The number of Titans in the MonsterVerse could be close to double what it once was by the time Godzilla vs. Kong rolls around. Godzilla: King of the Monsters revealed the existence of at least 17 Titans, but there’s good reason to believe that number will shoot up very soon.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters expanded on the mythology of the MonsterVerse by bringing into the picture three more classic Toho kaiju - Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah - and all three Titans played major roles in the story as well as the final battle. At the end of the day, only two of these Titans (Godzilla and Rodan) were left standing. More Titans will clash in the fourth MonsterVerse installment when the two title characters finally come to blows. Also expected to take part in the action is Godzilla’s robotic counterpart, Mechagodzilla, who could be the villain who forces the two to put aside their differences.
Since King of the Monsters set up returns for Rodan, Ghidorah, and Mothra, any of these three could be appear as well. But regardless of whether or not they’re featured in the movie, Godzilla vs. Kong could include a lot more Titans than what’s been teased. King of the Monsters has given the sequel plenty to work with, but it’s important to note that Godzilla vs. Kong isn’t limited to 17 Titans. Here’s why the next movie could push the number of monsters to way above 17, and why it could be closer to 30 or more.
Titans Confirmed To Exist In The MonsterVerse (So Far)
In King of the Monsters, Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) shows Mark (Kyle Chandler) files that Monarch has kept on 17 Titans. The Titans that Monarch is aware of include Godzilla, Ghidorah, Rodan, Mothra, Kong, and several more original Titans who have no connection to Toho’s library of kaiju. Four of these (Behemoth, Scylla, Methuselah, and the third M.U.T.O.) were shown on screen in King of the Monsters wreaking havoc on behalf of their alpha, Ghidorah. At the end of the movie, the four Titans followed Rodan’s lead when he bowed down to Godzilla.
They were the only ones shown, but more were around when Ghidorah was attacking. Monitor screens at Monarch revealed the names of 11 other Titans, some of which being Leviathan, Sekhmet, Amhuluk, and Baphomet. Another was Mokele-Mbembe, who was shown breaking out of containment, but his body was covered by so much smoke that it was impossible to make out any of his distinguishing characteristics. Each of the 11 missing Titans (and the four previously-mentioned creatures) are all based on gods and monsters from various cultures and mythologies from all over the world.
Curiously, after adding up all the Titans, the number is actually 20, rather than 17. The reason for this isn’t clear, but it’s possible that the third M.U.T.O. isn’t technically a Titan, Ghidorah wasn’t mentioned because he was being kept a secret, and that Godzilla wasn’t counted because Serizawa’s exact words were “17 and counting, after Gojira.” So far, here's every known Titan in the MonsterVerse: Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Ghidorah, Kong, Methuselah, Behemoth, Scylla, Third M.U.T.O., Amhuluk, Baphomet, Leviathan, Sekhmet, Mokele-Mbembe, Yamata no Orochi, Typhon, Bunyip, Quetzalcoatl, Tiamat, and Abaddon.
How King of the Monsters Set Up More Titans
As pointed out by Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Mike Dougherty, the phrase “17 and counting” helped the movie avoid nailing down a fixed number of Titans in the MonsterVerse. According to Dougherty, the humans are “probably discovering a new hibernating Titan every month or so.” Now that people know about the Hollow Earth, it’ll likely be easier for scientists to detect them.
This means that at any given point, the MonsterVerse can introduce the monster of their choosing simply by revealing that Monarch (or someone else) uncovered evidence of a new Titan. They could be hiding all over the MonsterVerse in places that no one has even looked yet. This approach was taken because Dougherty wanted to leave the door open for more Toho monsters. The budget for King of the Monsters prevented them from using more Toho properties, but Dougherty felt that later movies would be able to bring in monsters like Gigan and King Caesar.
More Titans Could Awaken In Godzilla vs. Kong
If humans really are discovering more hibernating Titans as quickly as once a month, there’s no telling how many Titans Monarch will know about in Godzilla vs. Kong, especially since it’s hard to say how big of a time skip there will be between the two movies. Even if its just one year, that’s a lot of time for scientists to uncover several new monsters. The rate at which Titans are being found is sure to go up even further, now that the Hollow Earth theory has been proven correct.
Monarch’s exploration into Hollow Earth could yield fascinating results. If they go deep enough, they could stumble across Titans that were buried so far into the Earth that Ghidorah’s call wasn’t able to reach them. If Monarch isn’t careful, they could inadvertently create a mass awakening of Titans that’s more catastrophic than what Ghidorah single-handedly engineered in King of the Monsters.
Titans That Godzilla vs. Kong Could Introduce
As for what new monsters Godzilla vs. Kong could bring to the MonsterVerse, toy leaks have revealed a winged serpent called Nozuki or Warbat, but he may not be alone. Other additions would most likely be original Titans, but new Toho monsters could be hiding underground as well. Biollante and Destoroyah aren’t candidates, since both would have to be created by humans. An Anguirus skeleton was shown in King of the Monsters, so a member of his species could be dwelling in the Hollow Earth tunnels somewhere. Toho kaiju such as Titanosaurus, Baragon, Megalon, Kumonga, and Gorosaurus could all be hibernating somewhere in secret.
It’s also not difficult to imagine a giant crab like Ebirah lurking in the underwater passageways seen in King of the Monsters, or the dog-like King Caesar peacefully awaiting the mystical song that wakes him from his slumber. A Battra egg may have already been teased, and a second MonsterVerse alien - Gigan - could have traveled to Earth thousands of years ago. Even if the new movie doesn’t end up teasing or referencing these Titans, Godzilla: King of the Monsters has at least made them all real possibilities. If Godzilla vs. Kong passes on this opportunity, then Godzilla 3 or perhaps a future MonsterVerse installment could make use of them.
