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John Tobias

John Tobias

Writer · Born August 24, 1969 (57)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Tobias (born August 24, 1969) is an American comic book artist, graphic designer, video game designer and writer. Tobias is best known for creating the Mortal Kombat series along with Ed Boon, to whom he pitched his fighting game concept. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Tobias, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 24, 1969 (57)
Works as
Writer
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 62% in 30 days

What are John Tobias' films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
31%
Bonds
25%
Self
14%
Survival
14%
Power
7%
Society
6%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 4

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 7

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 0 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 6

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 4 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
7
Tense
6
Dread
3
Triumphant
2
Absurd
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John Tobias' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Tobias' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

13 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Career shape

A full career of 13 titles, 12 of them dated from 1995 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

$129M worldwide

Highest rated

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 13: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting2 of 13: 1 only writing, 1 with another roleOther crew11 of 13: 10 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score51st

By decade

1990s4 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · crew2020s6 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do John Tobias' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 10 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

61st percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)

Midcredits 93rd · 82% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 32/100 and the plot and story 31/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is John Tobias' work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity and alcohol & drugs lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles61–98 · median 91 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles9–21 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles31–83 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles10–31 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles55–79 · median 75 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does John Tobias work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Tobias' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ed Boon shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles