Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire gave Godzilla’s atomic powers a pink-hued upgrade as a surprising replacement for his usual look. Ahead of his epic rematch with Kong and battles with Skar King and Shimo in Godzilla x Kong’s ending, the King of the Monsters experienced a brand-new transformation. For the first time in the Monsterverse, the Alpha Titan sported pink atomic breath.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire features new and returning characters, but for the two returning Titans, it’s all about the power boosts. Godzilla’s traditional atomic breath from 2014’s Godzilla was upgraded for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and the nuclear blast he absorbed in that movie increased his strength even further. In Godzilla vs. Kong, his atomic powers proved strong enough to blast through to the Hollow Earth, but based on Godzilla’s actions in The New Empire, he didn’t deem it enough to deal with the Monsterverse’s Skar King and his Great Ape army.

Godzilla’s Pink Atomic Power Is A Result Of His Evolution

Since Godzilla vs. Kong, the radioactive lizard has been growing stronger.

 

As revealed in Godzilla x Kong, Godzilla’s completely revamped appearance was a direct result of another Titan’s energy. Specifically, the pink upgrade came courtesy of Tiamat, one of the 11 unseen monsters mentioned in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In the movie, it was mentioned that there was a Titan living in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Monarch’s monitor screens confirmed the creature’s name was Tiamat, which connects the creature with a Babylonian water goddess. Godzilla battled the creature off-screen in the pages of Godzilla: Dominion, which established her as a sea serpent Titan.

Based on what was said in Godzilla x Kong, Godzilla was preparing for battle, hence why he sought out Tiamat in the Arctic Ocean. After attacking the creature, Godzilla absorbed the bioelectric energy within Tiamat’s body. Following that, Godzilla formed his own version of a cocoon, using Tiamat’s power to go through a powerful metamorphosis. The cocoon’s shape is reminiscent of the pods that the MUTOs grew in, which hints at just how closely related all the Titans are despite their varied appearances.

The evolution he undergoes alters his body, as his dorsal spikes are longer, sharper and more numerous. Godzilla also appears more agile given his newfound ability to sprint, and his atomic breath in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire appears to be even stronger than ever before. The fact that many of these changes are owed to Tiamat is evidenced by the pink hue, considering that pink was a prominent part of Tiamat’s color palette. He also has new spikes under his elbows, which also appears to be a design element Godzilla copied from Tiamat.

Godzilla’s Acquisition Of Tiamat’s Powers Explained

The novelization explains how Godzilla took her abilities

As a Titan, it’s always been understood that Godzilla feeds on radiation, but what he did to Tiamat came across as something that was somewhat new for the King of the Monsters. As for what it was exactly that Godzilla did to Tiamat, that was explored in further detail in the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire novelization. In the book, it was revealed that Godzilla succeeded in copying Tiamat’s DNA. That explains why Godzilla didn’t just wind up a with a power upgrade; his transformation also came complete with aspects of Tiamat’s design, including her pink energy color.

This adds a bizarre new power to Godzilla’s arsenal and sets an ominous precedent for what Godzilla can do to future Monsterverse opponents. From the looks of things, Godzilla is more than willing to upgrade himself at the expense of other Titans if he considers such precautions necessary. Depending on what threats arise in a potential Godzilla x Kong sequel, other Titans could find themselves at risk of having their power stolen and their lifeforce sucked out of them by the alpha of the Monsterverse. With that in mind, their designs could faciliate new atomic power colors for Godzilla in future installments.

Has Godzilla’s Atomic Power Ever Been Pink Before?

Godzilla’s spikes have had a pink tint before, but never his atomic breath.

Over his history, Godzilla’s abilities have changed and evolved. Some of Godzilla’s strongest attacks have departed from his typical blue/white atomic breath in favor of other colors. For example, Big G has used a bright orange nuclear pulse on multiple occasions, and his burning spiral heat ray is a radioactive red. 2016’s Shin Godzilla even featured a version of the radioactive lizard whose powers carried a bright purple hue, and presented in an all-body glow just as the Monsterverse has depicted. However, Godzilla’s atomic powers have never matched the pink seen in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

There has been some speculation that the pink is a reference to one of Godzilla’s most recent forms. In Godzilla 2000, in which Godzilla battles with the alien kaiju Orga, Godzilla’s primary form includes some pink coloration on his dorsal spikes. However, Godzilla only uses his typical atomic breath for most of the movie, and his orange nuclear pulse in the final battle against Orga. The pink atomic power that Godzilla uses in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire marks completely new territory for the international pop culture icon, and could lead to even more changes to his design and abilities in the Monsterverse’s future.