Things We Learned From the Official Godzilla vs. Kong Trailer

By JB Augustine

·January 25, 2021

Godzilla vs. Kong’s trailer is here and has everybody talking, as it should. Having become the most-watched video of the weekend, the reactions and the revelations concerning elements of the plot are coming in.

Legendary and Warner Bros. kept much of the story and their set-pieces under wraps despite various leaks over the last year making their job harder.

Some of those, from images of the toyline to purported spoilers on 4Chan and Toho Kingdom, proved accurate while enough was left on the table to keep us guessing.

And so with that in mind, here are new things we learned from the trailer along with suspicions that were confirmed.

Kong Does Have an Ax

Though spoiled by the toys, there was doubt about Kong’s ax actually being in the movie. A few skeptics believed Playmates, thinking it was a cool add-on to even the odds, came up with it strictly to sell action figures.

But director Adam Wingard provided insight in interviews a year ago into Kong’s use of tools that will give him an edge. Moreover, the leaks kept hinting he had a weapon, and then one year later, teaser footage from this month finally confirmed exactly that.

What isn’t totally clear yet is where the ax comes from. It’s said Kong makes it himself from a kaiju bone and a piece of Godzilla’s dorsal plates. Alternatively, a theory posits natives of Skull Island who worship Kong made it, leaving it in the Hollow Earth for him to find and prove himself a King – much like Excalibur lodged in the stone.

Judging by a few shots from the trailer, it appears Kong goes on a quest to learn his past and find his destiny. And if those drones in the background above are any indication, Monarch helps him.

Kong and Friends

Kong has always had a special connection with humans but the MonsterVerse paints him more than ever as a protector of people unless they threaten him.

The trailer confirms Alexander Skarsgard and Rebecca Hall play his allies who likely orchestrate his exodus from Skull Island without a lot of fuss until Godzilla swims by. True, they have to chain Kong up but he doesn’t seem to mind.

Their dialogue hints they bet Kong is humanity’s only hope against Godzilla. And, similar to Bruce Wayne’s fears in Batman v Superman, Big G reached the dreaded 1% chance of an absolute certainty he is the enemy.

On that note, we further learned Godzilla is the de facto bad guy and a few Monarch agents, starting with the Russells, are trying to figure out why.

However, there is an added and unexpected twist of an unidentified little girl – either from Skull Island or orphaned and stranded there – Kong has some kind of bond with. Rebecca Hall’s lines explain her character, Ilene, is a sort of surrogate parent to this girl and Kong is her protector.

We can’t say for sure but odds are she may be that “key” (in another BvS reference) that drives Kong to fight Godzilla due to the danger she’s in.

Flying Serpents

The trailer also gave us our first glimpse at another concern Kong will have in action, the Warbats.

An online listing for the Playmates figure we now know to be true said there are more than one of the new monsters dwelling deep within the Hollow Earth that emerges to find prey.

The toy comes with an Osprey aircraft that might appear to back Kong up when he fights the creatures – just as the leaks said – but he doesn’t look like he needs help.

Robots in Disguise

Another hyped villain can be spotted in the trailer albeit not in plain sight. Mechagodzilla appears flying low overhead in Hong Kong. We don’t know where the mechanical copycat is headed but can speculate he’s headed for battle against one of the titular Titans.

If Apex builds him is not fully confirmed but one of the main characters might be partially responsible. Ren Serizawa, son of Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), played by Shun Oguri is in a few frames with a screen behind him monitoring the robot’s energy levels.

An update to Godzilla vs. Kong’s credits on IMDB revealed Oguri’s character but we know little of his actual role. Is he a friend or foe? Does Ren create Mechagodzilla? Does he control it? Does he have a vendetta against Godzilla over the death of his father in the last film? Does he work for Apex or serve a different power behind the conspiracy against Titans?

These are questions that still need answering, and until March 26th when Godzilla vs. Kong premieres in theaters and on HBO Max, the answers are anyone’s guess.

Give us your reactions to the trailer below and tell us your speculation on how the film will unfold.