Like the MCU, Legendary’s MonsterVerse could soon suffer through its own civil war, via Godzilla vs. Kong. Godzilla and Kong could lead their own groups of Titans into battle with each other in the upcoming crossover movie.
In May, Legendary and Warner Bros. will release Godzilla vs Kong in theaters and on HBO Max. Directed by Adam Wingard, the fourth installment in the MonsterVerse will serve as the second big screen showdown between the Japanese and American pop culture icons. The last time they fought was in Toho’s 1962 movie, King Kong vs. Godzilla. Though Toho did declare Kong the victor, the outcome was still contested by fans. It’s been said, however, that the situation will be different in the new version, as a definitive winner has been confirmed. Of course, it remains to be seen who will be taking home the glory. Whoever the winner is could be the MonsterVerse’s alpha going forward.
That title already belongs to Godzilla thanks to his victory over Ghidorah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but it could be taken away in Godzilla vs. Kong if things don’t go his way. Defending his crown in the new movie may come down to much more than just a throwdown or two with Kong; there are indications that multiple Titans could be pulled into their struggle. Here’s why a civil war may be headed to the MonsterVerse, what it might mean for the story, and who could participate.
Why A Civil War Could Be Headed To The MonsterVerse
An interesting line in a description attached to Godzilla vs. Kong toys says, “the monster war rages on the surface and deep within our world as the spectacular secret realm of the titans known as the Hollow Earth is revealed!” Another new synopsis has talked about Godzilla and Kong being engaged in an “all-out war.” The wording in both instances is important because a “war” implies more than just two monsters will be involved. Since several Titans were seen bowing down to Godzilla at the end of King of the Monsters, it makes sense that these creatures could participate in the fighting, but it wouldn’t work for so many giant beasts to be against Kong. It wouldn’t be fair, and it just wouldn’t be feasible for Kong to overcome them and Godzilla. Kong can’t fight Godzilla unless his minions go away, or unless he has underlings of his own who can aid him in combat. The latter option makes more sense when taking into consideration the promise of a “monster war”.
How KOTM May Have Already Set Up The Civil War
Right now, Kong doesn’t have the numbers he would need to fight a monster war with Godzilla, but the King of the Monsters credits may have set up a scenario that could shift the odds, at least to some degree. It was said in one of the credits’ newspaper headlines that some of the Titans are on their way to Skull Island, but which ones and why are never said. Regardless of their identities and their reasons for doing so, they could be just what Kong needs to fight Godzilla.
If any of these monsters are the same creatures who were awakened by King Ghidorah’s call, then it can be assumed that they’re currently acting as Godzilla’s minions, and won’t be open to serving Kong. That being said, King of the Monsters has proven that Titan loyalties aren’t set in stone. Rodan, Behemoth, Scylla, the MUTO Queen, and Methuselah all ended their allegiances to Ghidorah the moment they realized that Godzilla had killed him. By exerting his superiority, he earned their respect (and fear). Perhaps that’s all Kong needs to do to get some of the Titans on his side. One way that can happen is if a group of Titans arrive on the island and are immediately intercepted by Kong, who acts as the island’s self-appointed guardian. If he were to kill just one and spare the others, they would recognize his strength and ferocity and potentially accept him as their new alpha (over Godzilla). Furthermore, Kong’s army of Titans could grow as more Titans fall to him. A turning point like this would cause an understandable rift in the MonsterVerse, because then there would be two alphas instead of just one. Such a situation wouldn’t last long before the two rival factions would come to blows. This would work as an excellent explanation for the Godzilla-Kong fight, as it’s easy to imagine that Godzilla would take issue with another Titan stealing his minions.
Who The MonsterVerse’s Titans Could Side With
If Godzilla and Kong are about to have a civil war on their hands, the question of who would side with which Alpha is an intriguing one. It’s hard to identify who Kong’s allies could be without knowing who went to Skull Island. It really could be any of the original Titans, including those audiences haven’t seen yet. Among those are the sea monster Leviathan, the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi, the elephant-like Mokele-Mbembe, and several more. Perhaps the only Titan who fans can count on sticking with Godzilla is Rodan. It’s known from the credits that he found a new volcano, but if summoned by the alpha, he could show up to help Godzilla against Kong. The primary reason why it feels like a safe bet that he wouldn’t side with Kong is that fans were denied a Godzilla-Rodan team-up in King of the Monsters. They’re Toho’s most iconic monster duo, so putting them on opposite sides would feel like a huge missed opportunity for the MonsterVerse. King of the Monsters passed on a chance to unite them, but Godzilla vs. Kong can rectify that by making Rodan his staunchest ally.
There’s also the matter of Mothra. She isn’t confirmed to come back just yet, but the presence of Dr. Chen (Zhang Ziyi) adds a link to the monster, plus a return is possible. Mothra could return to life through the egg from the credits. Some may assume that if she were to be around, she’d be a lock for Godzilla’s side, but that’s far from a certainty, despite their symbiotic relationship. Mothra is a benevolent creature who would recognize the good in both Titans; picking sides in a monster war doesn’t feel like it would be her prerogative unless there was a clear villain. Instead, it may be up to Mothra to stop the war and get the two to come together against a common foe. Regardless of what ends the fight, there’s a good chance that there will be a threat that makes Godzilla and Kong end their dispute. The Titans left standing at the end of the war may have a third party to concern themselves with if Mechagodzilla emerges as Godzilla vs. Kong’s real villain and tries to kill the monsters.
