Movies News Talk
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire gave Godzilla a pink-colored upgrade to his atomic powers. This was a surprising replacement for his usual look, and it came from the energy of another Titan. The pink upgrade came from Tiamat, one of the 11 unseen monsters mentioned in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Godzilla battled Tiamat off-screen in the pages of Godzilla: Dominion. This established her as a sea serpent Titan. In Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, it was revealed that Godzilla absorbed Tiamat's bioelectric energy after attacking her. Godzilla then formed a cocoon, using Tiamat's power to undergo a powerful metamorphosis. The cocoon's shape is similar to the pods that the MUTOs grew in, suggesting a close relationship between all the Titans.
As a Titan, Godzilla feeds on radiation, but what he did to Tiamat was something new for him. The Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire novelization revealed that Godzilla copied Tiamat's DNA. This explains why Godzilla didn't just get a power upgrade; his transformation also included aspects of Tiamat's design, including her pink energy color.
This adds a new power to Godzilla's arsenal and sets a precedent for what he can do to future Monsterverse opponents. Godzilla is willing to upgrade himself at the expense of other Titans. Depending on what threats arise in a potential Godzilla x Kong sequel, other Titans could have their power stolen and their life force sucked out of them by Godzilla.
Godzilla's abilities have changed and evolved over time. Some of his strongest attacks have departed from his typical blue/white atomic breath. For example, Godzilla has used a bright orange nuclear pulse, and his burning spiral heat ray is radioactive red. Godzilla's atomic powers have never matched the pink seen in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, however.
There has been speculation that the pink is a reference to one of Godzilla's recent forms. In Godzilla 2000, Godzilla's primary form included some pink coloration on his dorsal spikes. However, Godzilla only uses his typical atomic breath for most of the movie. The pink atomic power that Godzilla uses in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire marks completely new territory, and could lead to even more changes in the Monsterverse's future.
While it's difficult to measure Godzilla's power levels precisely, his evolution yielded noticeable differences in his power set. His evolved form is much leaner and more athletic. Because of that, he's able to move much more quickly and can run on two legs at a speed equal to or greater than Kong.
Godzilla's pink atomic breath is able to completely offset the atmospheric damage Shimo did that likely would have triggered another Ice Age. The body change also improved his agility, as he's able to move on all fours much faster. Most importantly, Godzilla's pink atomic breath seems to be the most powerful version that's been seen in the Monsterverse.
When Godzilla laid down to sleep at the end of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, his pink atomic glow was noticeably absent. So, it seems unlikely that Godzilla will retain his pink power-up in future Monsterverse movies. The physical changes to his body like the leaner torso and added elbow and dorsal spikes are likely to stay, but his pink atomic power seems to have been dispelled.
Godzilla only acquired Tiamat's power to fight Skar King and Shimo, and with the threat neutralized he has no real use for it.