After the latest trailer for Warner Bros.' Godzilla x Kong: The New, many fans are left wondering who exactly the mysterious new Titan teased in the trailer is: its name is Shimo, and it could threaten the entire planet.
[ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Gets Unsurprising Rating ]
Who Exactly is Godzilla x Kong’s Shimo?
Interestingly enough, like Skar King (the large Titan-sized orangutan villain), Shimo is an entirely original creation for the new upcoming MonsterVerse film. Unlike creatures such as Ghidora, Rodan, or Mechagodzilla, this new enemy hasn’t been in any previous Godzilla films.
The creature was first spotted as part of an in-game promotional campaign for Call of Duty, where Godzilla can be seen fighting Shimo in cave paintings on cave walls.
The name comes from the Japanese word ‘Shimo’, which translates to English concepts such as frost, white, and cold.
This makes sense because images from toy releases for the film showcased the Titan firing icy blasts. In fact, these glimpses into products for the movie gave fans their best look yet at the creature’s final design.
Shimo is a quadrupedal titan, at least the size of Godzilla, if not larger. It's covered in white reptilian scutes that have a purplish tinge to them and has massive translucent purple spikes running down its back.
Shimo's Brief Appearances in the New Trailer
Shimo wasn’t featured in the first trailer for Godzilla x Kong, and that didn't change for the most recent one. However, there were more clear nods to him, and he technically made some small appearances.
For one, what are almost certainly Shimo’s glowing eyes can be seen in the darkness behind a lavafall.
Seconds later, a beam of ice is fired straight at Kong, who tries to block the blow with his axe. With Shimo reportedly having ice-based abilities, it would be hard to imagine it coming from anything else.
More to that point, Shimo can be seen from a far distance in Rio De Janeiro. It's standing on the frozen ocean as it fires an ice beam into the sky for an unknown reason.
There’s another busy shot in the trailer that sees all four Titans (Godzilla, Kong, Skar King, and Shimo) duking it out in the city.
Upon a closer look, fans can see Godzilla taking on Shimo, whose large, brilliantly white body can be seen clearly amongst the destroyed city.
Shimo's face can even be seen, ever so briefly, right before Kong lands a blow to Skar King's face.
What Is Shimo’s Role in Godzilla x Kong as Villain?
It's hard to tell exactly from the trailer how Shimo plays into the movie's plot.
They are keeping its involvement pretty secretive and holding back a lot like the studio did for Godzilla vs. Kong and Mechagodzilla. But pulling the same secret-villain-in-the-last-act shtick might feel redundant.
Instead, one theory is that audiences will meet Shimo pretty early on, as shown by its appearance in Hollow Earth.
Paying close attention, the scenes with Kong fighting Skar King in Hallow Earth don't see the titular primate with his metal gauntlet. Presumably, he wouldn't need that until after getting wounded, which also seems to be shown in the new trailer.
That same scene is where Shimo attacks Kong with its ice breath. So, either it's actively teamed up with Skar King, or the massive orangutan has some sort of control over the ancient Titan.
After all, both of them can be seen fighting Godzilla and Kong in the same destroyed city (which is probably Rio de Janeiro).
It’s also fun to think about how both Skar King and Shimo seemingly function as Apex versions of Kong and Godzilla, in theory being their ancient counterparts.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire releases in theaters on March 29.
