WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Godzilla vs. Kong, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
In Godzilla vs. Kong, there are quite a few mysteries that go unanswered as the two Titans throw down to determine who's the true alpha in Legendary's MonsterVerse. One of the biggest ones pops up when the joint expedition from Monarch and Apex Cybernetics heads to Hollow Earth and finds Kong's temple, hoping to locate a unique energy source.
Kong feels right at home, realizing this fortress and the throne there belonged to his ancestors. He finds his giant battle ax, realizing it's a key to unlocking the radioactive power of the temple. While this was just to give him an equalizer and move the plot along so he could return to the surface to fight Godzilla, this unknown history of the axe would make a perfect prequel.
A lot of marketing went into Kong wielding this axe. Containing a Titan dorsal fin, Kong uses it in battle to absorb strikes and batter Godzilla around Hong Kong, definitely making it seem like an iconic weapon, which is where Hollow Earth comes in, as it's hinted this is the kingdom he was supposed to inherit with the ax as his royal scepter.
A prequel can detail the giant apes trying to rule and the past brawls with Godzilla's ancestors. It does seem like Kong's kind won, given the temple is in their honor, so fans would love to see why they fought, how it really played out and who damaged a lizard's spine to make this ax in the first place.
It's a genius bit of science, and given that there are signs of yet another humanoid civilization there, similar to Godzilla's Atlantis temple in King of the Monsters, this film could answer so many questions as to why this clobbering ax couldn't also thwart off possible extinction. The fact the some of floating ruins seem to be modeled after apes on the outside is also interesting, leaving viewers wondering why it was built like this and what's the source of energy inside that Godzilla connects with.
The ax was definitely the key to more stories, according to director Adam Wingard, who says, "It’s something that we just kind of tease at in the movie and hopefully we can explore in later films. But, yeah, there is a real backstory behind it." Ultimately, audiences would get proper insight into the civil war, not just with these two species, but the likes of the Warbats, Hellhawks and other monsters. This would basically act as an origin story for the lost world, showcasing why certain Titans came to the surface. It'd also flesh out the Hollow Earth theory even more about underground tunnels and caves, as well as why Kong's family eventually left their utopia and settled on Skull Island.
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.