Pratik Handore
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ is the long-awaited entry in the ‘MonsterVerse’ franchise that began with ‘Godzilla’ in 2014. It sees the titular monsters face-off against each other to determine the Alpha titan. The film is directed by Adam Wingard, who promised that fans would get a definitive winner in the battle. The question of just who would win in a brawl between the two iconic monsters is a long-standing one, with fans taking sides and making compelling arguments for either titan to take the crown of the “King of the Monsters.”
Godzilla’s atomic breath and previous exploits of defeating King Ghidorah make him a pseudo defending champion while Kong is positioned as the rookie underdog. Well, now that the cat is out of the bag, we are here to provide you with the answers to some of the burning questions fans have had ever since ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ was announced. Monster-sized SPOILERS AHEAD.
8. The Reason For the Fight
The first question that pops into even the most casual cinemagoers’ minds after seeing the film’s title is why are the two titans fighting? ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ addresses the reason for the titular mega monster wrestling match early on in the film. We learn that the various titans have fought against each other since the ancient past.
In the present day, Godzilla and Kong are the only two remaining active titans and are destined to face-off. Five years after Ghidorah’s defeat at Godzilla’s hands, the radioactive creature attacks an Apex facility in Florida for reasons unknown. Conspiracy theorist and podcaster, Bernie Hayes, learns that ORCA, a device used to control the titans, was used and suspects something fishy is going on at Apex, a shadowy organization devoted to getting rid of the titans. Monarch is clueless as to why Godzilla is attacking.
Elsewhere, Nathan Lind, a former Monarch scientist, undertakes a mission at Apex’s behest to lead an expedition to the Hollow Earth. He decides to bring along Kong, believing members of his species might be living there. When Kong is being transported to a Hollow Earth entry point by sea on a large aircraft carrier, Godzilla senses Kong’s presence and emerges to attack the giant gorilla. It can be seen as Kong intruding Godzilla’s domain, which does not bode well with the monster, and he decides to attack first at this perceived new threat.
7. Godzilla Gains the Upperhand
The eponymous monsters brawl throughout the film, and their showdown is designed as a wrestling or boxing match. The winner is decided over three rounds. The first round kicks off with Godzilla’s attack on Kong at sea. The two titans come to blows, and Kong matches Godzilla punch for punch, but the ocean residing monster is only getting warmed up. Godzilla quickly overpowers Kong, who is only spared from Godzilla’s ire due to the military’s quick thinking. The military turns off all weapons and plays dead, tricking Godzilla into believing he has won. While some would argue round 1 is a draw, Godzilla wins it, in our opinion.
6. Kong Gets a New Weapon
Nathan figures out that Godzilla sees Kong as a threat and will continue to hunt him down. The military then plans to airlift Kong to the Hollow Earth entry point in Antarctica. From there, Kong leads them deep into the Hollow Earth, and they discover a throne room and an axe passed down by Kong’s ancestors. This axe is made from the scale of a Godzilla and is capable of harnessing the energy from the Hollow Earth energy source Apex came looking for. Godzilla arrives in Hong Kong and fires his atomic breath at the throne room, which is right under Hong Kong. Equipped with his supercharged battle-axe, Kong confronts Godzilla, and round two begins.
5. Godzilla vs. Kong, Winner Revealed
Kong gains the upper hand thanks to his new weapon and thrashes Godzilla with a lethal blow, leaving him to eat dust. Kong wins round 2, no arguments there. Godzilla does manage to get back on his feet and resumes their battle. The third round is much more evenly matched, and both titans begin to tire out. Godzilla holds back no punches and unleashes his savage side. He beats up and badly injures Kong till he cannot get up anymore. Godzilla stomps on Kong’s chest and reaffirms his status as the King of the Monsters. Godzilla is indeed the winner of this epic battle between the iconic monsters, and Kong’s condition is dire (more on that later).
4. A New Titan Rises: MechaGodzilla Unleashed!
Throughout the film, we learn that Apex is working on creating a mechanical version of Godzilla to counter the threat of the titans. While their intentions may seem noble, they end up producing disastrous results. The MechaGodzilla is designed to utilize the neural network of Ghidorah’s severed head. Apex finally gets their hands on the Hollow Earth energy source that allows them to fully power MechaGodzilla, telepathically controlled by the son of scientist Ishirō Serizawa, Ren Serizawa. It is implied that Ghidorah’s consciousness takes over the body of MechaGodzilla. It attacks its creators and challenges Godzilla to a battle.
The two versions of Godzilla come to blows, and MechaGodzilla thrashes and tows with a visibly weakened Godzilla after his fight with Kong. Nathan and Ilene use the energy source to jumpstart Kong’s slowing heart rate, and after encouragement from Jia, who shares a bond with Kong, the latter agrees to assist Godzilla. Kong intervenes just as MechaGodzilla is about to finish off Godzilla. The two OG titans team up against the Mecha Titan and manage to put up a fight. Their tag-team effort still isn’t enough to take down the monstrosity unleashed by humans.
3. MechaGodzilla is Defeated
MechaGodzilla leaves Godzilla on the floor and is about to take out Kong with his ultra-efficient lasers. At this crunch moment, in the MechaGodzilla control room, Josh manages to fry the artificial monster’s weapons system, causing them to power down. Godzilla provides one last supercharge with his atomic breath to Kong’s axe, and the gorilla makes quick work of MechaGodzilla, brutally decapitating him. The crisis is averted thanks to the combined efforts of Godzilla, Kong, and the humans.
2. The Fate of the Humans
The film centers on the two alpha monsters, but certain human characters also play a key role in the story. Naturally, audiences might have grown attached to some of them, and fans concerned about their fates will be relieved to learn that most of the main characters make it out alive. Nathan, in his effort to revive Kong, does get knocked out but is one piece. The adorable Jia and her adoptive mother, Ilene, are also alive and visit Kong in the Hollow Earth with Nathan sometime after the climactic battle.
Madison, Bernie, and Josh also survive the destructive events, and Madison is reunited with her father, Mark. The Apex trio of Maya, Walter, and Ren aren’t so lucky, and they all die during the film. Maya is killed in the Hollow Earth after attacking Kong, a fully powered MechaGodzilla kills Apex CEO Walter, and Ren is electrocuted while trying to operate MechaGodzilla.
1. Godzilla and Kong’s Truce
After combining their strengths to defeat MechaGodzilla, the titular monsters lock eyes, acknowledging each other’s assistance. Kong roars and drops his axe, signaling a truce between the two. Godzilla then makes his way to the ocean and submerges underwater. Godzilla may hold on to the title of the King of the Monsters for now, but Kong becomes a king in his own right. In the ending moments, Kong is seen ruling over Hollow Earth’s ecosystem, and dare we now call him “King Kong.” The two titans reside in their own separate territories and their paths crossing anytime soon seems unlikely.
Read More: Godzilla vs. Kong Filming Locations
