In 1998, the same year she made her television acting debut in an episode of “ER,” Eva Mendes found herself under threat from a masked video game ninja famous for screaming, “Get over here!” That character is Scorpion, the kunai-flinging Shirai Ryu warrior of “Mortal Kombat” fame. Early in her career — her fourth television or film credit, to be exact — Mendes had a guest spot as an original character on the cult-classic, all-but-forgotten prequel series “Mortal Kombat: Conquest.”
Following the success of 1995’s “Mortal Kombat” and the box office failure of the 1997 follow-up, “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation,” the bloody conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld shifted to the small screen. Premiering in 1998, “Conquest” served as a prologue to the hit video game franchise.
The show follows a young Kung Lao (Paolo Montalban) as he protects Earthrealm from Shao Kahn. Alongside him are two original characters: exiled guard Siro (Daniel Bernhardt) and resourceful thief Taja (Kristanna Loken). While it noticeably lacks the big-screen budget of the 1995 movie, it leans into the cheesy action and campy lore that made the games a phenomenon.
Eva Mendes’ Hanna never appeared in the Mortal Kombat video games
Mendes appears in the 11th episode, titled “Thicker Than Blood.” Far from the razor-toothed female fighters of the games, she plays an original character named Hanna, a figure from Siro’s past. As Siro’s former fiancée — who has since married his estranged brother, Cassar (Dean Cochran) — Hanna injects some love-triangle drama to the action-heavy series. But those expecting Mendes to engage in “Kombat” will be displeased. While Hanna suits up in a scantily clad outfit to “test her might” for Scorpion (Chris Casamassa), she passes his initiation trial with a stealthy trick, avoiding a full-on brawl. The episode ends in tragedy, however, as Cassar suffers a death blow from Scorpion. A widowed Hanna bids farewell to Siro, and her character is never seen again.
“Mortal Kombat: Conquest” eventually suffered a fatality of its own. The series — which is a far cry from the best shows based on video games — was axed after just one season due to high production costs. Like so many shows canceled after a cliffhanger ending, it left fans wondering about the fates of their seemingly killed-off heroes. All 22 episodes are currently streaming on HBO Max.
As for Mendes, she segued more into film, landing her big break in 2001’s “Training Day.” Two years later, she landed a major role in “2 Fast 2 Furious” and would reprise it again in 2011’s “Fast Five,” cementing herself as a cast member in the eighth-highest-grossing film franchise of all time.
