What started as a cheeky stage bit at The Game Awards 2025 has turned into a genuine back-and-forth between two of gaming's biggest film franchises. Lewis Tan, who plays Cole Young in the Mortal Kombat 2 film, stepped into the spotlight on The Brandon Davis Show to respond directly to Andrew Schulz after the comedian's unprompted dig at the Mortal Kombat 2 camp during December's award ceremony.
Tan Steps Into the Ring
During his appearance on The Brandon Davis Show, Tan didn't hold back when asked about Schulz, who plays Dan Hibiki in the upcoming Street Fighterfilm. The Mortal Kombat 2 actor grinned and delivered a pointed assessment.
"Andrew Schulz is the last person who should be talking s*** on that stage," Tan said. "Obviously not a fighter. Not even really an actor. Well, yeah, we heard it."
When pressed on whether a real rivalry exists between the two video game movies, Tan leaned into it without hesitation. "I mean, yeah. Let's go, bro," he said, later adding, "I love a good rivalry."
Here's the thing, though: Tan was careful to separate genuine friendships from the competitive banter. He pointed to Rayna Vallandingham (who plays Juli in Street Fighter) and Andrew Koji (cast as Ryu) as people he already knows personally. His fire, it seems, is reserved specifically for Schulz.
Tan closed his comments with a confident prediction: "We'll see what's up. Numbers don't lie. Mortal Kombat fans don't play around with that. Street Fighter is dope. I played that game, too, but Mortal Kombat fans don't mess about."
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Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters on May 8, 2026, while the Street Fighter film follows on October 16, 2026, giving both movies separate release windows rather than a direct box office clash.What the Beef Actually Looks Like
The rivalry, for all its entertainment value, appears to be operating mostly in good fun. Todd Garner, producer on Mortal Kombat 2, took a notably more measured tone when he responded to Schulz's Game Awards stunt shortly after it happened. "I don't climb over others to get ahead," Garner said at the time, adding that he hopes "both are huge."
Tan's response lands somewhere in between: he's clearly enjoying the back-and-forth, but he also acknowledged the Street Fighter trailer positively. "I saw the trailer. The trailer looked awesome, and I liked the tone that they're bringing to it," he said before pivoting back to confidence in his own film's fanbase.
What most players miss in situations like this is that fan rivalry between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter runs decades deep, stretching back to the early 1990s arcade wars. Schulz tapping into that at The Game Awards was a calculated move, and Tan firing back keeps that energy alive in the lead-up to both releases.
Street Fighter cast at TGA 2025
How the Shots Were First Fired
The original moment came when Schulz took the stage at The Game Awards 2025 alongside Street Fighter castmates Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, Cody Rhodes, and others. Schulz called the Mortal Kombat 2 crew to the stage, framing it as a show of solidarity before pulling back the curtain on the joke.
"I'm just kidding. They didn't come. They don't care about you. They only care about money, OK? We care about money and you," Schulz told the crowd, capping it with a "Street Fighter forever!" before raising his fist.
The bit drew a mixed reaction at the time, with some fans finding it genuinely funny and others feeling it crossed a line. Now, with Tan's response circulating, the moment has found new life.
Source: Ign
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