Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was a global phenomenon, as audiences clearly enjoyed Kong and Godzilla taking on a terrifying new ape Titan bent on world domination. While the Monsterverse has seen its share of destructive Titans like King Ghidorah, Godzilla and Kong have typically been painted as guardian Titans in the various movies they have appeared in. While they have historically been rivals, the arrival of the new ape Titan, Skar King, forces the titular duo to team up in order to take him down, as their enemy has his own reinforcements bent to his will.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire broke many box office records, and critics and fans agree that Kong and Godzilla’s new enemy is a highlight of the movie. Given that he is an original Monsterverse Titan as opposed to a Toho creation like Mothra or Mechagodzilla, the new enemy known as Skar King requires some explanation. His backstory provides more insight into not only Godzilla’s history, but the history of the Hollow Earth as well.

Who Is Skar King?

The sadistic ape wields a power far greater than his fists.

While most of the Monsterverse movies have focused on Godzilla villains, Skar King is a direct foil for Kong. What makes Skar King dangerous is not his fighting ability, it’s his ruthlessness and his ability to control others. He’s introduced as the king of the Subterranean Realm of Hollow Earth, reigning over many other Great Apes through violence and intimidation. Where most Titans are animalistic and unable to convey emotions, Skar King is fully expressive. His interactions with Kong, Shimo and the other Great Apes prove that he is cruel, sadistic and arrogant, the very definition of a bully.

While it’s never explicitly stated, Suko sharing Skar King’s distinctive red fur indicates that Skar King is his father, which would align with typical Great Ape familial structures in which the alpha male breeds with the troop’s females to pass along his genetics.

What Kind Of Ape Is Skar King?

He closely resembles an orangutan

While Kong is shaped like a gorilla, Skar King has the lanky arms and red fur of an orangutan, a body type which yields superior agility to Kong in some instances. Kong may have a strength advantage thanks to his massive arms and broad chest, but Skar King is able to generate momentum and swing more effectively thanks to his longer arms. His Whipslash weapon acts as an extension of his own whip-like arms, which hang low like those of an orangutan. However, due to Skar King’s lithe and tall frame, he is able to move around like a gorilla.

How Tall Is Skar King?

Based on estimates given on official Godzilla X Kong merchandise, Skar King measures 318 feet tall. Somewhat surprisingly based on some of the scenes and perspective angles from the movie, that makes Skar King 19 feet shorter than Kong himself. That also makes him a good deal shorter than Godzilla, who is listed as 394 feet tall as of 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

How Powerful Is Skar King Compared To Kong?

His most potent weapon is his control over others

Skar King proves that he is a capable enough fighter when he’s armed with his Whipslash, but as a bully and villain, he’s content to simply call upon his minions to do his fighting for him. While he’s strong, agile and happy to commit violence, Skar King’s greatest source of power isn’t his fists. His most fearsome weapon is the control he has over others.

Suko and the other Ape minions fear what Skar King will do to them at all times, and his volatility is proven when he kicks Suko’s unnamed companion into the lava for almost no reason. He uses the crystal in his weapon to control Shimo through pain as well, and controlling one of the most powerful Titans in the history of the Earth makes him extremely dangerous. However, when you strip away his weapon and his unwilling supporters, Skar King himself isn’t much of a threat.

Skar King’s Plan To Conquer Earth Explained

Skar King is a prisoner in the Subterranean Realm, seeking escape

During Godzilla X Kong, the Iwi queen (played by Fala Chen) reveals a secret chamber to Jia and her companions, and that chamber reveals Skar King’s entire story. In the beginning, there was harmony between the Titans, who protected nature, the Great Apes, who protected humanity, and humanity itself. However, Skar King’s lust for power drove him to revolt against the natural order, and seek to gain dominion over all life on the surface. Because of this, Godzilla himself banished Skar King and his followers deep into the Hollow Earth in the Subterranean Realm, where they have remained ever since.

One of the most distinct features of Skar King is his aforementioned expressiveness. He is shown clearly enjoying the pain and suffering of others, and delights in using the crystal to control Shimo through pain. When Kong first meets him, he has a swagger and arrogance that almost makes him look unstable and insane, and therein lies his true motivation. There isn’t some grand design to reshape the world or control resources; for Skar King, it’s simply about bending others to his will.

He has also been a prisoner for what appears to be hundreds if not thousands of years. Godzilla banished Skar King deep within the Hollow Earth, so in theory he has no idea what the surface world even looks like in modern times. He also seems perfectly willing to let Shimo cover the planet in another Ice Age, so there doesn’t appear to be any logic at play. Skar King wants to be the Alpha of all Alphas, and stand unchallenged, nothing more.

Skar King’s Death In Godzilla x Kong

The evil ape meets a violent end

In the climactic battle of Godzilla X Kong, Skar King and Shimo make it to the surface world via one of the Hollow Earth’s many portals, and wind up in Rio de Janeiro, with Godzilla and Kong hot on their heels. Under torment from Skar King, Shimo begins to blast the atmosphere with his icy breath, and the effects on the ground indicate that Skar King intends to unleash a new Ice Age. Godzilla and Kong bring the fight to the surface, and after an all-too-brief struggle, separate the crystal that controls Shimo from Skar King’s Whipslash weapon.

Suko provides the finishing blow by smashing the crystal with Kong’s axe, which sets Shimo free once and for all. Once freed from Skar King’s grasp, Shimo takes her revenge on the sadistic ape, shooting him with an ice blast while Kong holds him up as a target. Skar King is frozen almost solid, and Kong definitively ends his life by smashing his frozen body on the ground. While some fans have lamented that the ultra-expressive Skar King was only around for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, his end is appropriate given how grave a threat he was.