During a watch party hosted by Legendary, a number of interesting new details were revealed about Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Recently, Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Mike Dougherty took over the movie's Twitter account and live-tweeted the film, revealing numerous bits of information along the way, some of which expanded on details covered in additional materials related to the MonsterVerse.
Released in 2019, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the third film in the MonsterVerse and the sequel to 2014's Godzilla. The movie, which officially brought Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah into Legendary's kaiju franchise, made Godzilla the new King of the Monsters and teased his upcoming showdown with the King of Skull Island in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Originally slated for a March 2020 release, Godzilla vs. Kong has been delayed until November, which means that fans have had to go through a long wait for any significant Godzilla vs. Kong news. A trailer still hasn't been released, but new director's commentaries via Twitter have provided fans with plenty of new information about all three MonsterVerse films. Here's every new reveal to come out of Legendary's Godzilla: King of the Monsters watch party.
There Are Four Generations of Twin Faires In The MonsterVerse
Zhang Ziyi's characters in King of the Monsters, Dr. Chen and Dr. Ling, serve as a reference to Toho's Twin Fairies. In Toho's Godzilla and Mothra movies, the Twin Fairies are a mystical pair of tiny, female characters who can communicate directly with Mothra. Due to their deep connection, Mothra often protects the Twin Fairies from harm. In King of the Monsters, it was discovered that, through Dr. Chen and Dr. Ling, the MonsterVerse has its own version of the Twin Fairies who are descendants of a "cult" tied to Mothra.
Twin sisters in her family have investigated the Titans for Monarch for decades. Dougherty shared the full photo of their family, which features four generations of Twin Fairies. Upon closer inspection, it seems that each person in the photo is also wearing identical necklaces, thus tying them even closer together than they already were. Also, Dougherty says that Mothra's cult watched over her egg 10,000 years ago, but have since died off.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters Referenced A 2001 Toho Movie
At one point in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Dr. Rick Stanton (Bradley Whitford) says, "If only the stones could speak, the stories they could tell us". Dougherty has confirmed that this is a reference to a specific Toho movie. Though Dougherty doesn't say which one, he's clearly referring to Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack from 2001. In this movie, two of the characters have a similar conversation where one explains that stones are like CDs that can tell stories about the past.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters Intentionally Reversed Serizawa's Death
In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) willingly gives up his life to venture into the underwater city, detonate the nuclear device, and revive Godzilla. This was the exact opposite of what Dr. Serizawa did in the 1954 Godzilla movie. In the original film, he sacrificed himself to kill Godzilla. According to Dougherty, this reversal was intentional, as King of the Monsters' Dr. Serizawa is correcting the original character's mistake by making the sacrifice for him. It matures the man vs nature theme of the original films, bringing a new, symbiotic relationship into the modern age.
Rodan Almost Teamed Up With Godzilla and Mothra
King of the Monsters concludes in a two-on-two match with Godzilla and Mothra taking on King Ghidorah and Rodan, but the original plan was for Rodan to join forces with Godzilla and Mothra to defeat Ghidorah. But, that already happened in Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster, and as Dougherty points out, it would have been unfair. It was decided instead for Rodan to switch sides at the end of the film. A team-up with Godzilla and Rodan didn't happen in King of the Monsters, but it could always occur in the future.
The Inside of Rodan's Outpost Was Almost Shown
Rodan dwelled in the Isla de Mara volcano in Mexico, which is where he emerged from when Ghidorah awakened him. King of the Monsters nearly provided a closer look at his place of residence by revealing that a temple inspired by Mayan architecture was built for the Fire Demon in the volcano, which doubled as Monarch's Outpost 56..
Godzilla: King of the Monsters Used Toho's Maser Cannons
Though some fans have already noticed this Toho Easter egg, Dougherty has drawn attention to the fact that one of the weapons that Monarch has at their disposal is Maser cannons, powerful laser beams that have been used in numerous Toho movies, beginning in 1966 with War of the Gargantuas.
Why Godzilla Uses His Bioluminescence Differently In King of the Monsters
Godzilla's back spikes lighting up blue just prior to using his atomic breath is a trademark trait, but never before has he used this ability to communicate with others, which is one reason why Dougherty thought King of the Monsters was the "perfect opportunity" for Godzilla to use his bioluminescence as an intimidation tactic. This scene takes into account the characteristics of another predatory animals in the world, but amplifies it in a rather beautiful manner.
King of the Monsters Included A Nod To Jason and the Argonauts
The USS Argo in King of the Monsters is a nod to 1963's Jason and the Argonauts, a fantasy movie which served as a pioneer for live-action monsters. Dougherty also says the name stands as a reference to the Argo from the mythical stories. In a separate tweet, Dougherty mentioned that Emma (Vera Farmiga) was based in part off Medea from Euripedes' play about Jason and the Argonauts.
Outpost 32 Is Named For John Carpenter's The Thing
Monarch's base in Antarctica is called Outpost 32, which Dougherty has confirmed borrowed its name from the horror classic, The Thing, directed by John Carpenter. The action in The Thing was set in a scientific research station called Outpost 31. Dougherty says he "worships" the 1982 film.
Why The Monsters Are Called Titans Instead Of Kaiju
Dougherty says the monsters in the MonsterVerse are labeled Titans instead of kaiju because "kaiju" - what Japanese giant monsters are typically called - was used in Legendary's Pacific Rim. Also, "M.U.T.O.s" from 2014's Godzilla doesn't work either, because the term "M.U.T.O" specifically refers to "unidentified" creatures, which the Titans in the film are not.
Ancient Hieroglyphics May Tease New MonsterVerse Titans
Legendary's Twitter account posted images of four Titans, with one possibly being King Ghidorah or a similar creature while another is clearly original MonsterVerse Titan, Behemoth. It's possible that these are some of Godzilla: King of the Monsters' missing Titans, and that they may appear in Godzilla vs. Kong.
The Redacted Text From The Credits Comes From A Submarine
The credits of King of the Monsters included redacted text that told a story about the relationship between humans and Titans. Dougherty says this information about their history was gathered from a submarine that went back into the underwater city in the Hollow Earth tunnels, thus revealing even more of what happened after King of the Monsters' story ended.
Godzilla Destroying King Ghidorah's Last Head Was Toho's Idea
Dougherty wanted Godzilla to "devour" Ghidorah as the "ultimate defeat and punishment" for his biggest villain, but apparently it was Toho themselves who came up with the idea of Godzilla eviscerating the last of the three heads in the final moments of the film.
