A crossover between Godzilla and Gamera is possible in the MonsterVerse. Gamera is a fan-favorite kaiju who has appeared in a number of films, despite never encountering Godzilla due to being the property of a different studio, but that may no longer be quite the same issue as it once was.
In the 1960s, Toho was pumping out Godzilla movies and other films centered on monsters of titanic proportions. In 1965, rival studio Daiei Film released Gamera, the Giant Monster, which served as their answer to Godzilla. Gamera was introduced as a humongous, prehistoric sea turtle who could fly through the jets in his shell. Following the movie, Gamera appeared in several more monster movies and eventually grew into a heroic figure who defended Japan from his enemies, such as the Gyaos and other powerful creatures. At this point, Gamera has starred in an impressive total of 12 films. Unlike Godzilla, Gamera has never been a part of an American production.
For years now, one thing that fans of both Godzilla and Gamera have wanted is for the two to face off or at least team up in a crossover movie. One was planned in the early 2000s, but it fell through. Toho has yet to make a meeting work, but it could happen in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, despite the fact that rights to Gamera are currently owned by Kadokawa Pictures. When asked about the possibility of Legendary using Gamera, Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Mike Dougherty acknowledged that Gamera isn’t a Toho kaiju like Rodan, Ghidorah, and Mothra are, but pointed out that the rights issue doesn’t make a Godzilla-Gamera crossover impossible [via Bloody Disgusting].
Dougherty said that “anything’s possible in this day and age” and added that “franchise characters are getting thrown together and bought up by parent companies left and right”. In other words, Legendary may not limit themselves to getting the rights to only Toho kaiju; their interests could extend to Gamera as well. If such a deal were to happen, Gamera could be introduced to the MonsterVerse in Godzilla 3 (or later) as a newly-discovered Titan. Since Gamera is a beloved icon of Japanese monster films, Legendary would likely stay true to his image and portray him as a benevolent Titan who protects Earth. They could also work in his origin from the 1990s Gamera movies which reimagined him the protector of Atlantis. This would fit well with the MonsterVerse’s history, especially since Godzilla too is linked to ancient civilization. It could be that Godzilla and Gamera share the same home.
As for what his role would be, it could be that Gamera would serve as an ally of great power. The movie could start off by delivering a long-awaited matchup between Gamera and Godzilla, and then follow up with the two forming an alliance against a common threat (which wouldn’t be that different from what audiences are expecting from Godzilla vs. Kong). Gamera is easily the most important and most popular kaiju not owned by Toho, so having him in a Godzilla sequel would certainly expand the scope of the MonsterVerse in an interesting way.
