Great Ape
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In the beginning, Hollow Earth lived in harmony with the surface world. The Titans were the guardians of nature, and the Great Apes became the protectors of humanity. But a great evil threatened the peace.
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The Great Apes are a species of giant apes that appears in the 2024 Legendary Pictures film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Although similar in both appearance and nature to Kong and his kind, they are considered a distinct species from them.[1]
The Great Apes lived in a cavern in the Hollow Earth under the rule of the Skar King. After the Skar King was killed, Kong returned to them with Shimo and Suko as their new leader.
Name
The Great Apes were referred to as such by Ilene Andrews, who translated the Iwi's hieroglyphics in their Hollow Earth civilization. It is unclear, however, if this is simply a placeholder name to refer to them or their actual common name.
Design
Despite the fact that the two are not related, the Great Apes resemble Kong's species with appearances similar to a gorilla's, which differs from their orangutan-like leader. However, the adults are noticeably shorter and less bulky than Kong, possibly due to malnourishment. Their fur color also varies greatly across their species; many seem to have a dark gray or brown fur, while others have orange or red fur, much like Suko or the Skar King respectively. A few of the members, such as some of the ones that attacked Kong initially, appeared to have patchier fur, leaving pale skin exposed. Red paint coats parts of the apes' bodies, such as on the chest, and lining their arms and legs.
Behavior
Given that they protected humans in ancient times, the Great Apes likely have more benevolent tendencies naturally. Under the oppressive rule of the evil Skar King, however, they seemed far more hostile towards other entities. This was evident in that Suko and the three adult Great Apes attacked Kong on sight when he entered lower parts of the Hollow Earth, and even when Kong showed one mercy in the midst of their clash after it was almost knocked off a cliff, it quickly attempted to kill him with a dagger. The Great Apes are caring towards one another, as when Suko returned to Skar King's lair, one seemed worried about where the young simian had been; additionally, Suko's caretaker intervened when the Skar King threatened to harm Suko. Some of the guards and seemingly higher-ranking Great Apes display a notable degree of cruelty (probably also inspired by their ruler's ruthlessness), such as when one beats a fellow Great Ape for dropping a stone that was likely used for construction. The Great Apes show fear in the face of the Skar King, who intimidates them and beats them around casually and remorselessly; Skar King had instilled so much fear into them that the mere toss of his food was enough for the Great Apes near him to cower.
The Great Apes are able to cooperate well in battle as well, as shown when the three adults were able to carry out their ambush on Kong. This coordination between each other extends to even greater numbers and especially as an army, having been able to threaten even Godzilla in ancient times. During the attack on the Iwi village in the Hollow Earth, they proved a challenge to hold back as well.
Origins
The Iwi mentioned that the Great Apes were protectors of humanity in ancient times. However, the apes' leader, the Skar King, desired to claim the surface for himself, bringing the Great Apes into a massive conflict with Godzilla. The battle waged almost cost Godzilla his life, but the Titan prevailed and locked the Great Apes deep within the Hollow Earth.
The Skar King's desire to conquer the surface remained firm, however, and ruled over the Great Apes with unwavering cruelty as he waited for his chance to exact his plot, all while taking control of the ancient Titan Shimo. All throughout this time, the Great Apes would live in tyranny, compelled by fear to follow their leader.
History
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
When Kong went to investigate the lower layer of the Hollow Earth, Kong finds Suko. When Kong tried to bond with Suko, the young Great Ape bit his finger and ran away. As Kong followed the young ape, three other apes came to surround Kong, with two holding him down on the ground while the third approached with a club in hand. Acting, fast, Kong grabbed a rock, and slammed it in the face of one of the apes restraining him. Free, Kong thrust the other in the direction of the club, and was now able to fight better. After a skirmish with Kong against the three adults and the young ape attacking him, Kong ended up killing two of the adult Great Apes while a third escaped. Kong finds Suko hiding in a bush, and has the young simian follow him.
Eventually, the duo reached the place of inhabitance of the Great Apes, in a fiery scape in the depths of the Hollow Earth. Suko attempted to be discrete, but Kong, seeing a Great Ape being beaten by a guard, roars at the guard and intimidates it. Kong's actions caught the attention of the Great Apes' ruler, the Skar King, who walked casually over to Kong and made fun of the intruder for his false tooth. As the Skar King turned his anger on Suko, Suko's guardian intervened. Skar King seemingly relented in his cruelty as he turned away, before a wicked smile spread across his face, and he back kicked Suko's caretaker into a patch of lava, exhibiting frightened screeches of shock and sadness from Suko. Enraged, Kong challenged Skar King, and after a brief fight where the Skar King almost strangled Kong with his whiplash, Kong's superior strength allowed him to get the better of Skar King. One Great Ape guard attempted to fight Kong, but Skar King gestured for him to hold back, and had a lava veil parted to make use of his ultimate weapon: Shimo, who he bound to his will with pain. Using the crystal at the tip of his Whiplash, Skar King made Shimo unleash her Frostbite Blast on Kong, badly wounding the Eighth Wonder of the World. Kong and Suko flee from Skar King's lair, with hordes of the Great Apes in pursuit. Kong attempted to use a rockslide trap on the Great Apes, but they realize the danger, and step over the tripwire. Luckily, Suko set off the trap, causing the Great Apes to get caught in the rockslide and allowing Kong and Suko to escape to the Iwi's village in the Hollow Earth.
One badly injured Great Ape survived the trap and managed to follow Kong and Suko to the Iwi village, before returning to the Skar King's lair to report back to the Red Haired conqueror. The Skar King rallies the Great Apes and has Shimo unshackled, and the Great Apes set off with Skar King leading them to attack the village. After Shimo's frostbite blast destroyed the biological barrier hiding the Iwi's village, the Great Apes prepared to attack. However, they were met with Godzilla, Kong, and Mothra, along with Suko, to fight them off. Amid the disrupted gravity produced by the collision of the pyramids in the village, the Great apes fought on; one was struck with rock by Suko, while others were strung to floating rocks by Mothra's silk. Meanwhile, the Skar King made his way to the portal to the surface, intent on completing his plan at whatever cost; Godzilla and Kong pursued him, and Shimo was brough to the surface as well. Meanwhile, the rest of Skar King's army was presumably fought off by Mothra in the Hollow Earth.
Following Skar King's defeat, Kong returned to the Skar King's old lair with Suko and Shimo, now the new leader of the Great Apes. Seeing this, the Apes looked relieved to be freed from Skar King's tyranny.
Abilities
Physical Abilities
The Great Apes possess notable strength. Three adults were able to hold Kong down briefly before he was able to free himself. Additionally, they could tow large bricks and carry stones across the grounds of Skar King's lair. They also display great speed and endurance, as they were able to pursue Kong across the Hollow Earth. They are well adapted to environments in the Hollow Earth, and could fight fairly competently amid the disrupted gravity during their raid on the Iwi village.
Tools
While many of the Great Apes rely on their abilities, they are also capable of using tools, especially weapons. Of the three adult Great Apes that attacked Kong, one wielded a club, and another wielded a dagger.
Intelligence
The Great Apes demonstrate high intelligence, such as their use of weapons. They also demonstrate coordinated attacks, as shown when a group of three ambushed Kong as he attempted to pursue Suko, possibly having the younger Great Ape serve as a decoy. Later on, as Kong and Suko escaped Skar King's lair, Kong attempted to trick a horde of Great Apes pursuing him into setting off a trap, but the ones at the front noticed the tripwire and cautiously stepped over it, and the others behind took steps to avoid tripping it as well; it was only when Suko purposefully set the trap off to help Kong that they were caught by it.
Weaknesses
The Great Apes seem to be physically weaker than Titans such as Godzilla or Kong. While the three adults were able to briefly restrain Kong after ambushing him, they proved to be little match once Kong freed himself and could properly retaliate. While they had almost killed Godzilla during their ancient war with him, this was likely owing mainly to their sheer numbers and their combined strength.
Books
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization
To be added.
List of members
- Skar King (Deceased)
- Suko
- Gnarled Finger (Deceased)
- One Eye (Deceased)
- Stone Face (Deceased)
- Catcher (Deceased)
- Female apes
- Infants
- Various other Great Apes
Gallery
- Main article: Great Ape/Gallery.
Trivia
- The Great Apes share the same role as protectors of humans just like as Kong's species as protectors of humanity. Jared Krichevsky’s confirmation they are similar to Kong's species implies they are either a sub-species or thet share evolution history but it is yet to be confirmed.
See also
References
This is a list of references for Great Ape. 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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