--- title: How Karl Urban Quietly Conquered Geekdom description: As 'The Boys' comes to an end and 'Mortal Kombat II' hits theaters, the actor reflects on a career that's touched on almost every significant genre franchise. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/05/04/karl-urban-interview-the-boys-mortal-kombat-2/ author: James Grebey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-08T12:00:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-08T15:00:09.255Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: How Karl Urban Quietly Conquered Geekdom og:description: As 'The Boys' comes to an end and 'Mortal Kombat II' hits theaters, the actor reflects on a career that's touched on almost every significant genre franchise. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/05/04/karl-urban-interview-the-boys-mortal-kombat-2/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfda76518ba1fddf/69fb7682c040d51d2c785357/KarlUrban.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: KarlUrban.png og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Karl Urban Quietly Conquered Geekdom twitter:description: As 'The Boys' comes to an end and 'Mortal Kombat II' hits theaters, the actor reflects on a career that's touched on almost every significant genre franchise. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfda76518ba1fddf/69fb7682c040d51d2c785357/KarlUrban.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Karl Urban Quietly Conquered Geekdom > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [James Grebey](https://time.com/author/james-grebey/) ## James Grebey Grebey is a contributor for TIME. May 8, 2026 12:00 PM UTC  Clockwise from top center: Urban in 'The Boys,' 'Mortal Kombat II,' 'Star Trek,' 'Thor: Raganrok,' 'The Bluff' Clockwise from top center: Urban in 'The Boys,' 'Mortal Kombat II,' 'Star Trek,' 'Thor: Raganrok,' 'The Bluff'Everett Collection (4); The Boys: Jasper Savage—Amazon Prime Video by [James Grebey](https://time.com/author/james-grebey/) ## James Grebey Grebey is a contributor for TIME. May 8, 2026 12:00 PM UTC He's fought [orcs](https://time.com/4866439/will-smith-bright-orcs-elves-netflix-david-ayer/) from horseback in [Middle-earth](https://time.com/4087650/tolkien-annotated-middle-earth-map-discovered/), explored the final frontier on the [_Starship Enterprise_](https://time.com/archive/7118942/star-trekkin-a-geeks-guide-to-the-uss-enterprise/), and wielded dual machine guns in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://time.com/6171012/marvel-movies-shows-upcoming/), but now [Karl Urban](https://time.com/archive/6909950/the-new-star-trek-movie-it-will-leave-fans-beaming/) is _really_ in the thick of it. This May, he leads one of the first blockbusters of the summer as martial artist Johnny Cage in the [video game movie](https://time.com/6268874/video-game-adaptations/) [sequel](https://time.com/5353143/sequels-better-than-original/) [_Mortal Kombat II_,](https://time.com/4283578/mortal-kombat-every-fatality/) and he's back for one last round as grizzled superhero slayer Billy Butcher in the final season of the raunchy spoof [_The Boys_](https://time.com/7294843/graves-disease-erin-moriarty/). That Urban is the lead of two of the biggest titles in [geeky pop culture](https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2011315%5F2011317%5F2011353,00.html) in the same month is a result of scheduling happensance—_Mortal Kombat II_ was originally supposed to come out [last year](https://time.com/7333791/best-movies-2025/). Even so, the coincidence feels like an anointing, long overdue for someone who has spent decades in just about every beloved franchise, quietly establishing himself as the most important—or at least prolific—person in genre entertainment. "What makes Karl so special is that he is a fan first," says his _Star Trek_ co-star [Chris Pine](https://time.com/6163567/the-contractor-review/). "There is very much the little boy about him endlessly excited by the opportunity to play make-believe in stories that he himself loves." Yet when I present the idea that he's worthy of some kind of geek royalty crown to Urban, during a lunch break for one of his two concurrent press circuits, his reaction is unexpected. "Uncomfortable," the 53-year-old actor says after a thoughtful pause, placing a hand on my arm. "It makes me uncomfortable. Here's the thing: People are always trying to put you into a box." His ascent to the peak of Geek Mountain would be, as Urban admits, "a tidy narrative." And it's not that he has anything but enthusiasm for his various franchise roles and their fandoms—he wouldn't have gotten this far if he'd been faking it. He's just trying to take a more expansive view. "I feel like it's always my job to try and escape that box." ---  Dennys Ilic As a kid in Wellington, [New Zealand](https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079285/northland-new-zealand/), in the '70s and '80s, Urban’s love of cinema grew from proximity; his mother worked at a film production company. Sure, he liked [_Star Wars_](https://time.com/5045736/upcoming-star-wars-movies/) and [_Indiana Jones_](https://time.com/6281143/indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny-review/) as much as any boy might, but it's films like [_Cool Hand Luke_](https://entertainment.time.com/2011/09/02/top-10-sweatiest-movies/slide/cool-hand-luke-1967/)and [_One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_](https://time.com/5890226/nurse-ratched-netflix-origins/)that he recalls more passionately. Frankly, though, he preferred to spend his days getting into trouble outside. When he started acting professionally, after dabbling on the stage throughout his school days, he took what he could find. His early credits include Kiwi soap operas and a medical drama. "Coming from New Zealand, you don't have the luxury of choice. You have to work in theater, film, television, radio, whatever you can," he explains. In the mid-1990s, the sword-and-sorcery TV series _Hercules: The Legendary Journeys_ and [_Xena: Warrior Princess_](https://time.com/3769840/lucy-lawless-salem-xena-interview/) came to New Zealand, drawn by low production costs and stunning natural beauty that could stand in for ancient Greece. "They offered a level of production and a level of employment that we hadn't really had in New Zealand," Urban recalls. "A lot of actors played two or three roles. I was certainly one." Urban hadn't spent his childhood waiting to play a fantasy version of Julius Caesar or Cupid, but he fit right into that world. His foray into genre continued when fellow Kiwi [Peter Jackson](https://time.com/5466475/peter-jackson-they-shall-not-grow-old/) helmed the [_Lord of the Rings_](https://time.com/4591437/lord-of-the-rings-behind-the-scenes-photos/) trilogy in the early aughts. The local _Xena_ crew and cast had experience in the genre, so Jackson took advantage. Urban was cast as Éomer, leader of the Riders of Rohan, in the second and third movies. "I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for them," he says. Handsome but with enough ruggedness that he looked at home in any number of strange worlds or action sequences, Urban stuck with genre fare once he left Middle-earth. There was plenty of work to be found there, a trend he credits [_Star Wars_](https://time.com/4788422/best-star-wars-moments/)for kicking off. (That's a franchise he's technically been a part of, too, thanks to a voice cameo as a Stormtrooper in [_The Rise of Skywalker_](https://time.com/5751746/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/)_._) He ventured beyond fantasy into sci-fi (_The Chronicles of Riddick_) and spy thrillers ([_The Bourne Supremacy_](https://time.com/archive/6681713/how-the-bourne-boys-keep-it-real/)). Since then, you can almost track the development of pop culture throughout the 21st century by following Urban's filmography. He was perhaps too early on the video game adaptation trend with the much-maligned 2006 _Doom_, opposite [Dwayne Johnson](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567856/dwayne-johnson/?utm%5Fsource=twitter.com&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fcampaign=social-share-article). ("_Doom_ tried," Urban says. "There was the first-person shooter sequence, which looks great to this day. Other aspects of the film… not so much.") He took part in a successful sci-fi reboot as Leonard "Bones" McCoy in three _Star Tre_k movies; appeared in one of the better Disney live-action remakes (2016's _Pete's Dragon_); and played an MCU antihero in [_Thor: Ragnarok_](https://time.com/4996646/thor-ragnarok-review/)_._  Urban in 'Mortal Kombat II' Courtesy of Warner Bros. In all of these films, Urban is consistently memorable, neatly fitting into whatever fiction. It's not necessarily because he's a huge fan. Although Pine, [Captain Kirk](https://time.com/4412892/star-trek-kirk-spock-william-shatner/) himself, says he clocked Urban as the biggest Trekkie of their cast, Urban doesn't see it that way. He says he was just a little older and therefore more familiar with and fond of [_The Original Series_](https://time.com/article/2026/04/03/star-trek-anniversary-best-of-both-worlds/)_._ He has dear memories of watching _Star Trek_ with his father, but he took the gig over an opportunity to play _X-Men_ villain Sabertooth in a Wolverine movie in part because had a young family and he "put his business hat on." _Trek_, he figured, would go on for three pictures (and it did). Fans of the 2012 cult classic _Dredd_ should be pleased to know that Urban does say he _was_ especially excited to play the dystopian mega-city cop, having gotten into the comics in his youth working at a Wellington pizza parlor. That's an exception, not a rule, for Urban. He didn't conquer genre by being the most die-hard geek, but by being a professional. "Genre filmmakers are grabbing Karl because guys like that don't grow on trees. Those are real unicorns," _The Boys_ showrunner Eric Kripke says. Urban, he says, gave _The Boys_ instant legitimacy. "Then I realized how committed he is to the character. The questions he was asking. I knew it was gonna be fun to work with him." With _The Boys_ ending as _Mortal Kombat II_ hits theaters, Urban's doing a one-man baton pass as Hollywood turns from superheroes to video games as the next big adaptational rush (see also: [_Super Mario Bros._](https://time.com/article/2026/03/31/super-mario-galaxy-movie-music/), _Resident Evil_, _Street Fighter_, _Sonic_, [_Minecraft_](https://time.com/4229539/what-is-minecraft/)). Urban shrugs off these big picture readings: "Hollywood has always pulled from as many different IPs as they can. Whether it's a comic book, a news article, a video game. The important thing is, 'OK, so you have an idea. But what's the story you're telling?'" It's this approach that's helped Urban excel. He's not a gamer, and his first real exposure to _Mortal Kombat_ was through his two sons, who implored him not to " f-ck it up" when he announced he'd been cast as Johnny Cage. He went to karate tournaments to watch how competitors handled victory and defeat. He unlocked pathos in a character who can come across as something of a joke in the games, portraying him as a talented competitor who must reconnect with his passion and leave his showbiz aspirations behind to save the world. Then came time to learn the moves himself. "I had an exponential crash course in martial arts," he says, conceding that he felt his age a bit. "That's where you get the best results, when you are slightly out of your depth. When your feet can't touch the bottom of the pool."  Urban in Season 5 of 'The Boys' Courtesy o Despite—or perhaps because of—his huge year, Urban’s not looking for another iconic character to play or famous franchise to headline. "I'm at the point where the runway is clear. I'm more certain about what I don't want to do than what I do," he says. _The Boys'_ popularity caught everyone by surprise: The Prime Video series was the first non-Netflix show to crack [Nielsen’s Top 10 Streaming Shows](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-boys-stays-in-nielsens-streaming-top-10-4073810/); its second season beat out [_Stranger Things_](https://time.com/7324811/stranger-things-season-5/). While he laments bidding farewell to the people, the contractual obligations of the show took up most of his time for the better part of a decade. He's excited to have the space to do indie films or work with young filmmakers on a lower budget. This isn't a rejection of the franchises that carried him to this peak—Urban says he at least hopes he gets to play Johnny Cage again in a third _Mortal Kombat_. "I am not worried about Karl Urban," Kripke says of his now-former leading man. "My guess is he's gonna be able to do whatever he finds intriguing." Urban is not quite sure what that will look like yet, but his barometer is simple. "I want to look for projects we're both going to enjoy," Urban says, hoping audiences come along wherever he goes. "I'm gonna enjoy making it. You're going to enjoy watching it." ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/04/karl-urban-interview-the-boys-mortal-kombat-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/04/karl-urban-interview-the-boys-mortal-kombat-2/"},"headline":"How Karl Urban Quietly Conquered Geekdom","datePublished":"2026-05-08T12:00:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-08T15:00:09.255Z","description":"As 'The Boys' comes to an end and 'Mortal Kombat II' hits theaters, the actor reflects on a career that's touched on almost every significant genre franchise.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/04/karl-urban-interview-the-boys-mortal-kombat-2/","keywords":["Televison","Magazine","freelance","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfda76518ba1fddf/69fb7682c040d51d2c785357/KarlUrban.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Grebey","jobTitle":"Grebey is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/james-grebey/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfda76518ba1fddf/69fb7682c040d51d2c785357/KarlUrban.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"KarlUrban.png","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/televison/","name":"Televison"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/04/karl-urban-interview-the-boys-mortal-kombat-2/","name":"How Karl Urban Quietly Conquered Geekdom"}}]}] ```