| CREATUREFEATURE | "Godzilla vs. Kong." for example and a hint to each starred clue's answer |
| FOODGROUPS | Fruits and dairy, for example ... and a hint to the ends of the starred clues' answers? |
| SKULLISLAND | Kong: ___ 2017 movie which is a prequel to Godzilla vs. Kong: 2 wds. |
| MONSTERS | Godzilla: King of the ___ 2019 movie which is a prequel to Godzilla vs. Kong |
| DEARONE | Cherished person, and a phonetic hint to each starred clue's answer |
| EYEOPENING | Astonishing and enlightening ... or a phonetic hint to each starred clue's answer |
| ORISIT | Doubt-raising question, and a hint to the transformation applied to each starred clue's answer |
| SEEEYETOEYE | Agree, or a hint to each starred clue's answer |
| DONTMENTIONIT | "No problem!," or a hint to each starred clue's answer |
| ALEXANDER | _ Skarsgard, Swedish actor whose films include The Legend of Tarzan and Godzilla vs. Kong (9) |
| AGENDA | Things to be done, for example, and a variety of them (6) |
| EATENALIVE | Mobbed by mosquitoes ... or a hint to each starred clue's answer, based on the word that surrounds it |
| COMINGOUT | LGBTQ milestone celebrated on October 11, or a hint to each starred clue's missing word |
| SIDEBAR | Article accompaniment, and a hint to each starred answer's location and missing word |
| IMAX | Special movie format for Godzilla vs. Kong |
| BROWN | Millie Bobby ___ English actress of Stranger Things fame who plays Madison Russell in Godzilla vs. Kong |
| HALL | Rebecca ___ English actress of Transcendence fame who stars in Godzilla vs. Kong |
| APE | What one of the combatants in Godzilla vs. Kong is |
| ADAMWINGARD | Director of the 2021 monster movie Godzilla vs. Kong (4,7) |
| MENACES | Intimidates with three jacks, for example, and a couple of top cards (7) |
