Kraken (Monsterverse)
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- For other uses of "Kraken," see the disambiguation page.
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So, I think the sea monster wants the throne, but it's too smart to go on land, or maybe it can't. And the ape is too smart to go into the ocean, so that's why it's baiting the ape, throwing whales at him, just, like, being a jerk.
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— Charlie theorizing about the Kraken's motivation (Skull Island episode 8, "You'll Never Catch a Monkey That Way") |
The Kraken is a cephalopod-like Titan[2] who serves as the main antagonist of the 2023 Netflix Original animated series Skull Island, set in Legendary Pictures's Monsterverse. The Kraken, in its desire to rule Skull Island, once attempted to draw out its guardian Kong to the shore by attacking Spanish islanders. Decades later, Annie, Charlie, and Dog successfully lured Kong to the Kraken's domain to eliminate the aquatic threat. The two battled viciously, with Kong ultimately killing it.
Name
Though the creature is not named onscreen, it was dubbed "Kraken" by Skull Island creator Brian Duffield[3] and on Powerhouse Animation's model sheet,[1] a name which it shares with fellow Titan Na Kika. When asked about this on Twitter, Duffield stated that he was not aware the name had already been used, as Legendary never mentioned it to him.[4] The official Skull island soundtrack includes a track titled "Sea Beast," alluding to the Kraken, while characters in the show refer it as a sea monster or squid.
Design
The Kraken generally resembles a cephalopod with a host of parts inspired by other sea creatures added on. Its shape is defined by its octopus-like head, with a more human-like torso extending from where its mouth would otherwise be. Its sharp, serrated beak is lined with teeth and is pushed to the front of its head, giving it a more traditional face. The Kraken sports a large sail on its head. It has four pink eyes and six gill slits, and its mouth is winged by two crustacean-like antennules. From its neck down, it sports a total of 20 appendages, including two crustacean pincers, six blue cephalopod arms, and eight wispy red tentacles which seem to be able to retract into its body. Its last four appendages are attached to its lower body in place of legs, each sporting a hooked barb near their end. The Kraken also has a long tail similar to that of a fish or cetacean. Several parts of its body are shown to be bioluminescent.
Personality
The Kraken is extremely ruthless and persistent, having killed all of the Spanish islanders of Skull Island just to anger and draw Kong closer to it. It has also thrown a whale from the ocean and onto the island in its repeated attempts at provoking Kong. It will respond viciously even to attacks that pose no threat to it, catching a harpoon thrown by Mike before throwing it back. Charlie described the Kraken as being "hell-bent on murdering everything."
Origins
It is unknown where the Kraken originated. However, it was first seen to have been awoken off the coast of Skull Island, when Kong's blood came in contact with it.
History
- Skull Island (TV 2023) [episodes 1, 3, 5-8]
Monsterverse
Skull Island
"Maritime Pilot"
The Kraken destroyed Irene's ship and Annie's lifeboat after the latter's escape. The Kraken then attacked the Once Upon a Maritime while it was exploring the South Pacific Ocean after being alerted of its presence due to the deep sea charges that the crew dropped. Using its tentacles, it grabbed several of the boat's crewmembers and attempted to crush Mike to death with its tentacles, but Hiro pushed him away and was killed instead. It electrocuted and simultaneously poisoned Mike, leaving a scar on his chest before ripping the ship in half.
"What's Up, Croc?"
As a rescue helicopter approached Skull Island, the Kraken launched its arms out from the sea below and ripped it apart.
"Doggone It"
In an attempt to provoke Kong, the Kraken threw a whale onto Skull Island.
"Terms of Endearment"
The Kraken attacked the team's camp and grabbed Wells. Irene's mercenaries fired at the creature but were unable to save their comrade. It then dragged Wells underwater, killing him.
"You're Not a King, You're Just a Stupid Animal"
After his battle with the Killer Chameleons, Kong arrived at Skull Island's waters to clean his wounds. A drop of Kong's blood then made its way down to the ocean floor, awakening the Kraken.
The next day, the Kraken attacked and killed numerous fishermen on the shore of Skull Island, attracting Kong's attention and angering him. The Kraken flailed its arms about before Kong retreated back to the island. Grieving the loss of one of the islanders, Kong roared out as the Kraken took notice of the ape's reaction.
"You'll Never Catch a Monkey That Way"
After Annie and Dog lured Kong away from his temple, the Kraken wrapped its tentacles around his arm, pulling him out to sea. The Kraken shocked Kong and rose from the water, revealing its full form. The two Titans roared at each other and Kong ripped off several of the sea monster's tentacles. The Kraken retaliated by grabbing Kong with its pincer and throwing him further along the island's waters. Kong then grabbed a nearby Rock Bug and threw it at the Kraken, only for the monster to slice its shell in half. The sea monster constrained the ape and dragged him deep underwater.
Underwater, it attempted to drown Kong, only for the latter to grab hold of the wreckage of the Once Upon a Maritime and smash it against the sea monster. Kong then impaled the Kraken's set of eyes and managed to escape its grasp. When Kong surfaced out of the water, the sea creature yet again grabbed and threw the Titan. It charged at him and repeatedly struck him with its tentacles. Just as it was about to strike again, Kong grabbed one of the Kraken's tentacles and slammed the monster onto a nearby rock, then pummeled it. The ape roared out victoriously, only for the Kraken to slash his eye in a final attempt at injuring him. Kong then lifted the incapacitated Kraken and ripped its body in half, killing it.
Abilities
Physical capabilities
The Kraken is capable of restraining and throwing foes with its tentacles. It is strong enough to lift and throw Kong using its pincer, and throw whales over long distances. Its red tentacles were sharp enough to shatter a Rock Bug's shell, as well as draw blood from slashing Kong's eye. These red tentacles also possess the unique ability of shocking and poisoning foes at once. Victims of the electrical poisoning gain a large scar in the area of shock and begin to develop a severe fever.
Durability
The Kraken can take a great deal of damage. It can withstand having its tentacles torn in half, having a set of its eyes impaled by a ship, and several forceful blows from Kong.
Weaknesses
The Kraken seems to be at a greater disadvantage on land due to its aquatic nature, as it adamantly attempted to draw Kong closer to the sea, rather than confront him on land. After dragging him underwater, the Kraken’s fighting efforts were seized by the opening of an underwater vent that emitted harmful gases. In spite of its size advantage and aquatic superiority, the Kraken was overpowered by Kong thrice and brutally ripped in half after the last of the three consecutive confrontations.
Gallery
- Main article: Kraken (Monsterverse)/Gallery.
Roar
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Trivia
- King Kong had previously fought against the eponymous Kraken of myth in the 1967 cartoon The King Kong Show.
- The Kraken bears some physical similarities to the Cthulhu from the 2020 film Underwater, which Skull Island showrunner Brian Duffield also wrote for.
- The Kraken also shares coincidental similarities to the GAMERA -Rebirth- incarnation of Viras, who is also a major antagonist and a squid-like kaiju with arthropod features who can discharge electricity from his tentacles. Both monsters also ultimately met their demise by being torn apart and appear in animated Netflix shows that were released in the summer of 2023.
- This Kraken also resembles the Kraken in the board game King of Tokyo: Dark Edition, with both having human-like torsos, at least one crustacean pincer, four eyes, and large head sails.[5] King Kong is a playable character in previous installments of the game series, King of Tokyo and King of New York, where he can encounter still another Kraken.
See also
References
This is a list of references for Kraken (Monsterverse). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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