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“ | That's Kong. He's king around here. He's god to these people. | „ |
~ Hank Marlow describing Kong's origins to Conrad and Weaver. |
King Kong, simply known as Kong and dubbed Titanus Kong, is one of the main kaiju protagonists of the MonsterVerse franchise alongside Godzilla. He, as an adolescent, first appeared as the titular kaiju protagonist of the 2017 epic monster action-adventure film Kong: Skull Island, and a cameo character in the 2019 film Godzilla: King of the Monsters. He reappears in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong as one of the two main kaiju protagonists in which he, as an adult, battles Godzilla.
The sole survivor of a race of ginormous ape Titans who reigned over Skull Island, Kong was born in the midst of a battle between his parents and a horde of vicious Skullcrawlers. Kong's mother sealed him safely before the Skullcrawlers slaughtered her along with Kong's father. The infant Kong witnessed the brutal demise of his parents from the cave and dedicated his life to avenging them by keeping the island's Skullcrawler population in check and defending the other creatures of the island. He was first witnessed by humans other than the island's Iwi tribe when fighter pilots Hank Marlow and Gunpei Ikari crashed on the island following a dogfight over the Pacific in 1944.
Nearly 30 years later in 1973, a survey expedition to the previously uncharted island organized by the scientific organization Monarch brought many more people to the island, who unintentionally drew more Skullcrawlers to the surface by dropping seismic charges to map the island. Kong destroyed the helicopter escort carrying the expedition members in a furious rage, causing Preston Packard to develop a vendetta against the Titan. Some of the survivors encountered Marlow and the Iwi and learned Kong's true nature as a protector and guardian of the island.
However, Packard and his surviving men salvaged heavy ordnance from a downed Sea Stallion and sprung a trap for Kong which succeeded in weakening him enough to the point that the alpha of the Skullcrawlers, Skull Devil, emerged. Kong killed Packard before the evil creature attacked him and Packard's men joined with the other survivors to escape the island. The Skull Devil chose to attack them, but Kong recovered and with the help of the survivors, killed the beast for good. The survivors were successfully extracted from the island, their experience kept a secret to everyone except Monarch.
29 years later, Skull Island's climate became unstable due to a perpetual storm, forcing Kong to be contained in a dome-shaped facility that simulated the island's environment, with the sole surviving Iwi named Jia providing him company. After being convinced by Nathan Lind to bring Kong with them on a joint expedition between Monarch and Apex Cybernetics into the Hollow Earth in order to find a power source that could help build a weapon capable of stopping the rampaging Godzilla, Jia and her adoptive mother Ilene Andrews accompanied Kong as he was escorted by sea to an entrance in Antarctica.
However, Godzilla arrived and attacked the fleet, battling Kong and nearly drowning him before they were separated by depth charges. Godzilla called off his attack after he no longer deemed Kong a threat and the remaining fleet "played dead" by shutting off their power. Kong was brought to the Antarctica entrance by air and, after some convincing from Jia, headed into the Hollow Earth. After battling a pair of Warbats, Kong made his way to a large throne room where he found an ancient axe that was charged by the same energy that powered the temple. Godzilla drilled a hole into the Hollow Earth with his atomic breath, causing the temple to collapse.
After fighting off a swarm of Hellhawks and killing Apex executive Maia Simmons, Kong made his way to Hong Kong where he battled Godzilla. After a protracted battle, Kong was eventually defeated by Godzilla and collapsed to the ground unconscious. After Jia informed Andrews that Kong was dying, Lind landed the remaining HEAV onto Kong's chest and overloaded it, reviving him. Jia convinced Kong to help Godzilla against the newly unleashed Mechagodzilla, and the two Titans managed to destroy the mech with some human assistance. Kong and Godzilla acknowledged each other as allies before Godzilla went back into the ocean and Kong made his permanent home in the Hollow Earth.
Kong was portrayed by Terry Notary (who also played Rocket in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise and Buck in The Call of the Wild) via motion capture while his vocal effects are provided by Notary himself. His facial motions are also provided by Toby Kebbell, who also played Durotan in Warcraft.
Contents
Personality
Kong is the guardian of Skull Island and is responsible for maintaining the natural order and defending the island's wildlife from threats. While Kong appears to be highly territorial, he does demonstrate some degree of altruism, such as rescuing a trapped Sker Buffalo and saving Mason Weaver from drowning. Kong is not normally aggressive towards humans, and only attacks them when provoked. The native Iwi tribe reveres Kong and views him as their savior, as he and his family allegedly defended them from the Skullcrawlers in the past. Kong demonstrates an interest in Mason Weaver, as he at one point allows her to touch his face, and later admires her in his hand after he rescues her from the Skull Devil.
In 1995, it fully reveals Kong's driving motivations for keeping the order of the island. After witnessing his parents' deaths as a mere infant, Kong chose to avenge them and honor their memory by keeping the island's Skullcrawler population under control and actively defending the island's least malicious and most vulnerable life, including the Iwi people. He actively rescues members of Monarch's second off-the-books expedition to the island from Death Jackals and a Sirenjaw, and immediately comes to the aid of the Iwi village once it is besieged by Mother Longlegs allowed into the village by the deranged Walter R. Riccio. Kong recognizes individual humans and understands that they share his level of intelligence, and is shown to distinguish between those he judges as friendly and those who are not. As such he defends or genially regards most humans but kills both Preston Packard and Riccio.
Kong puts the defense of Skull Island as his first priority, and his will is so strong he is willing to stand up to Titans of equal status to his own if necessary. Kong's willpower renders him resistant to the alpha call of King Ghidorah, which awakens most other Titans around the globe and bends them to his will, including the Leafwings and Skullcrawlers on the island. Kong actively chooses to remain on his island and ignore Ghidorah's call to "hunt together" with him, and his attention is immediately grabbed by the Skullcrawlers responding to Ghidorah. Only Godzilla and Mothra also dared to oppose Ghidorah's call.
Physical appearance
Like King Kong's previous incarnations, he resembles a gigantic humanoid ape in resemblance to a gorilla and stands upright like humans while his incredibly long muscular arms are held at his sides. His fur is a light brown color and covers the majority of his body except for his face, chest, hands, and feet while his skin is a dark gray color. Kong is shown to have three large scars running across his chest, possibly what he received from one of his battles on Skull Island. He has a rounded human-like head with small ears and possesses many features of apes such as a flat nose with rounded nostrils and large canine teeth.
As an adult, Kong has grown taller which is exactly the same size as Godzilla. However, certain parts of his fur have now transitioned to a darker shade of brown, and even being black in certain areas. Additionally, the three scars on his chest appear to have healed more properly, but are still faintly visible. Kong also possesses a beard-like structure which covers the lower part of his head and chin.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Ape Titan Physiology: As a titan in resemblance to an ape, Kong is incredibly powerful; as he possesses several physical attributes that surpasses that of most other titans.
- Advanced Strength: Kong is much stronger than humans and most other titans; for example, he was able to throw a boulder around half his own size, uproot large trees and throw them a great distance at flying targets with accuracy, fight off a Mire Squid and kill it using his own muscles and also able to rip off Skull Devil's powerful tongue when it latched onto him, killing the alpha Skullcrawler. His punches can incapacitate smaller Skullcrawlers and can wrestle and pin the alpha to the ground by using sheer force. He was also capable of casually lifting a crashed helicopter off of a trapped Sker Buffalo with just one hand. Kong was even strong enough to break free from the anchor chains of a wrecked ship. Once he is fully grown, Kong possesses the strength to take on Godzilla. His punches were shown to make Godzilla stagger and even fall to the ground. But while his strength can stun and make Godzilla stagger, it did little to slow him down. Kong was also able to subdue Godzilla several times, even managing to use his momentum to toss Godzilla away and have distance from one another. Kong could also throw a Warbat with ease before smashing it against another one, as well as pulling and dragging a damaged aircraft carrier with his chains. During the final fight with Mechagodzilla, he was able to rip the robot titan's head off, with the spinal cord included, after dismantling it with his axe.
- Advanced Leaping: Kong can use his powerful leg muscles to leap great heights and over great distances. He can even leap from building to building in Hong Kong during his battle with Godzilla.
- Advanced Durability: Kong is far more durable than most other titans; for example, he can withstand bullets from military helicopters and survive attacks from the Skullcrawlers. Kong even survived getting set ablaze in a lake filled with napalm caused by Packard. In his second fight with Godzilla, Kong got his left arm dislocated, his chest scratched repeatedly and crushed by Godzilla's full weight, yet he is still able to roar back into Godzilla's face in defiance. After being revived by a HEAV, he is able to immediately get back into the fight with Godzilla against Mechagodzilla, but not before relocating his arm.
- Advanced Dexterity: Like all apes, Kong has five fully opposable digits on each of his hands and feet, allowing him to grab objects and opponents firmly with ease.
- Advanced Speed: Kong is much faster than humans and most other titans. At one point, he is also shown to walk and run on fours in an almost gorilla-like fashion when he enters the Hollow Earth.
- Advanced Agility: Kong is far more agile than humans and most other titans; for example, he was able to quickly dodge bullets from military helicopters and the Skullcrawlers that attack him from behind. Kong also has a body built for flexibility and can swing his long arms to make effective combat strikes. In his first fight with Godzilla, he was able to jump from the cargo hauler onto a nearby destroyer and then an aircraft carrier in only two bounds. After the fleet was decimated by Godzilla and Kong was transported to Antarctica, he swung on the pipes inside of the entrance to the Hollow Earth with considerable speed. In their second fight in Hong Kong, Kong showcased his agility by climbing and swinging around buildings with ease despite his large size. With his agility he was able to avoid Godzilla's atomic breath for a time, only being hit once in both of their fights.
- Advanced Stamina: Kong possesses far more stamina than humans and most other titans; allowing him to remain physically active for long periods of time.
- Advanced Senses: Kong's senses are far more greatly developed than humans and most other titans; for example, he was able to sense a Mire Squid lurking near him while drinking from a lake and can also hear the cries of a trapped Sker Buffalo struggling to break free from the wreckage of a helicopter.
- Matter Ingestion: Despite resembling a gorilla, Kong is proven to be at least partly carnivorous as he can feed on animals or other monsters that he killed. For example, after fighting and killing a Mire Squid, he proceeded to eat and swallow several of its tentacles then apparently ate its carcass afterwards. After viciously pummelling a Warbat to death in the Hollow Earth and tearing off its head, Kong drank its green blood and ate some of the meat before continuing on his journey.
- Communication: Kong is able to use sign language as a means to communicate and Jia is currently the only human he trusts with this form of communication.
- Cold Resistance: Kong is highly resistant to cold and freezing temperatures, especially in Antarctica due to his thick fur.
Abilities
- High-level Intellect: Kong is shown to be an intelligent beast, for he can differentiate his allies from his enemies. He also takes advantage of his surroundings while fighting and can use tools as many primates do, which he shows by using boulders and trees as weapons. He even used a chain to tear off the propeller from a wrecked ship and use it as a flail to grapple and hack the Skull Devil, and at one point, tried to strangle it with the chain. Kong's intelligence allows him to distinguish between friends and enemies, as he clearly recognizes Preston Packard and his men as threats but does not attempt to harm any other humans he comes across, even going out of his way to save Mason Weaver from drowning. Kong's intelligence also allows him to anticipate enemy attacks. Kong is even intelligent enough to stun a Warbat by slamming it into another one. Kong proves himself a tactical fighter in all of his fights against Godzilla. In his first fight he recognizes Godzilla's superiority in the water and moves to an aircraft carrier to get Godzilla to fight on equal footing. In their second fight he recognizes Godzilla's advantage with his atomic breath and keeps preventing him from using it effectively by closing the distance and re-directing his head away from him. When the distance has been widened, giving Godzilla a chance to use the atomic breath, Kong is able to use the surrounding buildings to his advantage, even using a radio dish as a makeshift shield against the beam when he attempts to close the distance and use his axe. He is able to trick Godzilla into turning around when he throws a crane to distract him before pouncing on him from behind. After being overwhelmed by Mechagodzilla, despite fighting alongside Godzilla, Kong recognizes the need of using the axe against the mechanical Titan. He also understands that his axe uses Godzilla's atomic breath as a power source and utilizes it to great effectiveness when fighting Godzilla and Mechagodzilla.
- Climbing Skills: Kong has excellent climbing skills as he is able to scale sheer cliffs and mountain faces with relative ease, mainly due to his size. He is also shown to climb buildings to avoid Godzilla's atomic breath.
- Swimming Skills: Kong is known to be a good swimmer as he is able to swim quite well, although he cannot hold his breath underwater for long periods of time.
- Advanced Combatant: Kong is very skilled at combat as he was able to battle against opponents such as the Skullcrawlers (particularly Skull Devil), Mire Squids, Warbats, Godzilla and even Mechagodzilla. His most valuable weapon is the massive dorsal fin axe which he can also use in combat. In their final battle, Kong's fully-charged axe was powerful enough to knock both him and Godzilla back. Godzilla voluntarily charged the axe again when he and Kong battled Mechagodzilla, enabling the ape to quickly dismantle the machine.
- Quadrupedalism: Although he can stand upright in a bipedal manner like humans, Kong, like all apes, can also run and walk on all four limbs in a quadrupedal manner.
- Improvisation: Kong can make something useful out from any object he can find and use them as melee and ranged weapons on opponents.
- Weapon Proficiency: Kong has the capacity to wield any type of object which he can use as tools or weapons on opponents. For example, he was able to use a stripped tree trunk as a baseball bat to swing it against Skull Devil's face, use a ship's propeller attached to a chain as a flail to wound and pull the creature back toward him and even used the propeller as a saw blade to slice Skull Devil's throat open. In Godzilla vs Kong, Kong used a stripped tree as a spear to destroy a biodome Monarch had built to contain him and even used a radio dish as a shield to block Godzilla's atomic breath during his fight with him in Hong Kong.
- Battle Axe Proficiency: Kong is capable of using a battle axe in combat, seen during his fight against Godzilla and Mechagodzilla.
- Sharp Teeth: Like all apes, Kong possesses sharp canine teeth as he was able to bite and tear off the tentacles of a Mire Squid after killing it.
Weaknesses
- Limited Durability: Although Kong is incredibly durable, he does have his limits; for example, he can get wounded very easily, which was seen when the blades of a helicopter he fought grazed his hand very badly. Kong also has a poor resistance to fire; due to his thick fur, collapsing unconscious from the napalm and fire he was hit with after a few minutes. As an adult, Kong is badly outmatched in the water during his first battle with Godzilla, only avoiding being drowned thanks to human interference. While he holds his own in their Hong Kong battle, Kong is badly burned when he is hit by a blast of Godzilla's atomic breath. Kong is also rendered helpless and nearly killed once Godzilla unleashes his full fury against him in the Hong Kong battle, dislocating Kong's left arm, slashing him with his claws and even stomping on his chest.
- Limited Healing Factor: Unlike Godzilla, who can heal quickly from his wounds, Kong has a relatively slow healing factor comparable to that of humans, as needs a much longer time to do so. This was seen when he washed his arm to heal his wounds from a skirmish with several helicopters. Kong's wounds on his chest have also not healed yet.
Former weaknesses
- Limitations: Because Kong was still an adolescent (at the time) he had yet to fully develop the the physical attributes of adult giant apes; as he had difficulty defeating much larger opponent(s). However, since reaching adulthood; this is no longer a weakness for Kong.
Equipment
- Battle Axe: In Godzilla vs. Kong, Kong discovers an enormous axe with its blade made from what appears to be a dorsal plate from another one of Godzilla's kind. When Kong wields his axe, he is capable of using it to absorb energy from the Hollow Earth, as well as Godzilla's atomic breath. In their final battle, the fully-charged axe is powerful enough to knock both Kong and Godzilla back, and even before it is charged it is shown to be able to slash into Godzilla's thick hide. Godzilla voluntarily charges the axe again when he and Kong battle Mechagodzilla, allowing the ape Titan to quickly dismantle the machine.
Relationships
Kaiju
Skullcrawlers
Kong has a deep hatred for Skullcrawlers as they are responsible for his parents and his species demise.
Skull Devil
Skull Devil was the alpha of the Skullcrawlers on Skull Island and Kong's primary adversary who was said to be responsible for slaughtering the giant apes on the island, leaving Kong as the only survivor.
Sker Buffaloes
Kong appears to care for the Sker Buffaloes living within his territory, as seen when he saved one trapped under a fallen helicopter, as well as fending off the Skullcrawlers that killed one of them.
Unnamed Father and Mother
As a newborn he witnessed their deaths and as shown on the wall paintings he mourns them. Right after his birth his mother hid him in a cave while his father tried hold off the skullcrawlers.
Warbats
Warbats were the only species challenging Kong for the "Apex Predator" of the Hollow Earth
Godzilla
Godzilla is Kong's "Ancient Rival" from his ancestor's past. The last one he ended up fighting in Hong Kong where he got beat by Godzilla. Being spared by the King of The Monsters meant that Godzilla did not want to kill Kong, but just wanted him to submit to Godzilla, wanting Kong to recognize Godzilla as "King" of the Monsters.
Ghidorah
Kong's own alpha status renders him resistant to the alpha call of Ghidorah, which awakens most other titans around the globe and bends them to his will, including the Skullcrawlers on the island. Kong actively chooses to remain on his island and ignore Ghidorah's call to "hunt together" with him, and his attention is immediately grabbed by the Skullcrawlers responding to Ghidorah. Only Godzilla and Mothra also dared to oppose Ghidorah's call.
Mechagodzilla
???
Humanity
Mason Weaver
???
James Conrad
???
Hank Marlow
???
Preston Packard
???
Jia
Jia is one of very few humans Kong trusts. When the storm that hit Skull Island nearly wiped out the entire Iwi's, Kong saved Jia from nearly dying. From then on Kong would trust Jia with his life, even getting angry when an Apex Cybernetics soldier pointed a gun at Jia. Jia is the only reason MechaGodzilla does not exist, due to her convincing Kong that Godzilla is not the enemy
Ilene Andrews
Ilene Andrews is the Scientist who studied Kong for 10 whole years on Skull Island. She knows everything he does and how he does it.
Nathan Lind
???
Trivia
- This is the largest incarnation of King Kong to appear in an American film.
- Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts wanted this Kong's design to have a closer resemblance to the original 1933 creature designed by Marcel Delgado.
- It is unknown why Kong and Godzilla would fight each other in Godzilla vs. Kong, since they are both heroic monsters; this would classify both of them in the category Good Vs. Good in the same vein with cases of Iron Man vs Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Batman vs Superman in the DC Extended Universe.
- However, it is safe to assume that they believe each other are a threat, Kong believing Godzilla is a threat to Skull Island and Godzilla believing Kong is a threat to the balance of nature or that Kong refuses to accept Godzilla as his king and so he is challenging the giant lizard for the title of the new "King of the Titans". The ending credits imply that Kong's species have been rivals with Godzilla's species since ancient times according to cave drawings. It is also speculated that they will possibly team up to face a bigger threat, possibly Mechagodzilla.
- He is the third monster that Monarch discovered, the first 2 being Godzilla and Shinomura.
- Kong combines features of early hominids such as the mythical Bigfoot and perhaps some aspects of the Gargantuas instead of being a more "realistic" gorilla.
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