Toho almost chose a different monster to be the final villain of the 1980s and 1990s series of Godzilla movies. Introduced in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, the titular antagonist has a reputation as the last opponent Godzilla fought before his death in the same film. In spite of only appearing in one movie, Destoroyah is ed as one of the most fearsome kaiju in Godzilla’s entire cinematic history.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah holds a special place in the King of the Monsters’ legacy. Before the film, Godzilla had only died one time on the big screen, which was in the 1954 classic that started it all. Since then, Toho brought him back, allowing him to evolve into a beloved anti-hero who saved Japan from all sorts of powerful threats. In the mid-1990s, Toho made a shocking choice when it elected to end Godzilla’s story. Godzilla beating Destoroyah and performing the ultimate sacrifice to save his son enabled Toho to deliver an emotional sendoff for the monster.
The Original Plan For Godzilla’s Final Villain Explained
Details regarding the original plan for Godzilla vs. Destoroyah reveal that Toho nearly had an entirely different plot (and villain) in mind for Godzilla’s final outing. Before developing Destoroyah, Toho intended to use an existing monster from its vast kaiju library. One choice for this role was Varan, the villain of Varan the Unbelievable. In the 1958 Toho film, Varan was depicted as a prehistoric monster adept at fighting on land, in the water, and in the air. His only association with Godzilla stems from his very minor role in Destroy All Monsters where he was reintroduced as one of the many residents of Monster Island.
According to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah director Kazuki Omori, Toho decided in 1994 that it wanted to make a movie that would end the franchise, but the specific opponent for the fight was undetermined at this point. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films reveals that the studio considered reviving Varan, who would have been reimagined as a pure evil monster and the “harbinger of the apocalypse” in a movie titled Godzilla vs. Giant Monster Varan. Supposedly, the movie would have ended with Godzilla and his son having to team up to defeat the creature. But, this idea was ultimately abandoned in favor of the monster that later became Destoroyah.
Why Destoroyah Was A Better Choice Than Varan
While a Heisei version of Varan undoubtedly would’ve led to a worthwhile update to a classic, underused Godzilla kaiju, the monster wouldn’t have been the right fit for a movie of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah’s scale. Given that the film was meant to end the Heisei series, it was important that Toho picked an adversary worthy of being Godzilla’s final foe. Unfortunately, Varan’s history hardly ed the character being an apocalyptic-level threat. Toho’s idea for Destoroyah, on the other hand, made more sense, simply because what he represented. As a monster created by the Oxygen Destroyer, Destoroyah was the personification of the very weapon that killed the 1954 Godzilla. By heading in this direction, Toho was easily able to justify Destoroyah’s role as the ultimate Godzilla villain.
