Godzilla: The 10 Titans We Want to See Next in the MonsterVerse And How They Get There
JB Augustine
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The MonsterVerse is likely over after Godzilla vs. Kong finally takes the world by storm in 2021 which is a shame. Four movies make for an impressive run and quite an unusual feat achieved by American producers in charge of Godzilla and an underrated shared universe.
They’ve covered a lot of ground but there is still so much more they can do, characters and creatures to bring to screens everywhere. Toho has more than a few monsters they haven’t let out in decades and some haven’t been seen for nearly half a century.
We’ve already discussed the possibilities of how King Caesar and Mecha-King Ghidorah could make it into Legendary and Warner Bros’. kaiju franchise. But there are many, many more ready to rise out of the Hollow Earth or fall out of the sky.
So, hoping the end is not nigh, join us as we present ten giant monsters we must see in the MonsterVerse.
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Anguirus
Admittedly, this one is a gimme; Anguirus’s existence was verified in the MonsterVerse after his skeleton was discovered among the ship wreckage in Godzilla’s lair in King of the Monsters. This means he once existed in Legendary’s universe and probably fought Godzilla or one of his ancestors.
The question is are there more like him still out there. And will that creature fight the KOTM, like in Godzilla Raids Again (Anguirus’s first appearance)? Or will the two Titans work together as they did so often throughout the Showa Era?
Either option is possible if it is left up to Michael Dougherty who expressed interest in a BC Godzilla prequel. It’d be the easiest way to incorporate Anguirus and explain how his bones got there in the Hollow Earth – especially if Dougherty leans toward the two allies duking it out.
Biollante
Biollante unfortunately had only one appearance in a Godzilla movie 30 years ago but would top most G-fan lists for a return.
Made from a combination of cells from humans, plants, and Godzilla himself, she is one of the few monsters to almost beat him in battle (twice), pierce his hide, and leave him near death. She also grows to a towering height and can evolve her form.
However, Biollante is one of Godzilla’s greatest threats beyond size, power, and adaptability. Like Mothra who can pass down her essence to her offspring, Biollante can scatter into spores and seed herself in a new location to grow again after a fight. She effectively cannot die, making her as apex a challenge as the regenerating Ghidorah.
What’s her intro to the MonsterVerse? Simple. Monarch revealed in KOTM they have samples of Titan DNA in storage. It was also hinted they’re trying to engineer a synthetic Titan. Genetic manipulation created Biollante so she could be bred in part from the cells of a kaiju.
It doesn’t have to be Godzilla. Maybe Ghidorah provides the material. All we need is a throwaway line – preferably in Godzilla vs. Kong – people are experimenting with plant and monster DNA then we’re off to the races.
Destoroyah
His deadliest and most powerful foe, Destoroyah faced off with Godzilla for his final and fatal battle of the Heisei period in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah – considered to be one of the greatest Godzilla, let alone Kaiju, movies ever made.
Sadly, the only way to get your fix with him after that single Earth-shattering appearance is in comic book format. Isn’t it time someone did something about that?
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Godzilla will be policing the world for new threats after GVK, so it would be as good a time as any to rectify things. The way to do that: go back to Destoroyah’s roots. Evolving rapidly from a prehistoric crustacean, he was created by the Oxygen Destroyer when it was used on the first Gojira in 1954.
The Oxygen Destroyer, created and deployed in KOTM, didn’t work as planned and should predictably come with unintended consequences. Enter Godzilla vs. Destroyah, round 2. The only downside is it might turn into a remake of the 1995 film, but there are worse things in life.
Gigan
One of Godzilla’s oldest and most popular rivals, Gigan’s been absent from the big screen for over 15 years – making no major waves since Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). That’s not as long as most on this list but it’s enough to make the average G-Fan want to pull their hair out.
Another monster from space Godzilla had to defeat with help, Legendary has the perfect excuse to put Gigan in a movie and a few other Titans with him for good measure – while saving diehards a bundle in hair plugs and restoration procedures.
How though? Use the MUTOs. What am I talking about? Don’t kick yourself too hard if you missed the MUTO head on display in Monarch’s Castle Bravo base. That head – with its red eyes and beak – could be used to build Gigan from the ground up, whether Monarch, Apex, or aliens do it. Mechagodzilla is sure to supply some spare parts.
Just don’t let Gigan look as stupid as he did in Final Wars – entering the fray like a badass only to get decapitated twice (once by his own mistake).
Hedorah
OK, hear me out. Hedorah wouldn’t normally make anybody’s list but there are ways this can work. To start, he evolved from trash and pollution to feed on smoke and spray smog in a heavy-handed and, shall we say, experimental environmental message.
KOTM had a similar motif, albeit a starker, less cartoony one. The trick is to find a balance that won’t turn away fans or piss off Toho, assuming they want to see Hedorah ever again. Being another monster from space, he ought to follow Ghidorah to figure that one out.
But while Ghidorah was a creature tied to the legends of ancient Man, Hedorah could be a menace steeped in modern folklore – understood by science as opposed to arcane history depicted on a cave wall.
Don’t forget that artificial Titan Monarch is making. Hedorah could be the result of a failed experiment Godzilla has to mend and we potentially get Godzilla vs. Hedorah 2 – which few are bound to want. Toho or someone else may call for the old rewrite that requires Hedorah to share the spotlight.
Calling that a “bummer” might be a stretch but Final Wars, fortunately, proves Hedorah in small doses can be palatable. In the MonsterVerse, though, I want to bank on his butt-kicking at the hands of Big G not being so quick.
Jet Jaguar
Our old friend Jet Jaguar has a spotty history. He was created by a third grader for a contest only to have Toho alter every detail of his submission, including the name. And he’s a cheap imitation of Ultraman but the MonsterVerse could use a dose of Tokusatsu, don’t you think?
Allowing the growing robot to punch, punch, punch his way into Legendary’s canon is the easy part. Mechagodzilla makes the existence of all sorts of kaiju and giant robots possible after Godzilla vs. Kong. Just tweak the young-inventor backstory a little; make him a Monarch or Apex employee.
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Honestly, despite not being one of the most popular characters, who doesn’t want to see a humanoid robot with the same powers as Ant-Man that can also fly and shoot lasers on the big screen fight Godzilla and other Titans? And I didn’t mention his seismic punch. The thing is: Do we include Megalon and the groovy denizens of Seatopia?
No, we can skip them.
Mechani-Kong
King Kong’s own metallic double might be the most obvious addition with Mechagodzilla around. Mechani-Kong was the Eighth Wonder’s enemy in King Kong Escapes, the only other Toho movie starring the giant ape from Skull Island after King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Fun Facts: Ebirah — Horror of the Deep was supposed to be a Kong vehicle. That obviously didn’t come to pass and the big guy went into hibernation until the 1970s. And Mechani-Kong came before Mechagodzilla so he was the prototype for the whole “Mecha” monster idea.
Including him in the MonsterVerse would be the perfect tribute to robotic kaiju everywhere. But how do you do that? Well, he was created by a mad scientist – the evil Dr. Who (seriously). All they have to do is transplant the same MacGuffin, only make it somebody who works for Apex or Monarch.
Across four movies, we learned man wants to destroy the Titans or, best case scenario, control them. Skull Island may have to be conquered for that to happen but one thing stands in the way – that’s Kong. Where Mechagodzilla fails, a 300-foot automaton ape with an attitude might succeed, or die trying.
That sounds like an ideal plot for the next Kong solo movie, doesn’t it?
Space Godzilla
Our next entry is one more of those: “he made a single appearance in one movie and the fandom loved him ever since.” So let’s give him an overdue second chance.
The result of a reaction when Godzilla cells make contact with a black hole – either through the fault of Mothra or Biollante – Space Godzilla arrived on Earth to destroy stuff and terraform the place with his massive stalagmite crystals.
His origin doesn’t need to be so complicated. Maybe they keep the Godzilla cell angle but instead of a black hole a super collider could be employed, somehow, or possibly a lab accident involving one. Once again, tying Space G into the creation of a manmade Titan would go a long way here.
Weighing the pros and cons, the biggest issue is Space Godzilla’s similar modus operandi and powers – in his flight and telekinetic Corona Beam – to Ghidorah might come across as a case of rinse and repeat. That aside, we’ve seen Ghidorah do the same thing over and over in a fresh coat of paint.
Give us Space Godzilla, guys.
Gamera
Nope, not joking. A lot of fans will want Gamera in the MonsterVerse and for one reason: a showdown with the King, Godzilla. Legendary just has to convince Toho to come to the table with Kadokawa Pictures, the owners of Gamera, and agree to a deal. Which is no easy task, it’ll be like pulling teeth without anesthesia.
Kadokawa tried once, long before Godzilla’s 2014 resurgence and coming off Gamera’s white-hot Heisei comeback. Toho, uninterested in seeing their guy lose, said no. Now, the times and money might be right.
Godzilla started the turn of the century strong with the Millennium series and arguably has never been more popular. The second decade of the 2000s saw the dawn of the MonsterVerse and the well-received Shin reboot of the G-Man.
Gamera was acquired by Kadokawa when the publisher, wanting to break into filmmaking, bought the foundering old-guard Japanese studio Daiei. In twenty years, they only made one feature with the flying fire-breathing turtle (Gamera The Brave, 2006), backsliding into his kid-friendly roots. They made a proof of concept short in 2015 but have sat on expanding it into a feature ever since.
Legendary can fix that. The easiest way is to tie Gamera to ancient civilizations like the other Titans. His Heisei trilogy already did, but took things a step further – establishing Gamera was created by a doomed Atlantis to battle the out-of-control Gaos.
See? This writes itself. Bring on Gaos while you’re at it.
Titanosaurus
Our last pick, and a personal favorite, who’s been stuck on the sidelines since the 1970s and the end of the Showa Era, Titanosaurus karate-kicked the crap out of Godzilla way back in Terror of Mechagodzilla. It wasn’t his fault; he was under the mind control of some pesky aliens.
Normally, this somewhat forgotten cult-fave is a docile, sleeping dinosaur – with kung fu skills and the power to wipe out entire cities with a wave of his fan-shaped tail. Titanosaurus can generate hurricane-force winds much like Rodan but also stands on two legs and can swim in the ocean like Gojira.
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He can give the big guy a fight on his terms, though they might want to retool his origin. To fit in the MonsterVerse, Titanosaurus could be a bipedal relative of Rodan or the Warbat (to explain his fins and ability). Or they can make him the product of Ghidorah’s severed head regenerating into a new creature.
Whatever they do, it would be a fresh take. They’ll just have to drop that whole thing about him being peaceful.
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