The biggest complaint about the Monsterverse is just completely unfounded, according to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire star Kaylee Hottle.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire star Kaylee Hottle (Jia) believes that humans are an essential part of the Monsterverse. Though it revolves around Godzilla and Kong, humans have been a part of the Monsterverse since it first began in Godzilla (2014). Since then, the universe has introduced King Ghidorah, Rodan, Mothra, and numerous other world-shattering Titans. All the while, humans desperately try to survive beneath their mighty steps. Unfortunately, the focus on human characters has drawn sharp criticism.

Humans play a much smaller role in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire‘s cast, but Hottle is still ready to defend her role from any critics. In an interview with ComicBook.com, she explained that humans are ever-inquisitive, giving the monsters a chance to explore more positive relationships. They also provide a “path that connects us” to the monsters. To Hottle, Jia’s role is to connect the majority of humanity with the monsters and any of their human followers. Check out her full quote below:

The monsters have their own world and we as humans are trying to understand that world, we’re trying to find that path that connects us. So there’s Jia, she’s also a human so she’s able to connect to those people in the human world with her (Hollow Earth) tribe as well.

Humans Are Important In The Monsterverse

Humans Provide Much-Needed Emotional Stakes

It can be easy to feel frustration when humans play a prominent role in Monsterverse stories. After all, the marketing generally focuses on Kong or Godzilla rather than the smaller characters who happen to follow along on their journeys. Every scene that features a human prominently is likely another that does not include Godzilla toppling buildings or Kong tackling a monster. These movies and shows tend to be advertised as action-packed thrillers, which makes most human-focused scenes comparatively less dramatic.

There are some benefits to featuring human cast members, however. New monsters were introduced in Netflix’s Skull Island, an animated addition to the Monsterverse, through the antics of a group of human adventurers trying to survive in Kong’s territory. By focusing primarily on those new characters, the show featured Kong in a new light and offered different ways to view his character. In the movies, the humans play a similar role. They establish emotional connections that the monsters typically struggle to express. Godzilla, after all, is rarely going to pause to lament over the destruction he causes. A human’s reaction can add a much-needed emotional reaction.

The humans also add some level of variety to the movies. As thrilling as it sounds, a two-hour battle between Kong and Godzilla would quickly lose context or weight. The reason that toppling skyscrapers can be compelling is that human beings use those skyscrapers and live in those houses. If the human impact is not explored, Godzilla’s actions lack any meaningful elements. He could just as easily be fighting in the ocean or in a mountain range. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and the Monsterverse need humans to provide those emotional stakes and connections.