Jurassic World Rebirthhas included the long-awaited return of the mighty Spinosaurus, a dinosaur long absent from the series that stands to be able to truly redeem itself in the eyes of fans. The Spinosaurus was a spinosaurid theropoddinosaur that lived during the Cretacous period, known for its distinctive spinal ridges giving it its namesake.
The Spinosaurus has gone on quite a PR journey over the course of its career in theJurassic Parkfranchise, going from a despised upsetter to a fan-favorite underdog with that has officially redeemed itself inJurassic World Rebirth. To understand how the latestJurassic Parkfilm was such a big win for the dinosaur, it’s necessary to trace the Spinosaurus' legacy in the series.
Spinosaurus Was The Villain Of Jurassic Park III
Garnering Itself An Infamous Reputation
The Spinosaurus first appeared inJurassic Park III, acting as something of a main villain. After chasing the returning Dr. Alan Grant, the Spinosaurus finds itself in a brutal battle for dominance against the franchise’s poster dinosaur, the powerful Tyrannosaurus Rex. Infamously, the newcomer Spinosaurus actually wins this fight, killing the T. Rex.
For a time, the Spinosaurus was considered to be something of a heel for the series following this kill. Some viewers expressed doubt that a Spinosaurus would ever have a realistic chance of beating a T. Rex, and the creature’s loss seems almost humiliating asthe Spinosaurus lands the killing blow with its forelimbs, almost mocking the T. Rex’s useless tiny arms.
Paleontology Has Not Been Kind To Spinosaurus Since 2001
Research Makes The Fearsome Predator Seem Less Impressive
Whatever its feared and lothsome reputation afterJurassic Park III, the Spinosaurus hasn’t had an easy time since in the dinosaur community. Not only has the creature not appeared in a mainlineJurassic Parkmovie since 2001, but real-world paleontology has not been kind to the beast. An infamous 2014 paper found that Spinosaurus wasn’t so fearsome.
According to paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim in his paperSemiaquatic adaptations in a giant predatory dinosaur, Spinosaurus wouldn’t have towered over humans like the T. Rex, instead being much more of a squat swimmer. This would go on to be a devastating blow to the Spinosaurus' appeal to dinosaur lovers.
Ibrahim took it a step further in 2020, suggesting thatSpinosaurus wasn’t only primarily a swimmer, but reliant on its tail for mobilityin his paperTail-Propelled Aquatic Propulsion in a Theropod Dinosaur.Since then, the dinosaur community has lamented the loss in perceived power the beast has suffered as a result.
After these two papers, jokes began to circulate about the Spinosaurus' continuous “nerfs”, with old artwork depicting Spinosaurus as a floundering sea-lion-like creature complete with the small trunk of an elephant seal, beginning to circulate. These ideas, affectionately nicknamed the “Spinofaarus”, continued to lower the public perception of the Spinosaurus' power.
The Spinosaurus Has Gone From Villainous T-Rex Killer To Underdog Fan Favorite
New Research Has Changed The Spinosaurus' Outlook
Following Nizar Ibrahim’s research, the Spinosaurus has seen a dramatic change in perception from theJurassic Parkfandom. Once a feared and despised newcomer that dethroned the mighty T. Rex as the apex predator of the franchise in a powerful upset, the prehistoric animal has been reduced to a blubbering fish-eater reliant on the water to survive.
Everyone loves an underdog, and it’s safe to say that, since 2001, the Spinosaurus has officially become one. Our understanding of prehistoric creatures and how they operated is always changing with new evidence, and this can heavily alter the perception of who is themost powerful dinosaur in theJurassic Parkseries.
Whereas once the Spinosaurus likely had more people rooting against it than it had fans, the prehistoric predator is now closer to a champion of the people. Long has the T. Rex ruled as the face of the franchise and the most popular dinosaur in the world, a title that becomes stale the longer it’s held by one animal.
How Jurassic World Rebirth Redeems The Spinosaurus
Marrying New Research With Old Power
Barring an appearance as a major villain in the animated seriesJurassic World: Camp Cretacous,a Spinosaurus had yet to return to a mainlineJurassic ParkorJurassic Worldproject in over two decades up to now. Though the creature had multiple planned appearances in films over the years, it was always cut from the final product, showing up as a skeleton at best.
At long last,Jurassic World Rebirthhas seen long-awaited return of the Spinosaurus. Here, the creature has been restored to its former glory, terrorizing large prey like human-piloted vessels rather than freshwater fish. After all,theJurassic Parkseries has never been accuratewhen it comes to its dinosaur depictions.
It would be amazing to see the T. Rex and the Spinosaurus get into a rematch after 20 years.
InJurassic World Rebirth, the Spinosaurus seems to take some inspiration from the new research, portraying the Spinosaurus with a shorter neck as its signature tail cuts across the surface like theJawsshark’s infamous dorsal fin. However,it still has the large forelimbs that made it a terror inJurassic Park III.
It’s amazing to see the mighty Spinosaurus being portrayed as a true threat again, considering the shifting attitudes on the river-dwelling hunter and the overused theropod terror. The Spinosaurus has endeared itself to become much more than a despised usurper of the T. Rex’s throne, and its latest appearance inJurassic World Rebirthproves as much.
