Kong from the 1976 remake.
King Kong is one of cinema's most iconic characters. Originally appearing in the 1933 film King Kong as a stop-motion puppet, he has since appeared in numerous films and other forms of media in the years since, most recently Ledgendary Pictures' follow-up to 2014's Godzilla, 2017's Kong:Skull Island. His role in the different narratives varies, ranging from a rampaging monster to a tragic anti-hero.
Original history[]
King Kong is a gigantic ape similar to a gorilla. He resided on the isolated island of Skull Island far off in the Pacific Ocean where he lived among a plethora of other giant animals, many of which were believed to be extinct. A primitive human tribe also lived on the island and they worshipped Kong like a god.
In 1933, an American film crew led by Carl Denham travels to Skull Island and they discover it to be inhabited by all manner of ferocious giant beasts, with Kong being king among them. During the expedition, a member of the crew - actress Ann Darrow - is snatched by the local tribesmen and offered as a sacrifice to Kong. Rather than eating the woman, Kong seems to take a liking to her and is enraptured by her beauty. With Ann serving as a distraction, the film crew manage to capture Kong and they take him back to New York.
Kong from the 2005 remake
In New York, Kong is put on display for all the world to see. Frightened and enraged, the great ape breaks free of his chains and escapes, taking Ann with him. He climbs to the top of the Empire State Building, but the military give the order to send planes to shoot the creature down. Kong is peppered with bullets as he tries to protect Ann, placing her on a lower ledge before he plummets off the roof of the tower.
As Kong lies dead on the ground, Denham remarks "It was not the airplanes... but Beauty that killed the Beast."