Camazotz

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Camazotz
Camazotz in Kingdom Kong
Subtitle(s) King of the Deep
Class-
ification
Titanus Camazotz[1]
Species Giant bat-like creature
Height 164 feet[1]
Wingspan 402 feet[1]
Place(s) of emergence Hollow Earth
Controlled by King Ghidorah
Allies Hell swarm
Enemies King Kong, BatmanJLvGvK, RobinJLvGvK, BatwomanJLvGvK, NightwingJLvGvK, Red HoodJLvGvK, BatgirlJLvGvK, Black CanaryJLvGvK, CyborgJLvGvK
Written by Marie Anello
Designed by Zid
First appearance Latest appearance
Kingdom Kong Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
Very soon our great father will set the Earth on fire. Unleashing the eternal bat which will destroy the stars and mankind.
„ 

— Ancient Guarani prophecy[2]

Camazotz is a bat-like Titan who first appeared in the 2021 Legendary Comics graphic novel Kingdom Kong, a prequel to Godzilla vs. Kong.

Awakened by King Ghidorah in 2019, Camazotz engaged in a dogfight with Monarch G-Team fighter pilots over San Diego. The Titan later returned to his home inside the Hollow Earth under Skull Island, only to reemerge two years later when a storm overtook the island and plunged it into darkness. Camazotz and his minions flew from the Hollow Earth to kill Kong and take over the island; however, with the help of Monarch's pilots Kong was able to defeat them and banish Camazotz back to the depths from whence he came.

Name

Camazotz is named after a bat god of darkness and death from Mesoamerican mythology. In the K'iche' language, his name literally translates to "death bat." Monarch gave Camazotz the Titan classification Titanus Camazotz.

Development

The antagonist in Kingdom Kong was not originally defined, as Legendary Comics explored licensing an existing monster.[3] In an interview with Toho Kingdom, writer Marie Anello described her side of the design process for Camazotz: "[W]hen it was decided he'd be the comic's antagonist, the mythology team sent me a short primer on what they were envisioning and asked me to pitch some ideas for his powers. I went a bit overboard and did a bunch of research into the Popol Vuh (Camazotz’s mythological origin) as well as the habits and biology of bats, and then worked with the mythology team and the editors to refine it down into something cohesive."[4] Scrapped ideas for the Titan included vantablack wings and the ability to secrete a numbing agent.[5] The graphic novel's artist, Zid, produced hundreds of concept sketches, taking care to make the creature distinct from previous pop culture interpretations of the Mesoamerican god.[4]

Design

Camazotz resembles a giant demonic bat, with rough brown skin, fur on his chest and back, a comparatively small head with jagged horns and sharp teeth, and large shredded wings adorned with sharp, bone-like protrusions. His eyes are red, and one of his horns is broken. Camazotz also possesses a long, spiky tail.

Personality

Monarch classifies Camazotz’s behavior as that of a "destroyer,"[1] along with fellow Titans King Ghidorah, Rodan, Scylla, MUTO Prime, Mechagodzilla, and the Skull Devil, which is reflected by his aggressive and destructive nature. Camazotz is said to have menaced mankind for many millennia, and leads his swarm of hellish bat-like minions in a quest to extinguish the sun and take over the world, plunging it into eternal darkness. He also seeks out atomic-rich Titan blood on which to feed. Within the context of Kingdom Kong, Camazotz attempts to conquer Skull Island once the storm renders the island dark, intending on killing Kong and claiming his status as an Alpha Titan. Kingdom Kong writer Marie Anello has described Camazotz as having the capacity for revenge and holding a grudge.[6]

Origins

A cult worshiping Camazotz began among the Zapotec tribe of Oaxaca, Mexico, and the figure was later adopted into the pantheon of the Maya Quiche tribe. Legends of Camazotz were spoken of in Maya literature. Camazotz and bats in general were associated with night, death, and sacrifice, due to bats inhabiting the caves around the sacred cenotes which the Mesoamericans believed were portals to the Underworld. The ancient Mayans recorded warnings of Camazotz, who is very much real and has terrorized mankind since the dawn of time. He has been rendered blind from dwelling for millennia in the deepest and darkest caverns of the Hollow Earth. Kingdom Kong writer Marie Anello has stated that she believes Camazotz emerged from the San Andreas Fault in response to King Ghidorah's call, though she added "that's not necessarily canon."[3]

Comics

Kingdom Kong

Camazotz erupting from the Hollow Earth

In 2019, Camazotz was one of many Titans awakened by King Ghidorah's call. He and his swarm of minions attacked San Diego and clashed with Monarch G-Team pilots. He and his minions succeeded in destroying many of the enemy planes, including that of Captain Tam Nassar, placing them into a coma. Captain Audrey Burns, one of the pilots who took part in the battle and a close friend of Tam, was left deeply scarred by this event.

Two years later, a storm that was generated over the Pacific Ocean by Ghidorah began approaching Skull Island, which began experiencing increasingly regular earthquakes. Houston Brooks and Monarch were planning an expedition to the Hollow Earth through a vortex on the island, but the strange events slowed their progress. Brooks was troubled by hieroglyphs found near the cavern leading to the vortex which spoke of the "King of the Deep," who would rise to claim his kingdom once the world was swallowed by darkness. Nevertheless, the drill team detonated dynamite near the cavern entrance and sent a drone to scout ahead. The island was rocked by a high-frequency scream which injured the ears of both the humans and Kong. Brooks realized too late that the "King of the Deep" spoken of in the prophecy was Camazotz, that the earthquakes were the result of him trying to enter through the Hollow Earth, and that the storm was what would render the island dark and allow him to return.

Just as Brooks feared, Camazotz emerged from underground once the storm reached the island and plunged it into darkness. The winged Titan roared at Kong, who beat his chest in response. The two Titans clashed, with Kong throwing a large canister at Camazotz, who emitted a supersonic shriek that caused Kong to hold his ears in pain. Camazotz then used his talons to grab Kong and lift him into the air before dropping him. Kong grabbed Camazotz by his horn and slammed him to the ground, but the death bat wrapped his tail around Kong's arm and lifted him into the air again. Audrey and four other elite Monarch pilots, who had entered the battle, realized that Kong couldn't win this fight alone and opened fire on Camazotz. Camazotz called for his swarm to deal with the pilots, but Kong grabbed him from behind. Camazotz broke free from Kong's grip and took flight high into the air to attack the pilots, but Audrey's plane broke the sound barrier right in front of Camazotz's face, disorienting him and sending him crashing to the ground. Kong took the opportunity to pummel Camazotz with his fists, then dragged him toward the crater from which he emerged. He grabbed Camazotz by the neck and punched him directly in the face, sending him falling into the crater back to the Hollow Earth. The swarm followed its leader, and the dark Titan's bid for supremacy was stopped.

Camazotz attacking Gotham City in the second issue of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong

During a battle between the Justice League and the Legion of Doom in the Fortress of Solitude, the Toyman accidentally activated the Mother Box, transporting him and the rest of the villains to Skull Island in the Monsterverse. The Legion fled from a giant Skullcrawler as it battled Kong, finding an abandoned facility. There they found four other Titans displayed on monitors: Godzilla, Camazotz, Behemoth, and Scylla. The Toyman was dismissed by the rest of the Legion when he announced a plan to unleash these creatures against the Justice League, so he angrily used the Dreamstone he had stolen from the Fortress to transport his team, Skull Island, and several Titans back to the DC Universe. The displaced Titans went on the warpath, with Camazotz attacking Gotham City. Batman and Batwoman launched missiles at Camazotz from their Batplanes, with the Titan returning fire with his sonic weapon. Batman suggested luring him away from the city while Nightwing and Batgirl saved civilians from the crossfire. Batwoman emphasized the need to find a weak point, prompting Red Hood to aim his sniper rife at the Titan's eye. Despite pleas to stop from Cyborg and the Bat Family, the Red Hood scored a direct hit, prompting Camazotz to retaliate with another sonic blast. The crumbling building threatened to crush several civilians, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Batgirl, but Black Canary saved them with her sonic scream. After an argument which culminated in Batgirl knocking out Red Hood, the heroes regrouped and planned to use Camazotz's own sonic frequency against him. Batman distracted the Titan as Cyborg and Batwoman built a sonic amplifier for Black Canary and installed it on Batwoman's Batplane. Batman fired a missile at Camazotz's injured eye, causing him to emit another sonic blast and destroy his craft. As Batman ejected and safely parachuted to the ground, Cyborg pushed Batwoman's ship towards Camazotz. Black Canary screamed into the amplifier, incapacitating the bat Titan and sending him crashing to the ground. The team later wrapped Camazotz in metal wire and sedated him with a heart-rate-dampening device.

Books

Godzilla: King of the Monsters - The Official Movie Novelization

Chapter 13 begins with a passage of the Sacred Book of the Quiche Maya from Dr. Ilene Chen's notes, which mentions the mythological Camazotz rising alongside Xecotcovach, Cotzbalam, and Tucumbalam to punish humanity for not honoring Huracan. Camazotz is said to have cut off all their heads.

Abilities

Flight

Camazotz can fly, allowing him to keep pace with and destroy F-35 fighter jets. His flight grants him aerial superiority over Kong, giving him a decided advantage in battle.

Sonic screech

Camazotz using his sonic screech to disorient Kong

Monarch describes Camazotz as "bio-sonic."[1] Camazotz emits a supersonic scream that shatters buildings and disorients other Titans in combat. He uses this screech to injure Kong's ears during their battle. In Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, the sonic screech was depicted as a laser capable of destroying buildings and Batman's Batwing.

Physical abilities

Camazotz's sharp claws allow him to grab and lift other Titans into the air, then drop them from extreme heights. His spike-covered tail is prehensile, and at one point wraps it around Kong's arm in order to lift him. The jagged bones jutting from his shredded wings are stated to be razor-sharp, though he is not seen using them in combat.

Echolocation

Rendered blind from living in the darkest recesses of the Hollow Earth, Camazotz relies on echolocation to navigate.

Hell swarm

Camazotz controls a massive swarm of giant bat-like creatures that do his evil bidding. During his battle with Kong, he used them to keep Audrey's fighter squadron busy.

Weaknesses

Camazotz cannot stand sunlight, and thus cannot be active whenever the sun is visible. Camazotz is vulnerable to loud sonic frequencies, as Audrey breaking the sound barrier in front of him in Kingdom Kong and Black Canary's amplified scream in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong left him disoriented and knocked him out of the sky. Camazotz's eyes are also a vulnerability, as Red Hood was able to injure one of them with a sniper rifle.

Gallery

Videos

Camazotz is revealed at a Monsterverse panel at Los Angeles Comic Con 2019
Podcast with Kingdom Kong writter Marie Anello about Camazotz

Trivia

  • Camazotz is so far the only main antagonist monster in a piece of Monsterverse media not to be killed at the end of its appearance.[7] According to Kingdom Kong writer Marie Anello, Kong could have succeeded in killing Camazotz, but would likely have been seriously injured in the process.[6]

References

This is a list of references for Camazotz. 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]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Anello 2021, p. 85
  2. Anello 2021, p. 86.
  3. 3.0 3.1 KingKong19100 (7 April 2022). "Marie Anello Interview! (Writer of Kingdom Kong) | Creators Spotlight #1!". YouTube.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Mirjahangir, Chris (12 April 2021). "Interview: Marie Anello and Zid". Toho Kingdom.
  5. Morgan, Dakota (9 June 2021). "Talking to Kingdom Kong Writer Marie Anello!". YouTube.
  6. 6.0 6.1 The BeastHub Podcast (5 December 2022). "NEW Titan facts on Camazots REVEALED / ft Marie -". YouTube.
  7. KingKong19100 (7 April 2022). "Marie Anello Interview! (Writer of Kingdom Kong) | Creators Spotlight #1!". YouTube.

Bibliography

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