Dr. Ishiro Serizawa’s words “Let Them Fight” in 2014’s Godzilla would come to define the franchise, as the films that followed would feature more and more Kaiju smackdown. The now-titled Monsterverse started to dig deeper into the mysterious hollow earth. Since 2019’s Godzilla: King of The Monsters, fans have been teeming with excitement for the fight of the century, Godzilla vs. Kong. We finally got our official look at the film in the recent trailer. After multiple delays due to the pandemic, the film will finally release on March 26th. At first glance, it looked like it would live up to its name, as Godzilla and Kong clash once again for the first time since 1963. However, a small discovery in the trailer may showcase a new direction.
Upon a first watch, the trailer brings us into a post King of The Monsters world, where Godzilla has successfully taken the title after defeating the three-headed King Ghidorah. A voiceover explains that Godzilla has started attacking random cities for no reason, and they need someone to stop him. These events are where Kong comes into play, as old Monarch files must list him as the only other Kaiju that could stand a chance against the giant lizard. Since his first appearance, Kong has grown considerably and now can measure up with Gojira. His more humanoid frame stands a much better chance against the overgrown lizard and his stubby arms. What doesn’t make sense is why Godzilla would all of a sudden turn on the people he’s fought to protect multiple times, even if his dominance got threatened in one case.
The trailer may be playing a trick on us. If you look closely, a recent toy leak confirmed the existence of a false God, Mechagodzilla. At this point, almost everyone knows the mecha will make his Monsterverse debut in this film, but it seems to be much sooner than initially thought. In the original 1974 film Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, we know the robot can camouflage and pretends to be Godzilla. It does open up a few questions, however. Why would he do this in this film, and who would have the motives to do such a thing? The previous installment, King of The Monsters, has that answer.
We learn in that film that Dr. Ishiro Serizawa has a son, Ren Serizawa. A cast listing did confirm that actor Shun Oguri will play the character, who we see in the trailer in front of a screen featuring Mechagodzilla’s operation status. There is a possibility that Ren now works for a shadow organization to enact his revenge. His father’s fascination with the titans may have pushed him down a darker path. So, his father dying to save Godzilla may have been the last straw, so he took it into his own hands. He aims to frame Godzilla while luring out one of the few survivors so that they may kill each other and end their reign.
A final note is a moment within the trailer where we return to the aircraft carrier battle between Kong and the fake Godzilla. In one shot, we see what looks like Godzilla’s tail. Upon further examination, it doesn’t seem to be the case after all. It looks to be a lot more mechanical and with links holding it together. I’m unsure when this fight takes place, but this could be the big reveal to the world that the Godzilla they know and love is not behind this. It may be what brings the two Kaiju together to take down the mechanical monstrosity and restore the balance to the world of titans.
