100 Men vs. 1 Gorilla: Who Wins if It's King Kong?

I love hypothetical questions. I would rather fight 100 duck-sized horses than one horse-sized duck. But I’m still scratching my head over a viral question that’s romping around social media: Who would win if you pitted 100 average men against one gorilla? 

Let’s not stop there, though. We’re going to expand that hypothetical situation. What if the gorilla in question is movie villain-hero King Kong? I talked with an expert to get some perspective.

The original question seemed to take off from a post on X that racked up nearly 300 million views. The tweet suggested the men could handle the gorilla if the humans were dedicated enough to the task.

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Even YouTube personality MrBeast weighed in, tweeting, “Need 100 men to test this, any volunteers?” along with an image of a group of men facing off against one very large gorilla. 

Elon Musk, DOGE czar and CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, seemed to volunteer, responding, “Sure, what’s the worst that could happen?” 

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Humans aren’t known for fighting fair. 

“A fight between 100 men and one gorilla might lead to a lot of dead men, but we all know that men will come with weapons, strategies, drones, fire and other clever tricks,” wrote Renaud Joannes-Boyau, professor in geochronology and geochemistry at Southern Cross University in Australia. He suggested humans might lose many of the battles, but would eventually win the fight.

Joannes-Boyau ultimately takes a philosophical approach to the question. 

“Perhaps the real takeaway message isn’t who wins in a fight, but to realize that two very different and yet very close cousins have walked two separate evolutionary roads, each in their own distinct way,” he wrote.

Chill gorillas

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The 100-men question seems to imply an angry, vengeful gorilla. There wouldn’t be much of a fight if the gorilla just sits there and snacks on leaves. 

Gorillas are “typically quite gentle, often only showing aggression when it comes to protecting their family, or when necessary, to keep the peace within the family,” said John Griffioen, assistant director of animal programs and conservation at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas. 

Griffioen shared some eye-catching statistics, saying silverback gorillas are capable of lifting over 2,000 pounds and have a bite force with about 1,300 pounds of pressure per square inch. 

The thought question is entertaining, but it glosses over a sobering reality. “Gorillas are critically endangered, and populations continue to decline,” said Griffioen. “With so much already stacked against them, we shouldn’t be worried about fighting them, we should be fighting for them.” 

Griffioen would rather those 100 hypothetical men put their energy into conservation efforts. 

Get your Kong on

So anyway, that’s real-life gorillas. Now let’s give the big primate an upgrade. 

Kong depictions on film have varied since his debut in the now-classic 1933 King Kong movie. 

In the 2005 Peter Jackson movie, King Kong was said to be 25 feet tall, so let’s use that as our benchmark. A real male silverback gorilla can typically reach 5 feet in height, so our fictional Kong is at least five times bigger than the real thing. That means we have a super-ape that could handily wipe out multiple men with one swinging fist.

Joannes-Boyau accepted the challenge of considering the Kong hypothetical, noting the strength gap between human and giant gorilla would be extreme. “Faced with such a large and powerful animal, 100 unarmed humans would be unlikely to stand a chance,” he told CNET. 

Human ingenuity — and the ability to strategize, collaborate and use technology — is the X factor. “In a raw power contest against most animals, we would often lose,” Joannes-Boyau said. “But evolution didn’t design us to win wrestling matches; it designed us to outthink, not outmuscle.” 

In my unscientific estimation, I’m giving Kong the advantage against 100 men. But don’t take my word for it. Watch some King Kong movies and decide for yourself.

Here are some top streaming options to get you in the mood to debate the 100 men against one gorilla question.

King Kong (1933)

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Dive into the original that started it all. This Kong could hold a human woman handily in one palm. Rent it on Apple TV or Amazon Video.

King Kong (2005)

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Lord of the Rings movie series director Peter Jackson tried his hand at King Kong and revived the big ape for a new generation. The star-studded film featured Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Stream it on Starz.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

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CNET’s review of Kong: Skull Island called the movie silly, fun and “kinda terrible.” Think of it as a big-budget B movie, and you won’t be disappointed. Rent it from Amazon or Apple. 

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

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Godzilla? Check. Kong? Check. You can’t go wrong with two overgrown monsters sharing the title of a movie. Will they kill each other or become besties? You’ll have to watch to find out. Widely available as a streaming rental.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

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The latest entry in Kong movie lore is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, in which the two titans team up. Don’t think too hard about the plot; just enjoy the action. Stream it on Max.