Kong grows bigger in the slugfest of the year, Godzilla vs. Kong, to match his rival’s size. We’ve known this for more than a year and it was confirmed in WarnerMedia’s Comic-Con Experience Brazil presentation footage.
But Kong might get powered up more to become Mega Kong, going by the Playmates toys and speculation surrounding how much they reflect the movie’s actual plot.
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The prevailing theory is Kong will feed on the copious radiation, similar to Godzilla, beneath Skull Island. Having adequate time since the 1970s, when Kong: Skull Island is set, to do so, that could explain his hulk-up.
Radiation, however, is not Kong’s typical nourishment. We saw him eat an octopus in the MonsterVerse, for one thing, so we know he omnivorously relies on what his environment provides. And, depending on how seriously you take the varying adaptations and parodies on the big ape, he eats people too.
Given the variety in his diet and supposed ability to absorb raw energy, there might be another explanation that sees Kong energized in the literal sense.
In his Toho appearances, he has derived benefits and aid from electricity, as in being struck by lightning like the Flux Capacitor. It’s a twist unique to his Japanese incarnation – a leftover from the unmade King Kong vs. Frankenstein (dubbed “Prometheus” in some pitches). Down for the count, Kong would receive a random jolt and get back up to fight.
The same thing happened to the G-Man off and on throughout the Showa and Heisei period. A taste for irradiated lightning revived Godzilla in his first second-gen outing The Return of Godzilla (recut and released as Godzilla 1985 in the US).
We don’t know if Kong gets a jump this time around from a lightning bolt, though lightning is conspicuously in the background of much of the fanmade and concept art.
Could there be a substitute? YouTube channel SciFi Explained thinks so. In a what-if scenario, the moderator postulates the energy from King Ghidorah’s Gravity Beams – his primary weapon fired like lightning from his three heads – could be used to juice Kong.
Watch the video:
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Ghidorah’s severed head, salvaged from the waters off Mexico, was purchased by eco-terrorist Alan Jonah at the end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, teasing Monster Zero for future movies.
While not an indication Ghidorah will regenerate in time for Godzilla vs. Kong, Jonah or Monarch could tap into the head as a power source (say, for Mechagodzilla) that winds up helping Kong and giving him an edge.
Remember, Ghidorah’s beams were a formidable threat to Godzilla in battle and we have evidence Kong puts a hurting on the KOTM. He may do that with battery power drawn from Ghidorah.
Some spoilers claim Kong and Godzilla fight twice. The first bout could leave Godzilla thinking he has the uncrowned King permanently beaten. Kong, then coming into contact with the Gravity Beam energy after, returns for round two.
Kong might even win, slaying the reptilian giant, a fear shared by a few in Scified’s Godzilla forum. Others fear human characters will make the MonsterVerse woke. Both are possible but let’s wait and see.
What do you think of the Kong power-up theory? Be sure to let us know in the comments.