Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - why is the King of the Monsters pink in the new movie?

We recently enjoyed the overwhelming first trailer of ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’, the next entry into Legendary and Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse starring the two most iconic monsters of the cinema. And beyond our first look at its main protagonists - including a new and threatening villain called The Scar King - and the first hints of plot, Godzilla’s new appearance aroused some controversy online because of the pink/purple tones of his new transformation, a new type of energy that can be seen through his spines, eyes and atomic breath. But why has Godzilla changed to this new look?

A tribute to the most classic Godzilla

Part of the community accused Warner of wokeness because of the new pink tones of the colossal monster, demonstrating a lack of knowledge of the myth of Godzilla. If we look back, Godzilla already showed off these tones in his energy powers, both on his “MireGoji” suit from the early 2000s and during Shin Godzilla in 2016, to give a couple of examples, thus being a clear homage to other versions of the character. Although this new look of Godzilla could also respond to other reasons.

In the trailer we can see that Godzilla remains in a state of “hibernation” until the arrival of a new threat like that of the Scar King, the new colossal ape that threatens the survival of humanity. In a certain scene we can see Godzilla in this state, with purple tones around him. Does it have anything to do with radiation caused by humans? Does it represent a new evolution to a more powerful state from Godzilla?

Although the most important reason would have to do with the commercialization of licenced merchandise related to this new movie. To justify the sale of new merchandising, it is a priority that its protagonists offer a differentiating aspect compared to previous versions. In this way, a Godzilla with a new design -such as the pink scales on his back and in its breath - would respond to the need to sell new versions of such an iconic cinematic monster.

‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ will premiere in theaters on March 15, 2024.