The Boys season 5 will mark the end of the Amazon series, but Karl Urban thankfully has the perfect replacement franchise. In an acting career spanning over 3 decades, Karl Urban has played myriad roles in several franchises and standalone movies and TV shows. While some may recognize him for his portrayal of Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy, others may remember him as Skurge in Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok. Some may also know him as the titular lead in Dredd, and a few may be familiar with his role in the sci-fi series Almost Human.

In recent years, however, Karl Urban has only been associated with only one television character: The Boys‘ Billy Butcher. Unfortunately, like all good things, Karl Urban’s tenure as Billy Butcher will also eventually come to an end. The good thing is that Urban’s acting forte has helped land a role in another major movie franchise, which could be the perfect replacement for him after The Boys.

The Boys season 4’s ending establishes that Karl Urban will reprise his role as Billy Butcher in season 5. The return of Butcher’s supe powers also suggests that he will be one of the key players in The Boys’ fifth installment, which, according to reports, will be the series’ final chapter. While The Boys franchise will continue with spin-off shows like Vought Rising, whether characters like Butcher and the boys will return in future installments remains uncertain. Thankfully, Karl Urban already has another major role lined up for him: Johnny Cage in 2025’s Mortal Kombat 2.

How Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage Will Be Different From Billy Butcher

Karl Urban Is An Intriguing Choice For The Role

According to Mortal Kombat’s lore, Johnny Cage is an action movie star who loves being in the limelight and always carries himself with a cocky, egotistical demeanor. Since Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher also shares some of these traits in The Boys, he can retain some of his acting chops from the Prime Video series when he portrays the Mortal Kombat character. However, when it comes to several other aspects of his personality, Johnny Cage and Billy Butcher are worlds apart.

“Johnny Cage from the first Mortal Kombat was also designed after Jean-Claude Van Damme , making him significantly different from how Billy Butcher is portrayed in The Boys .”

Instead of getting consumed by his darker traits and becoming more morally skewed with time, like Billy Butcher, Johnny Cage becomes more and more heroic. Unlike Billy Butcher, who mostly relies on his supe powers during fights, Johnny Cage is also an expert martial artist. He has mastered everything from karate to Jeet Kune Do. Given how Karl Urban does not have any background in martial arts, it is understandable why some already believe he has been miscast as the character.

Johnny Cage from the first Mortal Kombat was also designed after Jean-Claude Van Damme, making him significantly different from how Billy Butcher is portrayed in The Boys. While only time will tell whether Karl Urban will convincingly portray the character in Mortal Kombat, his portrayal of Billy Butcher in The Boys assures that he will perfectly deliver Cage’s arrogance and sense of humor.

What To Expect From Urban’s Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat 2

Karl Urban Can Be Trusted With The Role

Karl Urban has earned unanimous acclaim for his brilliant portrayal of Billy Butcher in The Boys. Despite this, his casting as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat has garnered some skepticism because his appearance and past roles do not seem to make him an obvious fit for the role. His whole persona as an actor is associated with serious and gritty roles, like Billy Butcher in The Boys, making it hard to envision him as the flamboyant and self-assertive Hollywood star, Johnny Cage. Even his lack of martial arts experience raises concerns surrounding how he will portray Cage’s action scenes.

However, with that said, it may be a little too soon to judge how Karl Urban will portray the character. Since he is an incredible actor, with several diverse roles under his belt, he will likely be able to capture Cage’s distinct style and star persona in Mortal Kombat 2. If he manages to get most other aspects of Cage’s personality right and bring his own unique flair to the role, Mortal Kombat might become the perfect The Boys replacement for the actor.