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Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here tonight to tell you a very strange story, a story so strange that no one will believe it, but, ladies and gentlemen, seeing is believing. And we, my partners and I have brought back the living proof of our adventure, an adventure in which twelve of our party met horrible death. And now, ladies and gentlemen, before I tell you any more, I'm going to show you the greatest thing your eyes have ever beheld. He was a king and a god in the world he knew, but now he comes to civilization merely a captive, a show to gratify your curiosity. Ladies and gentlemen, look at Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World.
~ Carl Denham introduces Kong.
It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.
~ Carl Denham about Kong's downfall.

King Kong, or simply known as Kong, is the titular protagonist of the King Kong franchise. He is the main kaiju protagonist of the 1933 classic film King Kong, the 1976 remake and its sequel, King Kong Lives and the 2005 Peter Jackson remake of the same name.

He is a legendary giant prehistoric ape who dwells in Skull Island, an tropical remote island inhabited by bizarre creatures and is known to be the last of his species, leaving him as the sole survivor on the island. Kong's enemies are often creatures such as carnivorous dinosaurs that live on Skull Island and the United States military, although neither are actual villains since the Skull Island beasts only attack because they are just wild animals who hunt for food and the Army with the Airforce were only attacking Kong out of fear of his rampage. Kong is also worshiped as a god by the natives who live on the island, who often sacrifice women to him, whom he accepts as his "brides."

In the 1976 film, he is portrayed by Rick Baker while his vocal effects are provided by Peter Cullen, who also played Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise as well as the character in the live-action film series and the other one in the Transformers: Prime animated series. In the 2005 film remake, he is portrayed by Andy Serkis.

Biography[]

King Kong (1933)[]

King Kong was first discovered on Skull Island by an American film crew led by Carl Denham. The natives on the island kidnapped Ann Darrow, the crew's leading lady, and sacrificed her to Kong, who carried Ann off into the jungles of the island. At one point, Kong left Ann on a tree and wandered off to deal with the rest of the film crew, who were pursuing him.

As the crew attempted to cross a chasm on a crude log bridge, Kong lifted the log and twisted it, causing much of the crew to fall to their deaths in the abyss below. Jack Driscoll survived, and crossed the chasm to rescue Ann. Meanwhile, a Tyrannosaurus rex discovered Ann on the tree and attempted to eat her. Kong arrived and battled the T-Rex, and killed it by breaking its jaw. Kong took Ann to his home in a cave on a mountain, where he was attacked by a giant cave serpent. Jack reached the cave and reunited with Ann, and the two managed to escape from Kong while he was distracted by a Pteranodon. Enraged, Kong followed the two to the native's village, tearing down the wall and wreaking havoc. Using a store of smoke bombs he brought on the voyage, Carl and his crew managed to knock Kong unconscious and subdue him.

Denham brought Kong back to New York on board the crew's ship, the Venture, intending to profit from showing Kong to the public. Denham arranged a show at a theater in New York, where he publicly showed the captured Kong to an audience, accompanied by Jack and Ann. When photographers began taking pictures of Ann, Kong believed they were attacking her and broke free from his chains, destroying the theater in a fit of rage. Ann, Jack, and Denham escaped unharmed, but Kong broke free from the theater into the streets, where he overturned cars, stomped on fleeing citizens, and destroyed a train.

Kong began to scale buildings looking for Ann. He eventually found her in a hotel room that she fled to, and abducted her again. Finding himself pursued and attacked by police, Kong climbed the Empire State Building to escape. The military sent a fleet of biplanes armed with machine guns to stop Kong and save Ann. Atop the Empire State Building, Kong swatted down and destroyed several of the planes, but was mortally wounded by machine gun fire. Kong set Ann down gently and fell off the building to his death, plummeting into the streets below. As crowds gathered around Kong's dead body, a bystander remarked that the airplanes finally got Kong, to which Denham replied that "It was beauty killed the beast."

King Kong (1976)[]

King Kong was discovered on a mysterious fog-blanketed island in the Indian Ocean by an expedition from the Petrox Oil Company. The head of the expedition, Fred Wilson, believed that the previously-uncharted island contained valuable oil reserves, but instead the expedition found that the island was inhabited by a tribe of natives who lived in a village protected by a giant wall, which separated them from a fearsome god they called "Kong." The natives kidnapped Dwan, a castaway that had been picked up by the expedition team's ship, and attempted to sacrifice her to Kong. Kong emerged from the jungle and grabbed Dwan, then immediately carried her back off to the jungle. Kong took Dwan to a waterfall and washed her underneath it, then blew on her to dry her. Dwan was surprised at how gentle Kong actually was, and began to no longer fear him.

Meanwhile, Jack Prescott, a primate paleontologist who had stowed away onto the expedition's ship earlier, joined with several members of the crew to look for Kong. En route, they reached a giant fallen log that acted as a bridge over a deep chasm. Kong spotted the men as they crossed the log bridge and grabbed the bridge, twisting it until all of the men except Prescott and another named Boan fell to their deaths. Prescott decided to continue pursuing Kong on his own, and headed deeper into the jungle. Kong took Dwan to his lair and prepared to undress her, but found himself confronted by a gigantic snake. Kong set Dwan down and battled the snake, just as Prescott caught up and found Dwan.

The two escaped and headed back to the village, while Kong tore the snake's jaws apart and killed it. Kong followed Dwan and Prescott back to the village and broke through the wall. However, Wilson and the crew had sprung a trap, which Kong fell into. Kong was then smothered with chloroform and knocked unconscious. With no oil to bring back to New York after the oil deposits on the island were found to be worthless, Wilson decided to bring Kong back instead and use him as a publicity stunt. Kong was loaded into the cargo bay of the ship and fed with tons and tons of fruit. When Kong began to go berserk and smash against the wall of the cargo bay, Dwan fell into it, only for Kong to catch her. Dwan's presence calmed Kong, and he set her down then fell asleep for the remainder of the voyage.

When the expedition returned to New York, Wilson arranged a grand exposition for Kong to promote his company. He imprisoned Kong in a giant metal cage, and placed a giant crown on his head. When Kong was mobbed by hordes of media reporters taking pictures, he became enraged and tore through the metal bars restraining him. Wilson tried to run away but was stepped on and killed by Kong. Kong rampaged through the city, which destroying cars, stomping on fleeing citizens, and even destroying a train. Prescott and Dwan escaped over the Queensboro Bridge, expecting that Kong would not be able to swim across the East River. However, Kong merely waded across the river in pursuit of Dwan.

Kong found Dwan in an abandoned bar and carried her off. Kong noticed the World Trade Center in the distance, and it reminded him of his lair back on his island. Kong climbed the South Tower with Dwan, while the military pursued him. When Kong reached the top of the tower, he was attacked by a group of soldiers wielding flamethrowers. Kong jumped across the two towers and landed on the North Tower. Out of options, the military sent helicopters armed with machine guns to take Kong down. Kong set Dwan down and swatted at the helicopters, but was mercilessly blasted by machine gun bullets, causing him to bleed profusely. After destroying two choppers, Kong succumbed to his injuries and fell from the tower, plummeting onto the World Trade Center plaza. As crowds of reporters and spectators gathered around Kong, Dwan approached him and looked at him tearfully just as his heart stopped beating.

King Kong Lives[]

After being shot off of the World Trade Center, King Kong was not actually killed, but placed into a coma. Kong was taken to the Atlantic Institute and kept alive but comatose for a decade. Dr, Amy Franklin, the surgeon in charge of Kong, found a way to fully revive Kong by giving him an artificial heart. However, Kong had lost so much blood that he required a blood transfusion for the procedure to work. Thankfully, a female member of Kong's species dubbed "Lady Kong" was discovered in Borneo by Hank Mitchell and brought back to the Atlantic Institute to provide blood for Kong. The transplant was a success, and Kong was revived. However, Kong and Lady Kong mated while in captivity at the Institute, and escaped together. The United States army relentlessly pursued both apes, and tracked them down in the wilderness.

Kong fell from a cliff and presumably died in the resulting battle, and Lady Kong was captured and taken to a military base. At the base, it was discovered that Lady Kong was pregnant with Kong's child. Meanwhile, Kong survived the fall and rampaged through the countryside in search of Lady Kong, although his artificial heart was slowly failing. As Lady Kong went into labor, King Kong arrived near the military base and was attacked by the military. Kong was gruesomely wounded in the battle, but managed to destroy the military's forces and kill the insane army colonel who tried to kill him and his mate. Kong entered the base and collapsed in front of Lady Kong, who had just given birth to their son, Baby Kong.

Gravely injured and with his heart about to shut down, Kong smiled as he looked at his newborn child before finally dying. Following Kong's death, Lady Kong and Baby Kong were transported back to Borneo to live in peace together.

King Kong (2005)[]

Main article: King Kong (Peter Jackson)

In other media[]

The LEGO Batman Movie[]

King Kong was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone along with other notorious villains of the LEGO multiverse. He was one of the villains freed by the Joker as part of his plan to enact revenge on Batman and destroy Gotham City. Kong was defeated when Robin crashed the Batmobile into his face, knocking him unconscious.

Ready Player One[]

James Halliday, the creator of a popular virtual reality game called the OASIS, devised a series of challenges called Anorak's Quest to determine his successor after his death. In the first challenge, players raced through the streets of a simulated New York City, evading various obstacles. King Kong was the final hazard, leaping off the Empire State Building to attack the racers. Just before the finish line, Kong would crash through the racetrack itself and lurk out of sight, swatting any player who tried to drive over him. It is possible that Halliday programmed Kong to be impassible; the solution that Wade Watts discovered was to drive in reverse at the start of the race, revealing a hidden corridor that ran underneath the racetrack.

Space Jam: A New Legacy[]

King Kong joins numerous WB characters to attend the basketball stadium in the Server-Verse to watch LeBron James and the Looney Tunes take on Goon Squad.

Appearance[]

In all of his film appearances, Kong resembles an enormous gorilla with a humanoid physique and either light black or brown fur. He walks in a bipedal manner and stands upright like humans, although he occasionally knuckle-walks like his gorilla relatives, sometimes utilizing both forms of locomotion.

Personality[]

Kong is portrayed as a tragic and sympathetic animal and lives a very solitary and difficult existence, constantly being attacked by the ferocious giant creatures that live on Skull Island. He rarely attacks unless provoked, and is capable of causing mass destruction due to his large size and massive strength, causing humans to fear or attack him. Kong has a soft spot for women and will do anything to protect a woman (such as Ann Darrow) that he likes, whether it be battling against monsters or battling military forces.

Kong demonstrates at least semi-sapience in all of his film appearances. He frequently utilizes environmental objects as weapons while fighting, and learns over the course of a battle. In the 2005 film, Kong is able to communicate by using sign language, shown when he repeated the sign for "beautiful" to Ann, who had spoken it to him earlier, showing just how intelligent Kong really is.

Powers & Abilities[]

  • Physical Strength: Kong possesses large amounts of immense physical strength partly because of his sheer size. He is able to fight against and defeat the island's dinosaurs, despite being outnumbered. Kong is also shown to lift and throw objects such as boulders and fallen trees and was strong enough to smash through the gate to the native village on Skull Island. While in New York City, he was able to break free from chrome steel chains thought to be unbreakable while being put on display and even destroyed some of the biplanes attacking him during his final stand atop the Empire State Building.
  • Physical Agility: Kong exhibits impressive agility, as he can jump over great distances (such as 250 meters between the World Trade Center's twin towers) and land on his feet.
  • Physical Durability: Kong demonstrates large amounts of durability when he is able to continue fighting against airplanes (helicopters in the 1976 version) and even destroy some of them after being riddled with bullets. In the 1976 film, Kong survives getting shredded by machine gun fire and falling from the top of the South Tower of the World Trade Center before falling into a coma. In the 2005 film, Kong can withstand bites from V. rexes without any apparent lasting injury and can even shrug off small-arms fire from the Venture crew, which seemingly serves only to anger him.
  • Physical Stamina: Kong's stamina enables him to exert himself at peak capacity for very lengthy periods of time without tiring at all.
  • Intelligence: Kong is remarkably intelligent as he makes use of environmental objects like trees or rocks when fighting, and even when overwhelmed by more powerful or more numerous opponents he can think on his feet and find a way to win.
  • Senses: Kong's senses and hearing are quite powerful as he was able to hear Ann's screams a mile away.
  • Communication: In the 2005 film, Kong is able to use sign language for communication, shown when he made the sign for "beautiful" that he remembered Ann explaining it to him earlier in his lair.

See Also[]

Audio Samples[]

1933[]

1976/1986[]

The Mighty Kong[]

Trivia[]

  • He was created by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace and animated by Willis O'Brian.
  • In the 80th Academy Awards opening, for a brief moment Peter Jackson's King Kong can be seen fighting against TriStar's Godzilla.
  • Makeup artist Rick Baker, who both designed and portrayed Kong in the 1976 remake, makes a cameo in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake as one of the biplane gunners who brings down Kong.
  • Some of the vocal effects used for Kong such as the roaring and growling actually came from lions, bears, elephants, leopards and tigers. He also sometimes uses grunting and breathing from gorillas in the films.
  • When Kong arrived in the Hollow Earth temple during Godzilla vs. Kong, his roar was very similar to that of the 1976 roar.

Navigation[]

           King-kong-1933-movie-logo Heroes

Movies
King Kong (1933) - King Kong | Ann Darrow | Jack Driscoll | Carl Denham | Captain Englehorn
Son of Kong - King Kong | Little Kong | Carl Denham | Captain Englehorn
King Kong vs. Godzilla - King Kong | Godzilla
King Kong Escapes - King Kong | Susan Watson | Carl Nelson | Jiro Nomura
King Kong (1976) - King Kong | Jack Prescott | Dwan
King Kong Lives - King Kong | Lady Kong | Hank Mitchell | Dr. Amy Franklin | Baby Kong
The Mighty Kong - King Kong | Ann Darrow | Jack Driscoll | Carl Denham | Captain Englehorn
King Kong (2005) - King Kong | Ann Darrow | Jack Driscoll | Carl Denham | Captain Englehorn
Kong: Skull Island - King Kong | James Conrad | Mason Weaver | San Lin | Hank Marlow | Houston Brooks | William Randa
Godzilla vs. Kong - Godzilla | King Kong | Mark Russell | Madison Russell | Jia | Ilene Andrews | Nathan Lind | Bernie Hayes | Josh Valentine

TV Shows
The King Kong Show - King Kong | Professor Bond | Susan Bond | Bobby Bond | Captain Englehorn
Kong: The Animated Series - King Kong | Jason Jenkins | Lua | Eric "Tann" Tanenbaum | Dr. Lorna Jenkins
Kong: King of the Apes - King Kong | Lucas Remy | Doug "Jonesy" Jones | Amy Quon | Danny Quon | Anita | Franciska | Chatter | Dr. Leo Remy | Lucky Liger | Lady Liger | Decker | Zippi | Apex | Mummo
Skull Island - King Kong | Charlie | Mike | Annie | Cap | Irene | Sam | Island Girl | Dog | Hawk

           Godzillalogo Heroes

Movies
Anguirus | Amano Shiratori | Baragon | Behemoth | Captain Haruo Sakaki | Daisuke Serizawa | Daigoro | Dr. Ishiro Serizawa | Emma Russell | Fairy Mothra | Ford Brody | Godzilla (Showa | Heisei | 1999 | 2004 | MonsterVerse) | Godzilla Junior | Gorosaurus | Ghogo | Zilla | Hank Marlow | James Conrad | Jet Jaguar | King Caesar | King Ghidorah | King Kong (Showa | MonsterVerse) | Kumonga | Madison Russell | Manda | Mark Russell | Mason Weaver | M.O.G.U.E.R.A. | Methuselah | Mecha-King Ghidorah | Mechagodzilla (1993 | Kiryu | Anime) | Miana and Maina | Miki Saegusa | Minilla | Mothra (MonsterVerse) | Mothra Leo | Niko Tatopoulos | Primitive Mothra | Queen MUTO | Rodan (MonsterVerse) | Sanda | Scylla | Shobijin | Steve Martin | Titanosaurus | Utsuno Ikusagami | Varan

Television
Godzilla (Showa | Hanna Barbera) | Godman | Godzooky | Greenman | Jason Jenkins | Lua | Eric Tannenbaum IV | Niko Tatopoulos | Zilla Junior | Zone Fighter | Mei Kamino | Yun Arikawa | Jet Jaguar (Godzilla singular point)

Video Games
Anguirus | Godzilla (Super Godzilla) | Mecha-King Ghidorah | Mechagodzilla | Rodan | Titanosaurus

Comics and Manga
Godzilla (MonsterVerse) | King Kong (MonsterVerse) | Mecha-King Ghidorah | Mechagodzilla | Rodan | Titanosaurus

Books
Mothra

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