Top 10 Things to Remember Before Godzilla vs Kong

Since monsters rarely get birth certificates, we don't know the true age of the Titans. But we do know when each of them stomped into the spotlight within the MonsterVerse. Godzilla had been spotted a few times over the course of modern history, but he really became public knowledge after showing up in major cities in 2014. Kong has a similar story. Although he remained out of the public eye for a long time (known only to the locals of Skull Island), that all changed with a mission to the island in 1973. While Kong's existence was mostly kept quiet throughout the 20th century, everyone will definitely know who he is when he fights Godzilla in the big city.

The most terrifying villain in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is arguably… Alan Jonah. This former colonel believes letting the Titans roam free could save the earth and keep humanity in check. Together with Dr. Emma Russell and a group of soldiers, he finds and awakens the likes of King Ghidorah and Rodan. When Ghidorah awakens titans around the globe, however, untold destruction ensues. Even though Godzilla puts a stop to the chaos, Jonah escapes and acquires one of Ghidorah’s heads. There’s been no confirmation that the villain will necessarily return, but we're worried about what Jonah could do with a Ghidorah head.

When Godzilla emerged in 2014, he wanted to stop two MUTOS from wreaking havoc across the world. He made a big return again in 2019 to make sure King Ghidorah didn’t become the twisted king of the titans. After serving as the unlikely hero, however, it looks like Godzilla is breaking bad in 2021. A trailer for “Godzilla vs. Kong” makes it look like he’s done protecting humanity. He appears to be on a destructive rampage! Given that Godzilla's saved the world twice within 10 years, however, something seems suspicious about his sudden heel turn. Hopefully, the humans get Godzilla back on their side before the credits roll. We would hate to see our gigantic protector live long enough to become the villain.

You know how Popeye gets an extra boost of strength from spinach? It turns out that radiation can do something similar for Godzilla. In “King of the Monsters”, he gets severely wounded by a weapon called the oxygen destroyer. A group of scientists decide to help by exposing him to a radioactive blast from a nuclear warhead. After a tense fight and a little help from Mothra, Godzilla turns this excess power into an explosive attack against his foes. His ability to absorb radiation to heal or increase his power could give him an edge in battle. If Godzilla starts losing, a quick snack at a nuclear power plant might just put him back on top.

There's a reason that Kong is the last of his kind. As explored in the comic book “Skull Island: The Birth of Kong,” his parents lost their lives to a vicious race of reptilian monsters known as skullcrawlers. Kong's history with these monsters has given him plenty of practice with fighting titanic creatures. He’s got the strength to get the job done, but he’s also resourceful and intelligent enough to use improvised weapons against them when needed. Given that his family lost their lives to the skullcrawlers, he's probably not going to be too trusting of other monsters. Kong’s experience with fighting, and angry titans, will make him a formidable opponent for Godzilla.

While Kong is certainly an impressive fighter, Godzilla is no slouch himself. He has massive strength, plenty of endurance, and the ability to unleash atomic breath. His abilities and tenacity have led him to score some major victories. Godzilla tracked several titans across the world, survived being hit with a variety of manmade weapons, and fought and defeated two MUTOs at the same time. And that was just in his first outing! In his second go-around, Godzilla faced King Ghidorah, an alien titan with multiple heads that can heal itself and fire gravity beams. With a little help from his friends, he defeated this formidable foe. If Kong was expecting an easy win, he's going to be in for a very rude awakening.

After Dr. Emma Russell joined Jonah’s misguided cause in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” her ex-husband and daughter tried to do some good to balance the scales. Their actions helped save Godzilla and the world. Mark and Madison Russell are played by Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown respectively, and both actors delivered strong and captivating performances that truly made us care about their family. Chandler and Brown will return to play key roles in “Godzilla vs. Kong”. They will be joined by a stacked cast that includes Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza Gonzalez, Zhang Ziyi, and Alexander Skarsgard. The combined acting talents of this ensemble should make the scenes without kaiju just as interesting to watch.

During a “Godzilla vs. Kong” trailer, eagle-eyed fans saw a metallic looking monster with glowing red highlights. Those tiny details instantly convinced some that Mechagodzilla will appear in the movie. In past monster movies, Mechagodzilla was a giant robot built to destroy Godzilla. But the trailer wasn't the only sign that this mecha would appear in the Monsterverse. During the credits of “Godzilla: King of Monsters'', an article claims that the Monarch agency is building a “mechanized giant” on Skull Island. And throughout the MonsterVerse films, we’ve seen that the organization has access to plenty of technology. All of these tiny clues seem to indicate that the massive Mechagodzilla could be roaring onto our screens very soon.

Monarch is a vital worldwide organization in the MonsterVerse. The agency was created in the 1940s to keep tabs on Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms across the world. Their activities include tracking down creatures like Kong on remote islands, and containing Titans before they have a chance to wreak havoc. When Monarch’s security measures have failed in the past, however, they’ve relied on Godzilla to protect humanity. Now that their hero has seemingly taken a dark turn, they’ll need to put their faith in Kong. Still, the agency’s intervention has saved the lives of countless individuals in the past. Hopefully their knowledge of Titans, coupled with Kong’s involvement, should be enough to save the world from devolving back into chaos.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

There Are Plenty of Kaiju Still Around
Will They Take Sides?

This Could Be the Finale of the Monsterverse
As of February 2021, There Are No More Movies Planned

Mothra Perished in Battle
But She Did Leave an Egg Behind

King Ghidorah Is an Alien
Will More Aliens Appear?

It’s the 36th “Godzilla” Film and 12th “King Kong” Movie
These Franchises Have Big Staying Power

In 1962, in their original non-MonsterVerse matchup, Godzilla and King Kong fought each other for the first time. The battle seemingly ended in a tie when both creatures fell into the ocean. However, Toho, the studio that made the film, stated that Kong officially won their epic bout. The trailer for this upcoming epic seemingly pushes us to root for the big ape to win the rematch. But we can't help but feel a little bad for Godzilla. He is really doomed to lose this rematch as well? Both combatants have gone through some pretty significant changes since they last fought almost 60 years ago. Regardless of who walks away with the title, everyone who gets to witness this big brawl is definitely a winner.