011 and MKX. In MK 2011 it leaves a red trail, as well as following up with a Red Shadow Uppercut. In MKX, it has increased damage.
 * Rising Kick: An alternate version of Flipkick which allows Johnny Cage to charge it and cancel out of the charge with a dash or run. The longer this move is charged, the more damage it will inflict and the farther it will travel. This move is also boosted during Red Shadow Mode. This replaces Flipkick in the A-List variation.
 * Like Flipkick, this move's enhanced version is still Ultra Flipkick and remains unchanged.
 * Fist Bump: Johnny claps his fists together, which makes his brass knuckles sparkle and doubles the amount of block damage landed for a period, making him dangerous to opponents even when they're blocking. Activating this move also enables Johnny Cage to use his Red Shadow Mode Throw without necessarily being in Red Shadow Mode and increases the damage of certain punch attacks and specials moves. In MK11, Cage strikes a pose to gain the buff.
 * The ability can be enhanced to recover from it faster, allowing for continued combos in some instances.
 * Mimic: Johnny creates two yellow shadows around him (his Stunt Doubles), and can send them to perform some specials in his place - namely the Shadow Kick and the Rising Shadow - while Cage himself can stand still and perform other attacks. The Stunt Doubles are also boosted during Red Shadow Mode, becoming red instead of yellow and doing more damage, but only if they're summoned when Cage has 5% health or less.
 * X-Ray Move - Ball Buster: Cage taunts his opponent. If, during this time, they attack him, he parries them and performs a triple Split Punch in the opponent's groin area. As they double up, he jumps and then slams his elbow on their back, dealing damage to their spine. There was a glitch that allowed him to do this over and over again without any energy in the Super Meter by staying crouched while holding down the block button, but the glitch has since been patched. It is also one of the few X-Ray moves that allow the player to continue their combo after doing it; though conversely, it cannot be used to finish off any combos as it requires the enemy to attack.
 * X-Ray Move - Kasting Kall: Cage stuns the opponent with an axe kick and then delivers a roundhouse to their head, snapping their jaw. Then, Cage proceeds to slam their head into his knee with such force that it shatters their skull. To end it, Cage then does a backflip kick, dislocating the foe's jaw entirely and launching them upwards. An extremely brief juggle is created at the end of the X-Ray; otherwise the opponent is knocked away.
 * Fatal Blow - The Award Goes To: Cage starts by hitting the opponent with a charged palm strike after which he shadow kicks them in the gut and under their chin. Cage proceeds to land an overhead spinning kick, then backflips to kick them down face-first with his foot at the back of their head. He pulls out a trophy which is titled "Excellence Award; Best Actor" and strikes them away with it, causing the opponent to lie face-up and breaking off the base and part of the topper. With the broken trophy in his hand, he ends by stabbing them in the chest with it before back flipping away.

Other Moves

 * Throw: In older games, Cage would perform a very standard fighting-game-fare body throw.
 * Throw: Cage punches his foe twice, drops a low chop to their genitals, forcing them to lean forward, then either smashing them in the face with a glowing fist (Forward) or sidestepping around to kick them to the curb (Backward).
 * Throw: Cage grabs his foe's wrist to snap their elbow, then grabs their ankle to snap their knee and knocks them away with a palm to the rib cage.
 * Throw (Red Shadow Mode): Cage punches the opponent in the nose, gut and jaw and knocks them across the arena with a roundhouse kick to the stomach. This is also more damaging than his regular throw move.
 * This is also performed if his Fist Bump buff is active, ignoring the health requirement.
 * Knee Bash: Cage grabs his foe in a headlock and quickly slams them with a knee kick.
 * Pop Up: Cage performs a brutal, lightning-fast snapkick, launching his foe into the air.
 * Speed Bag: Cage lands a series of quick punches to his opponent with both arms. This can last as long as the player taps the two punch buttons, but the combo will only go as far as 9 hits before resetting.
 * Force Punch: Johnny delivers a powerful punch coated with green energy that knocks the opponent away. The attack can be charged for increased damage or run-canceled before the attack connects. This replaces Strong Hand in the A-List variation.
 * Additionally, the attack has a slower activation and is no longer safe on block compared to Strong Hand.
 * Fatal Strike: Johnny performs two quick punches with the final slightly glowing green, knocking the opponent away. The final punch of the combo can be charged for increased damage or run-canceled before it connects. When performed in the corner, it allows a short juggle; otherwise the opponent is knocked away. This replaces Cross-Kutting in the A-List variation.
 * This combo activates quicker and is safe on block compared to Cross-Kutting.
 * Entertainer: Johnny knees his opponent then kicks them away full-screen distance. The final blow of the combo can be charged for increased damage or run-canceled before it connects. This replaces Kameo in the A-List variation.
 * Charging the final kick separates the combo into two moves. The full charged kick sends the opponent flying full screen much faster.
 * This combo is slower and much less safe compared to Kameo.
 * Red Shadow Mode: If Cage's health drops down to 5% or less, his specials and their enhanced versions will be boosted with more damage and leave behind red shadows instead of the regular green ones. Red shadow specials are used by Cage in many games, with MKX being the first one in which they can only be performed during this specific mode. While at this health level, his basic throw will be altered with more damage as stated above.
 * Throw (Forward): Cage punches his opponent in the head, knees them twice and sends them flying with a roundhouse.
 * Throw (Backward): Cage punches his opponent in the stomach, snaps their arm and breaks their neck by grabbing under their neck and thrusting upwards before tossing them aside.

Fatalities

 * Head Pop: Johnny Cage delivers a bloody and savage uppercut that tears his opponent's head off. A glitch allowed the Fatality to be performed multiple times in MK. In MK4, his fist glows with green energy when performing the Fatality.
 * Triple Punch Decapitation: A bizarre Fatality in which Cage performs his uppercut Fatality, only instead of one head, Cage knocks off three. Most likely done in parody of a glitch discovered in the first Mortal Kombat game, where Johnny Cage could knock off multiple heads in his Fatality.
 * In MKX, this Fatality is renamed as Decap.
 * Torso Rip: Johnny Cage grabs his enemy around the torso and rips their torso off, and throws it to the ground. In Mortal Kombat 4, he twists the torso before ripping it off. This Fatality is also used as a finisher for the Kreate-A-Fatality in Armageddon.
 * Torso Kick: Johnny Cage begins to smoke, right before he performs a Shadow Kick that tears a portion of the opponent's torso off. The remaining portion then falls on what remains of the enemy. Only available in the Nintendo 64 version of MK Trilogy.
 * Atomic Backbreaker: Cage hoists his opponent over his head and then bends them over his shoulders causing them to explode into pieces. Only available in the CD versions of MK Trilogy.
 * Brain Rip: Cage jabs the opponent's stomach, causing them to vomit blood. He then thrusts his hand into their head and rips out their brain.
 * Forceful Shadow Kick: Cage performs a Shadow Kick strong enough for his foot to penetrate the enemy's flesh. Only available in the SNES version of Mortal Kombat.
 * In Shaolin Monks, Cage uses this Fatality to finish off Goro after Liu Kang and Kung Lao defeat him.
 * Super Split Punch: Cage performs his Split Punch move, but takes it a step further by continuing to pummel his opponent's genitals, finally striking them with such force that it severs their legs from their torso.
 * Heads Up: Cage decapitates his opponent with an uppercut, then rips off their torso and slams it onto the ground, bouncing their severed head into the air. Cage catches it and holds it up. This Fatality is a combination of his Head Pop and Torso Rip Fatalities.
 * And The Winner Is...: Johnny Cage karate chops the opponent's head in half and takes out a trophy. He then says, "And the award goes to..." and plants the trophy in between the two chopped halves of the opponent's head. Then while the announcer proclaims Cage's victory, Johnny pushes the still-standing opponent to the ground with his finger.
 * If this Fatality is performed on Kratos, Johnny will only karate chop his head in half.
 * Here's Johnny: Cage turns his opponent around with a slap, then jabs his hands into their back and tears a hole through their torso. He peeks his head through the opening and says, "Heeeere's Johnny!" He then stands back, allowing the victim to fall to their back.
 * Little Improv: Cage throws his opponent onto the ground, then seizes the back of the opponent's head and proceeds to violently and repeatedly smash their face against the ground using his Shadow powers to enhance the speed, reducing it to mush. Johnny then walks away afterward.
 * Mr. Cage's Neighborhood: Cage turns his opponent around with a punch, then punches them straight in the back and rips their torso off. The background goes pitch black, leaving a spotlight on Cage as he begins performing a ventriloquist routine using his opponent as the dummy, using one of the five lines below. The audience boos and start throwing tomatoes, with one hitting Cage's opponent in the face.
 * What did you do, Johnny?! - Just what you asked! - Not what I meant by the splits!
 * Is there a pub nearby? - Why, you thirsty? - I could use a few pints.
 * Ninja Mime was awesome! - Yeah, I rocked it. - It really tore me up.
 * Ah, what's for dinner? - Spaghetti or ramen? - Man, I'm really torn.
 * Ah, this hangover. - Too much fun at happy hour. - I got totally ripped.
 * Who Hired This Guy:  Cage uppercuts the opponent, breaking their jaw and making it dangle. A woman then yells, "Cut! Reset!" at him whilst a boom mic appears, implying that he has to retry the fatality. After a clapperboard sequence, which has "Deadly Uppercut" written on it, Cage uppercuts the opponent once more, punching their jaw off and busting their throat, only to be told to do it yet again, to which Cage replies, "Who hired this guy, what the fu-" before being interrupted by a bleep. After the 19th take, Cage manages to punch off the opponent's head, only to have his hand stuck in the head. Frustrated, he throws the head towards the screen, visibly cracking it, while Cage can be seen flipping off the head.

Other Finishers

 * Friendship: Autograph: Johnny Cage signs a photo of himself stating: "TO MY BEST FAN! Cage". He also does this for his victory pose in Mortal Kombat X, adding "I'd frame that." to the downed opponent.
 * Animality: Hyper Kangaroo Kick: Cage turns into a kangaroo and kicks his opponent off screen.
 * Babality: Johnny Cage takes a pencil and paper and draws on it. The wind then blows the paper away, making it land on the screen, showing the player a poorly-drawn picture of Cage (in the style of pictures painted by small children) and a few words saying, "To My Best Fan! Johnny Cage." which is most likely a homage to his Friendship in earlier games (see above).
 * Brutality #1 - Eye Popping: Johnny performs a Nut Punch, punching his opponent's groin so hard that their head comes off. Alternatively, if a Nutcracker (the enhanced version) is performed, their eyes will pop out of the sockets.
 * Brutality #2 - Blood Spurt: Johnny performs a Take Two combo with the final kick decapitating the opponent and sending their head towards the screen.
 * Brutality #3 - Wow Out: Johnny performs an extended Speed Bag combo that removes the opponent's face, with a final hit as an uppercut breaking the opponent's neck. Still upright, Johnny seemingly winds up a final punch, but stops and ends up pushing them over with his finger with a wry chuckle.
 * Brutality #4 - Fall Guy: With a Mimic (Stunt Double) active, Johnny performs a Shadow Kick that bifurcates the opponent at the waist. The double strikes a pose just like Cage does as his victory is announced.
 * Brutality #5 - Bring It On: Johnny performs a Rising Kick that obliterates the opponent's torso.
 * This will not be performed if the opponent is in the air when using Rising Kick.
 * Brutality #6 - Break a Leg: Johnny performs his Throw, but snaps the opponent's right arm and right leg clean off before sending them away with a palm strike.

Trivia

 * Though the Mortal Kombat franchise is notorious for replacing the letter "c" with "k," Cage is an exception. It's probably more than coincidence that Kage (pronounced "ka-ge") in Japanese means "shadow," and Johnny Cage is the master of many shadow move techniques.
 * The original name for Johnny Cage was Michael Grimm. It was changed during pre-production of the first MK.
 * Brandon Lee was originally cast as Johnny Cage for the first film, but he died before filming began.
 * Cage's "real name" came from Midway game programmer John Carlton, who worked on the popular NBA Jam arcade series, and shares his "stage name" with the famous composer John Cage (albeit modified).
 * The name John Carlton was briefly mentioned in Johnny Cage's song from the Mortal Kombat album by the techno group "The Immortals."
 * According to some of the extras in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, his official biographies, some of the endings, the official comics, the officially-released "Johnny Cage: In Your Face" and "Fight Dirty" videos, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, and Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Johnny Cage has starred in the following movies:
 * Ninja Mime
 * upcoming Ninja Mime sequel (halted)
 * Dragon Fist
 * Dragon Fist 2
 * Son of Dragon Fist
 * HWAAAAA!!
 * Sudden Violence
 * Aquatic Assault
 * Exiting the Dragon of Death
 * 7 Poisons
 * Cage Match
 * The Gist of my Fist
 * 24 Karate Gold
 * Who's That?
 * Wu Shu (TV Series)
 * Mortal Kombat
 * Mortal Kombat II
 * Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
 * Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage (Canceled)
 * Caged Rage
 * Ninja Priest (Kano claims Cage stole his likeness for the production)
 * Every Dog Has Its Day
 * Massive Strike
 * Iron Claw
 * Time Smashers
 * Citizen Cage (a spoof of Citizen Kane)
 * Tommy Scissorfists (a spoof of Edward Scissorhands)
 * Fight Dirty
 * World's Most Wanted (a spoof of Wanted)
 * Fly High
 * Power Rangers (TV series presumably based on the real-life series produced by the Saban Capital Group)
 * You Got Caged
 * You Got Saved (He inspired it, at least)
 * Stryker: I Was Doing My Job (Canceled)
 * Breaknose Mountain (a spoof of Brokeback Mountain)
 * TV commercial for Cage Cologne
 * His MKII ending shows him battling Shao Kahn on the big screen, in the movie Mortal Kombat II.
 * He also appeared on Celebrity SMASH TV. He won the episode he was in, and donated his winnings to charity.
 * In Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11, Johnny Cage has an unlockable Ninja Mime skin that shows his outfit used in his movie of the same name.
 * Johnny Cage was the first character created for the first Mortal Kombat. The test prototype had two Johnny Cages fighting each other.
 * Despite this, he was ironically the last character to be given a Fatality in that game. Until a last-minute brainstorm by co-creator John Tobias that later evolved into the Head Pop Fatality, he was simply going to throw his opponent across the screen.
 * A glitch in the first Mortal Kombat makes Johnny Cage's Head Pop Fatality's uppercut, if performed quick enough, knock off a phantom head of the opponent, though this can only be done on Kano, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion.
 * This was later referenced in MKII, with it becoming an actual Fatality as a variation of the original Fatality, called Triple Punch Decapitation; this time, Johnny Cage uppercuts three heads off.
 * In the first game, Cage was modeled after the Belgian actor, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The creators wanted Van Damme to be Johnny Cage in the first Mortal Kombat, but Van Damme was unavailable due to his movie work.
 * Johnny Cage's clothes in the first Mortal Kombat are almost identical to the clothes Van Damme wore in the last match in the 1988 movie Bloodsport, his split punch is taken directly from a move done by Van Damme in said movie, and Cage's Nutcracker Split Punch and "Blood Spurt" Brutality were also inspired by the movie.
 * Johnny Cage's film "Ninja Mime" is most likely inspired by the opening scenes from the action film "The Quest" in which the hero, dressed like a mime, evades authorities using martial arts-like moves. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, whom Johnny Cage is based upon, as the lead role.
 * Concept art for the Shrine in Mortal Kombat X shows a portrait of Johnny Cage's ancestor, who bears a strong resemblance to Van Damme.
 * Johnny Cage was cut from the Game Boy version of MK due to memory constraints.
 * There was, however, a cheat code that made him playable, but he uses Sonya's sprite.
 * In the first film, after Cage defeats Scorpion, a photo signed 'To my greatest fan' lands in the debris, a nod to his Friendship finishing move in Mortal Kombat II.
 * In early arcade test versions of MKII, the word "Otomix" appeared on Cage's pants, but was omitted in subsequent chip upgrades. Otomix is an established supplier of martial arts and athletic wear.
 * The Red Shadow Kick, and Red Shadow Uppercut special moves happened randomly in Mortal Kombat II. In Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat Gold, selecting Player 2's outfit would cause the moves to have red shadows, rather than green. In MK 2011, the red shadow attacks return as powered up versions of Cage's original green shadow attacks, and in MKX, when Cage has below 5% health, his shadow attacks will turn red.
 * A tombstone entitled "CAGE" can be seen in the Graveyard arena for every game in appears in but MK (2011).
 * Cage's character model was exclusively recreated for Mortal Kombat Trilogy because (contrary to popular belief) Daniel Pesina parted ways with Midway due to a lawsuit over royalties. He was replaced by Chris Alexander.
 * This was the first instance of Cage wearing his sunglasses while fighting, whereas previously, he would only wear them during a victory pose, something that has persisted in all his appearances since then.
 * Reportedly, John Vogel did not like Cage's storyline in Mortal Kombat Trilogy or Mortal Kombat 4.
 * Furthermore, his Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance bio can be viewed as retconning this, with Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage explaining (and mocking) his repeated death and revival during Trilogy and MK4.
 * Cage's body can be seen in the introduction of Mortal Kombat: Deception, located on the beginning of the stairway which leads to the Soulnado chamber.
 * The movie poster seen during Cage's ending in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance featured himself as the main character, with several other characters appearing as well, including Sonya Blade as his romantic interest, and Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Scorpion, and Moloch as antagonists.
 * Originally, he used a variant of Mileena's X-Ray Move in MK 2011 before it was changed to his infamous "Split Punch".
 * Johnny Cage's official theme is titled "Prepare Yourself".
 * In MKX, during an interaction with Kano, he asks "Didn't you throw me off a bridge?", to which Kano will respond, "Guilty as charged.", a callback to the story of MK 2011; during Johnny's chapter, after defeating Sonya at the Pit, Kano arrives and throws Johnny off of the bridge into the Pit.
 * Both Johnny and Kano have a similar exchange regarding the instance in MK11. 
 * In MKX, Johnny Cage makes several references to other franchises in the film department:
 * During a mirror match interaction, one Johnny will ask "How many of us are there?", to which the second Johnny will respond, "There can be only one!", a reference to the film Highlander. A film that starred Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown.
 * During an interaction with Kung Lao, Johnny tells him "Zorro's mom wants her hat back", a clear reference to the character Zorro.
 * During an interaction with Jax, he calls him "Tin Man", a reference to the character from the film The Wizard of Oz.
 * During an interaction with Kitana, he says "Hello, nurse!", a reference to the character Hello Nurse from the animated series Animaniacs.
 * During an interaction with Ermac, he says "The Mummy Returns", referencing the the movie of the same name.
 * Ermac later received a Pharaoh alternate costume as downloadable content.
 * Another interaction with Ermac has Johnny call him "Mac", a possible reference to the character from the film Mac and Me.
 * During an interaction with Ferra/Torr, he calls the pair "Master Blaster", a reference to the pair of villains from the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
 * During an interaction with Goro, he asks "Don't you owe me some sunglasses?", a reference to the 1995 film, in which Goro taunts Johnny by destroying his sunglasses before their fight.
 * During an interaction with Alien, he will say "It's game over, man!". This is a reference to the Alien's namesake film, in which the character Hudson shouts this line during the film.
 * Coincidentally enough, Johnny's voice actor from MKX, Andrew Bowen, also voiced Hudson in the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines.
 * His Here's Johnny Fatality is a homage to the 1980 horror film, The Shining, namely the scene where Jack Torrance, one of the main characters, tears a crack through a door with an axe, then peeks his face through the crack, uttering the same words.
 * In the character select screen, if the player chooses Johnny Cage's Commando outfit and Jax's Carl Weathers outfit, after selecting a level, Johnny will say "You son of a bitch!" and shake Jax's hand. This is a recreation of the handshake scene between the characters Dillon and Dutch from the movie Predator.
 * Johnny Cage is one of only three playable characters in Mortal Kombat X to have two throws; his second throw can only be used if Johnny is below 5% maximum health, with Red Shadow active, or if Fist Bump is active in his Fisticuffs variation. The other characters with two throws are Ferra/Torr and Jason Voorhees.
 * Johnny Cage is the only one of the original 7 characters from MK to not make a playable appearance in MKvsDCU.
 * In a Top 10 list hosted by Screwattack.com, Johnny Cage's Super Split Punch Fatality was placed at the 3rd best Mortal Kombat Fatality.
 * In a Top 10 list hosted by Screwattack.com, Johnny Cage was placed at #9 of the P.A.B. ("Pussy Ass Bitch") characters in gaming history, due to his nut punch attack.
 * In Unreal Championship 2, Raiden will occasionally taunt his opponent by stating that they "fight like Johnny Cage!".
 * Johnny Cage has made a guest appearance on the NetherRealm Studios mobile fighting game, WWE Immortals.
 * His variations are "A-List" & "Mortal Kombat". The renders for the game are borrowed from the Mortal Kombat X mobile game.
 * The glasses that Johnny wears in his "A-List" & "Mortal Kombat" renders have switched. The blood on his wrist tapes is also gone.
 * His Finisher is his X-Ray attack from MKX, Kasting Kall.
 * Johnny Cage is mentioned in a dialogue between Sub-Zero and Green Lantern in Injustice 2.
 * His Who Hired This Guy fatality in MK11 seems to be a parody of his Head Pop Fatality, or furthermore, his Triple Head Decapitation Fatality, in which he seemingly decapitates three heads from one body.
 * One of Johnny Cage's victory animations in MK11 features him posing an action figure of himself. The figure has Cassie's name drawn underneath its right foot. This is a reference to Toy Story, where some of the main characters, such as Woody and Buzz, have Andy's name drawn on the soles of their right feet.