It’s no secret that Godzilla and King Kong are rivals, as these Titans have faced off in not one, but two separate continuities, including and especially the most recent MonsterVerse film Godzilla vs Kong. While the visual spectacle of having these two behemoths battle it out on the big screen is reason enough to pit them against each other, there’s a far less meta purpose for their fight as well, and Godzilla’s name for King Kong explains exactly why their MonsterVerse battle was inevitable.
In the original 1962 film King Kong vs Godzilla, Kong was taken from his home and brought to Godzilla’s territory in order to fight the kaiju on behalf of humanity, despite the fact that the two monsters had never heard of each other before and had no reason to fight beyond proving which one was the strongest. There wasn’t much background or motivation for either Kong or Godzilla, but then again, there didn’t really need to be. Two iconic monsters (one more recognizable in Japan, the other an American classic) in a movie together, fighting to see who would win, is fun enough as it is. In the newly-established MonsterVerse films, however, Godzilla and Kong have a deep-seated rivalry that stretches back generations for both their species. That’s why Godzilla and Kong fought in 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong, and that’s why Godzilla had his own special name for Kong before the events of that movie even took place: the Rival.
Godzilla Calls Kong ‘The Rival’, Foreshadowing Their Conflict
In Godzilla: Dominion by Greg Keyes and Drew Johnson, readers are shown what Godzilla was doing before the events of Godzilla vs Kong following his narrow victory over King Ghidorah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The book gave fans a bit more insight into Godzilla’s thought process, as well as revealing another interesting ability movie fans didn’t know he had. Godzilla has the power to tap into the entire world, and feel things happening on the planet the same way one can feel something on their skin. This is how Godzilla knows when there is conflict, or when someone or something is overstepping their boundaries and needs to be put in place. More than that, though, Godzilla can constantly feel Kong’s challenging presence on his world, with every moment Kong continues to exist without recognizing his supremacy being like an itch Godzilla just can’t scratch.
Godzilla’s species and Kong’s species used to live together in the Hollow Earth, where remnants of a great battle between them were discovered in Godzilla vs Kong (and where Kong got that sweet Godzilla-killing ax). It’s for this reason that Godzilla immediately recognizes Kong’s presence on Earth as that of his ultimate, instinctual rival, and why it was inevitable that the two would fight. Again, the issue here isn’t that Kong didn’t bow before Godzilla like the other Titans did in King of the Monsters, it’s that Kong is inherently a threat to Godzilla’s kingship. Add that to the fact that Godzilla can feel Kong’s every move with his planet-scoping power, and the ultimate battle between the two was completely unavoidable.
Thankfully, by the end of Godzilla vs Kong, the two were able to work out some sort of unspoken agreement that would allow both of them to exist on the same planet at the same time without further conflict. However, that initial conflict was necessary either way, regardless of the outcome, and Godzilla’s names for King Kong explains why.
