Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire pits Godzilla against his long-standing rival once again, with the new movie including several Easter eggs from other Godzilla movies. The two kaiju have occasionally teamed up to fight threats to humanity, but Godzilla and Kong are usually enemies and each of the Godzilla/Kong Monsterverse franchise movies shows a different side to the iconic characters. In Godzilla x Kong, Kong finds himself on the surface of the Earth again, and while he and Godzilla have a larger threat to fight in the form of the Skar King, the two battle once more.
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The Monsterverse‘s Godzilla and Kong movies and TV shows have no shortage of history to use to continue the stories of both Godzilla and Kong, as there are many villains and heroes that have not yet appeared in the Monsterverse movies. Many of these characters have been referenced either in brief glimpses of cave art, more subtle tributes to fighting moves in certain movie scenes, or, like in Godzilla x Kong, exciting hints at possible stories to come. Perhaps more than any other Godzilla movie, Godzilla x Kong has given viewers glimpses of the future for both Godzilla and Kong, often through the subtle use of Easter eggs.
10 Jet Jaguar
A Familiar Godzilla Theme Song Is Referenced
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One unforgettable character that had been considered the least likely to join Godzilla‘s rebooted Monsterverse franchise was Jet Jaguar. The friendly and heroic robot was one of the Godzilla franchise’s more child-friendly characters, and does not appear to fit the new Monsterverse, which has been prioritizing big visuals and fights between its iconic characters.
However, Godzilla x Kong referenced the popular Jet Jaguar with an Easter egg. Godzilla goes back to Rome in Godzilla x Kong, where there’s an interesting mural on the wall showing Godzilla eating pizza.
Next to him are the words “PUNCH! PUNCH! PUNCH!” This is the name of Jet Jaguar’s theme song, and just to underline the Jet Jaguar reference, there’s a sketch of his arm underneath the words. As humans are now making cybernetic modifications in the Monsterverse, the chances of a Jet Jaguar appearance may become more likely.
9 Bernie’s Podcast
Planet X On The Horizon Could Be An Exciting Godzilla Movie Hint
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The former cybernetics technician and podcaster Bernie Hayes first appeared in Godzilla vs. Kong, and he has been interested in the Roswell alien landing ever since. Bernie investigates and explores his conspiracy theories on his own podcast, Titan Truth, and he mentions a podcast in Godzilla x Kong, called Planet X On The Horizon.
There are several Planet X references on Bernie’s very detailed conspiracy wall, and this could hint at the bigger plan for later Godzilla movies. Godzilla x Kong shows some of Bernie’s podcast episode titles, some of which also feature the name Planet X.
There are several Planet X references on Bernie’s very detailed conspiracy wall, and this could hint at the bigger plan for later
Godzilla
movies.
This is a reference to the Godzilla movie Invasion of Astro-Monster, which has the mysterious Planet X as a central location. If Planet X is indeed “on the horizon,” this could hint that later Godzilla movies will feature threats from space. As King Ghidorah is from space, Godzilla x Kong may have shown viewers an upcoming villain.
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8 Podcast Troll
GhidorahStan64 Might Back Up The King Ghidorah Hint
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Bernie reveals that he has been dealing with a troublesome troll in Godzilla x Kong, who is only known by the username GhidorahStan64. The name is a double reference, as the three-headed dragon King Ghidorah first appeared in the Godzilla movie Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster, released in 1964.
King Ghidorah is one of the Godzilla franchise’s most formidable and sadistic villains, and he might return for more havoc. The ending of Godzilla vs. Kong implied that Ghidorah had been destroyed. After Ghidorah’s consciousness was transferred to Mechagodzilla, who was then destroyed by Kong, it appeared that the dragonlike space monster was no more.
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That said, it is possible that Ghidorah’s consciousness survived or part of him was collected to be reconstructed later. If Ghidorah has a super-fan on Earth, who is already making life difficult for Bernie, the villain may have more damage to do yet,
7 Pink Godzilla
A Reference To One Of Godzilla’s Most Terrifying Appearances
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Godzilla’s powers can change depending on the movie he is starring in, and many of the Godzilla movies show him taking on a signature color. Godzilla x Kong‘s Godzilla has pink atomic breath, which has come from him absorbing Tiamat’s energy. Godzilla x Kong is the first movie to show Godzilla with pink atomic breath, but this new pink Godzilla resembles another version of the kaiju.
Related Monsterverse Hints Godzilla Will Have Another New Look In Godzilla x Kong’s Sequel
A detail about Godzilla’s design in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire makes it all the more likely that Godzilla will transform yet again in the sequel.
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The mutation-themed Shin Godzilla is arguably the most disturbing of all the Godzilla movies, as he mutates throughout the movie. Shin Godzilla was able to produce a pink or purple full-body glow, and his spines carried the same color tint. Still, even Shin Godzilla’s atomic powers did not match the new version seen in Godzilla x Kong. As this color has come from the energy of another kaiju, it is unknown whether Godzilla will have these same powers in his next movie.
6 The French Footprint
Godzilla x Kong References The Most Unpopular Godzilla Movie Ever
In Godzilla x Kong, Godzilla senses an upcoming battle and makes his way to a nuclear plant in France to absorb radiation. There is a very brief scene in which French soldiers see the giant footprints left by Godzilla on his way to the power plant. The scene might be an Easter egg for a Godzilla movie flop that Japan’s Toho Studio hated so much that they disowned it.
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The 1998 Godzilla movie reimagined Godzilla as an iguana-like monster. It took away most of the core features that made Godzilla’s story resonate with a Japanese audience, and the Toho publicist Yosuke Ogura described the design as “a disaster.” The French played a large role in the 1998 Godzilla movie, and the footprint was one of its defining scenes, so the footprint reference in Godzilla x Kong is likely to be a quick and funny reminder.
5 Godzilla Stomp
Godzilla Has Used This Move On Kong Before
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Godzilla and Kong might have made an uneasy peace at the end of Godzilla vs. Kong, but that doesn’t mean that the two cannot still fight. In Godzilla x Kong, Godzilla briefly battles Kong once more and gives the giant ape kaiju a reminder of how things went the last time that this happened. While fighting among the pyramids, Godzilla stomps on Kong’s chest before Mothra arrives to break the two up.
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This fighting move is an Easter egg for Godzilla vs. Kong, in which Godzilla’s signature stomping move almost killed Kong. As the stomp was so effective the last time viewers saw the kaiju battling each other, it added some unpredictability to the fight’s result. However, using the same move did not make the fight itself predictable, as Godzilla showed mercy in Godzilla vs. Kong, while it took Mothra’s intervention to prevent Godzilla from fully charging in Godzilla x Kong.
4 Save The Earth
Godzilla’s Pizza Mural Tag Gives Viewers Three Easter Eggs In One
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The pizza mural in Godzilla x Kong is full of Godzilla Easter eggs, and at the bottom right is a note saying “SAVE THE EARTH,” with a drawing of two eyes. This gives the audience three Easter eggs within one, as Save The Earth is the title of the 2004 Godzilla video game.
This is also the title of the Godzilla movie Godzilla vs Hedorah, and this movie gives viewers the third Easter egg. Hedorah is a Godzilla villain, who is the embodiment of smog and pollution, and it looks like a black mass of oil and smog with two huge eyes set far apart.
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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) Key Facts Breakdown |
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Budget |
$135 million |
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Box Office |
$571 million |
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Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
54% |
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Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
90% |
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This resembles the Godzilla mural in Rome, and could potentially hint at the themes for future Godzilla movies. Hedorah has not yet appeared in any Western Godzilla movies but presents such a serious threat to humanity that it could only be a matter of time before it appears in the Monsterverse.
3 Kiss Of Death
Godzilla Repeats Another Of His Fighting Moves
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Godzilla has an enormous number of powers and fighting moves to choose from, and the best of them use either his size and strength or Godzilla’s signature atomic breath. The “kiss of death” move first appeared in the 2014 Godzilla movie, and showed Godzilla prying apart the jaws of the female MUTO and blasting his blue atomic breath into her mouth.
It is one of Godzilla’s most memorable kills and appears as an Easter egg in
Godzilla x Kong
.
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It is one of Godzilla’s most memorable kills and appears as an Easter egg in Godzilla x Kong. The beginning of Godzilla x Kong shows Godzilla keeping order in the world by fighting and defeating giant monsters (a.k.a. Titans) on the surface of the Earth.
One of these is Scylla, who looks like a cross between a spider and a sea monster and feeds on radiation. Godzilla kills Scylla in Rome’s Colosseum by employing his kiss of death move, which was so popular among fans that the signature move’s name has become canon in Godzilla lore.
2 Mysterious Bones
This Skeleton Turned Up In Mothra Vs Godzilla
The skeleturtle has been extremely popular with Godzilla fans ever since it appeared in the 1964 movie Mothra vs Godzilla. It is one of the many unfortunate dead and dying creatures that are found on Infant Island and are collectively known as “the mysterious bones.”
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However, while none of the characters appear to notice or interact with the skeleturtle, its distinctive appearance has made it memorable. It is not known whether the skeleturtle is dead, or just an unusual-looking creature, as while many of the bones appear to move in the wind in Mothra vs Godzilla, the skeleturtle is shown as a living creature in the Godzilla: Rulers of Earth comic.
Godzilla’s mural shows a sketch of the skeleturtle which is easy to miss as it sits underneath an even more mysterious drawing that resembles a kaiju from Pacific Rim, which is not a Godzilla movie.
1 A Confirmed Godzilla Tribute
Godzilla’s Stomp Is A Confirmed Minus One Reference
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While most of the Easter eggs in Godzilla x Kong are clear tributes, not all of them have been mentioned by the filmmakers. Still, one of the Easter eggs was a deliberate reference that has been confirmed by Adam Winguard, the director of Godzilla x Kong.
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The Godzilla mural that is so full of Easter eggs is quickly turned to rubble when Godzilla stomps on it, but Winguard felt that he could make the scene better. The solution came when he saw the trailer for a different Godzilla movie.
Related 7 Godzilla x Kong Twists The Monsterverse Already Set Up
Some details were more important than they seemed, as several major twists from Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire were built on existing developments.
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Winguard told Gizmodo, “we basically paid homage to Godzilla Minus One right out the gate,” after he saw the Godzilla Minus One trailer. He loved the way the visual effects artists had shown the close-up of Godzilla’s foot and the impact of his stomp pushing the ground up in front of him, so recreated his own version of the shot in Godzilla x Kong as a direct tribute when Godzilla stomps on his own mural.
Source: Gizmodo
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10 8.7/10 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
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The Godzilla franchise, spanning over six decades, follows the adventures of the titular kaiju, a colossal, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. Originating in Japan, Godzilla has evolved from a destructive force of nature to a protector of humanity, battling various other giant monsters, including iconic foes like King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla. The series explores themes of environmental destruction, nuclear anxiety, and human resilience. With numerous films, TV series, and an expanding universe, Godzilla remains a cultural icon, captivating audiences worldwide with its epic battles and compelling narratives.
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