Mechagodzilla’s appearance in Godzilla vs. Kong was the worst-kept twist in years. Theoretically, the robotic kaiju was intended to be a surprise third fighter in the epic brawl, but eagle-eyed fans spotted glimpses of him in the first trailer. In addition, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. weren’t too careful about showing him off at toy fairs, on T-shirts and in a Japanese TV ad.
Despite all that, many were annoyed when Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard posted a picture of himself with a Mechagodzilla toy, arguing that it’s one thing for the marketing department to spoil the plot of the movie but quite another for the director to do so. Now, Wingard has discussed the situation in a new interview with io9, explaining that he figured the cat was out of the bag and that Warner Bros. had specifically told him to make the post.
“I know some people were mad at me online—probably rightfully so—because I posted a picture of me with a Mechagodzilla toy. But, the toy is in storage right now—you can buy it at Wal-Mart! The Funko version of him is out…this is not a secret. I’m very social media illiterate, so I probably should have put a spoiler page before it— that probably would have made people feel pretty good, but…at the end of the day, I was asked specifically by Warner Bros. to post a picture of [the toy].”
He also revealed that he knows the pain of having a much-anticipated movie spoiled, recalling the famous moment when The Phantom Menace‘s score was released on CD weeks before the film, with fans aghast at a tracklisting including spoilerific titles like Anakin Defeats Sebulba, Qui-Gon’s Noble End and Qui-Gon’s Funeral. However, Wingard argues that the discussion over Mechagodzilla helped keep the pic’s real spoiler – whether Godzilla or Kong wins – secret.
“Luckily, our spoilers aren’t that intense—I can’t believe it hasn’t leaked who wins in the fight, yet. That’s pretty amazing, that’s the most important thing.”
Godzilla vs. Kong is tearing up pandemic-era box office records and could outgross King of the Monsters, so Legendary’s MonsterVerse might have some life left in it yet (I want a Kong in Hollow Earth movie!). But Wingard is looking ahead to Third Earth and is excitedly planning out his awesome-sounding ThunderCats. Whatever he directs next, after Godzilla vs. Kong, I’ll be there day one.
