Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is set to arrive in theaters on March 29, 2024. However, while awaiting the latest MonsterVerse movie, many viewers noticed that something was different with Godzilla’s coloring in the promotion materials: he’s pink.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the fifth installment in Warner Bros. and Legendary’s MonsterVerse and a direct sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong. While the pair’s first crossover saw Kong and Godzilla as rivals, the new films will see them join forces to face a threat that is bigger than either of them. Based on the trailer, it is believed Skar King is the movie’s main antagonist. He is also an ape kaiju but appears to be even bigger and stronger than Kong. However, it is also believed a reptilian Titan called Shimo will make an appearance. While the MonsterVerse has brought back several existing kaiju, such as King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla, Shimon, and King Skar are wholly original Titans.
Viewers are unsure what to expect from the movie’s lead villains, but the new kaiju could prove to be quite powerful and boast powers or a level of strength not previously seen in the MonsterVerse. Fortunately, it seems Godzilla and Kong upgraded a bit to deal with the threat. In the trailer, Kong appears to be wearing a mechanical arm. Meanwhile, one subtle color change may hint at a Godzilla upgrade, too.
Why is Godzilla pink?
In the first official trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Godzilla appears around the 1:50 mark. The monster appears to be hibernating in a block of ice with a pink glow surrounding it. However, Godzilla soon awakens, freeing itself from the ice with a huge pink explosion. Upon looking closer, viewers will see that Godzilla’s scales, eyes, and back spines are all glowing hot pink.
In the second trailer, viewers once again see Godzilla with striking glowing pink eyes and spikes. However, around the 0:55 mark, viewers see the monster with its characteristic blue glow as it dives underwater while a voiceover explains that the kaiju sensed some sort of signal. Perhaps, in the scene where Godzilla has a blue glow, the monster is heading to its ice hibernation, from which it will awaken with the pink glow.
As mentioned above, Godzilla has been seen in Godzilla: King of Monsters and Godzilla vs Kong with a blue glow. The glow occurs when the monster is charging up its atomic breath, which emits a blast that also has a blueish/whitish hue. Blue is the traditional color of Kong’s atomic breath, which has been used since King Kong vs. Godzilla in 1963. However, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II introduced an advanced form of atomic breath, which took on a reddish/orange hue. Additionally, Shin Godzilla decided to make Godzilla’s atomic breath bright purple. So, Godzilla’s atomic breath has changed colors at times, but it has never been pink before.
The exact reason for Godzilla’s new look will likely not be revealed until Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire arrives on the big screen. The likeliest explanation is that the kaiju has evolved. Viewers will recall that Godzilla sustained some severe injuries in Godzilla vs. Kong. It makes sense if, between films, the monster retreated to a glacier to recover from the injuries and grow stronger in the process. Meanwhile, director Adam Wingard seemingly confirmed the evolution, but teased that there’s more to the color as well.
While at IGN Fan Fest 2024, Wingard stated, “I wanted it to be part of the major drive of the story, why Godzilla was getting this new look. And the pink colour itself, it’s not random. Within the movie there’s actually reasoning behind why he actually turns pink. It’s not just like, he evolves and for some reason the blue turns to pink.” So, it sounds like Godzilla’s pink hue does come from evolution, but the color is not random. However, it’s difficult to guess as to what the specific reason for the pink color is. The likeliest explanation is that it signifies some kind of special power, stage of evolution, or component of Godzilla’s identity, but viewers will have to wait for the movie to know for sure.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
