MonsterVerse's Godzilla: King of the Monsters set the stage for Toho's Destoroyah to appear as the titular villain in Godzilla 3, thus potentially giving WB and Legendary a monstrous end to the franchise. With King Ghidorah appearing in Godzilla 2, it's difficult to top the villain with another Godzilla movie. Perhaps the most feasible option, then, is Destoroyah, a villain whose origin was teased in MonsterVerse’s 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong.

Godzilla 2 brought three major Godzilla characters into the MonsterVerse: King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan, and the interesting thing is that King Ghidorah was known as Godzilla's biggest foe. Godzilla and King Ghidorah have already battled each other six times in Toho movies, with Godzilla coming out with the upper hand in MonsterVerse’s King of the Monsters. The Godzilla sequel also saw two other classic monsters, Rodan and Mothra, jump into the fray, with Rodan eventually bowing to Godzilla while Mothra sacrifices herself to help the titular monster. Several other titans were featured in King of the Monsters, such as the new MUTO, Scylla, Behemoth, and Methuselah.

Related: Rodan Explained: Godzilla 2 Monster Origin & Powers

Following Godzilla's battle with King Ghidorah, he faced off against King Kong in the fourth MonsterVerse installment, Godzilla vs. Kong, in 2021. After such a momentous showdown for the alpha predator, fans are already looking ahead to the future of the MonsterVerse. Since the 1950s, Godzilla has starred in over 30 monster movies, thus providing WB with plenty of diverse choices when it comes to Godzilla's next opponent. Even with so many powerful kaiju to choose from, topping King Ghidorah and King Kong as adversaries is going to be a tough challenge for the studio. With that in mind, the best option for a Godzilla sequel is easily Destoroyah.

Who is Destoroyah?

Of all the monsters in Godzilla's rogues gallery, Destoroyah may be the best choice for Godzilla 3. The villain made his first and only film appearance in 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. Destoroyah's origins date back to the events of the first Godzilla movie in 1954. The military used a weapon called the Oxygen Destroyer to kill Godzilla in the ocean — a device that returned for the same purpose in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The Oxygen Destroyer also has unintended side effects, such as mutating a colony of microscopic crustaceans, which caused them to grow into a single, monstrous lifeform known as Destoroyah. With his powerful micro-oxygen beam, laser-shooting horn, and spiked claws, the creature became one of Godzilla's deadliest opponents — and that's saying a lot.

Godzilla and Destoroyah fought at a time when Godzilla was beginning to "leak" radiation. Scientists determined that Godzilla was on a path to self-destruction. The military then put into action a plan that hinged on Destoroyah killing Godzilla, which would prevent a worldwide nuclear disaster. Instead of killing Godzilla himself, though, Destoroyah targeted Godzilla's adolescent son and mortally wounded him. Godzilla fought the kaiju from Toho's movie in an epic battle, but Godzilla was too weak to fight at full force due to his meltdown. Destoroyah, injured from his battle with Godzilla, was finished off by the military. Godzilla had breathed his remaining life force into his dead son, thus rejuvenating him and allowing him to become the new Godzilla.

The Oxygen Destroyer In Godzilla 2

The same weapon that created Godzilla's ultimate enemy in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah returned in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The Oxygen Destroyer was designed to release a large amount of a chemical known as micro-oxygen into an organism. The purpose of the micro-oxygen is to disintegrate the organism's oxygen atoms. As a result, the organism will of course die of asphyxiation. To use it on land would have massive consequences, which is why, in the 1954 Godzilla film, it had to be unleashed on Godzilla while he was in the Tokyo Bay.

Related: How Godzilla Got His Atomic Breath In The MonsterVerse

The 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters historical MonsterVerse film brought back the Oxygen Destroyer as an important plot point. It was originally assumed by fans that the Oxygen Destroyer would simply serve as a fun reference to the 1954 classic Godzilla movie, but ended up serving as the device that seemingly killed Godzilla in a climactic fight with Ghidorah. The U.S. Navy had used the Oxygen Destroyer to defeat the monsters in their battle but only made the situation worse. Since the Oxygen Destroyer is still around after Godzilla: King of the Monsters, using it again could inadvertently trigger the creation of Destoroyah.

Destoroyah Could Be Godzilla 3's Villain

In Godzilla 3, Monarch could discover that their decision to use the Oxygen Destroyer resulted in the creation of a new monster. This would essentially pit Godzilla against a man-made threat for the first time in the MonsterVerse. This is a theme that's been tackled multiple times in Toho's Godzilla movies, after all. His most prominent man-made adversary, of course, is Mechagodzilla. The robotic kaiju was designed specifically for fighting Godzilla but sometimes became uncontrollable. In Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Godzilla battled the Smog Monster, an alien who fed off the pollution in Japan. Another example is Biollante, who Dougherty would want to use in Godzilla 3 (if he ended up directing another installment); Biollante was the product of a failed science experiment involving the DNA of Godzilla, humans, and plants.

So far, the MonsterVerse version of Godzilla has only battled natural threats, which would make Destoroyah unique to the franchise, and it could potentially open the door for Mechagodzilla down the line. Destoroyah being the main villain would present audiences with a different kind of story, especially since the human protagonists, namely Monarch (or Godzilla vs. Kong's secret terrorist organization), would most likely be the ones responsible for this disaster. It would then fall to Godzilla to clean up the mess. Though Destoroyah hasn't been in as many films as Godzilla villains Mechagodzilla or Gigan, only Destoroyah has earned the distinction of killing Godzilla, which gives Destoroyah a certain level of notoriety that Godzilla's other enemies have never been able to achieve. Featuring a villain of Destoroyah's stature and reputation may be the only way for Godzilla 3 to top both King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong.

MonsterVerse’s 2021 Godzilla vs. Kong installment also paved the way for Destoroyah’s entry as it leaned into the significance of ancient titan lore. If Godzilla 3 emphasizes the significance of titan history, Destoroyah would stand as the best villain due to his origins in the Precambrian era. This would make Destoroyah’s status as the oldest species of all MonsterVerse titans much more integral to the trends in the MonsterVerse battles, setting up Godzilla against a uniquely historical rival. Aside from the kaiju’s MonsterVerse lore qualifications, Destoroyah also holds the title of Godzilla-killer, and thus stands as one of the only villains whose reputation would build a sufficient amount of tension after Godzilla vs. Kong. King Kong couldn’t defeat Godzilla in battle, but Destoroyah’s reputation suggests he’s the perfect foe to uncrown and possibly kill the monster.

Godzilla 3 Could End The MonsterVerse

Godzilla looking angry in Godzilla vs Kong

Will Destoroyah's victory over Godzilla in the 1995 film have any effect on Godzilla 3? The result of that fight could be adapted to the MonsterVerse (with Godzilla dying in the movie) — or it could go in a totally different direction. However, Destoroyah could serve as the perfect way to bring the MonsterVerse to an end, particularly if only a trilogy of Godzilla movies is planned and nothing beyond that. The Oxygen Destroyer isn't the only hint to Destoroyah's eventual debut found in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Related: Every Ancient Godzilla Battle Confirmed In MonsterVerse

One of the toys for the movie shows Godzilla in his "Burning" form from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. As noted earlier, entering into this form was the beginning of the end for Godzilla. Godzilla's death at the hands of Destoroyah was how Toho chose to end Godzilla's story in the 1990s. The second series of Godzilla movies began with Return of Godzilla in 1984 and was proceeded by six more installments, with the last monsters movie being Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. The movie was well-received by critics, who felt that the film and the final fight between Godzilla and Destoroyah provided a memorable ending to the series, and that's something that fans would love to see recreated (should WB choose to end the MonsterVerse).

If Godzilla 3 would indeed be the last movie of the MonsterVerse, Destoroyah would make a fitting, final opponent for the alpha predator. Against Destoroyah, Godzilla would be facing an enemy with enough power to rival — or even surpass — his own. He'd also be up against the one monster Toho's Godzilla couldn't kill. A battle of such titanic proportions could prove to be the ultimate sendoff for the true alpha King of the Monsters titan, something that MUTO, Ghidorah, or Kong couldn’t really do. Then again, killing him in Godzilla 3 could just be WB's way of ending one Godzilla and opening the door for his son to take his place in the MonsterVerse.

Next: Ghidorah's Ancient Fight With Godzilla In The MonsterVerse Explained