Warning! Spoilers ahead for Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire!A new creature has arrived in the Monsterverse and it has something that a lot of Titans seem to lack. The Monsterverse has introduced an entire kingdom of bizarre and powerful creatures, but a new tie-in comic mixes things up a bit with the introduction of a seriously cool new monster.
In Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted by Brian Buccellato, Zid, Drew Johnson, and Dario Formisani introduces the Spineprowler, a feline-like Titan species that inhabits the Hollow Earth. The Spineprowler fights Kong, and while not nearly as strong as him, is incredibly agile and built for speed and lethal strikes.
Godzilla X Kong: The Hunted also includes an info-graphic about the Spineprowler, revealing that it is one of the most ferocious predators in the Hollow Earth. The Spineprowler gets its name from its bone-sharp vertebrae and a head-on attack from it is like being hit by a “serrated bulldozer“.
Since the Monsterverse began with the 2014 film Godzilla, the list of wild and unbelievable monsters populating it has only grown longer. Aside from icons like Godzilla and notorious kaiju like Kong, Mothra, and Rodan, the Monsterverse has introduced several original and creative Titans. Whether it’s the aquatic menace Tiamat or the terrifying MUTOs, the Monsterverse has plenty of monsters. The population of the Monsterverse’s kaiju only grew upon the introduction of the Hollow Earth, the subterranean ecosystem and the birthplace of the Titans, which, as of the latest Monsterverse film, revealed an entire society of Kong-like apes.
While the Monsterverse has a few mammalian Titans like Kong and Behemoth, they aren’t exactly common. Even with the introduction of the apes in the Hollow Earth, insectoid and reptilian Titans tend to be the most common giant monsters. But the Spineprowler is an interesting addition to the Monsterverse canon. While not an Alpha Titan or even something like Scylla or Tiamat, the Spineprowlers add a much-needed biodiversity to the Monsterverse. With their speed and lethal nature, they can be a real threat, especially to smaller prey, like agents affiliated with the monster research organization Monarch.
While the Monsterverse is already a dangerous place filled with terrifying monsters big and small, Spineprowlers fill a void needed in this universe. There are plenty of oversized monsters that can wreck entire buildings while they lumber about. But a smaller, yet efficient killing machine like a Spineprowler is such a cool idea, especially knowing how intimidating they’d be to smaller game like humans. While kaiju like Kong or Godzilla won’t be easily antagonized by Spineprowlers, there are plenty of creatures the Spineprowelers could challenge in future Monsterverse installments.
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted is available now from Legendary Comics.