Godzilla vs. Kong will pit two of the most famous monsters of all time against one another. With a movie like this and a tagline like "one will fall," it seems inevitable that this film will crown one of them the undeniable victor. Even if both team-up against a greater threat, like MechaGodzilla, one will likely be the winner, and by considering how Kong and Godzilla exist in the MonsterVerse, it becomes clear who is more likely to win.
Godzilla Is Stronger, but Kong Has Better Dexterity
While size isn't everything, it's undeniable that Godzilla is visibly stronger and larger than Kong. Kong has grown significantly since Kong: Skull Island, but he's still not as massive as Godzilla. However, Godzilla's application of strength in Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters seems limited. He tackles opponents, rips open jaws and whacks targets with his tail.
By contrast, Kong is smaller and weaker, but he utilizes his strength better due to his larger limbs. He's able to punch, tackle, grapple and kick adversaries. He can't throw his weight around the same way Godzilla can, but he is far more equipped for fighting. As seen with Godzilla's fight against King Ghidorah, he does not fare well in a physical brawl against opponents with a larger reach. Ghidorah could bite and grapple Godzilla while he struggled.
In terms of physical power, it seems logical that Godzilla and Kong's physical strengths and weaknesses might counter one another. Kong might be better at grappling and dodging, but Godzilla just needs to land one hit to hurt Kong hard.
Godzilla's Atomic Breath vs. Kong's Ingenuity
Godzilla has his atomic breath, but Kong has his brains. Godzilla's atomic breath is enough to kill a MUTO, blast Ghidorah and, when in his Burning Godzilla form, obliterate anything in his path. Meanwhile, Kong has nothing as powerful as Godzilla's iconic breath in his arsenal, but Kong can counter it.
As seen from the trailer, Kong's axe, which appears to use one of Godzilla's fins as a blade, can soak up the atomic breath and reverse it back at Godzilla. Kong has always been a thinking adversary, creating weapons when in a bind. Kong turned trees into bats and chains into weapons against the Skullcrawlers in Skull Island, showing that ingenuity and planning make Kong a dangerous adversary towards Titans stronger than him. This doesn't make Kong immune from Godzilla's breath; it simply gives him more options to counter it. Therefore, if Godzilla hits Kong with his breath once or twice, it's possible that Kong would be down for the count.
Who Can Take a Hit and Keep Fighting: Kong or Godzilla?
Kong can take more punishment than the average Titan, but Godzilla is a walking tank. Godzilla took the Oxygen Destroyer, a weapon designed to kill all Earth-based life, and survived. Godzilla also survived the nuclear meltdown caused by his own body. Furthermore, Godzilla took on repeated bombardment from Ghidorah.
Kong is simply far more fragile than Godzilla. His skin is thinner, his bones are more brittle, and his body is less padded with muscle. While he isn't made of glass, he is more vulnerable to attacks. However, Kong has an advantage by being able to avoid attacks better.
Ultimately, given everything, Kong is likely to win, but what will make the fight longer is that Kong will need to work hard to put Godzilla down for good. Kong has all he needs to counter Godzilla's atomic breath, avoid his physical power and still deliver the pain to the King of the Monsters.
Directed by Adam Wingard and written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max March 31.