Warning: Spoilers for Jurassic World Dominion
Jurassic World Dominion continued Jurassic World’s insulting portrayal of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Even though dinosaurs such as the Gigantosaurus and the Spinosaurus were certainly bigger than the T-Rex, the creature has a long-held reputation as an apex predator and one of the most fearsome carnivores that ever lived. He’s commonly regarded as the dinosaur at the top of the food chain and the one they should all fear and respect.
As expected, the iconic dinosaur returned for the final installment in the six-movie Jurassic saga. While the T-Rex was certainly powerful enough to be a threat to the human characters, it wasn’t them he was after in Jurassic World Dominion. Instead, his primary target was the Gigantosaurus, who was depicted as a rival alpha in his ecosystem. After being denied a meal by the Giganotosaurus (who he initially acknowledged as the dominant predator), the T-Rex stepped up at the end of the movie and made a stand against the all-powerful dinosaur. However, his might alone wasn’t enough to beat him. The fight was a lost cause until the Therizinosaurus arrived on the scene and used his claws to impale the beast.
The Gigantosaurus’ death in Jurassic World Dominion was a huge victory for the T-Rex and the Therizinosaurus, but also a repeat of Jurassic World’s insult to the beloved dinosaur. In Jurassic World, the T-Rex was the unlikely hero who led the fight against the Indominous Rex. But despite his size and immense strength, he couldn’t defeat the creature alone and needed Owen’s raptors to prevail. In the end, the T-Rex and Blue managed to take him down in a team-up. Instead of moving in a different direction and letting the T-Rex take home all the glory this time around, Jurassic World Dominion once again forced him to rely on another dinosaur’s assistance.
Admittedly, beating a creature as massive and strong as the Gigantosaurus would be a lot to ask from any dinosaur, even if the opponent in question is the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It’s true that the Gigantosaurus would always have the advantage in terms of raw power. But even though it would certainly be an uphill battle that would heavily favor the Gigantosaurus, it wouldn’t have been impossible for the underdog to pull out the win and land a fatal blow. But just like the situation with Jurassic World’s finale, the franchise chose to remind viewers that the T-Rex isn’t actually the Earth’s most powerful land predator.
In allying the Therizinosaurus with the T-Rex in Dominion’s final battle and giving the former the kill, the movie paid off the clawed dinosaur's menacing debut in the swamp scene in a memorable way. But as thrilling as this was, it was unfortunate that the Therizosaurus’ breakout moment came at the cost of the franchise’s most important dinosaur. Letting the T-Rex win without help would have been a great way to avenge not only his failure to prove his dominance over the Indominous Rex in Jurassic World, but also the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the Gigantosaurus earlier in Jurassic World Dominion.