Speculation about the plot ofGodzilla X Kong: Supernovacontinues to swirl, but there’s one major story angle that they need to avoid at all costs or else they’ll find themselves in the midst of an unwinnable battle. Despite the sixth movie in the ever-expanding Monsterverse not hitting theaters until March 2027, production is already well underway.
Casting details forGxK: Supernovahave continued to trickle in over the previous months, but there still hasn’t been anything revealed when it comes to the movie’s plot, or whatthe subtitle ‘Supernova’ is alluding to. Theories continue to evolve, although the most popular is still thatthe title refers to the advent of SpaceGodzilla.
Whether it’s SpaceGodzilla, another Toho monster, or a Monsterverse original, introducing a proper villain would be in the Monsterverse’s best interest. There has been some speculation that Godzilla could actually be the villain inGodzilla X Kong: Supernova, with the subtitle referring to Godzilla absorbing too much power and needing to be stopped.
Making Godzilla a true antagonist, as opposed to the situational adversary that he acted as inGodzilla vs. Kong, would be a mistake for Legendary. A dark or evil Godzilla would be a new direction for the Monsterverse, but it would inevitably invite comparisons that could be devastating for the Monsterverse’s perception.
The Monsterverse Can’t Do A Dark Godzilla Better Than Toho
Both Godzilla Minus One And Shin Godzilla Are Masterpieces
If the Monsterverse chose to make Godzilla a true villain,they would inevitably invite comparisons to the other ongoing Godzilla franchise in the moviesphere,Godzilla Minus One. The Academy Award-winning visual triumph has been considered by many to be the definitive version of Godzilla since the 1954 original, as it effectively imbues Godzilla with all the horror of a nuclear holocaust.
As if the emotional depth of Godzilla’s terror and the powerful human story ofGodzilla Minus Oneweren’t enough of an obstacle for the Monsterverse,Toho has reportedly resurrected an entirely different Goji franchise. The latest information from Toho indicates that they’re looking to expand Godzilla’s sizable footprint around the globe, and that includes a potential sequel for another type of Godzilla.
2014
$160 million
$529.1 million
76%
66%
2017
$185 million
$568 million
70%
2019
$200 million
$387.3 million
42%
83%
2021
$470.1 million
91%
2023
86%
77%
2024
$150 million
$572.3 million
54%
89%
BeforeGodzilla Minus Onetook the world by storm,Shin Godzillaterrified Japanese audiences with an ultra-massive, keloid-scarred version of Big G. A true body horror movie,Shin Godzillashowed Godzilla at his most destructive, and his most unsettling; after evolving through several different hideous growth stages, his largest form has a jaw that unhinges and a mouth that splits to deliver untold carnage.
Both theGodzilla Minus OneandShin Godzillaversions of Godzilla perfectly capture him at his most diabolical, and his most overtly metaphorical. They pay homage to Godzilla’s nuclear origins, and effectively modernize the horror of his original iteration.
The Monsterverse would be downright foolish to try their own version of a villainous Godzilla. The overarching narrative has gone way too far down the Hollow Earth hole to ever give Godzilla a grave reason for attacking humanity on par with “vengeance for nuclear corruption”, so any motivation he was given would look weak and ineffective in comparison.
A villainous Godzilla would immediately draw comparisons to the two Toho Godzilla franchises, and as fun as they are, the Monsterverse movies simply don’t hold a candle to either Toho product when it comes to narrative strength. Legendary would be far better off usingone of their other original Titansor borrowing a classic Toho villain rather than have Godzilla execute a heel turn.
The Monsterverse Is Great At Showing Godzilla’s Heroic Side
It Provides A Heroic Angle That’s An Essential Part Of His Character
Fortunately, the Monsterverse has the heroic side of Godzilla effectively cornered. While the sequel toGodzilla Minus Onewill likely pit Godzilla against another monster,it will be almost impossible for that movie to paint Godzilla as anything more than an antihero at best. The Monsterverse, on the other hand, has set Big G up as a true defender of the planet.
Ever since his emergence in 2014, the Monsterverse’s Godzilla has been called into action to stop Titans bent on global destruction. After reasserting his dominance as the planet’s true Alpha Titan at the end ofGodzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla has had a few questionable moments of destructive behavior (RIP Tiamat) buthe’s never intentionally threatened humanity itself.
All that making Godzilla a villain really does is set the Monsterverse up to come up short of Toho’s two dark iterations of the iconic character.
The beauty of Godzilla’s character is that there are so many different sides to him, each just as valid as the last. He began as a nuclear metaphor and source of horror, then slowly evolved into a family-friendly, cartoonish guardian, before being reset as an on-again, off-again threat to the world.
The Monsterverse version is one part kaiju, one part superhero, and that’s just as acceptable asShin Godzilla’s nightmarish monster.Godzilla’s adaptability is a significant part of why his character has been so enduring. There are so many lenses through which to view Godzilla, and he’s been effectively reframed as needed.
Godzilla X Kong: Supernovacan move in plenty of different directions, but the path that it absolutely can’t go down is making Godzilla a villain. He’s too important to the Monsterverse as a hero, and all it really does is set the Monsterverse to come up short of Toho’s two dark iterations of the iconic character.
