Michael Dougherty, director of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, has explained the core differences between Godzilla and King Kong’s connections to humanity. Godzilla’s latest blockbuster is releasing at the end of the month. Godzilla vs. Kong is releasing in early 2020, and promises an epic brawl between the gargantuan beasts.

Godzilla and Kong are arguably the two most well known giant monsters in pop culture. Kong first appeared in the 1933 classic, King Kong. He would appear in a number of films, including two remakes. In 2017, Kong: Skull Island released as part of the MonsterVerse. Godzilla has starred in over 30 Japanese movies, and two American films. The 2014 film from Legendary Studios made Godzilla into something of a heroic character. Godzilla’s unique relationship with humanity continues in King of the Monsters, where it looks like he and people will team up against Ghidorah.

As reported by popular Godzilla fan-site Gomaru, Doughtery talked with SFX, commenting on the differences between Godzilla and Kong when it comes to connecting with humans. Needless to say, the two monsters have unique relationships with Earth’s human population.

Doughtery continues, “We expect those very unique, and even warm, bonding moments between Kong and human beings. That goes back to the 1933 film, where he was never strictly a monster; there was always a very human side to him in the ways that he interacts with us.” Doughtery goes on to say that these kinds of moments are not expected with Godzilla. According to the director, any connection between people and Godzilla is usually “more implied.” Thus, it’s rare that we “get to see Godzilla’s softer side,” according to Doughtery.

It’s true that throughout the years, Kong has been portrayed as emotional and connected to humans. The 2005 King Kong film put a large emphasis on his relationship with Ann Darrow, even more so than the 1933 movie. Although the Kong in Skull Island was more violent, he was still emotionally connected to people, as seen when he saved Brie Larson’s character from the giant Skullcrawler. Godzilla, historically, has rarely been emotional or connected to humans. It’s happened however, such as in Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (ironically this film was actually meant to star King Kong originally), where he interacts with an island girl. In Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla seemingly acknowledges a character from his past. There are a couple of other examples as well, showing that Godzilla has had some direct interactions with humans. It appears we’ll be getting some kind of personal connection between Godzilla and humanity in King of the Monsters, as the scene with Ken Watanabe’s character shows.

So far, we only have one plot synopsis for Godzilla vs. Kong. With the two monsters being portrayed as non-antagonistic in their respective films, it’s hard to think why these two would come to blows. With the film releasing in under a year, and King of the Monsters releasing soon, it won’t be long before we learn the details of this cinematic encounter.

More: Godzilla Size Chart: How All Different Versions Of Gojira Compare

Source: Gomaru/Twitter

  • Godzilla 2 Release Date: 2019-05-31 Godzilla Vs Kong Release Date: 2021-03-31