A forgotten, one-off villain from aGodzillavideo game once had a very different legacy in front of him - being the “final boss” of the 1990s movie series. Also known as the Heisei series, this era in Godzilla’s history began with his fight against humanity inReturn of Godzillaand ended with his death inGodzilla vs. Destoroyah. A story spanning seven movies, the Heisei series saw him go up against a host of dangerous threats , including SpaceGodzilla, Biollante, Battra, new versions of King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla, and, of course, Destoroyah, who cemented his status as one of thegreatest villains in Godzilla’s rogues' gallery.
Destoroyah never made another appearance inthe Godzilla franchise, but one movie was all that was needed for Destoroyah to develop the level of notoriety that he still holds today.Godzilla vs. Destoroyahintroduced the kaiju as an incredibly powerful foe, one that pushed Godzilla to his limit. In fact, he even went as far as to kill Godzilla Junior, the once-adorable monster fromGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.This created the setup for Godzilla’s swan song,as the King of the Monsters ended his journey defeating Destoroyah and dying in a blaze of glory. With his death and Destoroyah’s defeat, the Heisei series came to a sad yet beautiful end.
Bagan Was Considered For Godzilla’s Final Villain
Godzilla vs. Bagan Was Almost Godzilla’s Final Heisei Series Movie
Prior to the conception of Destoroyah, it was understood that the then-untitled Godzilla movie was to be the kaiju’s final outing. Due to dwindling box office returns, Toho was ready to close the door on the franchise, at least for the time being. To that end, it it wanted to make sure the movie was a proper sendoff for Godzilla. For that to work, he needed a villain who could feel like his ultimate adversary. The obvious options -King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla- had already been beaten by this version of Godzilla, so it made sense to turn to someone else instead.The first candidate to enter serious consideration was Bagan.
Bagan was born from the mind of none other than Tomoyuki Tanaka, the legendary creator of Godzilla.Bagan was envisioned as an ancient force of destruction. The central premise behind the monster was that he possessed the ability to shapeshift. All together, he had three different forms he could use in battle, each possessing its own distinguishing physical characteristics and abilities.
The idea for Godzilla to fight Bagan didn’t originate with the movie that ultimately becameGodzilla vs. Destoroyah.Rather, the idea was developed more than a decade earlier, as late as 1980, but went unused for years. Theprospect of Godzilla fighting Baganwas revived for his final film. Presumably, his menacing design and multiple transformations were what inspired the idea that he could fill the role of Godzilla’s greatest opponent ever.
Exactly what the story would have been is unclear, as ideas for Bagan’s origin have varied. However, there are some clues about the plot; as recounted byThe Big Book of Giant Japanese Monster Movies: The Lost Films,G-Fan #12(a Godzilla fan magazine) claimed that the spirits of Rodan and Mothra were to return after their respective deaths inGodzilla vs. MechagodzillaandGodzilla vs. Mothraand assist in Bagan’s defeat. As for Godzilla, he was to absorb enough nuclear radiation to enter into a transformation called “Super Godzilla,” with which he would use to beat Bagan. However, this explanation has never been verified.
Varan Was Also A Candidate For Godzilla’s Last Opponent
Rather than pivot away from Bagan to Destoroyah, there was another monster that acted as a stepping stone between the two ideas. Varan, the titular antagonist ofVaran the Unbelievableand one of themany kaiju cameos inDestroy All Monsterswas the next option Toho looked at after Bagan. After dropping Varan, the movie evolved intoGodzilla vs Giant Monster Varan.
As a product of the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the 1954 Godzilla, no monster made better sense than Destoroyah as Godzilla’s final opponent.
Since Varan had already been established inVaran the Unbelievableas a versatile creature that can fight in the air, the water, and on land,Godzilla vs. Giant Monster Varanwas going to lean into that to make Varan a world-ending threat, and in turn, the ultimate opponent for Godzilla. But in the end, Toho rejected that plan as well, finally setting on a completely new creature, Destoroyah. As a product of the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the 1954 Godzilla, no monster made better sense than Destoroyah as Godzilla’s final opponent.
Bagan Made It Into A Video Game, But Missed Out On Every Movie Opportunity
A Super Nintendo Game Is Bagan’s Only Contribution To Godzilla History
The abandoned of Bagan batting “Super Godzilla” ties in neatly with the plot of a Godzilla video game released in 1993, titledSuper Godzilla. In the last level, Godzilla squares off againstGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah’sMecha-King Ghidorah, and in the process of winning, the player can make Godzilla transform into “Super Godzilla.” If that happens, an extra stage is unlocked where Godzilla - in his “Super Godzilla” form - fights Bagan. The idea of “Super Godzilla” battling it out with Bagan on the big screen could explain the story of the game.
At the time of the game’s release, it may be that Bagan was supposed to be on his way to a movie debut, but that scenario never came to pass. Instead,Super Godzillaremains Bagan’s only substantial role in Godzilla media. The monster never made a follow-up appearance in a movie. And it’s not simply on account of the change in plans for Godzilla’s last Heisei film, as it’s important to note that Bagan was cut from multiple movies.
Return of Godzillawas the original idea for Bagan’s introduction, but was reworked to be without any monster fights. Bagan was revisited in the early 1990s when Toho was developing a Mothra solo movie,Mothra vs. Bagan. That was supposed to set up the prototype forGodzilla vs. Destoroyah, where he would have continued the fight with Bagan. But when Toho decided not to go ahead with the plan,Mothra vs. BaganbecameGodzilla vs. Mothra,andGodzilla’sBagan movie becameGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah.
