The Godzilla: King of the Monsters credits may have teased the birth of the evil Mothra, Battra. The third installment in Legendary and Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse established a great deal of mythology surrounding Mothra, but a future Godzilla movie could expand on this with the introduction of Mothra’s dark counterpart.
King of the Monsters did justice to Mothra by making her an important part of the movie and the MonsterVerse as a whole. She made a grand entrance (twice) in the film, the first time being at the beginning where she attacked Monarch in her larvae form. Later, she emerged from her cocoon, complete with her colorful and bioluminescent wings. At the end of the movie, she engaged in a fierce showdown with Rodan and used the remainder of her life essence to give Godzilla a fiery upgrade. Thanks to Mothra’s sacrifice, Godzilla had the strength he needed to bring down King Ghidorah for good. Mothra perished in the fight with Ghidorah and Rodan, but there’s still a way for her to return.
It’s possible that Mothra won’t return to the MonsterVerse by herself. The next time audiences see the benevolent Titan, she could be in conflict with an ancient rival of her own. The MonsterVerse kept a lot of Mothra’s backstory from Toho’s movies by incorporating the Twin Fairies, so it could be that it will also keep Mothra’s greatest enemy: Battra. Here’s how Battra could join the MonsterVerse, and why his debut may have been hinted at in King of the Monsters.
Toho’s Battra Explained
Battra made his first and only appearance in 1992’s Godzilla vs. Mothra, a movie which told the story of Mothra and Battra, two monsters with a history that goes back 12,000 years. Like Mothra, Battra is an insect of great power who can transform from a larvae to a giant, winged kaiju. But in contrast to Mothra, he is a black and menacing creature with red eyes. On his head are yellow horns that shoot energy beams. Another characteristic that sets him apart from Mothra is his attitude toward the planet and the people who live on it. Both are self-appointed protectors of the Earth, but Battra bears no love for humans. Battra wholeheartedly hates humanity, thinking that they’re a threat to nature.
These differences of opinion led Mothra and Battra into a fight thousands of years ago. This battle ended in a victory for Mothra, who sealed Battra in the ocean. In the present day, a meteor falling from the sky awoke Battra from his slumber. Following his emergence, he found himself in a battle with Godzilla. Later in the movie, Godzilla, Mothra, and Battra entered into a free-for-all. Godzilla - who outmatched both monsters physically - had the advantage, a fact which Battra soon recognized. After coming to understand that Godzilla was a bigger threat to the planet than even the humans, he agreed to an alliance with Mothra. Together, the two were able to overcome the King of the Monsters. Just when they were about to seal Godzilla away in the ocean, he got in one last hit on Battra, killing the monster. Mothra lived to see another day, but that was the end of Battra’s story in Toho’s movies.
King of the Monsters May Have Set Up MonsterVerse’s Battra
The Godzilla: King of the Monsters credits sequence featured a number of newspaper articles loaded with Easter eggs and reveals. One that stands out is a photo of a giant egg; the words under the picture state, “Could giant insect egg be a second Mothra...or something else?” This was taken to mean that before Mothra flew off to help Godzilla fight Ghidorah, she laid an egg. The implication here is that when this egg hatches, Mothra will return to the MonsterVerse.
Dougherty has also touched on the egg in his comments about the movie, but neither he nor the credits outright confirmed it belongs to Mothra. While it may seem obvious that the egg is Mothra’s, the interesting choice of words used in the article raises the possibility that it belongs to a different insect entirely. If it isn’t Mothra’s, it may instead belong to Battra. Plus, the credits did hint at more “ancient rivalries” in the MonsterVerse, other than the one that exists between Godzilla and Ghidorah. Of course, the egg being Battra’s wouldn’t eliminate the possibility of Mothra’s return. She could have laid another egg elsewhere in the MonsterVerse.
How Battra Could Work In The MonsterVerse
Battra and the detailed backstory that was given to him in Godzilla vs. Mothra would fit perfectly into a Godzilla movie. Similar to Mothra and Ghidorah, he’s a character that doesn’t need to be heavily reworked for the MonsterVerse. In Godzilla vs. Mothra, it was said that Battra hated humans, and it would make sense for him to share the same sentiments in the MonsterVerse, especially when taking into consideration what the redacted text in the credits said about humans and their relationship with Titans. It was suggested in King of the Monsters that humans peacefully coexisted with Titans, but the redacted text built on this with a story that explained how this relationship fell apart. Apparently, humans believed that they could use the Titans as weapons of war. After trying to enslave the Titans, a war broke out between them. The war devastated the planet and caused an Ice Age.
Suppose Battra was alive during the human-Titan war. Since Mothra has been around for thousands of years, it certainly seems plausible that Battra was present. He may have even been one of the Titans who led the rebellion against the ancient civilization. If he was there, he’d have first-hand of knowledge of humanity’s flaws and the threat they represent to Titans and the Earth. The human-Titan war would provide a good explanation for why Battra hates them so much. Since Mothra’s memories are passed down genetically and Battra is her counterpart, Battra’s life cycle could be eternal as well. If so, he’ll remember everything that happened in the past when his egg hatches. When Battra emerges from his egg, he may resume his crusade against the humans in order to stop history from repeating itself. That may be reason enough for Mothra to be reborn again.
As for when a Mothra-Battra arc could unfold in the MonsterVerse, it’s unlikely that Godzilla vs. Kong will have room for it. While Mothra may have a part to play in the fight, the movie may be too crowded for Mothra to get her own story. A better alternative would be for Battra to be saved for Godzilla 3 where he could serve as a secondary antagonist.
