It is the question that has haunted viewers since the trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire first premiered. What is going on with Godzilla’s color scheme?
To be fair, there are a lot of questions to be had when watching the newest iteration of the MonsterVerse franchise. After the two respective kings came to blows in Godzilla vs. Kong, they found themselves teaming up to take down a more insidious foe. This is effectively the same concept for its follow-up film as Godzilla and Kong face off against Skar King. A villain that essentially seems to be King Kong but meaner, it takes the two Titans to take on the villain and a cluster of other conflicts. Skar King is so much of a threat that Monarch needs to construct a gauntlet just for Kong to have a fighting chance.
Does this make sense? A better question should be, does that even matter? The MonsterVerse films aren’t necessarily about logic but the spectacle of big monsters in huge smackdowns. Never was there a concept so outrageously entertaining since Pacific Rim. So let’s focus on the big question of the day: Why is Godzilla suddenly a different color?
How does Godzilla turn pink in Godzilla x Kong?
There is no need to reinvent the wheel for Godzilla films but Godzilla x Kong is going to try. For decades, the kaiju’s trademark has been his blue dorsal fin and atomic blast radiating from his mouth. A direct response to fears of radiation following World War II, Godzilla’s aesthetics have generally remained the same as when he was first created. However, there is some precedent for Godzilla’s change in color.
2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters was one recent instance of a change in pigment. After being juiced up by a special dose of radiation, he becomes so hot that he turns red and melts everything around him. Changes in color indicates a physical change to the kaiju, which occurs in Godzilla x Kong. Director Adam Wingard told Total Film that changing Godzilla’s color had always been his intention.
“Very specifically in the last film, I wanted Godzilla to have a continuity, to look the way that he had in King of the Monsters and the 2014 Godzilla. But then I didn’t get a chance at doing my version of Godzilla. So now I wanted to do different things with the spines, and try different colours. I didn’t want it to just be random; it’s part of the story.”
This occurs in the film when once again, Godzilla absorbs radiation that turns his fin pink. While the color scheme change was not necessary for the events of the film, it does create a new evolution for the character who has been a presence in pop culture for over half a century.