Godzilla vs. Kong dives deep into the lore and history of the MonsterVerse, but it also leaves some big questions unanswered. The franchise’s fourth film pits Godzilla and King Kong against one another in a long-awaited duel (or rather, a couple of duels), while exploring the more mythical corners of the MonsterVerse world along the way. Whatever the future may hold for the series, it already has some major questions to address.
From the relationships between the titans to the world they come from, Godzilla vs. Kong does a lot to flesh out the MonsterVerse. The Hollow Earth is finally shown in its full glory, including some intriguing glimpses at the society Kong’s ancestors once built. The introduction of Mechagodzilla and its ties to King Ghidorah also add some curious twists to how the titans actually work.
With all that new worldbuilding, however, come even more questions. The MonsterVerse has constructed a fun story filled with kaiju brawls and sci-fi pseudoscience, but Godzilla vs. Kong still leaves some details of that story unclear. Here are the biggest unanswered questions after the end of Godzilla vs. Kong.
What Happened To The Ancient Titans?
Godzilla vs Kong shows more of the old world of the titans than any other MonsterVerse story because it finally reveals the Hollow Earth. While there, Kong visits what appears to be an ancient citadel of his species, strewn with remnants of art, language and architecture that far exceed what was previously thought possible for titans. There are clear references to the war between Kong’s species and Godzilla’s as well. However, the film still only hints at the actual fate of these ancient titans.
Bits and pieces about how the old monsters died out have been sprinkled across different MonsterVerse films, but a lot of that backstory remains untold. It’s known, for instance, that Skull Island is built over a Hollow Earth entrance, that Kong’s ancestors likely travelled to the island through that tunnel, and that the last of them before Kong were killed by Skull Crawlers. It’s unclear how that feud connects back to the war with Godzilla, if at all. Many titans lay dormant in the Earth, hibernating, while others continued to thrive undetected by humanity. Why these different behaviors exist is also largely unexplained. The mystery is part of the fun, of course, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some glaring gaps in what the franchise has shown about the titans’ past.
How Does The Hollow Earth Actually Work?
The Hollow Earth itself is also unexplained in many ways. The basic concept is touched on just enough for the film to make some kind of pseudoscientific sense, but the exact nature of the gravitational inversion, the tunnels, the strange landscapes and the flying rocks are left a mystery. It also isn’t addressed why Kong and Monarch go through a portal when they enter the Hollow Earth – which presumably is a result of the gravity shift – but later, when Godzilla blasts a hole in the planet, they all return to the surface without the use of any such portal. It’s probably for the best that these details are brushed over, as any close inspection of the Hollow Earth would likely break the illusion, but it would be great to see a bit more explanation in future films.
How Did King Ghidorah Survive?
The version of Mechagodzilla that appears in Godzilla vs. Kong is powered, and partially controlled, by the brain of King Ghidorah. Apex Cybernetics has one of Ghidorah’s skulls wired to a computer system connected to Mechagodzilla, which is then tapped into by a human pilot. Bernie mentions that a second skull must be present somewhere in the robot itself, as Ghidorah’s heads can communicate with one another telepathically.
That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t explain why a skull, even a titan skull, can continue exuding basic brain functions years after death. Presumably, Apex kept the heads alive cybernetically, and the energy obtained from the Hollow Earth rejuvenated them to full capacity, leading to their complete takeover of Mechagodzilla. However, none of that is actually stated in the movie.
How Does Mechagodzilla Work?
Apex Cybernetics dedicated itself to a singular mission in the era of titans – creating a weapon that can protect humanity by going toe-to-toe with any monster. To that end, they build Mechagodzilla, but the actual logistics and practicality of the robot are fuzzy, to say the least. From a strictly mechanical level, there’s a lot about the beast that doesn’t seem to make much sense. Why does it have spikes? Why does it have a tail? Why do they need Ghidorah’s brain to power it?
The best argument for Mechagodzilla’s design is that Apex wanted to literally replace Godzilla, and thereby ensure that all the other titans would stay in line. There's certainly a logic to creating a creature that other monsters would recognize and respect as they respect Godzilla. As for the Ghidorah mind control, the only reasonable explanation is that a beast as large and as powerful as Mechagodzilla was simply too strong for a human brain to control effectively. The piloting system seems to have Ghidorah doing all the heavy lifting, with the plugged-in human simply telling the titan what to do. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about how the mech operates, however, and they likely won’t be answered any time soon.
Where Is King Ghidorah’s Third Head?
One of Ghidorah’s three heads was in Apex’s Hong Kong base, and another was presumably inside Mechagodzilla itself. So where’s the third? Most likely, the third head is the one purchased by Alan Jonah’s eco-terrorist cell in the post-credits scene of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Since Apex’s humanity-first dogma is completely counter to that of Jonah’s, they would have no reason to collaborate. And with no sign of Jonah in Godzilla vs. Kong and the knowledge that Ghidorah’s heads can still cling to life long after being decapitated, there are plenty of nefarious ways the dragon could return. If the MonsterVerse continues, that third head could prove very important.
Will Godzilla And Kong Fight Again?
After teaming up to defeat Mechagodzilla, Godzilla and Kong seem to reach a kind of truce. Kong lowers his axe in a symbolic display of fealty, and Godzilla leaves in peace as the clear alpha of the two. Does that mean the beasts will never fight again? Not necessarily. Kong would have died following their Hong Kong battle – something Godzilla appeared to have no problem with – if not for the intervention of Jia and the other human characters. For now, it seems that the two can coexist as long as Kong remains in the Hollow Earth and doesn’t challenge Godzilla’s strength again - but the two are far from friends. The MonsterVerse could have lots more in store, and depending on where the franchise goes, Godzilla vs Kong might not be the last time the titans face off.