The ground trembles. The skies darken. The world shakes in anticipation of the return of the terrifying Titan in Godzilla: 2 King of the Monsters.
In just less than a week, we will witness yet another colossal confrontation among the iconic kaiju for dominance at the very apex of Earth’s ecosystem. But before we witness the towering skyscrapers of beasts duke it out, we must first know who exactly we want to root for and who we want crushed.
Without further ado, let’s meet and greet the (in)famous Titans that we’ve seen so far in recent trailers of Godzilla: 2 King of the Monsters.
Godzilla
Does this guy even need an introduction? Not really, but we’ll just throw him in the mix anyway, since this is all about getting familiar with our colossal contenders. The one who started it all, Godzilla first featured in the 1953 Gojira film. Since then, this bad boy has appeared approximately 31 times on the live-action big screen, not counting the upcoming Godzilla 2.
In any case, he’s the main man (beast?) in this franchise and, as the central Titan, he’s quite multi-talented. He can breathe underwater, maneuver adequately in both land and sea (though in some versions he was depicted with the ability to fly), regenerate damage on his body, live on nuclear radiation (and thus can absorb the impact of military-grade nuclear weapons), just to name a few.
But perhaps Godzilla’s most fearsome ability is his iconic Atomic Ray. As a being that sustains himself by consuming heaps of nuclear energy, Godzilla can convert that same energy into a focused red or blue blast (depending on which film you watched) from his mouth.
The Atomic Ray is so powerful and devastating that it can level entire cities. Of course, when movie studios have more budget and technical knowhow, how Godzilla does it is exponentially more scene-stealing from a cinematic perspective.
For human-kind or against: He’s going to be on our side this time but it really depends how he’s feeling.
Ghidorah
While this guy ain’t the symbol of House Targaryen of Game of Thrones, he may as well have been. One of Godzilla’s oldest archnemeses, Ghidorah, or more famously known as King Ghidorah, will make a return to the big screen as well.
First appearing in his very own film in 1964, Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster, King Ghidorah was originally a creation of an alien race called the Garogans, who set him loose to rampage across the universe, leaving destruction wherever he went. As he came upon Earth, he attempted to destroy it, but was thwarted time and again by Godzilla, usually with the aid of allied monsters such as Mothra and Rodan (more on those two later).
As a planet-destroying superweapon created by a technologically-advanced alien race, Ghidorah possesses powers so devastating that Godzilla had to call on buddies to help stop the fella. He possesses the unique Anti-Gravity beam that can be fired from each of the three heads. His wings give him the ability to rain down hell upon his targets, like a super-sized B-52 bomber.
Over the years, there have been numerous depictions of Ghidorah, displaying different abilities, such as fire/ice breath, telekinesis, teleportation, magnetism, and even the ability to siphon life force out of multiple beings. Regardless of what version Ghidorah was, he was always a terrifying sight to behold.
Ghidorah’s modern appearance was first teased in a curious post-credits scene at the end of 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, this visage of Godzilla facing off against a very familiar three-headed dragon sent goosebumps down many of our spines as we were teased a mouth-watering clash in a future film. Two years later, our wait is nearly finally over.
We’re not entirely sure what Ghidorah’s kit for Godzilla 2 is, but we’re certainly excited to see his hulking, gold-scaled form return to terrorise Earth once more in 2019.
For human-kind or against: Ghidorah has been a villain through and through, and seeing as Legendary Pictures aims to bring the franchise to newer audiences, we won’t be surprised to see the three-headed draconic alien superweapon reprise his antagonistic role to Godzilla and all of Earth in Godzilla 2.
Rodan
This iconic mutated pterodactyl is also another stalwart of the Godzilla franchise. Like Ghidorah, Rodan also starred in his own solo film back in 1956. Over the years, Rodan has been depicted as both a rival and ally to Godzilla. Sometimes they would fight over control over a city, but in the case of world-ending catastrophes (such as the aforementioned Ghidorah), he’d team up with Godzilla to put a stop to the impending threat.
Rodan’s talents are a little more limited than the above two Titans, but his flight at breakneck speeds, keen sight, flame breath and the ability to conjure gusts of wind make him a formidable Titan in his own right.
For human-kind or against: Rodan certainly looks terrifying in the trailers, being a looming shadow in the skies and whatnot. We might see him exchange claws with Godzilla himself, but we think it’s just a way of introducing Rodan’s temperament and abilities in the buildup to their allied epic showdown with Ghidorah.
Mothra
You can’t have Titans rampaging across the Earth without some insectoid types. Mothra offers that diversity that will pander to the wandering imaginations of kaiju fans.
Across her storied history, Mothra was often depicted as a mystical being, guardian of the Earth, and a motherly figure. Personality-wise, she is often depicted as a gentle and benevolent creature, and was often revered as a goddess. Very un-monster-like, but her abilities more than make up for her tame billing. Her desire to protect her territory and “children” means that, sometimes, she’d have to put up with Godzilla’s mess, but also team up with him when threats like Ghidorah show up.
Like Rodan, Mothra possesses air superiority, being a gigantic moth. Also like a moth, she is able to weave silky webs that are able to harden almost instantly and are tough, even for a hulking beast like Godzilla to break out of. She can also release poisonous spores from her wings to paralyse her enemies. Mothra also possesses the ability to control the minds of creatures, making her a force to be reckoned with. Her most unique ability, however, is to cure wounds, due to her divine nature.
Mothra definitely sounds like someone you’d want to make friends with. Piss her off, and you’ll be her slave for a lifetime. Or maybe just food.
For human-kind or against: Mothra should reprise her role as guardian of Mother Nature in some way or other. We can’t discount her terrifying abilities, but we think she’ll ultimately use those to defend mankind in one way or another.
The final two monsters are mere speculations due to what we’ve seen in the trailer above, but the shape they take suggests that these two might show up in Godzilla 2.
Kumonga
Kumonga is up first. This hulking spider is the stuff of nightmares, and rightly so. Despite originating from an island that was subject to nuclear radiation that mutated the creatures around it, Kumonga wasn’t affected, having been already a creature of reputable size.
As a humongous spider should, Kumonga can shoot webbing form his mandibles to capture and immobilise his foes and prey, as well as secrete poison via a stinger to go for the kill. If that doesn’t work, he can skewer enemies with the spear-like tips on his eight legs. Despite being a land-based creature, Kumonga is rather mobile and agile thanks to his powerful legs. As if that isn’t enough, his thick exoskeleton is strong enough to withstand Godzilla’s Atomic Ray multiple times over, which makes him a super agile super-tank.
For human-kind or against: We’re not sure where Kumonga’s allegiances lie in Godzilla 2, but we’re sure as hell ready to see this gargantuan arachnid come to the silver screen.
Anguirus
The final entry on this list is a little hazy as well, but we think that this shifting forested mountain could be the back of Anguirus. Unlike Mothra and Rodan, this massive ankylosaurus is often depicted to have a genuine friendship with Godzilla, though they fight on the odd occasion.
A tough and resilient fighter, Anguirus’ spiked carapace matches his hardy personality. Despite his pudgy looks, he’s actually rather quick, especially when he burrows into the ground, or curls up into his signature Anguirus Ball to decimate foes like a ten-ton bowling ball.
Also Angruirus can retract into his shell and spin rapidly, like a gigantic spiked frisbee to garrote enemies. And as if that isn’t enough, Anguirus can also emit a Sonic Roar to level buildings, as well as stun enemy Titans temporarily.
This tank of a beast is quite the multi-talented creature, and will certainly make an interesting addition to the already colossal roster of Godzilla 2 if he actually does make an appearance.
For human-kind or against: Anguirus has been Godzilla’s buddy time and again, and if Godzilla were to be humanity’s hero in this movie. we can certainly expect the monstrous ankylosaurus to be there by his side.
And that’s our primer to the Titans in Godzilla: 2 King of the Monsters. It’s shaping up to be quite the conflict of seismic proportions. Expect more cities demolished in a matter of minutes, claw-on-hide action, and not to mention those iconic sky-splitting roars.
While we’re fearing for the lives of the human characters such as Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), Dr Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga), we also can’t help but look forward to our kaiju power fantasies play out on the big screen when Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters drops on April 27.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Natalie
Si Jia
