Summary
- The Monsterverse is expanding with Titans in hibernation, potentially setting up for future showdowns in future installments.
- Godzilla remains a powerful and iconic figure in the Monsterverse, with multiple appearances and acts as the undisputed alpha.
- Kong is portrayed as intelligent and comionate, balancing out Godzilla's power in their dynamic as the alpha of the Hollow Earth.
From Monarch: Legacy of Monsters to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Legendary's Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2.
Godzilla and Kong's movies have done much to flesh out the world of the Monsterverse. Across multiple installments, it's gradually built its library of creatures, combining monsters associated with Toho's Godzilla movies and its own original creations. Thanks to the addition of Apple TV+'s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters show, the Monsterverse is developing an even larger lineup of Titans, one made even bigger by its fifth movie, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
All 8 Powers Godzilla Has (& Which Versions Had Them)
Atomic breath isn't the King of the Monsters' only ability. Here are all of Godzilla's powers, and which versions of Godzilla have them.
Godzilla
Godzilla Has Appeared In Five Monsterverse Movies One Show
Of all the Titans in the Monsterverse, Godzilla is arguably the most well known (with Kong coming in at a close second). There's a reason that Legendary decided to use Godzilla as the foundation of their franchise, since he's easily the most well known kaiju in cinema history. It's expected then that, of all the Titans, Godzilla is the most powerful of them all, and has the most appearances.
Monsterverse Show/Movie Godzilla Appeared In |
Release Year |
|---|---|
Godzilla |
2014 |
Kong: Skull Island (appears in a cave painting) |
2017 |
Godzilla: King of the Monsters |
2019 |
Godzilla vs. Kong |
2021 |
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters |
2023 |
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire |
2024 |
Godzilla became the King of the Monsters when he killed Ghidorah, but he wasn’t the undisputed alpha. At least one, Kong, didn’t regard him as the superior Monsterverse Titan. However, Godzilla vs. Kong's ending secured Godzilla’s position by having Kong lose their final brawl. When they stared each other down after the battle with Mechagodzilla, Godzilla gave Kong a chance to challenge him again. However, in dropping the axe, Kong sent a clear message to his rival: Godzilla is the undisputed alpha and the strongest known Titan of the Monsterverse.
Kong
Kong Has Appeared In Four Monsterverse Movies And Two Shows
Next to Godzilla, Kong is the most widely-recognized Titan in Legendary's Monsterverse. His long cinematic history ensured that, when the studio pitted him against Godzilla for the first time, it was a cinematic event many didn't want to miss. After decades of being the King of Skull Island, Kong was forced to relocate when a storm took over his home and destroyed the ecosystem. The Monsterverse has done a great job at balancing Kong with Godzilla, ensuring that it's always clear that, while Godzilla is the most powerful Titan, Kong is definitely the smartest (which makes them a somewhat even match).
Monsterverse Show/Movie Kong Appeared In |
Release Year |
|---|---|
Kong: Skull Island |
2017 |
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (appears in stock footage and a cave painting) |
2019 |
Godzilla vs. Kong |
2021 |
Skull Island |
2023 |
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters |
2023 |
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire |
2024 |
Godzilla vs. Kong set up a new future for him by sending him to live in the Hollow Earth. As Godzilla x Kong explained three years later, the move is what has allowed Godzilla and Kong to maintain peace. With Godzilla acting as the alpha of the surface, Kong is able to fulfill a similar role in the Hollow Earth. And now, after Monsterverse Great Apes to look after.
Mothra
Mothra Has Appeared In Four Monsterverse Movies
In the Monsterverse, Mothra a.k.a. The Queen of the Monsters is an ancient ally to Godzilla with whom she shares a symbiotic relationship. Of all the Titans in the Monsterverse, Mothra is portrayed as the most peaceful and willing to work alongside humanity. Like many versions of the character before her, Mothra died protecting the world in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Giving up what was left of her energy unlocked Godzilla's burning form and enabled him to beat Ghidorah.
Monsterverse Show/Movie Mothra Appeared In |
Release Year |
|---|---|
Kong: Skull Island (appears in a cave painting) |
2017 |
Godzilla: King of the Monsters |
2019 |
Godzilla vs. Kong (appears in a cave painting) |
2021 |
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire |
2024 |
She was revived in the Hollow Earth when human characters fulfilled an ancient prophecy by bringing Jia — an Iwi from Skull Island — to her temple. Following her rebirth, Mothra united Godzilla and Kong for the fight against Skar King. While she's not as dangerous as many of the other Titans in the Monsterverse, she is still powerful in her own right. She may not be able to best many other single-handed, but she has managed to turn the tide more than once for Godzilla when the pair team up.
Rodan
Rodan Has Appeared In 3 Monsterverse Movies
Legendary's Monsterverse taps into a host of kaiju's from Tohos original movies, including Rodan. While Rodan appeared in many of his own movies over the decades, he only made a direct appearance in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters when it comes to the Monsterverse. However, he was also glimpsed in cave paintings and stock footage across other movies.
Monsterverse Show/Movie Rodan Appeared In |
Release Year |
|---|---|
Kong: Skull Island (appears in a cave painting) |
2017 |
Godzilla: King of the Monsters |
2019 |
Godzilla vs. Kong (appears in stock footage) |
2021 |
Rodan and Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ original Titans were labeled as “defeated” in Godzilla vs. Kong’s intro, but they’re still very much alive in the Monsterverse. As revealed by the Godzilla: King of the Monsters credits, Rodan found a new volcano to roost in Fiji. According to the Godzilla vs. Kong novelization, he was paid a visit by the alpha two years after Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but what happened between them hasn’t been discussed. Regardless, Rodan is likely still asleep in his volcano and ready to rear his head if Godzilla finally calls his King of the Monsters minions out of hibernation.
Ghidorah
Ghidorah Has Appeared In 4 Monsterverse Movies
The Monsteverse version of Ghidorah is portrayed as one of the most powerful Titans to ever walk the Earth, and is a more than formiddable foe for Godzailla. Like his Toho counterpart, Ghidorah was treated as Godzilla's archenemy in King of the Monsters and was heavily implied to be a Titan from another planet. Thousands of years after losing to Godzilla and getting frozen in Antarctica, Ghidorah returned for a series of three rematches with Godzilla.
Monsterverse Show/Movie Ghidorah Appeared In |
Release Year |
|---|---|
Kong: Skull Island (appears in a cave painting) |
2017 |
Godzilla: King of the Monsters |
2019 |
Godzilla vs. Kong (appears in stock footage, and his skull is seen) |
2021 |
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (is mentioned) |
2024 |
On of his electrical absorption powers, Ghidorah nearly won the final round, but Mothra's intervention paved the way for Godzilla to destroy Monster Zero with his nuclear pulse attack. While Ghidorah only directly appeared in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, he was also shown in the cave painting in Kong: Skull Island, and his in-universe reputation ensured he was one of the few dead Titans still being discussed in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla Only Appeared In One Monsterverse Movie
Of all the Toho kaiju reinvented as Titans for Legendary's Monsterverse, it's perhaps Mechagodzilla that had the biggest overhaul when it came to his origin story. In a sense, the Monsterverse's Mechagodzilla is Ghidorah reborn. Mechagodzilla was crreated in the Monsterverse by merging advanced technology with the severed head of King Ghidorah. However, this backfired for humanity, and their intended anti-Titan defense weapon turned out to be an even bigger threat than Godzilla and Kong.
From the looks of things, APEX's efforts to build a mechanized answer to Godzilla with one of Ghidorah's severed heads allowed Monster Zero's spirit to take control of the robot. Thanks to the Hollow Earth entry source, Mechagodzilla was powerful enough to beat a tired Godzilla at the end of Godzilla vs. Kong. Its attempt to finish off Godzilla, however, was interrupted by Kong, who used his Godzilla-powered axe to destroy Mechagodzilla.
The MUTOs
The MUTOs Have Appeared In Two Monsterverse Movies
The MUTOs are perhaps the most forgettable of the Titans in the Monsterverse, and mainly serve as nameless foes for when the movies need something for Godzilla to fight to showcase his strength. MUTO is an acronym for "Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism", and they made their first appearance in 2014's Godzilla. The first villains of the Monsterverse, the male and female pair of MUTOs represent a species deemed as ancestral enemies of Godzilla.
After gaining Godzilla's attention, the two were individually killed by the Titan alpha in San Francisco. In King of the Monsters, the repercussions of Ghidorah’s call confirmed that the two MUTOs slain by Godzilla in the 2014 film weren’t the last of their kind. Referred to as the Queen of the MUTOs by Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty, the creature now answers to Godzilla and could serve as an ally to him in future movies.
Methuselah
Methuselah Has Appeared In Two Monsterverse Movies
Methuselah is certainly one of the most unique Titan's in the Monsterverse, being a gigantic hybrid made mainly of rocks rather than a titanic animal like Kong or Godzilla. The rock-like Titan known as Methuselah slept in plain sight for centuries by becoming a “mountain” in Munich, . It wasn’t until Ghidorah’s decision to wake up the Titans that the monster finally stirred and revealed his presence.
Methuselah only appeared twice in the Monsterverse, directly in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and briefly in stock footage shown in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Like Rodan and the others, Methuselah briefly followed Ghidorah’s orders before eventually switching his allegiance to the new alpha. As for where he is now, the Godzilla vs. Kong novelization mentioned he’s hibernating 100 miles away from the Amazon. Methuselah only appeared twice in the Monsterverse, directly in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and briefly in stock footage shown in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Scylla
Scylla Has Appeared In Three Monsterverse Movies
Much like Methuselah, Scylla is definitely one of the most visually distinct Titans in the Monsterverse, and is a giant armored spider or crab-like creature. Scylla's first appearance with in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, though it also was seen in stock footage during Godzilla vs. Kong, and briefly returned in Godzilla x. Kong: The New Empire.
Monsterverse Show/Movie Scylla Appeared In |
Release Year |
|---|---|
Godzilla: King of the Monsters |
2019 |
Godzilla vs. Kong (appears in stock footage) |
2021 |
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire |
2024 |
Rodan, Behemoth, Methuselah, and the third MUTO have seemingly stayed in line since Ghidorah’s fall, but one Titan in particular has been less obedient. The six-legged insect Titan Scylla, who ed the others in bowing down to Godzilla in King of the Monsters, rebelled against the alpha in the Godzilla vs. Kong prequel graphic novel, Godzilla: Dominion. Godzilla let her live after their brief fight in Dominion, but chose differently when they had a rematch in Italy. Godzilla's first scene in Godzilla x Kong saw Scylla die at the alpha's hands.
Behemoth
Behemoth Has Appeared In Two Monsterverse Movies
Of all the Titans in the Monsterverse that warrant a future appearance, few could be as justified as Behemoth. Behemoth is essentially a giant wooly Mammoth, and while he only appears in two movies (Godzilla: King of the Monsters and in stock footage of Godzilla vs. Kong), the titanic tusked beast is visually striking enough that he'd definitely be a memorable addition to any future sequels.
Behemoth, a mammoth Titan, was one of the monsters that gathered around Godzilla during the finale of King of the Monsters. Following his acceptance of Godzilla as the alpha, Behemoth settled in the Amazon rainforest. To the surprise of scientists, the radiation from his body fully restored the deforested regions of the area. This helped prove that Emma (Vera Farmiga) was right in Godzilla 2 when she said the Monsterverse Titans were capable of saving the world.
