One MonsterVerse theory postulates that Kong’s real nemesis in Kong: Skull Island was secretly Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’s villain. In the 2017 movie, Kong’s biggest threats were his mortal enemies, the Skullcrawlers. However, a detail from Godzilla vs Kong - ed by what’s known about the sequel - could mean that another monster was pulling the strings all along.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is poised to introduce a villainous new member of Kong’s species. Since the synopsis for the movie foretells the arrival of a “world-ending threat,” there’s a good chance he’s the subject of this tease. If that’s the case, he should be on a collision course with Godzilla and Kong. Although this will be their first onscreen showdown, the long lifespans of Titans signal his history will be intertwined with theirs. Kong is too young to have met him before, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Titan is directly responsible for all the hardships he’s faced, including his fights in Kong: Skull Island.
The Skullcrawlers Fought In The Titan War
Kong’s struggles in Kong: Skull Island have an interesting connection to the ancient Titan War fought between his ancestors and Godzilla’s. In the Godzilla vs. Kong opening credits, a mural depicting one of the Titan War battles curiously included a creature that appears to be Mothra and a Skullcrawler. That proves that the Titan War was more than just a conflict between two MonsterVerse species. Other Titans apparently got involved, though exactly whose sides they were on is unclear. Mothra’s symbiotic relationship with Godzilla points to her being one of his allies. As for the Skullcrawlers, their old rivalry with the Kongs makes it hard to imagine that they’d be working together.
The Skullcrawlers May Have Been The Minions Of Godzilla vs. Kong 2's Villain
Since the Skullcrawlers have thus far been utilized as destructive killing machines, it’s possible that they weren’t helping Godzilla either. Since Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is expected to explore the Titan War and a “world-ending threat,” it would make sense that the two will be connected narratively. One way the MonsterVerse can do that is by making Godzilla vs. Kong 2’s villain the true instigator of the Titan War that drove the two species into fighting in the first place. It’s possible that this secret third party is the one that the Skullcrawlers were allied with.
The Skullcrawlers being on the same side as Godzilla vs. Kong 2’s villain would have massive implications for Kong’s MonsterVerse story. As explained by the Godzilla vs. Kong novelization, the Kongs came to Skull Island in the aftermath of the Titan War. Since the Skullcrawlers attacked the Kongs from the Hollow Earth entry point on the island, it can be presumed that they either followed the Kongs to the surface or simply fled in the same direction. If their reason for being there is the former, it may be that they were sent to eliminate the retreating Kongs by the MonsterVerse’s mystery Titan. If they turned on him, he could have planned their deaths as a way of getting revenge.
What The Titan War’s Skullcrawler Connection Could Mean For Godzilla vs. Kong 2
If the MonsterVerse confirms this theory, that would make the monster responsible for the biggest tragedies that befell Kong’s species. In turn, this reveal would mean that the new Titan a – member of Kong’s own kind – has been the King of Skull Island’s ultimate villain all along. If he started the Titan War, he’d be at fault for all the losses the Kongs suffered fighting Godzilla’s ancestors in the hidden Hollow Earth world. This discovery that he sent the Skullcrawlers to Skull Island would contribute even more to his sinister image. By incorporating these elements into the backstory for the Titan War, the MonsterVerse has an easy way of making the Titan battle a personal one for both Godzilla and Kong.
What’s more, a possible Skullcrawler connection could have major ramifications for the action in the movie. As things stand, it’s not exactly clear how this new ape Titan will be capable of physically challenging both Godzilla and Kong. His glowing blue eyes indicate he possesses some of Godzilla’s power, but even that may not be enough to justify his main villain status (if he is the central antagonist). That, combined with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’s full title, the notion that he’ll have an army to lead. Surviving of the Skullcrawler species could be his minions in both the original Titan War and the fight to come. To beat him, Godzilla and Kong may have to get through a legion of Skullcrawlers first.
