10 Things You Somehow Missed In Teen Wolf
9. Mortal Kombat
When watching the season finale of Teen Wolf, The Wolves of War, fans of the 1995 film Mortal Kombat felt a sense of déjà vu watching Sheriff Stilinski dispatch a group of adversaries with a series of strikes and kicks. It was a treat for these fans to see the original Johnny Cage back in action when rescuing Deputy Parrish from a group of sinister Eichen House orderlies.
Jeff Davis, the creator and executive producer of Teen Wolf remembered Linden Ashby from Mortal Kombat and cast him in the series. This was a bonus for the show, as Linden Ashby has extensive martial arts experience and has studied karate, tae kwon do, and kung fu since he was 21 years old.
In addition to casting of Linden Ashby, the influence of Mortal Kombat is also highlighted in two episodes of the series. Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, who played the infamous sorcerer Shang Tsung in the 1995 film, guest starred in the Season Three episode “Silverfinger” as the titular yakuza mob boss. In the episode, Hiroyuki-Tagawa’s character provided the Argents key information about the oni, kitsune, and nogitsune to repay Chris Argent for saving his life.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed Liam and Mason were playing the Mortal Kombat 2 video game in the Season Six episode “After Images.” Liam wins the match with Johnny Cage, providing a subtle shout-out to Linden Ashby.