Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Villain Revealed & Explained

One of the franchises that Legendary Pictures has been banking on is the combined powers of two intellectual properties in Godzilla and King Kong. Of course, these gigantic beasts have enjoyed their own movies and appeared in the latest Legendary MonsterVerse movie, Godzilla vs. Kong, where the two massive titans duked it out for supremacy but ended up working together to defeat a common foe.

After the battle with Mechagodzilla, Godzilla, and Kong decided to leave each other alone as it was clear they both gained each other’s respect. But we all know their stories were not yet over and they would cross paths again. The upcoming movie involving the two giants was finally announced, as the film’s title is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which has an announcement trailer featuring a new villain. So, with that said, let’s look at what we know about this mysterious titan that the massive lizard and the gigantic ape will face.

What We Know About the New Villain

The title announcement trailer of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire didn’t reveal anything about Godzilla or Kong. Instead, it focused more on the upcoming villain that either or both of those Titans are set to face. Of course, as the trailer clearly shows, the villain is some kind of an ape that may not be so different from Kong or his species. In that regard, we know that the Titans will go up against something similar to Kong but an entirely different monster altogether.

As we discovered in Godzilla vs. Kong, the concept of Hollow Earth exists because Kong traveled all the way there. This was the creature’s homeland and is said to be where all of the Titans originated from, as gigantic monstrous creatures lived in this entirely new world found within our planet.

We also learned that Godzilla’s and Kong’s species were locked in an endless war for supremacy in Hollow Earth, as there were skeletons of their species. In the throne room of Hollow Earth, Kong obtained an axe that seemed to have been created from the dorsal fins of one of Godzilla’s ancestors. And Godzilla and Kong were natural rivals, which forced them to battle each other in the movie before they ended up working together to defeat a common enemy in the Ghidora-possessed Mechagodzilla.

So, considering that we know that the ancestors of Godzilla and Kong were once at war with one another, it is easy to understand why the upcoming titan villain is an ape-like creature that isn’t far too different from Kong. We couldn’t see what this ape looked like, but we knew it was reminiscent of a gibbon or a chimp due to its long and lanky arms. But the most important part about that trailer was that the creature was sitting in a throne room full of the skeletal remains of Titans.

It was also shown that this creature had glowing blue eyes similar to how Godzilla glows whenever he uses his atomic powers. In that regard, there is a good possibility that this creature could be capable of the same powers that Godzilla possesses and has the same mobility and strength as Kong due to its ape-like features.

We do know that this creature originates from Hollow Earth and has a high level of intelligence, as suggested by the fact that it was able to create a throne. There’s also the fact that the trailer and the title suggest that this creature is looking to overtake Big G as the king of the Titans, as it might be looking to establish an empire that includes Hollow Earth and the surface world as well.

We know that the species of Godzilla and Kong were never really on good terms, which means that this creature might be one of Kong’s ancestors. It might have survived one of the harshest and most brutal battles in the history of Titans, as suggested by the different skeletal remains found in its throne room. And the possibility that it may have Godzilla’s powers suggests that it is capable of something that makes it incredibly dangerous.

The fact that there are skeletons in the room may also suggest that these creatures were titans that the ape-like villain ate to survive. If that’s the case, it could also have eaten one of Godzilla’s ancestors and become the sole winner of a battle that included many different titans. And because it may have Godzilla’s atomic powers, it could mean that this ape may have the ability to possess the special abilities of the different titans by eating them.

Whatever the case, it is clear that this movie won’t pit Godzilla and Kong against each other. Instead, it might allow us to see the two giants taking on an even greater threat. This massive ape might be looking to dethrone Godzilla as the king of monsters while trying to recruit Kong to its side. But because we know that Kong doesn’t like taking orders from anyone, he may be forced to ally with Big G to take down a monster that could be his great-great-great-great-grandfather.

When Will We Get More Answers?

At this point, we don’t really know when we will get more answers regarding this mysterious beast. This is something unprecedented in the storyline of the MonsterVerse because this is the first time that we are set to see a villain that hasn’t been done before in any of the past storylines that included either Godzilla or Kong. Before, we already had good ideas about Ghidora and Mechagodzilla, considering that they already have versions from previous movies.

But we do know that the shooting of this movie wrapped up back in November of 2022, which means that only post-production and the VFX are needed for this film. But a movie that stars colossal monsters that destroy cities requires a lot of work regarding the visual effects, and that means that it would take a long time for the VFX team to work their magic to bring Godzilla, Kong, and this massive ape to life.

Godzilla x Kong is set to hit theaters in 2025, meaning we are about two years away from the movie’s release. But we know that more trailers will be released in the future, which means we will see more details regarding this mysterious ape-like giant.

So, if everything works out for the team behind the movie, there’s good reason to believe that we will see a trailer late in 2023 or early in 2024. And a trailer will allow us to learn more about the identity of this possible radioactive and cannibalistic gigantic chimp.