The King of the Monsters is back and he’s here to stay. Earlier this month, Godzilla returned to the big screen and performed quite well at the box office, netting a worldwide total of nearly 330 million dollars (at the time of this writing). Critics and fans alike may be divided in their reviews of the reboot, but regardless of the mixed reaction, a sequel is certainly imminent. However, as with any great sequel, the ante must be upped.
This time around, we saw the monster tangle with the Mutos, a pair of giant, horny insectoids who nearly gave him a run for his money. The Mutos were original creations made for this film, and they proved their worth alongside the laundry list of kaiju (giant monsters, duh) that have had their asses kicked over the thirty films in the series.
Though I enjoyed the Muto, what better way to up that ante than to see one of the more prolific monsters in a sequel. There are dozens of awesome kaiju that could really use a 21st century makeover. This is a great opportunity to give the fans an upgrade to some of their favorite creatures while introducing a whole new generation to Toho’s kaiju catalog. That’s why I’m dropping my favorite picks for Godzilla 2: Dawn of Justice.
Mothra
Pros: Arguably Toho’s second most popular kaiju, instantly recognizable.
Cons: Trying to explain the Mothra twins (and they have to be there, I accept no substitutes).
Mothra has appeared in a large number of kaiju films, making an appearance in every era of Godzilla cinema. She even became popular enough to spawn her own trilogy of films, making her a rare example of a kaiju breaking from the Godzilla franchise. Hatching from an egg on Infant Island and being summoned by a pair of Asian fairy twins, Mothra generally defends the Earth from outside threats. Sometimes she teams up with the Big G to tackle a mutual foe, other times the two come to blows themselves.
Director Gareth Edwards seems to have some fondness for the character, alluding to her in the new film, as well as displaying several pictures of moths/butterflies in the background of multiple scenes. This lends some credence to the possibility of her inclusion in the next film, though grounding her in any sort of reality would be a tough sell without damaging the campy essence of the character.
Perhaps some sort of ancient mystical civilization worshipped Mothra, hiding the last of her eggs deep within the Earth. The Mutos rampage awakens her, causing her and Godzilla to come to blows or unite to fight a bigger monster. Either way, Edwards would have his hands full explaining the origins of a glittery space moth.
Odds: 10:1
Rodan
Pros: Would be easy to adapt for modern audiences, one of the more recognizable kaiju.
Cons: Shares a lot of physical similarities with the male Muto.
The giant, radioactive pterodactyl Rodan starred in his own film before appearing alongside Godzilla in 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. Rodan has since gone on to appear in seven other films in the series, either fighting against or with Godzilla. Rodan wouldn’t be too difficult to explain in Edwards’ Godzilla universe. We’ve already seen two species of ancient kaiju rise to battle one another. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume that others exist below the oceans depths.
Rodan, like Mothra and other kaiju (Anguirus, Baragon, etc.) is often at his best when he’s fighting as an ally to Godzilla. Seeing a team of giant monsters gathering to fight a large scale threat (think Avengers on an enormous scale) would be a huge treat for fans, and Rodan would be best served as a member of this team.
Odds: 20:1
Gigan
Pros: Incredibly weird and unique design, very cool powers.
Cons: Ok, maybe the design is a little too weird…
Gigan is perhaps one of the more popular, but underutilized kaiju under the Toho umbrella. Though he’s only appeared in a few films, Gigan’s bird-like looks, buzz saw chest and imposing hooked claws make for a unique and visually arresting design. If he wasn’t already badass looking enough, Gigan got an upgrade in 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars, where he traded in his hooks for another pair of saws.
Gigan, like many of Godzilla’s enemies, comes from outer space. In his first appearance, Gigan teamed up with fellow extraterrestrial Ghidorah to battle Godzilla and again teamed up with Megalon a year later. Though he often winds up sharing the screen with other kaiju antagonists, Gigan could easily work well as a solo act.
One of the more derided aspects of the reboot was the human element. An alien invasion scenario would offer a way to give the humans a viable threat and give the military something to fight (that they can actually contend with). If the human conflict and Godzilla’s conflict were balanced well and intertwined using Gigan, the sequel could both trump the first film and further the characters.
Odds:50:1
King Ghidorah
Pros: He’s essentially Godzilla’s arch-enemy, the Joker to his Batman.
Cons: Saving him for a later sequel may be a better buildup.
King Ghidorah is a three-headed, lightening spewing space dragon. He’s one of the greatest threats in Godzilla’s rogues gallery, and has tangled with the Big G on seven occasions. Ghidorah is the ultimate badass. So badass in fact, that the combined efforts of seven kaiju (including Godzilla) barely managed to take him out in Toho’s 1968 monster scrapfest Destroy All Monsters). In an interview with Screen Rant, Edwards stated that he’d like for the Godzilla sequel to emulate that film.
“With the exception of the 1954 original, I would say my second favorite film is Destroy All Monsters. I just love the idea of a monster island. Having a world with these creatures in it. I find that fascinating and would like to treat that realistically. I wouldn’t want to limit it to one other foe, I think it’s more fun to – this question will come back to haunt me if we ever do a sequel – but I think multiple creatures make better movies in terms of the image of Gojira.”
What bigger threat for Godzilla and co. to take on than the single greatest enemy they’ve ever faced? Though using King Ghidorah this early on in the series may feel rushed, it would certainly take the franchise to a new level.
Odds: 15:1
Mechagodzilla Pros: Godzilla + robots = awesome.
Cons: Justifying the government making a robotic Godzilla is hard.
Mechagodzilla is possibly the closest rival to get near Ghidorah in terms of threat level and icon status. Built by the government to destroy Godzilla, this robotic kaiju comes equipped with missiles, lasers, bombs and the “absolute zero cannon” (thank you, Japan).
Appearing in five films that span the course of three eras, Mechagodzilla has been a hero of the people and a threat to humanity, often times both in the same film. He’s been an alien invader, a government sanctioned weapon, and even the original 1954 Godzilla encased in a metal exoskeleton. Though his origin varies depending on the film, the basic design remains the same. Mechagodzilla would be another great avenue for tying the military/humanity based story with the giant monster brawling.
Using the “government builds him” approach, Mechagodzilla could be used as either a hero created to destroy the threat of kaiju or an experiment gone awry. I prefer the concept that the robot goes bad, another example of humanity’s arrogance getting the better of them. Using a group of sinister or misguided people to hack into/take over the programming of Mechagodzilla and use him for their own means would be an interesting conflict to balance out the storyline. Plus, Godzilla would get to save the day again!
Odds: 30:1
SpaceGodzilla
Pros: Godzilla + space = awesome.
Cons: Hearing people say “SpaceGodzilla” would be…no, there are no cons.
Space Godzilla appears in 1994’s Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. After Godzilla’s cells are taken into space following a battle with Mothra, they’re sucked into a black hole and become SpaceGodzilla. After crash landing on Earth, he comes to blows with the original King of the Monsters (there isn’t enough room on Earth for two) and epic battles ensue.
Perhaps some of Big G’s cells make their way into space via a scuffle with some anti-Godzilla super weapon. Follow the (ludicrous) origin of the original and voila, instant classic. I’ll admit, this character probably won’t show up ever again but I have a strange soft spot for this film and its antagonist. He kidnaps adorable Baby Godzilla Jr.! What a villain! Anyway, this is my list so he makes the cut.
Odds: 100:1
Jet Jaguar
Pros: Would make for one of the funniest cinematic experiences of all time.
Cons: There’s a reason why Jet never made a second film appearance.
Jet Jaguar appeared in one film, 1973’s Godzilla vs. Megalon. It’s largely considered one of the worst Godzilla films of all time, and for good reason. The heroic robot Jet Jaguar was created by an elementary school child in a contest sponsored by Toho. He’s basically an Ultraman rip-off.
Originally, this film was supposed to serve as a vehicle for Jet Jaguar. He even got his own theme song! Luckily, Toho realized that the sensibilities of a size-changing robot weren’t enough to carry a film and Godzilla was added to the mix. If Gareth Edwards adds Jet Jaguar to a Godzilla sequel, I will poop. My defecation will occur for a number of reasons including (but not limited to) the hilarity of seeing that costume onscreen again, the idea of an updated Jet Jaguar theme song and the pure joy of watching the audience struggle to stay in the theater.
Odds: 10,000:1
Whatever the Godzilla creative team comes up with, it’s sure to up the ante. I for one can’t wait to see which (if any) of these great characters will return to their rightful places on the big screen. Now, I’ll resume listening to the sweet sounds of Jet Jaguar: PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH!
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