Godzilla vs. Kong: Who Should Win?

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Ever since Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced they were building a “MonsterVerse,” this is the fight everyone’s been waiting for: Godzilla vs. Kong. Fire meets fur. As the undisputedly most popular monsters in movie history, King Kong and Godzilla are responsible for the entire idea of a “kaiju versus” film thanks to their first bout nearly 60 years ago. Since then they’ve each appeared in countless sequels, spin-offs, and reboots. But never again have they crossed paths. Until now.

Some might say that’s because one movie isn’t big for the both of them. After all, there’s a reason why each has coasted to the top of our Movie Monster March Madness bracket, right? But we disagree with the idea that you can’t choose. There should be a clear cut winner in Godzilla vs. Kong, and Den of Geek editors David Crow and Alec Bojalad are ready to go to the mat over who that should be.*

Godzilla Should Win

David Crow: It took several years after the original Ishirō Honda masterpiece, Gojira, was released for it to reach the U.S. When it did, the Western distributors clearly got a lot of things wrong: the awkward inclusion of American actor Raymond Burr; the removal of all direct allusions to the Bikini Atoll nuclear radiation disaster; and not nearly enough mad scientists with eye-patches. But what they got right? The title. It was all right there when the film became an international phenomenon–Godzilla: King of the Monsters! (even the declarative exclamation mark is theirs).

Godzilla might’ve been the second big guy on the scene, but ever since he lit Tokyo up like a Christmas tree, he’s been first in our hearts. From ‘56 to 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, there’s only been one undisputed reigning titan, and he’s not a gorilla. King Kong is good enough for an island no one’s heard of, I guess. But Godzilla? He’s been the top dog all over the world, and he’s more often used that supremacy to protect all of us from intergalactic aliens and ancient monsters… as opposed to only having eyes for blondes with a healthy set of lungs.

In terms of physicality alone, Godzilla has an advantage in reach that exceeds even his towering height. With nuclear fire breath that can span the length of 15 devastated city blocks, Godzilla should be able to cook Kong before he ever gets down from the Empire State Building.

King Kong Should Win

Alec Bojalad: Who would win in a fight between Godzilla and King Kong? The only possible answer here is the big monke, himself: Kong. 

Do me a favor real quick. Head on over to the Homininae Subfamily Wikipedia page. Take a look at the header photo and let me know what you see. A chimpanzee, a gorilla, and… a human being. Of course we all know that humans and gorillas are closely related, but for the purposes of the monster fight to come, it’s important to see just how closely related we are. To argue that Godzilla has a prayer in a fight against King Kong is to argue that a big dumb lizard could ever triumph over the ingenuity of the human species and our homininae subfamily. 

As one of humanity’s closest cousins, Kong brings so many things to a fight that his scaly counterpart just can’t. Let’s start with the obvious: Kong is strong. Those rippling arm muscles and pectorals of iron aren’t just for show. Kong is also highly intelligent. Observe his use of tools in his many film appearances throughout the years, up to and including his big whooping stick in the Godzilla v. Kong trailer. And if raw strength and intelligence weren’t enough. Kong is highly lithe and nimble. That should prove quite useful in battle against the largely inert Godzilla

Look, I don’t mean to body shame this very chonky lizard. In fact, I admire his dedication to not skipping meals. But when it comes time to face off against a quicker foe, all that raw strength is gonna hold him back. As any boxing fan could tell you: speed beats strength 100 times out of 100. That’s why Kong won during the pair’s 1962 matchup and it’s why he’s going to win again now.

About King Kong vs. Godzilla…

David: Alec, I’m glad you brought up King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). It’s a solid throwdown between ape and lizard that arguably invented the monster mash-ups we’re still enjoying to this day. All that said, Zilla was ripped off in the movie.

Back in ‘62 , Godzilla was the new kid on the block, and Kong was the legacy pick, with King Kong (1933) being the paterfamilias kaiju movie before Toho Studios made that word a thing. However, they did make it a thing, and Godzilla was already doing monster battles with glorified armadillos in Godzilla Raids Again (1955), back when a “King Kong vs.” movie was still a twinkle in special effects guru Willis O’Brien’s eye. So as the sentimental fan favorite, Kong was basically rigged to win while Zilla was just playing the Heel. But I’m going to let you in on a secret every wrestling fan knows: deep down everyone all prefers the villain.

So yeah, the lizard lost round one, but he took a fall for the good of the genre. Almost every time since then, however, he’s been on the side of the angels (or at least Venus princesses, look it up), protecting us from three headed dragons who’d eat Kong’s lunch.

And saying Godzilla isn’t smart? This is a beast who, in the American MonsterVerse, has been around since the time of Atlantis. Kong is just the youngest in a long line of gorillas while Zilla has the age and wisdom of a god. Underestimate that experience at your own peril. 

Alec: Sure, David, we all enjoy a good villain. But how often do they win? Godzilla’s resume is just L after L. Godzilla lost to Kong in ‘62, he lost to an oxygen destroyer before that in ‘54, and he lost in ‘98 to Matthew Broderick (but to be fair, we all lost with the existence of that movie). And doggone it, he’s going to lose again in 2021. 

Perhaps I shouldn’t have denigrated the beast’s intelligence because I must concede that Zilla is pretty sharp for a lizard. Kong, however, is smarter, more adaptive, intuitive, and quicker in thinking. Godzilla’s nuclear-powered fire breath is certainly formidable to lesser monsters, but Kong is just too elusive for it to prove that big of a threat. Imagine Godzilla’s confusion upon watching Kong simply sidestepping a fire blast. Huh, Ghidorah didn’t do that. Yes, Godzilla, that’s because Ghidorah is very slow. Just like you, I’m afraid.

A Skull Islander or the Savior of the World?

David: First of all, that was not Godzilla in ‘98. It was a stinky-breathed fish-eater from the hacks who got lucky once because of Will Smith. Toho Studios corrected them though when the real Godzilla turned that American monstrosity into a marshmallow in Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).

But if you don’t remember, I can understand since Godzilla has won far more bouts than he’s lost over the years, from American embarrassments, onward. That’s because Zilla has been putting in the work. Ghidorah? A three course meal. Biollante? Fertilizer. Gigan? Who even cares. Mothra, arguably the smartest of all the kaiju, and a celestial creature with the gift of flight and her own cult, more often bows down before Zilla as a friend. Why? Because of respect.

Meanwhile what’s Kong been doing? Hiding like a coward on a rock in the Pacific. If he’s so tough, why didn’t he ever leave Skull Island in the MonsterVerse while Godzilla was busy saving the world? Because he’s scared. He knows pound for pound, he doesn’t have the strength or the cunning of Godzilla. The original Kong was slaughtered by biplanes; Zilla eats jets for breakfast. Filmmakers had to size the new Kong up to even have a ghost of a chance. It won’t save him.

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Alec: There is no doubt that Godzilla’s won more bouts than he’s lost because Godzilla only faces monsters he can defeat. Biollante is literally a plant. What, was Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors not available? Mothra bows before Godzilla? Well, I would too if I were a highly flammable bug. Ghidorah is a solid enough victory, but Ghidorah also doesn’t have Kong’s advantages.

Sure, Kong spends most of his time on Skull Island. You know why? Because he appreciates some gosh darn peace and quiet like the king he is. Kong doesn’t need to prove his mettle by trading fisticuffs with whatever misguided kaiju comes knocking at his door. He’s perfectly happy to spend his days eating comically big bananas and kicking back. Why not outsource the world saving to Godzilla, who seems pathologically obsessed with proving that he’s a big, scary monster whenever he can? Kill all the Ghidorahs and knock down all the buildings you want, dude, it’s not gonna make up for the emptiness inside.

Ultimately, however, I’m confident in a Kong victory over Godzilla for one reason above all. Godzilla has such a glaring physical weakness that it almost feels rude to point out. When things get really heated in this matchup, and the punches start actually flying, what is Godzilla going to do with those itty bitty T. Rex arms? I’ll believe Godzilla has a shot against Kong when I see him raise his arms over his head.

Final Round

David: Don’t worry, Alec. You’ll see him raise them high enough when he stands victorious over Kong’s smoldering corpse. With fire breath like that, his reach far exceeds whatever big rock the wittle bitty ape thinks can save him. And while I cannot see the future, I suspect on March 31 we’ll both see the denizens of Skull Island bow down in awe. They’re about to meet their real god, and this one won’t die on them because of “beauty.”

Alec: Damn, now I almost want Godzilla to win just to watch him try to raise up his baby arms. Sadly we won’t get to see that spectacle. Come March 31, Kong is going to make Godzilla rue the day he ever crawled out of the sea on his belly.

Godzilla vs. Kong opens in theaters and premieres on HBO Max on Wednesday, March 31.

*Editor’s Note: This conversation was recorded before either editor reviewed Godzilla vs. Kong.

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Our Own Space || Sully ft. Jess || Epilogue

Nearly two years had passed since Trick had passed. That was how Sully chose to memorialize the day… She wouldn’t give Shaela the satisfaction of making her the focus of such a turning point in her life. It was the day she’d lost a dear friend, but gained so much more. Sully opted to stay with Treat. He was a good kid… and there was still some bad blood between her and Trouble, although after a few months of awkwardness, they’d eventually resolve their issues. Sully poured herself into learning Space magic, working with Treat every single day. She chased down her goal with the tunnel-vision that had allowed her her successes in the past. As she followed her new obsession however, she quickly became aware of the dangers of spending too much time in liminal spaces. Limitations had to be set. Too much time with Jess meant less time studying. Less time studying meant it would take even longer to make Jess safe. If she could meet her goal… She could be content… Relax on the study schedule, spend more time with Jess… They could finally have their happily ever after. Until then though, Sully was aware of the selfish, arrogant woman she’d become. She knew she’d need to enlist the help of friends to support her and keep her from going too far. Chika, Maui, and of course Elle became her anchors to the real world. Chika did her best to keep Sully busy in her free time, taking her to Tokyo to meet the other members of TEMPUS, and otherwise, acting as Sully’s best friend. Maui was always a joy to be around, the giant marshmallow man that he was, but their relationship grew stronger after the events of the game. He helped Sully to physically train her body in an attempt to fight off the detrimental effects of staying in liminal spaces too long, while Sully in turn tutored him in magic… And in talking to girls. Setting him and Amelia up is still one of the accomplishments she’s most proud of. Finally there was Elle, Sully and Elle’s awkward relationship continued. Sully moved in to share Elle’s room (only partially to get away from Santiago), and anyone from the outside likely believed they were in a romantic relationship, despite the fact they both denied such accusations. They were simply very close. Elle quickly became Sully’s babysitter. The nurse was not one to care for herself physically or mentally when focused on something else. Many days, Elle was the only reason Sully ate, or stayed hydrated. Elle even had to remind Sully that sleep was a necessity on occasion.  She helped Sully refrain from a great many of her schemes to cheat the system to claim more time with Jess. She reminded her that there was a real world… Something else to care about. At her lowest point, Sully had considered having Treat make her a ghost to get around the physical limitations of liminal space, but it was ultimately Jess who put an end to all of that.

"Sully... You're killing yourself for me, that's not okay. I love you, I look forward to your visits, and I don't want them to stop, but... You keep this up, I'm gone. I won't be the reason this happens to you."

So… Sully trudged on with her studies, gave up on the short-cuts, and chose to be satisfied  with getting a couple hours with Jess every three or four days… At least Treat let Jess sit in on lessons periodically, assuming they weren’t too dangerous… and that Jess didn’t prove too distracting. Those (nearly) two years of study finally culminated on this day. After eating the breakfast Elle had made her, and informing Treat where she was going, Sully entered liminal space, and met up with Jess, as she had several times before, but this time, rather than enjoying whatever space they’d entered together, Sully had other plans. “Okay Jess, cover your eyes.” Sully requested. “Gonna give me a sweet surprise?” The artist laughed as she did so. Not one to disappoint, Sully smooched her wife. “That wasn’t the surprise though… No peeking, okay?” “Alright, alright, I get it.” “I’m just saying, ’Cause you peeked last-“ “Sully. I’m not gonna peek.” “Okay… Teleport.” The nurse used the location card she’d had prepared for her, and brought Jess along to a new liminal space where they stood in front of an exact copy of the house they lived in all those years ago. “Okay, you can open them.” “Sully? What is this?” “Welcome home.” The two embraced before Sully took Jess’s hand and led her into the house. “Sorry it took so long. It’s a bit more difficult creating a new dimension than you would think.” “You don’t say?” “Treat is the one who actually brought in the house and all the stuff, but I created the liminal  space, and can control it. It's tied to the liminal space network, so you could be here, which means you might get visitors sometimes, but I made sure it’s as safe as I can. .” “Sully… I’ve fought a dragon made out of submarine sandwiches, I think I can handle myself. You don’t have to worry so much. But… Thanks… This is awesome.” “I mean… I’ll always be able to find you and I won’t have to worry about you anymore.”  Sully sounded a bit defensive. “No no, I wasn’t saying safe is bad or anything, obviously, I just… You shouldn’t worry so much.” “Yeah, you’re right… Anyway, can I show you some of the new additions to the house?” “Ab-so-lutely!” “Okay, let’s see… So there’s three main things… The kitchen has a potion cabinet now. Everything’s labeled, so… Y’know some magic for you to play with….I had Elle replace Grampa’s landline with her tin-can phone so we can talk while I’m back in the real world.” “Nice, nice.” “The back yard is now a garden… Lots of lavender… and y’know weed in case you’re feeling nostalgic. Maui and Erika made a pretty awesome potion I think you’re going to enjoy though. ‘Safe Trip’? You’ll have to check that one out later.” “Nice!” “Aaaand down here…” Sully leads Jess down into the basement, which has become much larger. There’s still the bong, the crappy TV, and the skunky sectional, but the boxes have been removed and replaced by a gallery filled with Jess’ work, and all the art supplies she could possibly want or need. A wide smile appeared on Jess’s face as she pulled Sully down into a kiss. “Thanks Sully. I love it.” “And I love you.”