Johnny Cage was introduced as a playable character in 1992's first Mortal Kombat game, where he enters into the titular tournament to prove that he does not use special effects in his films. In the sequel Mortal Kombat II (1993), Cage goes to another tournament in the realm of Outworld after allying with the warriors who wish to protect Earth led by the thunder god Raiden. Cage also appeared in the 2005 spin-off beat 'em up game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, which reprises the events leading up to MKII.
Cage did not reappear in the regular series continuity until 1996's Mortal Kombat Trilogy, in which he was killed by Shao Kahn's forces invading Earth. He is, however, shortly after revived so he can help his former comrades defeat Kahn. In Mortal Kombat 4 (1997), Cage is allowed to continue his life after Raiden accommodates his request for his revival, and reunites with his friends once again in order to defeat the forces of the disgraced Elder God Shinnok, who plans to initiate a war between the realms.
Cage is playable in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), but features in the storyline when he and fellow Earthrealm warriors Jax, Kitana, Kung Lao, and Sonya Blade fight to stop a new menace from the eponymous alliance of Outworld sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, but Cage is again killed, as are his comrades. In Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004), they are all then resurrected by the Dragon King Onaga for use as his slaves before eventually being freed from their mind control by the partnership of reformed ninja Ermac and the spirit of Liu Kang. Cage returns as a playable in 2006's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, participating in the final tournament that would decide mankind's fate. During the ensuing battle, Cage is killed for the third time in the original series continuity when he is beheaded by an unknown opponent.
In the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, Cage is still a martial arts movie actor starring, among others, in Ninja Mime (which is advertised extensively in the game's urban stages), who joins Raiden's forces to save Earthrealm. He and Sonya Blade are the only Earthrealm warriors to survive the course of the game's plot following the deaths of their cohorts at the hands of Sindel.
In March 2015, Cage was confirmed as a playable for Mortal Kombat X by NetherRealm Studios senior producer Adam Urbano. The game will also feature Sonya's and his adult daughter, Cassie, a new player character who will figure into the storyline as it traverses a 25-year span after the events of MK2011, according to series creator Ed Boon, who also revealed that she will have a combination of Cage and Sonya's moves.
