History Franchise / KingKong

* AdaptationalVillainy: The military in the '05 film have no problem firing on Kong while he's visibly carrying Ann. While in the original film the planes are told to take down Kong without hitting her, no such instruction is given here, and even when they notice Ann trying to shield Kong they continue firing on them anyway.

* DownerEnding / BittersweetEnding: Both the '76 and '05 versions, as a result of making Kong even more sympathetic and having Ann/Dwan form a bond with him. The 2005 version in particular gets bleaker and bleaker the more you think about it: Kong's dead, and since he's the LastOfHisKind, his whole species is now extinct. Several civilians and many of the soldiers who tried to bring him down and protect the city were killed. Carl Denham's career is ruined for sure, and he'll never be able to donate the proceeds of his film to the families of the Venture's deceased crew members. And of the Venture's crew that survived, most of their friends (and in Jimmy's case, his father figure) are dead. One of the only really bright spots to come out of the whole deal is Ann and Jack's relationship, and there's a feeling that it won't last. Granted, a lot of the same points could also apply to the original, but the fact that the story of the '05 version is more "developed" just makes it even sadder. The bittersweet part to this is that at least New York is saved from destruction.

** ''Film/KingKongEscapes'' (1967), spin-off of the above film, and sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheKingKongShow'' below.

* AntiVillain: Even though Kong is a destructive force and responsible for killing extras in every film, he doesn't really comprehend the damage he's causing: he just wants Ann/Dwan. As such, King remains sympathetic in all film versions, and in some interpretations is the ''hero'' compared to the more greedy humans (Denham, Wilson the oil exec).

* ''Kong on the Planet of the Apes'' (2017-2018)

** Newer adaptations tend to portray Kong in a much more sympathetic manner, having him go more from a KillerGorilla to WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. Some interpretations of him such as in ''TAS'' or the ''[=MonsterVerse=]'' movies even portray him as a hero, who only attacks those who disturb Skull Island.

King Kong has been the basis for two attractions at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Orlando Resort]]. The first attraction, known as ''Ride/{{Kongfrontation}}'', was among the opening day rides at Universal Studios Florida in 1990. Based off the 1976 remake, the ride had guests board the Roosevelt Island trams and come face-to-face with the giant ape during his rampage in New York. The ride was suddenly closed in 2002, a decision that lead to much backlash from both fans and the general public. In response, a new King Kong attraction would eventually be built at the neighboring park, Universal's Islands of Adventure, in 2016. This new ride, titled, ''Ride/SkullIslandReignOfKong'', is loosely based off of the 2005 remake and follows an expedition to Skull Island that quickly goes awry as guests get several close encounters with the island's inhabitants before coming across Kong himself in a battle between him and a Vastatosaurus Rex trio. Both of the attractions were inspired by scenes from the tram-based ''Studio Tour'' at Universal Studios Hollywood; the former attraction was modeled after the ''King Kong Encounter'' sequence (which operated from 1986 until 2008, when it was destroyed in a backlot fire), while the latter attraction was based off of the ''King Kong 360'' sequence (which was built in 2010 to make up for the loss of ''Encounter'').