Warbats (ワーバット Wābatto?)[2] are an enormous serpent-like superspecies in the MonsterVerse created by Legendary Pictures that first appeared in the 2021 film, Godzilla vs. Kong. A massive flock of Warbats makes a brief appearance in the 2024 film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Name
Warbats get their name from their aggressive nature and their bat-like appearance when they fly.
Warbats were originally referred to as Nozuki from a leaked image of a Playmate's figure. Their scientific name, Vellum Vespertilio, is Latin for "paper bat".
Design
Appearance
Warbats are large reptilian serpentine creatures that are grayish in coloration and equipped with two red membranous wings running down the top half of its body, supported by long spines which are extensions of the rib cage. Their torso is similar to that of a snake, being long and slender, presumably evolved to navigate the treacherous terrain of the Hollow Earth when their wings are not in use. The bottom half of their torso also has ventral scales, further adding to the resemblance of a snake.
The head is massive and snake-like, and is armed with two enormous 14-foot-long fangs protruding from their bottom jaw as well as rows of needle-like teeth. The eyes are green, with the pupils being horizontal and almost cat-like, as well as possessing a bony ridge above their eye, resembling that of a crocodile. Warbat blood is light green in coloration.
A Warbat that appears in Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted appears slightly different from the other observed specimens, with a significantly shorter body length and a fluke-like tail.
A variation of Warbats, known as Scarlethead Warbats, appear in Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers. Unlike their standard brethren, Scarlethead Warbats are a mixture of red, blue, and purple in coloration.
Portrayal
All Warbats are portrayed by CGI.
Roar
The Warbats have a deep, raspy roar. One of the roars made by the Warbat that struck Kong is recycled from Insectosaurus from Monsters vs. Aliens. When agitated or in pain, the Warbats can be heard making high-pitched screeches that sound similar to the screams of the Nazgul, or Ring-Wraiths, in The Lord of the Rings. In the trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong, the Warbats briefly made a sound identical to the Xenomorphs in the Alien franchise.
Personality
Warbats are subterranean apex predators that inhabit the rainforests of the Hollow Earth. Possessing an aggressive nature, these creatures employ their serpentine bodies to coil around their prey, employing constriction as a means to bring about their victim's demise, akin to the hunting behavior observed in contemporary constrictor snakes.
Notably, Warbats exhibit the capacity to engage in cooperative hunting endeavors. The two Warbats observed during the assault on Kong demonstrated a synchronized approach, suggesting a collaborative strategy between them to pursue and subdue their target. This glimpse of social behavior is further explored in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, where numerous Warbats are seen flying together and preying on the smaller Hellhawks in their path.
Origins
Unafraid of Titans such as Kong, Warbats are aggressive and venomous predators, capable of injecting thousands of gallons of venom into its prey in a single bite. They possess a very distinctive roar, simultaneously raspy and deep, adding to the awe-inspiring aura that surrounds them.
The Warbats seemingly evolved within the Hollow Earth, growing to their massive proportions due to the energy sustaining the creatures inside the subterranean ecosystem.
History
Godzilla vs. Kong
After entering the Hollow Earth through a Vile Vortex in Antarctica in search of an energy source capable of powering a secret weapon being built by Apex Cybernetics, two Hollow Earth Aerial Vehicles, or "HEAVs", followed Kong as the simian Titan begun traversing the lush subterranean landscape, believing the ape would lead them to such an energy source. As the pilots of one of the HEAVs announced that they would circle back around due to interference, the vehicle was suddenly ambushed and destroyed by a Warbat, who crushed the machine in its jaws. A second Warbat attempted to destroy the final HEAV, in which Jia, Ilene Andrews, Nathan Lind, and Maia Simmons were aboard, but was grabbed onto by Kong. In one swift motion, Kong swung the beast overhead and slammed it to the ground, in which its skull was impaled on a jagged rock formation, killing it instantly. As the first Warbat circled around to attack Kong, the ape swung the second Warbat's lifeless corpse into the remaining one, temporarily staggering the creature and causing it to crash into a mountain.
Quickly recovering from the blow, the Warbat exchanged roars with Kong and lunged after him, biting onto the ape's forearm and coiling its body around him in an attempt to constrict him. Inside the remaining HEAV, Nathan Lind ordered the shuttle's pilots to fire its missile payload at the Warbat in an effort to save Kong. As the barrage of missiles struck the Warbat's back, the beast cried out in agitation and loosened its grip around Kong. Taking advantage, Kong pinned the creature to the ground and folded its wings until they snapped, before proceeding to brutally pummel it to death. Kong then tore the creature's head off and feasted on its innards as they spilled out of its head. After finishing, Kong tossed the Warbat's head aside and continued his journey through the Hollow Earth.
Kong: Survivor Instinct
David Martin comes across a Monarch Creature Profile about Warbats during his journey to find his daughter.
Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers
Scarlethead Warbats are among the numerous superspecies encountered on the Siren Isles.
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted
A sleeping Warbat is ambushed by Raymond Martin's Titan Hunter Mech and killed after having its head smashed into a boulder.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
A massive flock of Warbats fly through the skies of the Hollow Earth, preying on the smaller Hellhawks in their path. Kong and Suko observe the flock from far below. Additionally, the skeletal remains of a Warbat appear in the form of the Skar King's Whipslash.
Other appearances
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
In the third issue, a Warbat battles and is killed by Kong on Skull Island as Green Arrow attempts to take cover.
Abilities
Durability
Warbats demonstrate remarkable durability, enabling them to withstand a series of fierce strikes from Kong for a limited duration. Their large elongated scales exhibit total resilience against explosive devices such as missiles, although they are seemingly only agitated by such attacks.
Flight
Warbats possess the remarkable ability to fly by means of their wing-like hoods, which are composed of a specialized membranous structure that enables them to propel themselves through flight or gliding movements.
Speed and agility
Warbats are agile fliers and display excellent maneuverability. They are quick in combat, able to coil the entire length of their bodies around prey in seconds. They can utilize the long spines in their wings as limbs in order to quickly crawl about, as seen when one swiftly repositioned itself using its spines to face Kong after the latter knocked it to the ground.
Strength and combat
The jaws of the Warbats are strong enough to crush vehicles, and their long serpentine bodies are powerful enough to grapple with and subdue creatures the size of Kong, nearly constricting him to death. Using a method called the Razorwing Deathmask, Warbats often smother prey to death with their wing membranes.[2]
Venom
Warbats can inject 9,800 gallons of venom from their 14-feet-long fangs when they bite and can also spray venom from glands inside their wings, though they were not seen using this ability in their battle with Kong.[2]
List of appearances
Films
- Godzilla vs. Kong (First appearance)
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Comics
Novels
- Godzilla vs. Kong - The Official Movie Novelization
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization
Video games
Trivia
- The Warbats share some resemblances with King Cobra from Godzilla: The Series.
- It is possible the Warbats are also a reference to the Giant Sea Serpent from King Kong Escapes and the Giant Boa from the 1976 Paramount Pictures King Kong.
- A piece of concept art by Matt Millard shows Nozuki, a scrapped male counterpart to Warbat that would've had an electric tail and prehensile wings.
References
- ↑ Millard, Matt (April 13, 2021). "Original head study for the Nozuki / War bat for #godzillavskong .". Instagram.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Driscoll23Jack (December 2, 2021). "Godzilla vs. Kong (Japanese release) pamphlet" (Tweet). Twitter.
