Wart Dog
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The Wart Dog (ワートドッグ Wāto Doggu) is a giant canine species that inhabits the Hollow Earth in the 2024 Legendary Pictures film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Name
The Wart Dog's name was first revealed on the packaging of a Playmates' Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire toy.[3] It is likely a play on "warthog."
Development
The Wart Dogs were designed by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire art director Nick Lloyd, who drew inspiration from hyenas with cataracts, eagle talons, diseased water buffalo hides, and sick wild dogs for the creatures' eyes, claws, hide, and scars, respectively. Animation supervisors Eric Petey and Bill Bridges initially referenced wolves, African painted dogs, and hyenas for the creatures' running style, but added the more powerful bounds of big cats into the mix due to the Wart Dogs' heavy collars and pronounced shoulders. Hyenas were again useful when animating the Wart Dogs to be twitchy and unpredictable. One of the Wart Dogs' most demanding moments came when Kong tore one in half, which required the model's muscle system and fat layers to be developed to include internal organs.[4]
Design
The Wart Dogs resemble canines, as well as reconstructions of the prehistoric mammal Andrewsarchus. They have reddish-brown fur covering most of their bodies and white fur on their heads; small eyes; thick tails; long cuspids, with the upper pair extending to the bottom of the jaw when the mouth is closed; and pronounced dewlaps.
Behavior
Wart Dogs hunt in packs, and are bold enough to pursue even a Titan such as Kong. Nonetheless, they will not attack mindlessly, with the final three Wart Dogs who survived Kong's traps retreating after an intimidation display by Kong. In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization, Kong notes that the Wart Dogs are pursuing him in such overwhelming numbers after smaller groups failed to kill him in past encounters.[5] He has also observed them to "come at their prey from all sides," explaining their caution when he backs himself into a corner.[6] The novel also states that a pack of Wart Dogs once attacked Ilene Andrews, Jia, and two Monarch agents, killing the agents.[7]
History
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
In 2027, over two dozen ravenous Wart Dogs pursued Kong across a Hollow Earth plain. He knocked one aside when it reached him, tripping two more behind it, and leapt across a chasm, with most of the pack following him to the edge of a cliff. The first Wart Dog to charge at him fell into a trapping pit of his own making and was impaled on massive spears. Next, he lifted a tree stump to activate a rock slide trap, crushing most of the others. Kong convinced the remaining three Wart Dogs to retreat by grabbing a nearby carcass, ripping it in half, showering himself in its blood, and then roaring at them. He later brought several carcasses back to his cave, where Doug stole one after Kong was distracted by a roar.
Abilities
Agility
The Wart Dog pack kept pace with Kong, who can run at a top speed of 104 mph (or ~167 kph) on all fours.[8]
Leaping
Most of the Wart Dog pack succeeded in leaping across a large chasm in pursuit of Kong.
Physical abilities
Wart Dogs possess sharp teeth and claws.
Durability
The first Wart Dog to charge at Kong was impaled by giant spears at the bottom of a trapping pit. He killed most of the others by triggering a rock slide, then ripped one of the carcasses in half with some effort.
Weaknesses
Viewing Kong as prey, a Wart Dog pack allowed him to lead them into a succession of traps that wiped out most of their number. Kong intimidated the three survivors of the traps into fleeing by ripping apart a fallen Wart Dog over his head and roaring while covering in its blood. In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization, he later deterred them from attacking Suko without physical conflict.[9]
Video games
- Call of Duty: Warzone (2020; added in 2024) - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S [weapon sticker]
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023; added in 2024) - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S [weapon sticker]
Books
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization
As a Wart Dog pack chased him, Kong recalled that one of his previous encounters with these creatures was nearly fatal.[10]
Dr. Ilene Andrews decided to become the director of the Kong Observation Project, which took her and her adoptive daughter Jia out of Hollow Earth, after they were attacked by a Wart Dog pack that killed two Monarch agents and would have killed them too had Kong not intervened.[7] During Kong and Suko's flight from the Great Apes following them from the Skar King's lair, four Wart Dogs took an interest in the younger ape. Kong scared them off.[9]
Comics
- Monsterverse Declassified (2024)
Roar
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Trivia
- The Playmates minifigure for the Wart Dog has a markedly different design than what appears in the film, instead resembling concept art of the creatures by Alex Ries.[1]
- Kong tearing one of the Wart Dogs' carcasses in half is similar to how he killed the Kraken in Skull Island.
References
This is a list of references for Wart Dog. 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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Bibliography
- Keyes, Greg (23 April 2024). Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1803368108.
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