The Ending Of Kong: Skull Island Explained
2017's Kong: Skull Island is the only prequel in Legendary's MonsterVerse so far, and differs from most other Kong films. Instead of focusing on the king of the jungle's kidnapping or death like the 1933 original and its many remakes, Skull Island alters the tragic nature of Kong's character and sets the shared-universe scene for his upcoming conflict with Godzilla.
In this universe, a research group first encounters Kong when they're sent to Skull Island during the Vietnam War. They work for Monarch, a government organization trying to find more evidence of giant monsters that are similar to Godzilla. As the researchers approach the island, Kong destroys their military helicopters, and the group is split up. One portion of the group tries to escape the island, while the military escort group begins hunting Kong. Whether Kong should be hunted or left alone becomes a major point of conflict between the group's separate factions.
How is Kong doing after Skull Island?
At the end of Skull Island, Kong stands victorious over two things: a group of antagonistic Skullcrawler monsters and the military forces that hunted him. In killing the Skullcrawlers and beating back the American military, Kong lets Monarch know he is a serious enemy.
Alternatively, he can be a tentative ally thanks to his relationship with the researchers who helped him. Had members of the research team not interfered in the military's attempts to kill Kong, he never could have helped them all ultimately escape the island. By the end of the movie, Kong and Monarch have an unspoken understanding that Skull Island belongs to Kong.
This is a unique situation because Kong is no longer the tragic character he is in previous movies. Most of the classic Kong spectacles end with him famously getting shot down from the top of the Empire State Building. Skull Island shows him slaying other monsters and wreaking havoc on the American military. He still has tragic elements to his character, but at the end of the day Kong is now a triumphant hero.
What does this mean for Kong vs. Godzilla?
This is a key piece of information because it sets up Kong's upcoming appearance in Godzilla vs. Kong. When Godzilla starts running rampant once again, Monarch will need another monster to stand against him. Godzilla already proved that the best weapon against a monster is another monster, so it makes sense that the clandestine government organization would call on Kong to do battle. He's the only other monster they've seen come out victorious in a monster-versus-monster bout.
And for those worried about the difference in weight class, Kong's size shouldn't be an issue. Though he is usually dwarfed by Godzilla, Skull Island points out that Kong's species can get much larger. In the 1970s era of that movie, Kong was nowhere near his full size. Fast-forward to the present day in Godzilla vs. Kong, and he should be absolutely massive. As the trailer for the film shows, he is now roughly equal to Godzilla's stature. Whether he has what it takes to beat Godzilla is another question the movie must answer.