Mk1 Johnny Cage - Blog Posts

(MK1) Johnny's Life Headcanons

I love this version of Johnny. He has the perfect mixture of arrogance and wittiness while still being kind and serious at the most important times. I did a song headcanon post for him a while back and had a fun time doing it so I wanted to do another headcanon post for him and other MK characters. If you want to read my other post the link is below.

https://www.tumblr.com/criminalmutantsins/731871981377617920/mk1-johnny-cage-song-headcanons?source=share

.......................

TW: Mentions of abuse (physical/mental), alcoholism, bullying

- Johnny is the middle child with Jimmy being the oldest and Rebecca being the youngest. Jimmy and Johnny don’t get along because Jimmy follows in his dad’s footsteps and makes fun of Johnny for not being masculine enough. He has a really good relationship with Rebecca- affectionately calling her Becky- but their eight-year age difference made it hard for them to connect. Though he is glad she didn’t suffer the same abuse as him, Johnny is also a bit jealous of her because his dad would spoil and treat her like a princess. They call and FaceTime each other once in a while to catch up. 

- Johnny’s mom was the one who fostered Johnny’s love for 80s media. Whenever she had a rare day off, Johnny and her would dance and goof around while listening to 80s. His favorite artists were ABBA, Bee Gees, and Queen.  

- Johnny’s dad physically and emotionally abused Johnny. His obsession with control and masculinity led him to hurt or insult Johnny if he deemed him “not man enough” or somehow disrespectful. For instance, if he saw Johnny liking something seen as feminine like “chick flicks” he would berate him or if Johnny forgot to do a chore then his dad would beat him. His mother was not aware of the abuse due to working a lot, Johnny’s fear of retribution from his father if he told, and the abuse only occurring when she was not around. 

- School was not easy for Johnny. He was targeted for being the quiet kid and not being interested in typical sports (football, soccer, baseball), and being a part of the cheer squad. It ended after Johnny created his Cage persona, portraying himself as confident and witty, and his martial arts skills. 

- Johnny watched a lot of 90s sitcoms like “Full House”, “Roseanne”, “Boy Meets World”, and “Saved By The Bell” to cope with his broken family- his mother working almost 24/7, his father’s abuse, and lack of a relationship with his siblings- and bullying at school. He liked (and was jealous) that every problem was solved within 22 minutes and the main character had friends/family who were always there for them. 

- He also watched many martial arts such as “Enter the Dragon,” “Crouching Tiger,” “Hidden Dragon,” “Kill Bill,” and “Karate Kid.” He liked to imagine himself being the hero who defeated all the bad guys and saved the world. On top of that, watching the films with his dad was the only good time Johnny had with him.  

- Before his mother paid for karate classes, Johnny’s dad tried teaching him boxing at home. It was a horrible time since his dad would get angry with Johnny if he “did something wrong” like messing up a move or not wanting to hit his dad. As punishment, Johnny’s dad would punch Johnny until either he got tired or Johnny attacked back. This stopped when his mom saw his bruises- thinking it was only from school bullies- and signed him up for karate class, which Johnny grew to love and practice all his life. She also paid for gymnastics class after seeing Johnny’s interest in it. 

- During his first two years in college, Johnny joined a theater group where he created many meaningful relationships, such as Kelsey, his scene partner for some plays who became a successful actress and singer on Broadway, and Frankie, who was in charge of cosmetics and became Johnny’s first personal make-up artist. After college, the troupe meets every year to catch up. 

- Johnny is pansexual. He finds anyone attractive no matter their gender. He realized this in high school, though he didn’t feel comfortable coming out until he moved out for college. 

- He met Cris when she was serving them at a restaurant the theatre trope frequented. It was an instant attraction and Johnny gave her his number along with the receipt. He was surprised to see her attending the college too (she was a business major). They dated for two years and got married the year he got his first lead role. 

- Being very lucky, Johnny got his big break after two years of working minor roles. At twenty-two, he was a major character- comedic but badass sidekick to the main character- in an action, thriller movie because the directors were impressed by his martial arts and quick wit. The film’s major success and good reception to his character led to his first film as the lead.

- Johnny treats every staff member involved in his movies very well. He always thanks the make-up artists, costume designers, and prop designers for their towards him and his scenes. Interns love him because he treats them like humans- asks about their day and thanks them for their work- instead of errand boys. After filming, he always brings them a box of donuts as a celebration. Even the scriptwriter and stunt coordinator like him since, rather than rudely demanding changes, Johnny works to collaborate with them to make his scenes (and sometimes the movie) better. The only people who disliked Johnny were the directors and it was out of bitterness that most of Johnny’s ideas were better than the original premise. 

- After five years of successful movies and a large, loyal fanbase, Johnny’s career started dwindling fast because the action/martial arts genre stopped trending at the box office and directors believed Johnny was incapable of portraying roles other than witty, comedic action characters. Though, he wanted to try more serious roles and genres other than action and martial arts movies but was scared his fans wouldn’t like it and abandon him. 

- This significant drop in his career caused Johnny’s depression to worsen and used alcohol to escape the stress and pain. His wish to rejuvenate his career became an obsession where he would rarely sleep, only focus on work, and neglect his relationship, especially his marriage. These issues and his unwillingness to recognize how damaging they are were the last straw for Cris. 

Modern AU

MK1 Incorrect quotes pt.3:

Kenshi, in the dark during a big storm that cut the Wu Shi Academy’s power, searching for candles: Kung Lao I’m starting to think that this is a really bad idea.

Raiden: Oh I’m not Lao, I’m Raiden. I though you were Lao.

Kenshi: No, I’m Kenshi.

Kung Lao: You’re Kenshi? Where’s Johnny?

Kenshi: Who are you?

Kung Lao: I’m Kung Lao!

Liu Kang, eyes flashing like a pair of white flashlight: Guess who I am, you guys!

Mk1 AU where everything is the same but Liu Kangs eyes work like two mini flashlights

Incorrect MK1 quotes, p2:

Johnny: says something completely arrogant and out of pocket.

God Liu Kang: I can’t be mad at you.

Okay so like I saw a lot of MK intro headcannons and they're SOOO good soo

MK intros with Johnny where the reader is like a famous popstar and the two have a constant "will they won't they" (aka A LOT of flirting)

- 😵‍💫 anon (claiming it rn)

Johnny Cage X Gender Neutral Popstar Reader Intros

Notes(s) : It's nice to meet you 😵‍💫 anon, I've never done MK intros before, well I have but they're all in my drafts, so, I hope these are good!

It's not majorly nsfw, but I don't really know how to write flirting without some dirty moments? So, I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted.

-

Johnny : Fuck, that live show you did? You trying to kill me?

Reader : If that's how you react to me without a shirt then I can't wait to show you more.

-

Johnny : I love your new single, you should feature in my next movie.

Reader : And what role would I be playing, Cage?

-

Reader : I don't like how you look at Kenshi...

Johnny : And I don't like how you look at Kuai Liang.

-

Reader : How about a kameo in my next music video?

Johnny : Only if I can be the sexy, shirtless love interest

-

Reader : I'm so glad you're fighting shirtless

Johnny : Hah, so is everybody else!

-

Reader : I think Kung Lao is jealous of you.

Johnny : My fighting skills or that I got to bag you?

-

Reader : I have a new song idea just staring at you...

Johnny : I can't wait to listen to it while we spend some time alone together

-

Johnny : Come on, let's just leave them, you know you want me.

Reader : We can't abandon training, Johnny.

-

Reader : Stick you in jeans and a crop top on stage and the crowds go wild.

Johnny : I can't wait to surprise your fans by showing up.

-

Johnny : So, you interested in men? More specifically, me?

Reader : Do you think you could handle me if I am?

-

Johnny : So, I have this amazing idea for a movie.

Reader : If it's the dragon idea again I swear to god, Cage.

-

Johnny : Training for the tournament is so boring.

Reader : If only we had something to entertain us.

-

Johnny : We should have a movie night.

Reader : So you can feel me up in the dark?

-

Johnny : I'm so sorry I had to skip out on your performance-

Reader : Don't worry, Cage, it wasn't anything major...

-

Reader : I'm pretty sure the entirety of Outworld saw you eyeing me up.

Johnny : I'm about 100% sure that it was the other way around.

-