King Kong will be taller, older, wiser in Godzilla vs. Kong and he will have the facial hair to go along with that. That’s right, Kong grows a beard for when he throws down with his “god”-like, reptilian rival.

Leaked promotional material and monster designs give it away, including those from the toy expo in Hong Kong that went viral earlier this month. We didn’t get a good look at Kong at the time, though his face was close up in the background.

Related: Godzilla vs. Kong Leaks Expose the Movie’s Villains and a Final Battle

Godzilla-Movies.com fixed that. The site offers the clearest look at Kong’s updated facial features in the following new image:

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Again,  this image comes from the same display in the spoiler image tweeted weeks ago that confirmed the presence in the movie of a revamped Mechagodzilla. In case you don’t recall, check it out below:

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Kong’s bearded face in extreme close-up is on the right between the two smaller Godzilla figures, one white and one green.

As you can see above that, the King has a very defined orange beard with thick hairs which is sort of odd. Facial hair is common among some species of apes and monkeys, like orangutans, but not gorillas – the closest approximation to Kong’s form. Of course, being unique, Kong might share similarities with all sorts of primates.

Related: Godzilla vs. Kong Footage Leaked at CCXP Showed the King’s Increased Size

King Kong’s new beard is nothing out of the blue. It’s been there the whole time. Godzilla-Movies.com pointed it out months ago, urging readers to “look closely” at an official poster.

Twitter user GORMARU was nice enough to cleanse the poster of logos and provide a better view. See below, the beard is clear and defined:

Some designs give it away, too – such as this one from user Devin Miller:

It wasn’t completely verified at the time but Miller claimed it was legit.

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Kong’s beard growth punctuates his massive increase in size to match Godzilla’s. The big ape grew up a lot in the 50 years between Kong: Skull Island and the latest installments in the MonsterVerse – Godzilla: King of the Monsters and the upcoming matchup.

Godzilla vs. Kong is almost finished with reshoots, according to recent accounts. Meant for spring/summer, the film was delayed a few times. Warner Bros. finally settled on a November 2020 release and appear to be sticking to it.

What do you think of King Kong’s beard? Is it weird, a departure? Leave your thoughts below.