Aaron Brooks is a character created by Legendary Pictures who made his first appearance in the 2017 MonsterVerse comic book series, Skull Island: The Birth of Kong.
Personality[]
When first introduced, Aaron is very reckless to the point of defying his father's insistence that Skull Island be kept a secret. Throughout the year he spends on Skull Island, he becomes repeatedly frustrated at not getting concrete assurance that Kong is capable of protecting humanity. Despite his recklessness, however, he genuinely cares about his crew and is willing to delay his "communion" with Kong to ensure their safety.
After being told the story of Kong's birth and the loss of his parents by Riccio, he displays a softer side, somberly realizing that Kong is an orphan, rather than just an animal/savage brute as he previously believed.
At the very end of his "mission", Aaron has matured greatly, as he now understands what his father was trying to tell him, nature strikes its own balance, and he knows that the one to blame for the deaths of his crew is himself, and he willingly stays on Skull Island to help the Iwi clean up the mess he'd made.
Relationships[]
Houston Brooks[]
Aaron has a strained relationship with his father concerning Kong and Skull Island, and whether or not they should be kept secret. Aaron accuses his father of being reckless and irresponsible for leaving an island full of M.U.T.O.s in Kong's hands and putting all of mankind at risk. Following the loss of his crew, Aaron admits in his recording that his father was right and he was wrong.
History[]
Sometime after the Skull Island expedition, Houston Brooks and San Lin eventually married and had Aaron. When he came of age, Aaron joined Monarch as a security officer.
In 1995, Aaron breaks into his father's files and sees that Monarch left Skull Island in the hands of Kong and kept the island a secret. Aaron goes to his father's house to confront him, outraged at the danger Monarch has put the world in and that his father, like colleague Ishiro Serizawa, insists on "letting nature strike its own balance." Houston tells Aaron that Monarch deals with forces beyond its control and since Kong is the king of Skull Island, the rest of the world is safe as long as he rules it. Aaron asks what humanity's second line of defense will be if Kong can't keep Skull Island's beasts under control, and how Monarch is even sure if Kong is still alive. Houston says they're monitoring everything via satellite, and that many of his colleagues died on the island in 1973 believing that it was a secret worth keeping, and warns Aaron to leave it alone. Angry that his father would fall back on threats, Aaron storms off as his father calls out after him.
Skull Island: The Birth of Kong[]
On August 7, 1995, under the guise of going to study a M.U.T.O. fossil bed in Antarctica, Aaron and a team of Monarch operatives fly out to Skull Island. Accompanying Aaron on his secret mission are cryptobiologist Evgenij Medov, medic Evelyn Matemavi, whom Houston Brooks personally recruited for Monarch, survival instructor Helen Karsten, the pilot Cejudo, and mythographer Walter R. Riccio. As he believes the world should know about Skull Island and he's unwilling to entrust Kong with humanity's survival without more assurance, Aaron plans on spending at least three days gathering evidence. After their V-22 Osprey penetrates the storm surrounding the island, it's attacked by Psychovultures and, except Cejudo, the team is forced to parachute out. They land on a cliff and see Cejudo and the V-22 crash to the west. Riccio says they should find the natives to act as their guides but Aaron says his father's notes on the Iwi were vague, and their first objective should be securing their supplies.
Once the others convince Riccio to go along with Aaron's plan, they turn around and find themselves ambushed by Death Jackals. Karsten tells the team to run into a nearby cave for cover before the Death Jackals tear her apart. Aaron, Medov, Matemavi, and Riccio are followed into the cave by the Death Jackals and overwhelmed by the M.U.T.O.s, with Medov being gravely injured in the process. Before the team can be finished off, a huge fist comes crashing down just outside the cave. Then the giant hand reaches into the cave, grabbing several Death Jackals and crushing them. The rest run out of the cave, only to be crushed by the beast's foot. The giant stares at the cave entrance for a moment and walks away. Matemavi tends to Medov but the medical supplies aboard the V-22 need to be recovered, while Aaron is still in awe, recognizing the giant creature that saved them as Kong. Then Riccio alerts Aaron they now have company as several Iwi natives enter the cave. A young Iwi boy introduces himself as Ato and welcomes Aaron and the others, addressing them as "Awati," "the people who come from the sky." Remembering from his father's notes that the Iwi never speak, Aaron realizes Skull Island has evolved since his father was there. Then the Iwi group takes the Monarch operatives to their village and helps them heal with a medicine brew.
Almost a year later on July 14, Aaron records that he's starting to have second thoughts about Skull Island and that he is not sure what to make of the Iwi's claim of expecting them. Aaron also says that Riccio has managed to learn the Iwi's language and has taken a liking to their brew. In the meantime, Aaron befriends Ato, who reveals that he learned to speak English from his father, who was taught by Hank Marlow. After Aaron accidentally upsets some natives when he bangs on their wall while admiring it, he is told by Riccio that he needs to see something, and Aaron and Matemavi are brought to a large mural. Riccio says a seer named Atenatua led the Iwi to Skull Island after fleeing from another tribe, and foretold the coming of the "Awati," which Matemavi explains to be Marlow and Gunpei Ikari, the 1973 expedition, and now them. Then Riccio's head starts hurting and he claims to see the event depicted in the mural: on Skull Island millions of years ago, Kong's family lived in peace until the Skullcrawlers came along, leading to a war of the gods. Riccio tells Aaron his father only scratched the surface and it's been decided that tomorrow the Iwi will take them on a pilgrimage, where they will be the ones to unlock the mysteries of "the mountain-who-thunders-death," and meet with Kong himself.
That night, Aaron tells Matemavi and Medov that they should focus on discovering what happened to Cejudo and the V-22, and they discuss Riccio claiming to have mystical visions or hallucinations possibly from drinking too much of the Iwi's brew. Aaron says Skull Island is a gateway to hell and they need to know for sure if Kong can keep it closed, deciding to go along with the pilgrimage so the team can observe Kong and look for the V-22 at the same time, and Matemavi and Medov agree. The next morning, Aaron, Matemavi, and Medov paint themselves with Iwi tribal markings at Riccio's insistence and, accompanied by Ato and two other natives, they journey to the site of a wrecked ship from the Dutch East India Company. Inside it, they find a mural depicting the Iwi's arrival to the island and two giant apes. Riccio writhes in pain again and Ato claims the island's devils are whispering into Riccio's ear, that Riccio believes he has been touched by Kong, and that he might be a danger to them. Having another vision, Riccio sees Atenatua and Iwi refugees arrive on the island shore around the time the Skullcrawlers wiped out all but the two strongest apes. Matemavi tries to calm Riccio but he storms out of the ship. The others chase after him when the ground they are standing on next to the ship suddenly shakes, revealing itself to be a Sirenjaw. After outrunning the Sirenjaw a bit, they find a crashed helicopter and Monarch crates containing weapons from the 1973 expedition. Then Kong's roar is heard as he seemingly goes to battle against the Sirenjaw, and Aaron leads the others in Kong's direction to go and "meet God."
The next day, to Aaron's frustration, the group finds the Sirenjaw's carcass but no sign of Kong. Then a flock of Psychovultures and Death Jackals descend upon the carcass to feast on it, prompting the humans to flee.
Godzilla: Aftershock[]
Houston Brooks' rescue attempt was known to have successfully managed to save his son from Skull Island.
Trivia[]
- Aaron's Monarch ID number is 004-78.
- Aaron loves Norse mythology, his shared password with his father is "Gjallarhorn", the name of the horn of Heimdall, guardian of the rainbow bridge to Asgard, and his parting message to his father is "over the rainbow".
List of appearances[]
Comics[]
- Skull Island: The Birth of Kong (First appearance)
- Godzilla: Aftershock (Mentioned)
