The best candidate for Godzilla 3’s villain is SpaceGodzilla, who is arguably the most challenging adversary that Toho’s King of the Monsters has ever faced in 60 years of fighting giant monsters on the big screen. In fact, Spacegodzilla might be the only monster that Godzilla can't beat alone - and that's taking Ghidorah into account.
The next film on Legendary and Warner Bros.’ slate for the MonsterVerse is Godzilla vs. Kong, which will be the fourth installment in the franchise. Warner Bros. claims to have high expectations for the upcoming movie, considering that it will feature a showdown between two pop culture icons who haven’t traded blows since 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla. The film, directed by Adam Wingard, is currently scheduled for a May 2021 release. What the studio has planned after its release, however, remains unclear, as no Godzilla or Kong sequels have been officially announced. Since Godzilla: King of the Monsters underperformed (but wasn’t necessarily a box office failure), it seems highly likely that the MonsterVerse’s future will be determined largely by Godzilla vs. Kong’s box office performance.
If Godzilla vs. Kong is the hit that Warner Bros. expects it to be, more MonsterVerse movies may be announced. Among them could be Godzilla 3, assuming that the titular monster survives his battle with Kong. At this point, Godzilla will have already fought Ghidorah and presumably Mechagodzilla, who are his two biggest villains. Of course, there are other monsters aside from them that Godzilla 3 could use, but SpaceGodzilla may be the best choice. Here’s who SpaceGodzilla is, how Godzilla vs. Kong can set him up, and why he should be Godzilla’s next opponent after Kong.
Toho’s SpaceGodzilla Explained
The sixth installment and the penultimate film in the Heisei series of Godzilla movies was Toho’s Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, which hit theaters in 1994. The plot of the movie involved the invasion of an alien monster who traveled to Earth and came into conflict with the Japanese military. After Mothra became aware of the creature’s existence, she warned the humans that this beast would try to conquer the planet. To deal with this threat, the Japanese turned to Moguera, a robotic giant designed to replace Mechagodzilla (who Godzilla destroyed in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II). Moguera battled the monster in outer space but lost. After arriving on Earth, it encountered Godzilla’s son and trapped him in a field of crystals that it was able to generate with its mysterious powers.
To everyone’s surprise, even Godzilla himself barely held his own against the evil kaiju. In their first fight, Godzilla was unable to win, though it’s hard to say definitely what would have happened if he wasn’t focused on shielding his son from his opponent’s attacks. A big part of what made him so dangerous was his telekinetic ability, which is something that other Godzilla villains don’t possess. The monster, who bears some of the physical characteristics of Godzilla, can be recognized by the large crystals on his shoulders that channel power from the crystals that he leaves on the ground. Plus, he has a devastating energy attack called a corona beam and an energy shield capable of deflecting Godzilla’s greatest weapon: his atomic breath.
Scientists working for the government discovered the source of this alien’s unbelievable power. Apparently, he was created from Godzilla’s DNA; some of Godzilla’s cells – known as G-Cells – found their way into outer space and were mutated by the energy of a black hole. Essentially, this energy created an incredibly powerful, alien clone of Godzilla - and for this reason, he was given the name “SpaceGodzilla”. He was so formidable that Godzilla wasn’t able to take him down until he formed an alliance with Moguera, who severely weakened SpaceGodzilla by destroying his shoulder crystals. After being hit with Godzilla's most powerful attack, the monster was finally obliterated. He never returned to the Godzilla franchise.
How Godzilla vs. Kong Can Set Up SpaceGodzilla
If Godzilla 3 were to use its own version of SpaceGodzilla, it should follow the example of how the Heisei series made it work. The origin of the monster and the events of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla were set up by one of Godzilla’s previous fights, though exactly which one is never clearly defined. Somehow, the G-Cells made it into outer space as a result of a prior Godzilla movie. One way it could have happened was when Biollante – who was also made from Godzilla’s DNA – flew into space after being defeated in 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante. Another scenario is that Mothra unintentionally took Godzilla’s DNA into space in 1992’s Godzilla vs. Mothra when she left Earth at the end of the movie. Prior to her departure, she and Battra carried Godzilla off into the ocean, so it could be then that she got his DNA on her body.
A similar method could be used to set up SpaceGodzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong. It’s possible that for one reason or another, a monster who had close physical contact with Godzilla – possibly Mothra or the winged serpent Titan Nozuki – flies into space at some point in the film. This event could be used later to explain the creation of SpaceGodzilla or it could be more directly addressed in a post-credits scene in Godzilla vs. Kong (if the movie has one, that is). Godzilla: King of the Monsters already introduced the concept of alien monsters into the MonsterVerse, so it's not far-fetched to believe that the planet's alpha predator could only be challenged by another false king from outer space.
Why SpaceGodzilla Should Be Godzilla 3's Villain
Two popular choices for Godzilla 3’s villain are Mecha-King Ghidorah and Destoroyah. The problem with Mecha-King Ghidorah is that he wouldn’t be different enough from the original version of the Titan in Godzilla: King of the Monsters; Ghidorah shouldn’t be the main antagonist in more than one MonsterVerse movie. If Legendary wants to use him, it would be better to incorporate him as a side villain who can team up with Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong. If Godzilla 3 were to use Destoroyah, then the movie could end up being viewed as a remake of one of the most memorable Godzilla films of all-time. Perhaps trying to remake a Godzilla classic isn’t the best move for the MonsterVerse, as that will make it difficult for it to live up to expectations.
A better idea could be to take a stab at Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. The movie was poorly-received by both fans and critics, who felt that the plot had too many problems. That being said, SpaceGodzilla is well-liked by the fanbase for his unique powers and design. For a lot of people, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla’s villain is better than the movie itself. Godzilla 3 could tell a better version of this story by bringing in one of his most underutilized antagonists. With all his abilities, he could be the MonsterVerse Godzilla's greatest challenge yet. It’s possible that his power will be so great that Godzilla will have to seek assistance from Rodan or a reborn Mothra to defeat him.
