What happened to John C. Reilly's Hank Marlow after the events of Kong: Skull Island? Following the success of 2014's Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island was the second entry of the MonsterVerse. Jordan Vogt-Roberts' film is set in 1973 and charts an expedition to the titular, uncharted island thats home to Kong and a litany of other creatures. The film was a colorful blockbuster that also featured a great cast, consisting of Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston.
Kong: Skull Island is the third big-screen reboot of the iconic monster, following 1976's King Kong starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, and the 2005 remake from Peter Jackson. Skull Island has a unique flavor thanks to its visual flair and the fact the title monster never leaves the island to rampage around New York. He's also set to receive a growth spurt for Adam Wingard's forthcoming Godzilla Vs. Kong.
While Kong: Skull Island might have a top-notch cast, most of them don't have much to do. Tom Hiddleston's Conrad is technically the protagonist but he's one of the movie's less fleshed-out characters, while Toby Kebbell's soldier has a subplot that could have been trimmed entirely with no effect on how the story plays out. The movie has an ace up its sleeve with John C. Reilly as Hank Marlow, a WW2 pilot who's been stranded on Skull Island for decades.
More than been mere comic relief, John C. Reilly's Marlow becomes the human heart of Kong: Skull Island. He's clearly a little eccentric after being stranded for 30 years on a monster-filled island, but he also grieves for his late Japanese friend Gunpei and wants to return home to his wife and son. Marlow eventually escapes with the other survivors following the climactic battle between Kong and the Skullcrawlers, and in a surprisingly touching credit sequence, he's seen reuniting with his family and getting to enjoy a beer and hot dog while watching a baseball game.
It's unknown if Marlow is still alive in the present-day MonsterVerse timeline, but even if he is, he'd be over 90 so it's doubtful he'd be involved in any future monster action. It's also unknown if the character could reappear in some form following Kong: Skull Island, since there's a good chunk of time between the 1970s and present-day unaccounted for. John C. Reilly's Marlow was such a great addition to Kong: Skull Island it would be great to see him again, but he's also earned a comfortable retirement.