And when you're done here, dig into why Godzilla Vs. Kong doesn't have an end credits scene.
Mechagodzilla (a.k.a. Why Godzilla Was Attacking Cities)
We'll start with the biggest "surprise" and the Titan you probably have the most questions about. After much theorizing and thought-provoking conversations about why Godzilla seemed to be attacking humans in the trailers, that question was answered by Demián Bichir's wonderfully wicked villain Walter Simmons. In his desperation (and delusion) for humans to become the Apex species of Earth once again, he created Mechagodzilla. Because of his unusual technique for building the metal monster, Godzilla could sense the creature, and that is what was driving him to attack APEX Corp locations around the world, human casualties be damned. One of those locations was in Hong Kong where we saw our epic final battle commence.How Did Mechagodzilla Actually Work?
In between the stunning effects and massive monster fights, a lot of director Adam Wingard's Godzilla vs. Kong centers on building out the lore of the Titans. While you might have been distracted by the Hollow Earth or the big monkey fighting the big lizard, the key to how Mechagodzilla came to "life" was built into the more esoteric conversations about the nature of Titans themselves.Going back to the Godzilla: King of the Monsters end credits stinger, we know that at some point a nefarious environmentalist group acquired the skull of King Ghidorah. We see that skull repurposed here as a sort of mech-control unit that's utilized by Ren Serizawa as a way to control Mechagodzilla through a psychic connection, kind of like the Drift in Pacific Rim.But why would a different Titan head be able to control Mechagodzilla? Well, according to what we learn in this film, the Titans and Hollow Earth creatures share a genetic memory. That means any Titan has a connection to each and every other Titan. Ren used this Ghidorah skull as a control system for Mechagodzilla, essentially making the creature a part-Titan, mostly-robot killing machine that he alone controlled. But it also meant that Godzilla could sense and track down the creature before it was even activated.
So Who Actually Won Godzilla vs. Kong?
Well, if you were worried this film wouldn't live up to the title, worry no more. This is a movie with multiple monster fights. They start big and end up with a 25-minute free-for-all in the shining city of Hong Kong. The first fight takes place at sea, with Godzilla almost drowning Kong before leaving the giant ape for dead. Later, after Godzilla blazes his radioactive breath through the Hollow Earth, he calls Kong from his new home, and the pair face down in epic style for the finale. Both monsters get their wins in, with Kong triumphing in the nighttime Hong Kong fight at first... before Godzilla kicks his opponent's butt, again leaving him for dead (but interestingly not delivering the final blow). So what director Adam Wingard told IGN at FanFest -- "One wins, and that's it" -- is mostly true. It falls to the human characters to jump-start Kong's heart so that we can get to the real fight here -- between Mechagodzilla, Godzilla, and the King of the Monsters' new unexpected ally Kong. Like many fans theorized, the gruesome twosome teamed up to take down their metallic foe and left the battle as shared victors, even giving each other a grudging nod of respect. But what happens to the two heroic monsters now?Where Did We Leave Godzilla and Kong?
While Godzilla slunk off into the sea--echoing the end of the original 1966 King Kong vs. Godzilla movie--Kong headed home, but not to Skull Island. Godzilla vs. Kong follows two key storylines: Madison (Millie Bobby Brown), Josh (Julian Dennison), and Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) uncovering the truth about the Godzilla attacks and Mechagodzilla; and then Ilene (Rebecca Hall), Dr. Nathan Lane (Alexander Skarsgård), and Jia (Kaylee Hottle) trying to follow Kong into the Hollow Earth and eventually succeeding. With Godzilla swimming off -- potentially to the subterranean tunnels of the watery Hollow Earth which we know he uses to travel -- we end the film with Kong returning to his new Hollow Earth home along with Illene, Nathan, and Jia. It's a heartwarming finish that sets up the next steps for the Titans-studying outfit Monarch as well as a new safe haven for Kong and his adopted family.Will We Get More of the MonsterVerse?
This all comes down to the relationship between Legendary Pictures and Godzilla. While the massive box office success that the film is enjoying globally hints that we will likely get a sequel, this is the last slated movie in the Monsterverse. Godzilla: King of the Monsters was relatively well-received, but it struggled to make waves at the box office. That left the future of the franchise in flux. But despite the current likelihood that Godzilla vs. Kong will be a hit (whatever that means in pandemic times), it's unclear whether Legendary will want to work with Warner Bros. again after the studio's controversial decision to release all of their 2021 movies day-and-date on their streamer HBO Max. Reportedly, they didn't let partners like Legendary know this was the plan and there were even reports that the company might take legal action against Warners.In the end, it seems like the two companies negotiated their way out of any potential legal battle. But that doesn't mean that Legendary was happy about it. Still, since the dollar is king in Hollywood, if Godzilla vs. Kong keeps raking in the cash we shouldn't expect this to be the last we see of either the Titans or the Monsterverse.
Could We Get a Hollow Earth-centric Sequel for Kong?
If Legendary and HBO Max make like Godzilla and Kong and grudgingly patch it up, then this would make a lot of sense. There are plenty of established Kaiju we'd love to see get their own feature: Mothra, Anguirus, or maybe an Adam Wingard-directed Xiliens movie? But looking at where we leave Kong and the amount of lore there is to expand on, this seems like the easiest way to make a direct sequel or potentially a prequel.Many fans expected this series to feature more backstory for the Titans and a clearer explanation of their connection to the Hollow Earth, so a prequel could easily achieve that with a story about the first Titans and what drove them to the surface.
But we could also simply see a story about Kong exploring his new home and discovering its secrets, while also facing down new creatures. Or we could always see another team-up between Kong and Godzilla, because if the latter really did make his way into the oceanic Hollow Earth, then they'd technically be neighbors! So don't count out seeing these two together again in the future.What would you like to see next from the MonsterVerse? Let's discuss in the comments!
