There's not much debate over the identity of the MonsterVerse's strongest Titan, but it's worth wondering which monster is the closest to Godzilla's power level. After all, Godzilla isn't the only powerful creature in the MonsterVerse, nor is he the only alpha. There are other Titans out there capable of posing a physical challenge to him.
Godzilla has asserted his dominance over the Titans not once, but twice in Legendary's movies. He secured his position of alpha when he dethroned Ghidorah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters' ending. But while each of the Titans present were quick to accept him as the strongest of them all, Godzilla was not yet the undisputed champion of the MonsterVerse, as Kong had yet to bow down to him. Later, Godzilla vs. Kong erased any lingering doubts regarding Godzilla's superiority when Kong submitted at the end of the movie. Now, the question is, which Titan is second to Godzilla?
Godzilla, Kong, & Ghidorah Are The MonsterVerse's Strongest Titans
Godzilla, Ghidorah, Kong, Rodan, Mothra, and the MUTOs are all forces to be reckoned with, but three of the aforementioned Titans are a cut above the rest. Neither of the MUTOs belong in any conversation about the MonsterVerse's strongest Titan, given that the two had to team up against Godzilla to get an edge. The same goes for Mothra. In spite of her title as Queen of the Titans, she's never been depicted as a powerhouse. It shouldn't be forgotten that it took a hidden stinger for her to defeat Rodan.
Rodan is on the outside of this debate as well. According to King of the Monsters director Mike Dougherty, Rodan is comparable to Godzilla, but none of his feats in the movie were indicative of this. Future MonsterVerse movies may allow Rodan to earn that reputation, but his defeats at the hands of Ghidorah and Mothra keep him from being a contender for the MonsterVerse's second - or even third - strongest Titan. Based on what's been shown of Kong, there's a good chance the ape would beat the King of the Skies if the two ever came to blows. As for Kong and Ghidorah, both are extremely powerful creatures with confirmed alpha statuses.
Kong Can't Beat Godzilla (But Ghidorah Can)
Kong and Ghidorah never fought, but how Godzilla fared against both of them provides a measuring stick for their respective power levels. Between Kong and Ghidorah, only one of these monsters has almost killed Godzilla. In King of the Monsters' final battle, absorbing energy from an electrical grid gave Ghidorah such a substantial upgrade that it somehow trumped the power-up Godzilla received from the nuclear explosion in the underwater city. Ghidorah was so powerful in their third and final battle that he was actually on the cusp of victory at one point. Had it not been for Mothra's sacrifice, Godzilla would've lost.
Kong, on the other hand, never came close to winning. In fact, Godzilla was in control through most of the battle. As Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard confirmed in the director's commentary, Godzilla was toying with Kong up until the moment where he was hit in the head with the axe. There was of course instances where Godzilla struggled, but at no point in the film did Godzilla appear to be at risk of losing altogether. Plus, Kong had to have a weapon made of Godzilla's just to be a match for him.
Why Kong Would Likely Lose To Ghidorah
Ghidorah doing better against Godzilla isn't the only reason why he would probably defeat Kong in a one-on-one fight. As many expected would be the case, Kong's biggest problem fighting Godzilla was the atomic breath. Without the axe, Kong had no answer for it. Just a glancing shot of atomic breath was enough to severely wound him on the back; a point-blank blast would have been fatal. Looking at the issues he had avoiding it, it makes sense that he wouldn't find beating Ghidorah any easier. Monster Zero doesn't have atomic breath, but he does have gravity beams that he shoots from all three heads that Kong would be hard-pressed to defend.
The MonsterVerse itself acknowledged the idea that Godzilla and Ghidorah are the strongest Titans in the MonsterVerse when Serizawa said in King of the Monsters that only Godzilla could beat Ghidorah. Monarch already knew all about Kong, yet the possibility of the ape rising up and beating Ghidorah wasn't even discussed. By all indications, it's Ghidorah - and not Kong -- who deserves the title of the MonsterVerse's second strongest Titan.