Wild ‘Kong: Skull Island’ Death Scene Resurfaces Amid ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Release

Godzilla vs. Kong is the culmination of the two most recent Godzilla movies plus Kong: Skull Island in Legendary’s attempt to create a “MonsterVerse” franchise. With the movie’s release, it’s no surprise that fans have been rewatching the earlier movies in the franchise. What is surprising is the 35-second clip from Skull Island that went viral this weekend.

“Kong: Skull Island still the funniest death scene of all time,” tweeted a user named “Jay” on Thursday. They included a short clip of Captain Earl Cole (Shea Whigham) trying to sacrifice himself to save his comrades at a climactic moment in the movie. After telling his friends to escape without him, he turns around to face one of the monstrous “Skullcrawlers,” holding an active grenade in each hand. His plan is apparently to be eaten but to detonate the grenades inside the monster’s belly. Instead, the Skullcrawler slaps Cole with its tail, sending him flying towards a cliff where he detonates harmlessly.

The clip caught the attention of many film fans on Twitter, including some who had seen the movie and some who had not. Many commented with their own jokes about the spoiled drama of the moment, though some defended the scene, feeling it was being maligned out of context.

Kong: Skull Island is streaming now on HBO Max, along with Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of the Monsters and the brand new Godzilla vs. Kong. Whether you’re planning to binge-watch the movies or not, scroll down for a look at the responses to Captain Cole’s odd death scene in Kong: Skull Island.

Thematic

Many fans argued that Cole’s death was meant to be shocking and feel out of place, and that it made sense in the broader context of the movie. The conversation drummed up some emotionally charged debates about the Vietnam War, since the movie was set during that period.

Director

A few days after the scene went viral, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts himself weighed in on the trend. He felt that the scene accomplished exactly what it was meant to, even in this out-of-context form.

New Fans

Some users reported that this joke tweet actually prompted them to check out this movie for the first time, and they were thankful. Critics tend to agree that Kong: Skull Island is the strongest of the “MonsterVerse” movies so far.

Awesome

Many fans took pains to specify that they think this scene is silly and awesome. They did not want to be confused with cynics.

Other Deaths

Some argued that Cole’s death was not even the most surprising of the entire movie. They pointed out other scenes that caught them completely off guard.

Sensible

Some viewers defended the scene by saying that it actually makes sense in the basic logic a predator like this Skullcrawler would tend to employ.

Other Movies

Finally, many people pointed out similar deaths in other movies that had stuck with them over the years. Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong are both streaming now on HBO Max.