The “Godzilla x Kong” teaser revealed the antagonist Skar King, although much is unknown about his motivations (save for his need to rule over Hollow Earth and his willingness to wage all-out war). A conflict between Godzilla and Kong undercuts their potential team-up against this colossal force, which could mean that their showdown in the film will be caused by a misunderstanding waiting to be resolved. Wingard explained the complicated motivations of the characters during the fight, which was inspired by a classic scene in John Carpenter’s “They Live”:
“There is a rematch in this movie [between Godzilla and Kong], but it’s not as straightforward as that. That’s too easy. It’s more complicated. These monsters are characters. And the concept of the battle between them in this film was something that was inspired by my favorite movie, ‘They Live.’ If you’ve seen that film, that’s a movie where the best action scene in the movie is not the villain versus the hero, it’s the two heroes fighting each other because of a misunderstanding. So, that was one of the things that I was really, really excited about going into this movie.”
Here, Wingard is referring to the lengthy, hilariously terrific alley brawl between Nada (Roddy Piper) and Frank (Keith David) in “They Live”, where the two wrestle one another to ridiculous extents when Frank refuses to consider Nada’s perspective. It is a fight born purely out of misunderstanding, and the well-meaning stubbornness of a man unwilling to indulge in anything divorced from his reality. Once this misunderstanding is resolved, the two become allies against a greater evil, a sentiment bound to be mirrored in the Godzilla versus Kong showdown.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” releases in theaters on March 29, 2024.
