Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire saw the two titular titans unite to take out a common enemy. In this Adam Wingard-directed monster bash, Godzilla and Kong must come together when a new monster by the name of Skar King, an orangutan aims to leave Hollow Earth and rule the world.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire might be the one Monsterverse film with the most amount of monster fights in it. While Skar King is the primary villain in the film, there is also one other antagonist who has only been teased in the marketing and acts as the henchman of the big bad ape. Together, the duo sure give Kong and Godzilla a hard time.
Who is Skar King in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire?
Skar King is the brand-new antagonist created for Legendary's Monsterverse. In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, he is showcased as a huge Orangutan who leads a secret society of apes in the Hollow Earth. He is a titan who has had a long-standing rivalry with Godzilla and hopes to make it out of Hollow Earth in order to rule the world above.
In early ages, he was a titan who battled Godzilla's species and almost killed them. However, Godzilla was able to get the upper hand and locked him and his tribe deep within Hollow Earth. When Kong is led to his lair by Suko, the two titans enter a Skirmish, with Kong gaining the upper hand on Skar King. However, it is revealed that the villainous titan has one more trick up his sleeve.
Apparently, Skar King controls the ancient titan Shimo, who was responsible for the ice age, and has her chained in the lair. He orders Shimo, whom he controls with a crystal that hurts her, to attack Kong and she blasts him with a frostbite beam that leaves Kong's arm gravely injured.
How does Skar King make it out of Hollow Earth?
When Kong escapes Skar King's lair with Suko, he travels to the secret Iwi civilization that has been living on Hollow Earth. Over there, it's revealed that they have portals that lead directly to Earth. However, one of Skar King's goons secretly follows Kong and then returns to tell King about it. The latter then rallies his troops and starts heading for the portals.
With Kong needing a new arm, Trapper quickly comes to help and gives him a new robotic exoskeleton developed by Monarch that gives Kong his strength back. However, to defeat Skar King and Shimo, Kong would require Godzilla's help and he goes back to Earth to recruit the titan. At the same time, Jia is able to bring back Mothra too, fulfilling her destiny of being the chosen one for the Iwi people.
While Kong initially finds it difficult to enlist Godzilla, who has now become even more powerful after consuming titanous Tiamat's energy, Mothra intervenes in their battle and convinces Godzilla to help. Both of them travel to Hollow Earth and a fight ensues between them and Skar King's army, but since the Iwi manipulate the gravity of Hollow Earth, they begin floating in the air, which makes it difficult for them to get to Earth.
However, when the gravity returns back to normal, Skar King and Shimo are able to access one of the portals and travel to Earth. They end up in Rio de Janeiro, with Godzilla and Kong following them as well from behind.
How is Skar King defeated in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire?
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's ending sees Skar King and Shimo start causing havoc in Rio de Janeiro and once Kong and Godzilla reach there, a battle breaks out. While the crystal that Skar King controls Shimo with is attached to his whip, Kong and Godzilla are able to break it off from the weapon. Kong then gets his axe and destroys the crystal, freeing Shimo from Skar King's control.
Shimo then freezes Skar King, which prompts Kong to pick him up and break him into pieces.
How does Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire end?
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ends with Godzilla going into the Colosseum to rest and Mothra returning to Hollow Earth to protect the Iwi tribe. Kong, on the other hand, returns to Hollow Earth as well, with Shimo and Suko by his side, and becomes the new tribe leader of the apes that are present down there.
That's where the credits start rolling, as balance has once again been brought to the world and the threat of Skar King is no more.
Does Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire have a post-credits scene?
In today's day and age, films having post-credits scene that will tease what's to come next have become extremely common, but Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire doesn't follow that tradition even though past monster films have.
Since Godzilla (2014), this is the first time a Monsterverse movie hasn't set up a sequel in the traditional sense and rather acts as a fairly standalone sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong.
However, it's certain that this won't be the end of the franchise, as director Adam Wingard has previously teased that he has ideas for another film in the Monsterverse. When that another film will come out still remains to be seen. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is playing in theatres right now.