Why Kong Looks So Old in Godzilla vs. Kong?
The epic trailer made its way almost a week ago, and it is still making rounds. If you would have looked closely, you would have seen that the great ape seems to be old now, almost as if Kong was now an old wise ape. Kong already looks like an older member of his species in the trailer, despite not having lived that long in comparison to other Titans in the MonsterVerse. Kong’s appearance has received a few updates since the last time he was in action in Kong: Skull Island.
Kong, the giant ape, was showcased as an adolescent in Kong: Skull Island, a movie that was set in the early 1970s. The pilot told us that Kong is the last of his kind as his parents and the rest of his species were wiped out by the Skullcrawlers, the young ape was left as the last of his kind and the King of Skull Island. In the film, the arrival of humans led to the reemergence of more Skullcrawlers, which Kong had to fight hard to repel. Several decades after crossing paths with Monarch for the first time and protecting the island from danger, Kong is back for another MonsterVerse battle, this time with Godzilla.
In a matter of 50 years, Kong has grown to be 104-foot-tall, almost to size up to Godzilla. The trailer makes it clear that the massive growth spurt isn’t the only thing that’s changed about Kong. In addition to his increased size, Kong appears much older in other ways. His fur has taken on a darker shade, and he’s grown a beard that gives him the wise, seasoned look of a Titan that has lived a long life. His old appearance stands in stark contrast to his actual age. Most Titans, like Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ original Titans, have lived for thousands of years, whereas Kong may not much older than a century. This suggests that Kong’s species have much shorter lifespans.
This makes sense, especially when taking into consideration what is known about Kong’s aging. He was in his juvenile years in both the 1944 and 1973 portions of the film but now appears to be deep into the adult phase of his life. If Kong’s species were like other Titans, it’s likely that the growth spurt would have happened at a much slower pace. If it had, it’s hard to imagine that Kong would be able to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong. To face a monster as powerful as him, Kong will not only need to match him in size, but he’ll need a certain degree of wisdom that only a fully-grown Titan could possess. Considering that Kong will have the forethought to build an axe from Godzilla’s spikes and a Titan’s bone, it does seem that his experiences have taught him well.
Even so, Kong will still have a huge challenge on his hands. He may be an adult now who has fought off an untold number of Skullcrawlers for a century or more, but Godzilla, the current King of the Monsters, is an ancient beast who has been battling immensely powerful threats like Ghidorah and the MUTOs for ages. Unfortunately, Kong’s experiences can’t compare to that. In fact, it’s possible that he’s the youngest Titan to ever compete for the crown in the MonsterVerse. We also see Kong issuing a challenge to Godzilla, telling us that Kong, as we know doesn’t answer to anyone, has grown much stronger and is his own damn entity.
Directed by Adam Wingard, the fourth installment in the MonsterVerse will pit the King of the Monsters against the King of Skull Island. Though both monsters have been pop culture icons for more than half of a century, this will only be their second big-screen meeting. The first happened in Toho’s 1962 crossover, King Kong vs. Godzilla, which had an ending that leaned in Kong’s favor. Like the original fight, Kong will get a size boost to pose a physical challenge to Godzilla. One of the most epic moments in the first trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong is when Kong takes a huge leap with an ax in his hands, that is able to do something special. As Kong uses the ax in his battle against Godzilla, and it is noticeably seen that the ax is able to absorb Godzilla’s atomic breath. Until Kong is once again armed with the ax made from Godzilla’s dorsal plate.
The Godzilla vs. Kong trailer ends with a shot reminiscent of an amusing scene in 1962’s King Kong Versus Godzilla, in which Kong shoved a tree down Godzilla’s throat – but this time it looks as though he’ll be using Godzilla’s dorsal plate, and it appears to be far more brutal.
