Mortal Kombat: Writer Greg Russo says “Toasty” Easter Egg was shot but cut

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Fans of the Mortal Kombat video games may have noticed various Easter eggs that were crammed into the new film so it's probably hard to imagine that some were actually left on the cutting room floor. Writer Greg Russo revealed that one popular Easter egg, in particular, was shot but ultimately removed from the final cut of the film.

In a new interview with "Polygon", screenwriter Greg Russo revealed that a "Toasty!" Easter egg almost made it into film, Russo says "I worked really hard to get the line 'Toasty!' in there. It had a spot in the story that didn't feel cringe, like it worked, but it was edited out. Liu Kang said it after somebody was eviscerated."

"Toasty!" began in Mortal Kombat 2 when game designer Dan Forden would appear in the corner of the screen and deliver the line to coincide with an uppercut. Since its inclusion in the second game, the line and Easter egg has become one of the most well-known recurring gags in Mortal Kombat fandom. It has appeared in many games throughout the franchise including the most recent Mortal Kombat 11. 

It seems like a lot was cut from Mortal Kombat that we will hopefully see when the film arrives on Blu-ray. When responding to a fan who asked about an extended edition, star Lewis Tan, who plays Cole Young, said "There are much more fights that didn't make it including my favorite one. Hopefully one special features…It's very common to cut scenes, most films have enough footage for a 5-hour cut. Plenty of stuff left for a sequel too :)"

Going back to the 'Toasty!' line, I'm trying to imagine a moment in the film when it wouldn't be a bit cringeworthy. I can tolerate a well placed "Finish Him", "Fatality", or a "Kano wins", but the 'Toasty!' thing would be a bit harder to take since the film, despite how outrageous some of it tended to be, takes itself a bit more serious than that line would indicate. If it popped up in 1995, I would've accepted it with open arms but that film embraced its B-movie sensibilities a bit more.

Do YOU think the 'Toasty!' Easter egg should've been included in the new Mortal Kombat?