King Kong

King Kong
King Kong
King Kong character
	King Kong as featured in promotional material for the original 1933 film.
First appearance	King Kong (1933)
Created by	Merian C. Cooper
Portrayed by	Shoichi Hirose (1962); Haruo Nakajima (1967); Rick Baker (1976); Peter Elliott (1986); Andy Serkis (2005); Terry Notary (2017); Toby Kebbell (2017); Allan Henry (2021); Eric Petey (2021);
Voiced by	Murray Spivack (1933 vocal effects); Peter Cullen (1976 vocal effects); Peter Elliott (1986 vocal effects); Scott McNeil (Kong: The Animated Series, Kong: King of Atlantis, Kong: Return to the Jungle); Andy Serkis (2005 vocal effects); Lee Tockar (Kong: King of the Apes, Tarzan and Jane); Seth Green (The Lego Batman Movie);
Binomial nomenclature	Megaprimatus Kong (2005); Tagu Kong (Kong of Skull Island); Gorilla gigans (Kong Reborn); Titanus Kong (MonsterVerse); Apus Giganticus (MonsterVerse);
In-universe information
Full name	Kong
Aliases	The Eighth Wonder of the World; The Beast
Species	Giant gorilla-like ape
Family	Little Kong (1933); Lady Kong (1986); Baby Kong (1986); Deceased parents (MonsterVerse);
Home	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);

King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster, or kaiju, resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. Kong has been dubbed the King of the Beasts and over time it would also be bestowed the title of the Eighth Wonder of the World, 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.

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, having inspired a number of sequels, remakes, spin-offs, imitators, parodies, cartoons, books, comics, video games, theme park rides, and a stage play. King Kong has also crossed over into other franchises such as Planet of the Apes, 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. His role in the different narratives varies, ranging from an egregious monster to a tragic antihero.

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