Fans are well aware that Godzilla’s design has never stayed the same. Due to the franchise’s varying tones, the creature’s altering narrative functions, and technical advances in special effects technology, Godzilla appears drastically different from film to film. But in the case of the monster’s new look in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” it’s possible that his pink color may be a call-back to older versions of the character.
Within the nearly seven-decade-old film series, Godzilla has donned pink spines and even atomic powers on a handful of occasions. The first major instance was for “Godzilla 2000” and “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus,” the first two installments of the Millennium era of the early 2000s. Despite each movie taking place in a separate continuity, they each make use of the same Godzilla suit known as MireGoji. While the dorsal spines are mainly dark grey, they are notable for the bold purplish-pink highlights on the edge of the spines that don’t seem too far off from Godzilla’s design in “The New Empire.”
More recently, 2016’s “Shin Godzilla” made extravagant use of pink coloring for the titular kaiju. Similar to “The New Empire,” the vibrant tone runs throughout the monster’s body and makes up the color of the beam attack that he shoots out of his mouth, body, and tail. If Godzilla starts blasting his atomic ray through his spines in “The New Empire,” we’ll know who to blame.
