Godzilla: King of the Monsters is still six months away, but the plot synopsis of MonsterVerse showdown Godzilla vs. Kong may have already revealed its ending. The MonsterVerse is now on a rampage. After successfully rebooting both Godzilla and Kong, Legendary are moving apace to bringing more Toho creatures to the shared universe, and eventually pitting the two icons against each other.

Next May sees the release of Michael Dougherty's Godzilla 2, subtitled King of the Monsters, which will see Gojira taking on Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan. But the real challenge is in 2020, when Adam Wingard's Godzilla vs. Kong will be unleashed on the world. Production has recently begun on the next movie, accompanied by an official cast list and production synopsis:

"In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages. As Monarch embarks on a perilous mission into uncharted terrain and unearths clues to the Titans’ origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever."

While this at first seems rather standard, confirming characters back from Godzilla 2 and teasing the Titan showdown to end all showdowns, it actually reveals a lot about where King of the Monsters will leave Gojira, Monarch and the world of the MonsterVerse. Here's what we think it reveals.

Vera Farmiga Definitely Isn't In The Main Cast of Godzilla vs. Kong

Charles Dance Millie Bobby Brown and Vera Farmiga in Godzilla king of the Monsters

While Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler have been linked to Godzilla vs. Kong for months now, conspicuously absent has been Vera Farmiga. Farmiga plays Dr. Emma Russell in Godzilla 2, a Monarch scientist kidnapped by an even-more-mysterious organization, while Brown and Chandler play her daughter Madison and husband Mark respectively. Based on the Comic-Con trailer, it's looking like King of the Monsters, for all its sprawling ensemble cast and city-smashing action, will be very much a family affair.

With the release of the cast list, it's confirmed that Farmiga isn't set to return for Godzilla vs. Kong but her character's immediate family are. The immediate suggestion is that Emma will die during the events of Godzilla 2, possibly sacrificing herself for the greater good (given her character has such an immense knowledge of the creatures, that role would certainly make sense). Of course, it may also just be a sign that the character has disappeared, or perhaps will have a smaller (even surprise) role in the team-up, something that would chime with theories on a very close connection to Mothra.

Monarch's Rivals Survive Godzilla 2

Charles Dance and Vera Farmiga in Godzilla King of the Monsters

While the MonsterVerse films are sold on their titular icons, each one has endeavored to provide a human story as well. Indeed, each movie has attracted an impressive cast - alongside Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler, Godzilla vs. Kong features Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Rebecca Hall, Julian Dennison, Brian Tyree Henry and Jessica Henwick - that defies these being big-budget creature features. For Godzilla vs. Kong, that story will involve a divided humanity making a final stand, with Monarch trying to learn about the Titans as another attempts to destroy them.

That'd be pretty standard stuff for a versus movie, except it comes in the footsteps of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. As already discussed, the film will see multiple factions vying for control of the monsters, with Monarch opposed by the shady group who kidnap Emma Russell. While not much is known about this organization (which appears to count Charles Dance among their members), their motives would certainly fit as being the group trying to wipe Titans off the face of the Earth, meaning that, while Ghidorah may be defeated, the real puppetmasters may not.

Page 2 of 2: What Godzilla vs. Kong's Synopsis Reveals About The Monsters

Godzilla 2 King of the Monsters Ghidorah

"Monsters Walk The Earth"

Perhaps the most intriguing, but also potentially misleading, wording in the Godzilla vs. Kong synopsis is the introductory setting: "In a time when monsters walk the Earth..." While it's quite clear that the MonsterVerse is already in that time - both Godzilla movies have seen entire cities decimated - there's an indication of something more; the suggestion seems to be that monsters are rampaging, completely realigning the Earth's order. This would be a bold starting point for a kaiju film, and most certainly a striking end to Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Based on everything known, Godzilla 2 will ultimately come down to Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra attempting to stop Ghidorah. Even if they succeed, the world will still have three giant creatures to deal with (and many more are teased on Monarch's website). It would be an interesting choice to have this lead to them becoming part of the ecosystem once more, making the fight between the Kings of Apes and Monsters a much grander, more apocalyptic battle.

The Titans Aren't Just Monsters

Godzilla 2 Monarch Ruins

How the MonsterVerse actually categorizes its creatures has evolved a lot over what is presently just three movies. In Godzilla, they were M.U.T.O.s (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), reflecting Monarch's relative lack of knowledge of these creatures. After Kong: Skull Island showed a greater knowledge of these various ancient species (and the introduction of the Hollow Earth theory), it looks like Godzilla: King of the Monsters is changing things up. Gojira, Rodan, Mothra and Ghidorah are now collectively called "Titans" both in dialogue and marketing, suggesting a grander view of the monsters.

However, Godzilla vs. Kong may have even more in store. The synopsis talks about a mission to discover "clues to the Titans’ origins", clearly indicating there's more to the monsters than first meets the eye. While this doesn't directly relate to King of the Monsters per se, what it does do is serve as evidence that we'll learn more about the creatures' past. Between suggestions that Ghidorah could tear open the stratosphere, ancient societies worshipping Rodan and Mothra, and Godzilla swimming into the Earth's crust, that suggests the movie is about a lot more than saving San Francisco.

 

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The MonsterVerse has now progressed to the point where it's got multiple films with intertwined narratives in various stages of development at once. While that's a stamp of success on what's been released so far, it also means that keeping secrets becomes exponentially harder (this is a problem Marvel continuously faces, with upcoming movies confirming the survival of many characters from Avengers 4). Let's just hope that Legendary don't reveal too much of Godzilla vs. Kong before Godzilla: King of the Monsters releases.

Next: Godzilla vs. Kong: Every Update You Need To Know