Summary
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted
is an official, in-canon prequel to the 2024 movie.
The story introduces the Titan Hunter – a gigantic mech used by human villain Raymond Martin.
In size, strength, and ability, the Titan Hunter finally gives Kong a mech equal, leading to a brutal fight to the death.
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Mechagodzilla has long been a huge part of Godzilla lore, giving the King of Monsters the perfect manmade opposite – now, the MonsterVerse is finally giving Kong the same kind of dark reflection with his own robotic nemesis.
The new villain is introduced in Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted – an official in-canon comic prequel to the 2024 movie Godzilla x Kong. The series introduces Raymond Martin – a millionaire whose family were killed during the original Godzilla vs MUTO battle in San Francisco. A decade later, Martin has created a new weapon known as the Titan Hunter mech. Equal in strength to Kong and boasting two gigantic horns claimed from a prior Titan kill, the Titan Hunter is taken to the Hollow Earth so Martin can hunt and kill as many Titans as possible.
While (sadly) not given the Mechakong name, the Titan Hunter is Kong’s direct opposite in all other ways, with similar dimensions, the same stomping ground, and a fellow primate ‘at the wheel.’ Their battle gives Kong an awesome equal vs equal fight and contrasts Martin’s kill-happy approach to Kong’s own approach to Skull Island’s megafauna. Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted comes from Brian Buccellato, Dario Formisani, Drew Johnson and Zid.
Outside MonsterVerse continuity, Kong does have a robotic equivalent named Mechani-Kong, aka Kong of Steel, which featured in the 1967 film
King Kong Escapes
.
Related MonsterVerse Confirms the Dark Reason Governments Still Attack Titans (Despite Doing 0 Damage) In the prelude to Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, the MonsterVerse explains the dark reason why governments dispatch their military to fight Titans.
Kong Meets His Literal Match in the Titan Hunter
Kong Liberates the Hollow Earth from Its Would-Be New King
Kong and the Titan Hunter clash while Martin is hunting some Spineprowler cubs, having already killed their mother. Kong steps in to defend the cubs, trading blows with the Titan Hunter and eventually suplexing it over the edge of a cliff. The fall destroys the armor, while Martin is quickly found and eaten by the cubs he was planning to slaughter. Kong doesn’t yet have the gauntlet fans see in Godzilla x Kong, making this one of the fairest fights in MonsterVerse canon, as two giants of roughly equal size, strength and ability fight to the death.
Mechagodzilla is one of the most interesting villains in Godzilla lore because of how it embodies the themes of the franchise – an oversized weapon created to benefit humanity, but which quickly turns out to be a mistake. In the same way, the Titan Hunter is a dark reflection of Kong – while Kong keeps order on Skull Island and in the Hollow Earth by fighting off dangerous megafauna who prey on their lessers, the Titan Hunter slaughters those same animals out of pure vengeance, with no sense of restraint or reason. The Titan Hunter underscores Kong’s heroism in the same way Mechagodzilla emphasizes Godzilla’s sense of balance and restraint – each mech doppelgänger represents its respective Titan as their enemies see them, exposing the lie that humanity and Titans necessarily have to exist in opposition.
While it would have been great for Godzilla x Kong to fully acknowledge the Titan Hunter/Kong mirroring by using the Mechakong/Mechani-Kong name, Martin’s mech finally gave Kong his own cybernetic equvialent in MonsterVerse continuity. Hopefully, the franchise chooses to revisit the idea, as while seeing Kong vs the Titan Hunter in the comics was cool, Martin’s tech could easily be upgraded for a jaw-dropping big-screen villain.
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted
Writer: Brian Buccellato Artists: Dario Formisani, Drew Johnson and Zid Colorists: Zid, Niezam, Syncraft Studio Letterer: Jimmy Betancourt, Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith Cover Artist: David Aja
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted is available now from Legendary Comics.
Monsterverse
First Film: Godzilla (2014)
First TV Show: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Tom Hiddleston, Jason Mitchell, Toby Kebbell, Tian Jing, John C. Reilly, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Zhang Ziyi, Charles Dance, Alexander Skarsgard, Brian Tyree Henry, Julian Dennison, Kaylee Hottle, Rebecca Hall, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Mari Yamamoto, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons
TV Show(s): Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Movie(s): Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla Vs Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire