Despite being one of the most popular monsters in the Anguirus filled this role in Godzilla Raids Again and Mothra held it twice, both in Godzilla vs. Mothra and Mothra vs. Godzilla.

Since both Mothra and Anguirus have been utilized in versus-themed Godzilla stories, it's worth wondering why Rodan was never utilized in a greater capacity. Across all of his appearances in the franchise, he's never been more than a co-star or a ing player. There's always been plenty of potential for compelling action when it comes to a possible Godzilla vs. Rodan movie, but Toho apparently had other priorities. However, that's not to say the idea was never in play. From the looks of things, a Godzilla vs. Rodan movie may have been under serious consideration.

An Unmade King Kong vs. Godzilla Sequel Would Have Set Up Godzilla vs. Rodan

Godzilla & King Kong's Cancelled Sequel Had A Massive Rodan Connection

Plans for an unmade Godzilla-King Kong crossover indicate that Toho may have been eyeing Godzilla vs. Rodan for a mid-1960s release. After making King Kong vs. Godzilla, Toho intended to make a sequel that would involve a rematch between the two rivals. The screenplay for the film, titled Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla, reveals that at the end, both Godzilla and King Kong would have found themselves trapped inside Mount Aso after a volcanic eruption. What makes this so interesting is the fact that Mount Aso is central to the story of Rodan in his 1956 movie.

In Rodan, Mount Aso is the volcano where the male and female versions of Rodan reside. With that in mind, the canceled King Kong vs. Godzilla sequel putting both monsters in the same location does indeed raise the possibility that Toho was setting the stage for Godzilla vs. Rodan. Taking this route does make sense, considering that as a Toho property, Rodan was an in-house kaiju and would therefore have been an appealing option for a Godzilla versus movie. As for why Toho didn't go down that road, it's likely that the concept became unnecessary.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster Made Godzilla vs. Rodan Unncessary

Rodan Was Reintroduced As A Godzilla Ally

Rather than make the King Kong vs. Godzilla sequel, Toho produced Mothra vs. Godzilla instead. It then followed up with King Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, which teamed Godzilla with Rodan and Mothra against the titular villain. This particular film helps explain the logic behind Toho not pursuing a Godzilla vs. Rodan movie in the Showa era. Before sending the trio off to fight Ghidorah, the 1964 film featured a fight between Godzilla and Rodan. Because of that, audiences had already seen what that matchup had to offer, perhaps detracting from Toho's prospective interest in giving the fight the full-length treatment in the following years.

Rodan and Godzilla have come to blows on three occasions: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and Godzilla: Final Wars.

This move also redefined Rodan as a Godzilla ally in the Showa era and the latter as a hero. Once Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster released, there was little narrative reason to reverse their dynamic. Rather, the franchise doubled down, keeping them on the same side in Invasion of Astro Monster and Destroy All Monsters. Had he not appeared in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, which established them as friends, Godzilla vs. Rodan may have happened at some point down the line. Due to Rodan's flying ability, he could have been a challenging antagonist for the better part of a movie.

Toho Identified Rodan As A Top Candidate For A Godzilla Villain, But Still Didn't Use Him

Rodan Was A Highly Requested Option For A Future Godzilla Villain

It's possible that the same explanation can also be applied to a Godzilla vs. Rodan being avoided in the rebooted franchise as well. According to The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films by John LeMay, Toho conducted a poll in the 1990s to see which kaiju were the most desired opponents. The top four answers to this question were Mechagodzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and Ghidorah. Of those four, only Rodan didn't wind up as the focus of a Godzilla versus movie in the Heisei era. As the book explains, Toho's plans for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II may be why that was the case.

Not unlike Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II pit Godzilla and Rodan against each other before having them share a common enemy. In doing so, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II effectively fulfilled two of the wishes expressed by the poll results. And with all the movies in the Heisei era sharing the same timeline, Rodan was taken off the table for the rest of the series, considering that the movie's ending killed him off.

How A Godzilla vs. Rodan Movie Could Have Worked

Rodan Could Have Been A Hard Target For Godzilla

As for what would have transpired if a conflict between Rodan and Godzilla had been expanded to fill a whole movie, it's not abundantly clear what that would have entailed. As previously noted, the fighting likely would have emphasized Rodan's flying. The damage wrought by the force of the winds created by his wings in the 1956 movie, for instance, could have been used as a highly potent weapon against Godzilla. That, combined with his ability to take to the sky, would have made him hard for Godzilla to bring down. This challenge could have been the primary obstacle for Godzilla to overcome in their fights.

...there are limits to how far the movie could go with a misunderstanding or just a simple clash of egos

Story-wise, Godzilla vs. Rodan could have been more complicated to make work. With both of their one-on-one showdowns, there's a sense that there wasn't enough there to justify more focus on their conflict. Neither are true villains, so there are limits to how far the movie could go with a misunderstanding or just a simple clash of egos. That notion could have contributed to Toho prioritizing other monsters for versus movies and ultimately keeping Rodan as a ing monster only. Given that this is where he excels, that move was possibly for the best.