What was the reason why Godzilla: King of the Monsters included original Titans, as opposed to introducing more fan-favorite monsters from Toho's movies? When the MonsterVerse movie was being marketed, fans developed a number of theories about the mysterious Titans glimpsed in the trailers, with many believing them to be Anguirus, Kumonga, or Baragon. However, none of these theories panned out.
In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it was revealed that the only Toho kaiju being added to Legendary's MonsterVerse were King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra. The movie included four additional Titans who only had a limited amount of screen time, but none of them were based on past foes or allies of Godzilla. The four new Titans - Behemoth, Methuselah, Scylla, and the third M.U.T.O. - were all original to the MonsterVerse, with each of them but the third M.U.T.O being linked to mythological figures. It was also discovered that 11 more unseen Titans exist somewhere in the MonsterVerse, but like the four that appear in King of the Monsters, none of them are connected to Toho's properties.
Why did King of the Monsters create its own Titans, instead of drawing upon Toho's library of kaiju? Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty has explained in the past that using Toho monsters is expensive, saying that the rights to each kaiju comes with a "price tag" [via Rue Morgue]. Dougherty has named Biollante, Anguirus, and Gigan as monsters he would liked to have used. But acquiring the rights to them or any other Toho monster would have been a problem for their budget. Due to this issue, it was decided that instead of just having a movie with Godzilla, Rodan, Ghidorah, and Mothra, they could still use more monsters, but in a different way. For that to work, brand-new Titans would have to be designed.
That's how the MonsterVerse ended up coming with Behemoth, Scylla, Methuselah, and the third M.U.T.O. Of course, their inclusion over fan-favorites such as Anguirus may have been disappointing at first, but it's understandable why this had to happen. In fact, their absence could be for the best. It's worth wondering what the reaction would have been if major Toho properties appeared in such small roles. It would make more sense for creatures like Gigan to be saved for when they can be more integral to the plot, not as random side characters in an otherwise packed film.
Currently, Mechagodzilla is coming to Godzilla vs. Kong, and the events of King of the Monsters did seem to set up more Toho kaiju in the MonsterVerse. Also, despite the rights issues, King of the Monsters did manage to sneak in an Anguirus skeleton, which was a fun tease that could be followed up on at some point in the future. Regardless, the decision to have original Titans appears to have been a good move for the MonsterVerse. As Doughterty has pointed out, reception from fans over their designs has been rather warm. The original Titans have prompted a lot of interest in their backgrounds and the history of the MonsterVerse, which is sure to be explored in greater detail when Monarch explores the Hollow Earth in Godzilla vs. Kong.
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