Godzilla X Kong Is Hiding A Secret, Massive Spoiler In Its Title
Spoilers for "Godzilla x Kong" to follow.
The MonsterVerse movies not only have a consistent naming approach (which makes it easier to determine the order in which to watch them) but its titles are also inspired by those of the Toho "Godzilla" films. You have "King of the Monsters," which is the 1956 localized title of the original "Godzilla" film. You have a "vs." title inspired by many of the Showa era "Godzilla" movies with "Godzilla vs. Kong," and of course, the first movie is simply known as "Godzilla."
Then there's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," the new '80s buddy-cop-inspired MonsterVerse film. The "x" in the title is a weird choice, one that is open to various different interpretations. It could be a romantic thing. It could mean Godzilla "by" Kong or Godzilla "times" Kong. Anime fans, on the other hand, know that the inclusion of the letter "x" is often just for the sake of making something look cool and devoid of any deeper meaning or even pronunciation (like "Hunter x Hunter" or "Spy x Family"). It's simply an aesthetic choice.
But what if it isn't? We live in an era of blockbusters and cinematic universes, and with them comes a focus on secrecy. Actors aren't allowed to read full scripts, and there's enough security and misdirection to rival state secrets just for a cameo appearance. Fake screenplays, fake footage, and even fake trailers aren't rare these days either, although we tend to associate them with the Marvel Cinematic Universe or "Star Wars," not the MonsterVerse ... until now.
What if I told you that the biggest reveal in "Godzilla x Kong" was hiding in plain sight all along? That the best surprise of the latest kaiju movie was out for everyone to see right there in the film's title?
X marks the spot
All along, Legendary and Warner Bros. have teased "Godzilla x Kong" as a big team-up between the two titular monsters and no one else. After featuring dozens of kaiju — including the biggest names in Toho history — together on screen in "King of the Monsters," then following that up with a fight against Mechagodzilla in "Godzilla vs. Kong," having just Godzilla and Kong fight against two original villains with no prior history feels like kind of a downgrade.
That is, until Mothra shows up.
That's right! Mothra the Queen of the Monsters is the third star of the latest MonsterVerse movie. She comes back to life thanks to the help of Jia and the Iwi people living in the Hollow Earth and plays a crucial role in the fight against the film's villains, Skar King and Shimo.
Marvel hides their big cameos in trailers and marketing, just like how Mothra was hidden from all promotional material for "Godzilla x Kong." Mothra was even removed from official images for the film, which is a trick straight out of Marvel's playbook for "Avengers: Endgame."
Despite Warner Bros.'s best efforts to conceal Mothra's return from the marketing, there was one giant hint of the queen's role hiding in plain sight. Yes, the "x" in "Godzilla x Kong" stands for "Mothra." How? Simple. What does an "x" look like? It looks like a moth spreading her wings, of course! All along, fans were debating as to how to pronounce the "x" in the title, which was the wrong question to ask. The right question was, which character is the "x" referring to? Turns out, the actual title is "Godzilla Mothra Kong: The New Empire."
Is this overthinking things? Absolutely. Was this really the plan all along? Probably not. But by Mothra, it's cool to think it was.