Iconic movie monster Godzilla has been immortalised on the big screen in the Japanese Toho Studios movies and the Warner Bros/Legendary Studios ‘Monsterverse’ franchise. Godzilla is set to return to Cineworld screens this March in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
When watching these movies there’s usually only one thing at the forefront of everybody’s minds: the monsters themselves. At least 30 ‘Kaiju’ (translated from Japanese as ‘strange creature’) have hit the screen since Godzilla’s cinematic inception at Toho in 1954. However, if we’re considering the Hollywood ‘Monsterverse’ films strictly on their terms, only five of Toho’s classic ‘Kaiju’ have made an appearance.
This isn’t for lack of interest on Legendary’s part: Toho has full ownership of the rights to all the original monsters from their films throughout the years. As we saw in the ‘MonsterVerse’ movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Legendary is perfectly capable of taking the reins of the classic Toho ‘Kaiju’ to ensure fans of the original Japanese films are guaranteed an unforgettable experience.
In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla’s iconic three-headed nemesis King Ghidorah appeared, as did Mothra and Rodan. For the most part, however, Legendary has created its own creatures, beginning with the MUTO (‘massive unidentified terrestrial organism’) in Gareth Edwards’ 2014 ‘MonsterVerse’ take on Godzilla.
Throughout the ‘MonsterVerse’ series, the big beasties are observed and catalogued by the secretive government agency known as Monarch. It has long tracked the mysterious origins of the ‘Titans’: in the context of this franchise, ‘Titans’ are a variation of the standard ‘Kaiju’ and hail from the ‘Hollow Earth’, a secretive prehistoric environment within the Earth’s core.
The next ‘MonsterVerse’ epic Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire transforms ‘Titans’ and one-time enemies Godzilla and King Kong into reluctant allies. Their mission: to venture into the ‘Hollow Earth’ to defeat a deadly new threat known as The Star King.
So, could a Toho Kaiju cameo be on the cards? With the film on release this Easter, scroll beneath the GIF to discover the five classic Godzilla monsters we’d love to see.
1. Biollante
Biollante’s first appearance was in the 1989 film Godzilla Vs Biollante. It was born as the result of a genetic modification experiment gone horribly wrong.
In a bid to engineer plants that could thrive in an arid desert wasteland, scientist Dr. Genichiro Shiragami spliced cells from Godzilla into a rose that had already been spliced with human cells, causing a horrific mutation of the creature and bringing to life the first entirely plant-based Kaiju. (By that, we don't mean the kind that refuses to eat meat or dairy.)
Although we don't expect to see Monarch experimenting with genetically modified flowers any time soon, the lush subterranean ecosystem of the Hollow Earth would be the perfect environment for this biological monstrosity to take root – and an appearance from Biollante would be the perfect way to introduce the audiences to the possibility of new monsters mutating from the local flora.
2. Megaguirus
Reigning Queen of the Meganula, enormous prehistoric dragonfly titans awakened from their underground slumber by mining operations, Megaguirus was first introduced to the world in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus in the year 2000.
Megaguirus is a triple threat, utilising flight, speed and a deadly stinger that can absorb energy from other titans. Given that Godzilla and King Kong can’t fly, Megaguirus would present a dynamic new aerial challenge in a fight that will be mostly taking place on land.
Since the events of the MonsterVerse movie Godzilla vs Kong (2021), Godzilla has been recuperating within the Hollow Earth and restoring the power of his legendary atomic breath. It would therefore be a great opportunity for Megaguirus to siphon a bit off for herself to cement herself as an even more powerful foe.
3. Baragon
Baragon is something of a Godzilla fan favourite, in large part due to his memorable and adorable facial design. First introduced in Toho’s 1965 film ‘Frankenstein vs. Baragon’ (yes, that Frankenstein), Baragon utilises a powerful heat ray, which he uses to soften up the ground so that he can dig his way through it more easily.
Baragon is primarily a subterranean monster with a talent for high-speed burrowing. We know that within the Monsterverse, the Titans are using underground tunnels to travel between Hollow Earth and the surface.
Baragon would, therefore, be a perfect fit within this universe – and the ideal crowd-pleaser for die-hard fans of Toho’s original stories.
4. Destoroyah
In terms of pure unfiltered menace, there’s one classic Kaiju that will always take the top spot on our list. Destoroyah (from the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah) is considered by many to be Godzilla’s most powerful foe.
Unlike previous monsters seen in the series, this merciless creature is fully aware of the devastation and calamity he leaves in his wake and he takes great pleasure in causing it.
Destoroyah cycles through five different evolutionary forms. He begins life as multiple small trilobite-like creatures, which are then mutated in the aftermath of a chemical weapon of mass destruction called the ‘Oxygen Destroyer’. These creatures grow and combine over time, finally converging into the hulking monstrosity known as Destoroyah’s perfect form.
The Hollow Earth that features in the MonsterVerse is known to be irradiated, which is what causes the Titans to grow to their gigantic size. We wouldn’t be surprised if an updated and newly irradiated version of Destoroyah made his way to the big screen to present Godzilla and Kong with a threat unlike any that came before.
5. Anguirus
Anguirus is famous for two things: he was Godzilla’s first on-screen foe in the 1955 film Godzilla Raids Again, and he also became Godzilla’s closest friend after making a second movie appearance in Destroy All Monsters (1968).
Resembling a cross between an Ankylosaurus and an armadillo, he has worked side by side with Godzilla many times following his original defeat. Anguirus frequently takes on fights with enemies significantly more powerful than himself, cementing him as one of the most tenacious fighters ever seen in the history of Godzilla.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed something resembling Anguirus’ skeleton in one of the shots of the Hollow Earth in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Perhaps Godzilla’s closest companion will appear to back him up in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire?
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is released on March 29th. Join us at Cineworld and discover what Kaiju-themed surprises may be in store.
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