Summary

• The Monsterverse could revisit an epic team-up between three lesser-known monsters, Baragon, Varan, and Anguirus, in an Godzilla X Kong movie.
• Anguirus has already appeared in the Monsterverse, and Baragon and Varan are natural fits for the franchise given their abilities and origins.
• The three monsters would likely be viewed as allies to Godzilla and could team up with him to fight against a new villainous Titan in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.

Monster team-ups produced some of the coolest moments in Toho's kaiju films both with and without Legendary's Monsterverse timeline could revisit this crossover.

Mothra and King Ghidorah were ultimately chosen due to their name recognition, but the movie was originally supposed to feature three lesser-known monsters squaring off against a malevolent Godzilla. As the Monstervese continues to grow with Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, the epic team-up between those three monsters is totally plausible. In fact, it would make sense for the Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire based on their status as defenders of Earth. Instead of battling Godzilla, the monsters Baragon, Varan, and Anguirus could fight with the nuclear lizard in the "Titan War" that may be headed for the Monsterverse.

Baragon, Varan, & Anguirus Were Supposed To Team Up In A 2001 Godzilla Movie

Before Toho eventually settled on using Mothra and King Ghidorah in Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the movie was titled Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Anguirus has long been established as one of Godzilla's most loyal allies, and both Varan and Baragon made an appearance alongside Godzilla in the 1968 Toho classic Destroy All Monsters. However, after the box office returns from the previous Toho film (Godzilla vs. Megaguirus) disappointed, the studio decided to go with more well-known monsters for the story. Baragon remained in place as the first guardian monster Godzilla faced, but his name was dropped entirely from the title.

The original plan for Baragon, Anguirus, and Varan was to establish them as Earth's three elemental guardians who would be called upon to stop a rampaging Godzilla. Their powers were going to reflect their designated element, with Varan using wind, Baragon using fire and Anguirus using ice. In the movie's original script which leaned heavily into fantasy elements, the three would combine their attacks in the final battle against Godzilla, wounding him but ultimately dying at his hands. Their efforts weakened Godzilla enough that he was finished off by the Gotengo, a technologically advanced flying battleship under the command of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

The Monsterverse Has Already Set Up Anguirus

Varan and Baragon both have a fairly short list of appearances on film, but Anguirus has actually already appeared in the Monsterverse in addition to his many appearances in Toho films. An Easter egg from Godzilla: King of the Monsters reveals Anguirus once existed in the Monsterverse, although only his skeleton appears in Godzilla's subterranean home. Various movies of the Monsterverse have established that in many cases the Titans are of a species, so it's not a far stretch to assume that there are other of Anguirus' species in hibernation somewhere, perhaps in the Hollow Earth or at one of Monarch's already-monitored Titan sites.

Anguirus was actually the first opponent for Godzilla, as the two battled in the sequel to the 1954 original, Godzilla Raids Again. Since that time, Anguirus has come to Godzilla's aid against others multiple times, and vice versa. His skeleton being briefly glimpsed in Godzilla's home indicates that he may have even had a much closer relationship with Godzilla than the friendship seen in the Toho films. He could even have a symbiotic relationship with Godzilla just as Mothra does, with both monsters working together towards a common goal--a balanced planet Earth.

Why Baragon & Varan Could Also Exist In The Monsterverse

Baragon and Varan are both natural fits for the Monsterverse given their somewhat limited abilities. It would be easier to explain their existence than a kaiju with more extravagant origins like Gigan or Destoroyah. Baragon is a reptilian burrowing kaiju, and as a creature that lives underground, he would make a perfect denizen for the Hollow Earth. His burrowing has historically caused earthquakes and avalanches, so for him to not have been noticed in the modern timeline of the Monsterverse yet he would likely still be in hibernation, or be a permanent resident of the Hollow Earth alongside the likes of the Warbats that Kong defeats in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Despite his limited filmography, Varan has maintained a cult following among kaiju fans. His backstory actually works very well with the Titan mythos that has been established in the Monsterverse. The triphibious kaiju was originally worshipped as the mountain god of a secluded village in one of Toho's earliest monster movies, 1958's Varan The Unbelievable. As a monster capable of flight (or at least gliding), walking, and swimming, Varan's existence could be established anywhere on the planet, and he makes a ton of sense as one of the known Titans in hibernation that Monarch monitors.

How Baragon, Varan, and Anguirus' Team-Up Can Happen In Godzilla X Kong

Many of the Titans monitored by Monarch in the Monsterverse are deemed to be benevolent creatures merely looking to exist in a balanced world. Anguirus, Baragon, and Varan would almost certainly be viewed that way, which would ultimately make them allies to Godzilla. Godzilla is the Alpha Titan, and as guardian entities, they would likely answer to him and fall in line with his desire for balance on the planet. Spread across the globe, the three monsters would need a significant reason to actually come together and team up as they were originally poised to do in Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.

Fortunately, a reason is on the way. In Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, the Titans are supposedly facing a world-ending threat. It seems likely that if Godzilla and Kong are going to be required to turn to each other for help, then some other allies might come in handy as well. In fact, Godzilla vs. Kong provided some insight into a past "Titan War", and if something like that were to be spurred by the new villainous Titan that's being introduced in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, then Godzilla is going to need all the help he can get.