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:
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:
Who saw the leaked Godzilla vs Kong items pic.twitter.com/hMAeaIswGp
— NerdViper (@fisherdaman1) January 8, 2020
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
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:
Respect the Beard Game #GodzillavsKong
"Following the success of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), comes Godzilla vs. Kong, the next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse. " pic.twitter.com/djuoog0aCy
— GORMARU (@GormaruIsland) October 14, 2019
Some designs give it away, too – such as this one from user Devin Miller:
Check out this Newly Design Of KING KONG for Godzilla Vs Kong. It was just Revealed. To the General Public. 😱🙂 it’s Kong with a Long Beard. pic.twitter.com/2qlfbMvPU5
— DEVIN MILLER (@SpinoDevin) November 9, 2019
It wasn’t completely verified at the time but Miller claimed it was legit.
It is Legit.
— DEVIN MILLER (@SpinoDevin) November 10, 2019
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.