Godzilla 3. The three-headed golden dragon lost his life at the end of the last MonsterVerse installment, but the movie left the door open for his resurrection. Ghidorah has come back from death before in the Toho movies — but chances are, this particular narrative twist won't fit in with the plot for Godzilla vs. Kong.
In King of the Monsters, Jonah (Charles Dance), Emma (Vera Farmiga) and their band of eco-terrorists unwittingly unleashed a terror on the planet when they used the Orca to free Ghidorah from his icy prison in Antarctica. Their belief was that waking up the monsters from their hibernation would save the planet, but their biggest mistake was choosing the wrong Titan. As it turned out, Ghidorah was an alien invader who had no interest in preserving the natural order. When he tried to terraform the planet, he was opposed by Godzilla. At the end of the movie, the two Titans engaged in an intense, final battle that ended with Godzilla – powered up by Mothra’s sacrifice – obliterating his foe with his nuclear pulse attack.
Though the MonsterVerse’s Godzilla has only been in two movies at this point, he’s already disposed of his greatest villain: Ghidorah. That being said, the Godzilla: King of the Monsters post-credits scene opened the door for the alien menace to come back. Jonah was seen purchasing the Ghidorah head that Godzilla bit off during their second fight. What Jonah wanted with it was never clearly stated, but the implication was that Ghidorah could be restored to life. Regardless, the resurrection of “The False King” may not happen anytime soon.
How Ghidorah Has Come Back From Death in Toho’s Movies
The MonsterVerse’s decision to tease Ghidorah’s revival has drawn comparisons to what Toho did with the iconic kaiju in the 1991 film, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. After beating Ghidorah in the movie, Godzilla ripped off his middle head and left the creature to die at the bottom of the ocean. Due to some time travel hijinks by the movie’s human characters, the creature’s body was taken to the future where it was transformed into a cyborg monster. Complete with a new robotic third head and metal parts all over its body, the monster returned as “Mecha-King Ghidorah.” Now under the humans’ control, he was utilized as a force for good that could save Japan from Godzilla. Despite his new upgrades, he still wasn’t as powerful as Godzilla. Mecha-King Ghidorah died in the process of dropping Godzilla in the ocean. This marked the first and last time that Ghidorah was used in the Heisei series.
Ghidorah Is Unlikely To Return In Godzilla vs. Kong
Based on Ghidorah’s history in Toho’s movies and King of the Monsters’ post-credits tease, some theorized that the Ghidorah head could be used to facilitate his return in Godzilla vs. Kong. The idea was that a reborn King Ghidorah could be the villain that forces Godzilla and Kong to put aside their differences. However, it would seem that Mechagodzilla is the Titan who will fill that role. Godzilla’s robotic counterpart is his second biggest enemy after Ghidorah in Toho’s movies. After his inclusion was spoiled by a toy leak, it became apparent that Mechagodzilla was the “mechanized giant” mentioned in one of the newspaper articles in the credits of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Of course, it’s always possible that Godzilla vs. Kong will make use of multiple villains, but if Mechagodzilla will have an ally against the two titular Titans, chances are that it won’t be Ghidorah.
When considering whether or not Ghidorah makes sense for Godzilla vs. Kong, it’s important to look at what is known about the movie’s villains and how they compare to the group featured in King of the Monsters. The synopsis of Godzilla vs. Kong warns of a human conspiracy that threatens to wipe all the Titans “from the face of the earth forever.” That description sets them apart from Jonah and his minions in a big way. What Jonah and Emma wanted was to give Earth back to the Titans because it was their home first. It would be out-of-character for Jonah to switch gears and attempt to get rid of the monsters. Furthermore, there’s been no confirmation that Charles Dance will reprise his role as Jonah in King of the Monsters. What all this suggests is that the two groups of villains are unrelated. Since Jonah and his people are the ones who have the Ghidorah head in their possession, their presence would be needed if the MonsterVerse were to bring him back in Godzilla vs. Kong. Since all indications point to them not being around, that Ghidorah tease may not be followed up on until a later movie.
How Ghidorah Can Be Used In Godzilla 3
Though Jonah and the eco-terrorists may be sitting out Godzilla vs. Kong, they could be problem for Monarch again in Godzilla 3. The Ghidorah head could be used to create Mecha-King Ghidorah in the movie. The problem with this theory, however, is that there isn’t much of him left for them to work with. It’s a situation that’s different from the one that was presented in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, when Godzilla only severed one head. A way to get around this is Monarch’s research into genetically engineering Titans. It was said in the credits that Monarch was looking into creating their own “organic Titans.” Also, King of the Monsters director Dougherty has commented on the head’s regenerative properties [via Twitter]. It could be that if the villains get their hands on Monarch’s technology, they can recreate Ghidorah’s body using scientific means.
If Jonah does find a way for Ghidorah to live again, he may not have the same role that he had in King of the Monsters. Ghidorah has already been the main villain once, so Legendary should pick a new Toho kaiju to serve as Godzilla’s primary threat. SpaceGodzilla, Destoroyah, Gigan, and Biollante would all be good choices. Ghidorah, since he’s already had his share of the spotlight, could work out well as a secondary villain. That would be better than him being the main antagonist, since Godzilla has already proved that he can beat Ghidorah. As for how he’d fit into the story, the human villains could send him on a mission to stop Godzilla from saving civilization. Godzilla could have to fight Mecha-King Ghidorah in the middle of the movie, before having to move on to the bigger threat.
