‘Godzilla x Kong’: Will This Be an Enemies-To-Lovers Slashfic?
Anthony Gramuglia
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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will take Godzilla and King Kong’s relationship to a whole new level. But how far will it take it? And how far…should they take it?
Kong and Godzilla have one of the most famous rivalries in horror movie cinema. They’ve had two crossover fights, each one being an epic adventure movie that defined a generation of kaiju cinema. Now, this new film looks set to make the two enemies battle-hardened companions against a greater threat. But that threat is secondary to the film’s appeal. We are seeing the evolution of the two iconic characters’ relationship. And as the relationship becomes more balanced, fans have to ask: what is their relationship?
Romance in Kaiju Cinema
It’s not all that uncommon, right? You watched Captain America: Civil War and had to pick up on the subdued…tension between the film’s numerous rivalries, right? Some of the most popular fanfiction on the internet ship enemies-to-lovers. Just ask your friend who really loves Naruto for details.
But this trope seldom appears in horror fandom, especially in regard to gigantic monsters—or kaiju. In fact, romance in general seldom appears in Godzilla movies. Godzilla has a son, but there’s no mother. Mothra continually spawns more offspring, but we don’t see her mate. Sure, some of the human characters have romances, but they’re far from interesting or dynamic.
However, the Monsterverse has created a relationship between two monsters in its series: Godzilla and Mothra. Mothra is presented as Godzilla’s mate—a matriarch in the Kaiju kingdom. She helps the humans revive Godzilla in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, then sacrifices her life to help Godzilla overcome Ghidorah.
While Mothra and Godzilla’s relationship is never presented as sexual in the context of the film, some of the dialogue questions how…intimate the two monsters are, or, rather, how intimate their two species are. This indicates that kaiju, despite being different in physiology, can mate across species barriers.
Kong, Love Guru
As for Kong, romance is a key element of Kong’s story. The first film was written as a modern update to the “Beauty and the Beast” story, to the point where the final line of the 1933 original is “It was Beauty killed the Beast.”
Most King Kong films since the original have romance as a key plot component. However, that does not extend into the Monsterverse. Legendary’s revival of Kong remains surprisingly without romance. Kong is the last of his kind. While it almost appeared that Brie Larson in Kong: Skull Island might occupy the niche formerly occupied by Fay Wray, Jessica Lange, and Naomi Watts, that turned out to not be the case.
However, Kong is a very empathetic creature. We see him create bonds with human beings and protect the citizens of Skull Island, and even the other monsters in his domain.
He even shows empathy towards Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong when he finds his rival struggling to overcome Mechagodzilla. Kong and Godzilla both compete for the top spot in the monster hierarchy. Godzilla took his position as King of the Monsters after besting Ghidorah, while Kong lost Skull Island.
As with many enemies-to-lovers stories, frustration and anger can lead to concern and empathy. Which, itself, can lead to romantic intimacy.
Why Love in the Time of Monsters?
Godzilla x Kong’s core conflict appears to be the legacy of the Titans and their linked history to the Hollow Earth. No doubt they’ll fight a singular adversary and work together to overcome it. Functionally, the film needs nothing more than the gorilla and lizard to beat up a bigger threat.
However, is there any plot reason why these two monsters should join in a more intimate union? Titans have very human emotions. Kong especially shows a whole range of emotions across his multiple appearances. He’s the last of his kind. He needs companionship. He needs a mate.
And who better a mate than the King of the Monsters? After all, it’s already indicated by Godzilla’s relationship with Mothra that he’s willing to mingle with other monsters, and who is to say that Titans have the same gender relationships that we humans have?
On the other hand, maybe not. While emphasizing a romance between Kong and Godzilla might further develop the characters and add a dynamic to the two of them, what purpose might there be in making things intimate? After all, it’s not like Kong and Godzilla need to procreate or something.
Son of Kong
Godzilla and Kong need to make babies. Kong, especially.
Kong having children isn’t a new concept for Kong. The second film in the series, Son of Kong, shows that Kong did have a child on Skull Island. The sequel to the 1976 remake, 1986’s King Kong Lives, is all about Kong breeding.
As the last of his race, Kong needs to procreate. While the adversary of Godzilla x Kong appears to be another member of Kong’s race, it’s unlikely he’ll be reproducing anytime soon. Unless his urges to find a mate lead him to Godzilla.
Son of Godzilla
Now, Godzilla’s physiology remains very ill-defined. While we can assume that Kong is essentially a giant, rapidly growing gorilla, Godzilla’s body is totally alien. It feeds on radiation, has existed for presumably thousands if not millions of years, and can assimilate and merge with fellow kaiju (see Mothra).
Prior Godzilla adaptations have even been shown to reproduce on their own. Asexual reproduction is a key plot point in the much-maligned 1998 remake and a horrific plot point in Hideaki Anno’s 2016 Shin Godzilla. The Godzilla appearing in every sequel to the original film? That’s a different Godzilla. The original Godzilla died thanks to the Oxygen Destroyer. Need proof? Mechagodzilla is built around the skeleton of the OG Zilla. And then there’s Destroyah…
It’s also a plot point in both the Showa and Heisei Era of Godzilla films, thanks to Godzilla’s son. (For reference, the different eras of Godzilla films are named for their respective political periods and are defined by their own style and tone.)
In the Showa Era, Minilla is found by Godzilla shortly after he hatches from his egg and is adopted by the King of the Monsters. The Heisei Era Godzilla Jr. hatches from a Godzillasaurus egg that finds itself in Rodan’s nest—most likely, a parasitic egg. In both cases, Godzilla himself isn’t necessarily the father.
Still, Godzilla and Kong both have children. That doesn’t mean, however, that their differing genetics can mix. After all, it’s not like Godzilla has ever had offspring with something unlike himself, right?
The Mixing of Bloodlines
Godzilla’s DNA gets in a lot of places it shouldn’t be, especially during the Heisei Era. During this unusual time in Godzilla’s history, the King of the Monsters faces off against three separate adversaries. All of them share one commonality: ‘Zilla genes.
Biollante is the product of Godzilla’s DNA merging with plant DNA and the soul of a foresaken child, Spacegodzilla is Godzilla’s DNA muted by space rays and black holes, and Destroyah is the original Godzilla’s DNA mutated by the Oxygen Destroyer.
All three of these iconic monsters—or a variant of them—can be produced if Godzilla gets his DNA on or in Kong. Granted, the Oxygen Destroyer already played a role in the Monsterverse already, which could very well give rise to Destroyah in the future. However, what is to say that Godzilla mixing his DNA with Kong can’t produce some sort of super hybrid child who could, in turn, inherit the throne of King of the Monsters?
And indeed, if difficulties licensing Godzilla and Kong from Toho prove too troublesome, a Godzilla/Kong hybrid could very well be the key to continuing the Monsterverse independent of Toho—or, at least, serve as a point of negotiation to determining better terms for the Monsterverse-related licenses. Legendary no longer comes to the negotiating table empty-handed. They can fold their hands and leave without losing the greater universe they created, giving them a degree of leverage.
All because Godzilla x Kong ends with enemies to lovers. Think about that.
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