Why The Reason Godzilla & Kong Fight May Be Simpler Than You Think

The reason why the two title characters in Godzilla vs. Kong come to blows may be much simpler than audiences are expecting. After a great deal of anticipation, the King of the Monsters and the King of Skull Island will be having their long-awaited collision in the fourth MonsterVerse installment. The two monsters haven’t fought since Toho’s 1962 classic, King Kong vs. Godzilla. Considering that was over 50 years ago, a rematch feels like it’s long overdue.

Directed by Adam Wingard and set to release in May 2021, Godzilla vs. Kong will give the new alpha of the Titans a fresh challenger when he goes up against Kong, who’s confirmed to receive a massive size upgrade for the fight. The battle - which will have a definitive winner - is part of a story that’s expected to involve Mechagodzilla, an investigation by Monarch into the origin of the Titans, and a human conspiracy to destroy all the monsters.

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As for what starts Godzilla’s fight with Kong, the explanation hasn’t been revealed, but it’s possible there isn’t necessarily a “good” reason for their fight. Since neither Titan is a villain, there’s been a lot of speculation over why they would become enemies, with some wondering if it could happen as a result of a misunderstanding or a ruse by the movie’s human villains. However, the situation may be much less complicated. Godzilla: King of the Monsters director and Godzilla vs. Kong co-writer Mike Dougherty has pointed out that both monsters are “highly temperamental” and “territorial”. Dougherty went on to say, “I feel like when you have that much ego attached, there will be clashes”

In other words, Godzilla vs. Kong doesn’t have to carefully weave a story where one of the two characters is strongly motivated to fight the other ala Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fighting each other may be a natural instinct that comes to them at the moment they first meet. After all, they’re both incredibly powerful Titans who believe they can’t be matched. Plus, there’s the issue of where the fight takes place. If the fight starts on Skull Island – which seems likely – Kong will simply be defending his territory, while Godzilla may feel that as King of the Monsters, the whole planet is his territory.

The two Titans fighting each other for such simple reason wouldn’t be unlike what Toho did with Godzilla and his fellow kaiju in the past. In fact, Godzilla hit Kong with his atomic breath without provocation in King Kong vs. Godzilla. When Godzilla battled monsters like Hedorah, Megalon, Gigan, Ebirah, and more, these fights happened simply because they were in his vicinity, not because Godzilla was looking to protect Tokyo. Like some animals of the same species, these giant monsters regard each other as rivals intruding on their territory, and for them, that’s enough to justify a showdown.

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