Recent Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire toy leaks have revealed a brand new dragon-like Titan, and he is primed to play a key role in the main conflict that will embroil the planet in the latest chapter of the Monsterverse. The number of known Titans in the world has increased as the Monsterverse timeline has progressed, a trend that is primed to continue as Kong and Monarch explore the Hollow Earth. The latest Godzilla x Kong trailer reveals the new villain that will unite Kong and Godzilla, along with upgrades for the two titular Titans and a baby Kong.
However, it appears there is one more major player who has yet to be revealed. While Monarch: Legacy of Monsters proved that Ghidorah was far from the only dragon-like Titan on the planet, a recent toy leak has revealed a dragon Titan who appears to be a far greater threat than the Monsterverse’s Ion Dragon. Skar King is intended to be an arch-nemesis for Kong just as Ghidorah was for Godzilla, but the dragon Titan named Shimo may be an even more powerful and dangerous threat.
Godzilla X Kong Toys Tease A Second Original Monsterverse Villain (after Skar King)
Shimo may be Skar King’s ally, or at least be under his control.
A Reddit post on the main Godzilla Reddit thread revealed a photo of a small figurine from Jada Toys of a Titan named “Shimo”. While the toy style doesn’t provide the clearest picture of the Titan, it’s very clear that it actually has a similar shape to Godzilla, complete with the dorsal spikes. While Godzilla’s dorsal plates are made of organic matter, Shimo’s appear to be some sort of crystal. Shimo has an all-white body with deep blue spikes along his back, which would make him an aesthetic inverse of the dark gray-with-pink-spikes form Godzilla will have in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Given the threat posed by new ape foe Skar King is significant enough to force Godzilla and Kong into an alliance, it stands to reason that Shimo would align with Skar King as opposed to acting as another ally to the two Alpha Titans. The Godzilla x Kong trailer showed that Skar King at least strikes fear into the other Kongs, if he doesn’t control them outright, and it could be a very similar situation with Shimo. No matter what Shimo’s actual relationship with Skar King is, it’s pretty clear that the dragon Titan will be the second totally original villain to be introduced in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
What Kind Of Monster Shimo Might Be In The Monsterverse
It seems likely that Shimo will have ice-based powers.
In Japanese, “Shimo” is a name that means “frost”, and that is likely a hint at what kind of powers that the Titan will have. Where Godzilla’s power manifests itself in fiery atomic breath, Shimo could be capable of blasting ice from his mouth. The trailer shows Godzilla bursting out of ice with his new pink atomic powers, and it’s possible that scene occurs during a battle against Shimo. There’s no way to know how large Shimo will be based on the toy, but if he’s going to be a threat to Godzilla and Kong, he must be closer to their size than a Titan like the Frost-Vark or Mantleclaw.
Given his general body shape, Shimo may even be an off-shoot of Godzilla’s own species. Skar King and Kong look closely related but not exactly the same; Kong is built like a gorilla whereas Skar King’s body is reminiscent of an orangutan. Shimo may be an icy cousin to Godzilla, which could mean he has a very comparable level of strength, speed and power. If that’s the case, Shimo could be an even bigger threat to the world at large than Skar King himself.
Shimo’s Godzilla Similarities Set Up A Perfect 2 On 2 Fight
Both Godzilla and Kong will have an adversary with a similar set of abilities to take on.
The Monsterverse has come a long way from the relatively grounded 2014 Godzilla, and now that Godzilla and Kong are teaming up, the franchise is conjuring superhero movie vibes. Oftentimes, superheroes will be faced with an evil version of themselves at some point in their journey, and that’s essentially what will happen with the two-on-two fight that’s being set up. Godzilla and Kong have already dispensed with two of the gravest Titan threats that the planet could face in Mechagodzilla and Ghidorah, so the natural next step is to force them to face a threat that stands as their literal equal.
The Godzilla franchise has been built upon team-ups dating all the way back to 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, in which Godzilla teamed up with Rodan and Mothra to take down Ghidorah in his first on-screen appearance. Some of the most widely celebrated movies of the Showa Era include Godzilla and an ally against two villains, most famously Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is clearly embracing Godzilla and Kong’s shift into superheroes, and introducing Shimo ups the stakes for Monsterverse’s two top Titans.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
- Director:
- Adam Wingard
- Release Date:
- 2024-04-12
- Cast:
- Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Fala Chen
- Writers:
- Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater
- Studio(s):
- Legendary Pictures
- Distributor(s):
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Franchise(s):
- Godzilla, King Kong, Monsterverse
- Rating:
- Not Yet Rated
- Genres:
- Action, Adventure
- prequel(s):
- Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla Vs Kong
