Summary
- Legendary’s Monsterverse features Godzilla and Kong as guardians against dire Titan threats, teaming up when needed.
- Titans like Camazotz, Hedorah, Gigan, and Biollante offer unique challenges for Godzilla and Kong to face together.
- Potential foes like Spacegodzilla, Battra, King Caesar, and Destoroyah could join the Monsterverse.
Both Godzilla and Kong have taken down their fair share of fearsome foes in Legendary’s Monsterverse, but there are still countless Titan threats both known and unknown that they can defend the world from. Beginning with 2014’s Godzilla, the Monsterverse has steadily developed Godzilla and Kong as two sides of the same coin; they are guardians of the surface world and (usually) humanity against the most dire Titanic threats. They have also teamed up on multiple occasions to take on enemies that would have been too much for either to handle on their own.
The Monsterverse has done a nice job of weaving brand-new daikaiju in with some of the most iconic monsters from Toho’s filmography to create an ever-expanding world of creatures both benevolent and malignant. With all of Toho’s history to draw on, plus a well-established roster of known threats in the world, the Monsterverse won’t run out of Titans to pit against Godzilla and Kong anytime soon. With Godzilla protecting the surface world and Kong holding down the fort in the mysterious Hollow Earth, they are bound to encounter some exciting new enemies in the next Monsterverse movie.
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12 Camazotz
The demonic bat capable of challenging Kong
While there are more than 30 known Titans in the current Monsterverse, only a few have ever actually appeared on the big screen. Others received an extremely brief cameo on monitors in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and still others have appeared in tie-in content that supports the movies. Camazotz is one of the latter; the giant demon bat was the main antagonist of Kingdom Kong, the graphic novel that acted as a prequel to 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong.
Kong needing help from the HEAVs in his battle with the Warbats in his first journey to the Hollow Earth in
Godzilla vs. Kong
is a direct echo of how he needed Monarch fighter jets to help him against Camazotz.
Camazotz is one of the most visually-intimidating Titans to ever appear in the Monsterverse, with his broken facial horn, razor sharp teeth, white eyes, and prehensile spiked tail. In Kingdom Kong, Camazotz and his horde of smaller bats clash with Kong on Skull Island, and Camazotz actually had the upper hand if not for the intervention of Monarch fighter jets. With the distraction, Kong managed to turn the tide, beat Camazotz nearly to death, and throw him through a Vile Vortex back into the Hollow Earth. Camazotz survived the battle, and is surely itching to take another crack at Kong.
11 Hedorah
The smog monster who once nearly killed Godzilla
The classic Toho villain Hedorah would make an ideal enemy for the next Monsterverse movie, as he can be easily modified into a great enough threat that Godzilla, Kong, and perhaps Mothra would have to team up again to take him down. An extraterrestrial organism that crash-landed on Earth and grew by feeding on the Earth’s pollution, Hedorah is one of the scariest threats Godzilla ever faced in the Showa Era, even if his design seemed somewhat campy.
Hedorah progressed through several forms as he continued to feed on pollution, and at different stages of his evolution he was capable of spraying a toxic mist that killed thousands, poisoning the ocean, and burning Godzilla to the bone with his acidic body. The Monsterverse could easily introduce him as a product of the world’s pollution, true to his Toho origins. Once unleashed, Godzilla and Kong would need to figure out how to stop a monster that can’t be punched or heat rayed into oblivion like most of their other opponents.
10 Gigan
Gigan is unique in Godzilla’s roster of enemies as both an extraterrestrial and a cyborg. With Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire raising the bar about how fantastic and over-the-top the Monsterverse has become, an alien cyborg is well within the range of possible threats. The alien part could even be omitted, instead making Gigan a cyborg whose technology is based on the already-introduced Mechagodzilla’s body.
All Gigan Movie Apperances |
|
---|---|
Godzilla vs. Gigan |
1972 |
Godzilla vs. Megalon |
1973 |
Godzilla: Final Wars |
2004 |
Gigan makes sense for either Titan to clash with, but as an iconic Godzilla villain, he makes more sense as a primary Godzilla opponent. Gigan does have a history of working in tandem with another villainous monster, as he has teamed up with both King Ghidorah and Megalon in past film appearances. That could leave the door open for him to appear as a secondary threat, not unlike Shimo in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
9 Megalon
The subterranean beetle god who seeks vengeance on the surface world
1973’s Godzilla vs. Megalon was probably the peak of the late Showa Era, during which Godzilla was depicted as a soft-edged family-friendly character who shook hands and gave the peace sign. However, as silly as the movie itself is, Megalon was still a legitimate threat to Godzilla and the world at large. He was able to fly at supersonic speeds, had two massive drills for hands, spat napalm bullets out of his mouth, and dispelled lightning out of the rod atop his head.
As a subterranean monster, Megalon can be easily inserted into the Monsterverse via the Hollow Earth, especially considering that 95% of the Hollow Earth remains unmapped. The zero-gravity battle at the end of Godzilla X Kong could have been enough to wake him from a dormant state, or bring him to the surface after his home was disturbed by the battle. If he does show up, his arsenal of weapons will make him a very real threat to either of the world’s Alpha Titans.
8 Yamata no Orochi
The dragon Titan with more heads than Ghidorah
One of the named yet unseen Titans from the Monsterverse is Yamata no Orochi, a monster whose name comes from Japanese mythology. Toho actually produced a non-Godzilla tokusatsu film in 1994 titled Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon, which plays out the myth associated with the dragon. It’s a safe bet that the Titan named in the Monsterverse shares similar characteristics, and if it’s an eight-headed dragon that spews fire, it could be a very real and dangerous threat to Godzilla and Kong.
The concept of King Ghidorah as a multiple-headed dragon is based on the Japanese myth of Yamata no Orochi, along with similar characters from global mythology, like India’s Trisiras or Greece’s Hydra.
7 Biollante
The plant monster who took Godzilla to the limit
The Monsterverse has already shown a number of Titans who mimic plants, so making the next big bad the grandmother of all plant monsters makes a ton of sense. Biollante is the result of the unnatural splicing of Godzilla cells into a rose, along with cells from the dead daughter of the scientist responsible for the hybrid. Biollante’s origin may not be quite so convoluted in the Monsterverse, but her abilities could match the version seen in 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante.
The original Biollante was capable of spewing a corrosive sap from her vines, which had their own mouths and could ensnare and pierce Godzilla’s skin on their own. She was also capable of a certain degree of regeneration, and in her first form could use her plant extremities as an effective shield against Godzilla’s atomic breath. If Biollante lurks somewhere in the Hollow Earth, Godzilla and Kong will truly have a fight on their hands.
6 Spacegodzilla
The ultra-powerful mutated clone of Godzilla himself
One of Godzilla’s greatest threats from his Toho career is undoubtedly Spacegodzilla, a crystal-powered mutant who was born from Godzilla cells that were cast into outer space. It’s theorized in 1994’s Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla that the cells may have even originated from Godzilla’s final battle against Biollante, during which Biollante dispersed energy spores into the atmosphere upon its defeat. Spacegodzilla’s strength and abilities make him worthy of a Godzilla/Kong team-up, as Godzilla required plenty of support in their original battle.
Spacegodzilla is capable of an almost comical array of attacks, including his Corona Beam, an energy beam not unlike Ghidorah’s Gravity Beam, his Gravity Tornado, a form of telekinesis that allows him to pick up and throw enemies with his mind, an electromagnetic wave known as the Photon Hurricane, and the geokinetic ability to manipulate the many crystals around him for offense and defense. He would stand as the greatest Titan threat that the Monsterverse has ever faced; as a clone of Godzilla, he would likely be unaffected by the extreme radiation that killed Ghidorah.
5 Amhuluk
The aggressive and amphibious telekinetic Titan of Russia
Amhuluk is another Titan that has been confirmed to exist in the Monsterverse, but has never made a big screen appearance. Like Camazotz, Amhuluk appeared in a graphic novel prequel: 2021’s Godzilla: Dominion. Amhuluk encroaches on the Amazonian territory of the Titan Behemoth, and after battling him for the territory, Godzilla threatens him to keep the peace. As an aggressive “Destroyer” Titan, Amhuluk stands a good chance to cross paths with Godzilla again, although he may not pose a significant threat considering much of his body is composed from plant materials that Amhuluk controls with telekinesis.
Amhuluk is a master of disguise, as he is able to hide effectively both in forests and underwater; he occasionally will conceal himself on shorelines as part of the landscape to remain unseen.
4 Battra
The diabolical doppelgänger of Mothra
Battra is a Toho monster that only made one appearance, in 1992’s Godzilla vs. Mothra. The dark counterpart to Mothra, Battra is a creation of the Earth itself as an instrument of vengeance against an ancient scientist who attempted to control the weather. Battra’s primary weapon is the potent Prism Beam, an energy beam he is able to shoot out of his eyes at any stage of his insectoid development.
Mothra has appeared in two Monsterverse movies so far, and as the Queen of Monsters she is a pure guardian and peacekeeper between the Titans and humanity, and between Godzilla and Kong. Exploring Mothra’s backstory could make for an interesting next step in the Monsterverse, and reviving one of her ancient rivals would present an interesting challenge for her. However, Battra would likely require some support if he were to take on Godzilla and/or Kong.
3 King Caesar
The ancient guardian lion of Okinawa
In the Toho films, King Caesar is the ancient guardian deity of the island of Okinawa, and is modeled after the shisa, a mythological guardian lion. In addition to his superior athletic ability, King Caesar is able to redirect energy blasts by taking in the energy blasts in one eye, and sends them out 10 times stronger out of the other eye. King Caesar would make a worthy ally for either Godzilla or Kong as a guardian Titan, but given his role as the defender of a specific region, he could have reason to step up to the Alpha Titans.
King Caesar’s energy redirection through his eyes is known as the Prism Eye, and is made possible by a U-shaped crystal behind his eyes where the actual redirection mechanism occurs.
2 Rodan
The powerful flying monster known as “the Fire Demon”
While Rodan submitted to Godzilla at the end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, he has not been depicted as an ally in the Monsterverse so far. Rodan is classified as a Destroyer Titan, given how destructive the shock waves from his flight are. While his flight and claws are his primary weapons, Rodan is a “bio-volcanic” organism, meaning that he has magma constantly running through his body. He is able to trigger volcanic eruptions just by flying near them, so his travels could certainly give Godzilla or Kong a reason to come to blows with the Fire Demon.
1 Destoroyah
Perhaps the most powerful enemy Godzilla has ever faced
Monsterverse fans have theorized as far back as Godzilla: King of the Monsters that the biggest and baddest foe that Godzilla has ever fought would find his way into the fray of the Monsterverse sooner or later, and with the next movie set to conclude the Godzilla and Kong trilogy, his appearance could be close. Like many of Godzilla’s enemies from the Heisei and Millennium Era, Destoroyah was a one-off villain, but he’s remembered as one of the most fearsome monsters that Toho has ever produced.
Destoroyah’s power levels could yield the Avengers-style team-up that seems imminent in the Monsterverse.
In 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Destoroyah was born when a group of ancient crustaceans were woken by the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon used to kill Godzilla in the original 1954 movie, which also caused them to mutate and grow over the decades. When they surfaced in 1995, they combined to take a number of vile shapes, finally coming together to create the massive final winged form of Destoroyah. Destoroyah was ultimately destroyed, but not before Godzilla died from an internal nuclear meltdown, breathing his essence into Godzilla Junior to preserve his life.
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Destoroyah’s origins in the Monsterverse could remain fairly true to his Toho lore, and with no aliens or robots involved, he requires far less suspension of belief from the audience. Destoroyah would be a true big bad for the Monsterverse, as his combination of abilities would be far too much for either Kong or Godzilla (even in his evolved form) to handle on their own. It would likely require several Titans to take him down, which could lead to the Avengers-style team-up that seems imminent in the Monsterverse.
Monsterverse
The Monsterverse is a giant kaiju franchise that began in 2014 with Legendary’s Godzilla starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen. The film was followed up by Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs Kong, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.