DOOMSDAY

At the beginning of Godzilla’s evolution, the character battled King Kong (in King Kong Vs. Godzilla, 1962). Godzilla was bulky, slow, clumsy, and unwise. He was destructive and was able to thwart military attempts to destroy him, yet he did not possess the ability to use his brain against Kong. Godzilla was not quick enough to match Kong’s speed, and Kong quickly learned that Godzilla’s atomic breath was not as lethal to him as first perceived. Godzilla was easily deterred by Kong’s ability to harness electricity from lightning and use it to deliver electric shocks with his touch.

The long battle between the two giants led to them to simultaneously fall off of a cliff, locked in combat, into the ocean. Kong emerged and swam away, presumably back to his home island where he was originally captured. Godzilla was not seen again until the next film, Godzilla Vs. Mothra (aka Godzilla Vs. The Thing, 1964). The bulkiness of the suit design was not revisited for several years, yet the evil, reptilian design was only minimally altered. The character may have learned not to underestimate an opponent after battling Kong, and perhaps used that knowledge in the next film…..

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