King Kong
King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster, or kaiju,[14] resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. Kong has been dubbed the King of the Beasts[15] and over time it would also be bestowed the title of the Eighth Wonder of the World,[16] a widely recognized expression within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelization of the 1933 film King Kong from RKO Pictures, with the film premiering a little over two months later.
Not to be confused with King Long.King Kong
King Kong (1933)
- Shoichi Hirose[1] (1962)
- Haruo Nakajima[2] (1967)
- Rick Baker[3] (1976)
- Peter Elliott (1986)
- Andy Serkis (2005)
- Terry Notary[4] (2017)
- Toby Kebbell[5] (2017)
- Allan Henry[6] (2021)
- Eric Petey[7] (2021)
- Murray Spivack[8] (1933 vocal effects)
- Peter Cullen[9] (1976 vocal effects)
- Peter Elliott[10] (1986 vocal effects)
- Scott McNeil[11] (Kong: The Animated Series, Kong: King of Atlantis, Kong: Return to the Jungle)
- Andy Serkis[12] (2005 vocal effects)
- Lee Tockar[11] (Kong: King of the Apes, Tarzan and Jane)
- Seth Green[13] (The Lego Batman Movie)
- Megaprimatus Kong (2005)
- Tagu Kong (Kong of Skull Island)
- Gorilla gigans (Kong Reborn)
- Titanus Kong (MonsterVerse)
- Apus Giganticus (MonsterVerse)
Kong
The Eighth Wonder of the World
The Beast
- Little Kong (1933)
- Lady Kong (1986)
- Baby Kong (1986)
- Deceased parents (MonsterVerse)
- Skull Island
- Faro Island (King Kong vs. Godzilla)
- Mondo Island (The King Kong Show, King Kong Escapes)
- Kong Island (Kong: The Animated Series)
- Hollow Earth (MonsterVerse, Kong: King of the Apes)
A sequel quickly followed that same year with The Son of Kong, featuring Little Kong. Toho produced King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) featuring a giant Kong battling Toho's Godzilla and King Kong Escapes (1967), a film loosely based on Rankin/Bass's The King Kong Show (1966–1969). In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis produced a modern remake of the original film directed by John Guillermin. A sequel, King Kong Lives, followed a decade later featuring a Lady Kong. Another remake of the original, this time set in 1933, was released in 2005 by filmmaker Peter Jackson.
Kong: Skull Island (2017), set in 1973, is part of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment's MonsterVerse, which began with a reboot of Godzilla in 2014. A sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong, once again pitting the characters against one another, was released in 2021. It was then followed by the film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in 2024 which featured more of Kong's kind.
The character has since become an international pop culture icon,[17] having inspired a number of sequels, remakes, spin-offs, imitators, parodies, cartoons, books, comics, video games, theme park rides, and a stage play.[18] King Kong has also crossed over into other franchises such as Planet of the Apes,[19] and encountered characters from other franchises in crossover media, such as the Toho movie monster Godzilla, pulp characters Doc Savage and Tarzan, and the Justice League.[20] His role in the different narratives varies, ranging from an egregious monster to a tragic antihero.