In the 1962 movie, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Toho found a way to bring American and Japanese pop culture icons together for what the studio described as “the battle of the century”. This was the first and only time the two giant monsters have clashed on the big screen. The two will meet again in Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong – currently scheduled for a May 2021 release – but by that time, it’ll be almost 60 years since they first crossed paths.
King Kong vs. Godzilla became the third appearance for both monsters, who had previously starred in two 1950s monster movies. After securing the rights from RKO to produce a King Kong movie, Japanese studio Toho decided to have their very own Godzilla be the titular character’s opponent in the film, and so King Kong vs. Godzilla was born. The film was a massive box office hit in Japan, and it also performed rather well in the United States. It remains one of the most successful films in the history of the Godzilla and King Kong franchises.
It was made clear early on in the story that the main antagonist was Godzilla, and the hero was King Kong. Godzilla was portrayed as a powerful, destructive, and uncontrollable force wreaking havoc on Japan, while Kong was living peacefully on an island full of natives who worshiped him as their god. After Kong was taken away from his home by humans seeking publicity, Kong escaped and found himself faced with the King of the Monsters. After being repelled by Godzilla’s atomic breath, Kong left the area, but was brought back into the conflict by the Japanese military, who believed that they could use Kong to finally rid themselves of Godzilla.
The military used a carefully laid plan to set up a fight between the two monsters. After putting Kong asleep and moving him directly to Godzilla’s location, the battle they had been looking forward to commenced. Godzilla launched a relentless assault on Kong and defeated him. Following Kong’s collapse, the beast was suddenly struck by lightning and imbued with electrical powers. Armed with his new abilities, Kong renewed his fight with Godzilla and hit him with everything he had. Godzilla fought back, but in the end, they tumbled into the ocean together. Only Kong emerged, with the spectators left unsure of Godzilla’s fate.
The outcome of this fight was hotly debated by fans, with many feeling that the outcome was a draw. However, Toho later cleared this up in a synopsis that declared Kong the winner. Toho wanting him to be viewed as the victor is explained by the monsters’ reputations at the time. Though a target of the American military in his first movie, Kong has long been regarded as a sympathetic figure because of his ability to connect with humans. Godzilla, on the other hand, wasn’t reinvented as a hero until 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. So in the eyes of both the audiences and characters at the time of the movie’s release, Godzilla was still a villain.
