A growing number of fans believe that Godzilla vs. Kong 2’s secret villain is a monster from TriStar’s unmade Godzilla movie. Long before releasing the controversial 1998 movie, the studio’s plans for an American adaptation of Godzilla’s story started with an entirely different script. But eventually, the 1994 script was abandoned and Dean Devlin was brought on board, thus paving the way for the 1998 Godzilla film to happen.
The 1994 Godzilla script is now considered a thing of the past, but speculation is mounting that one particular element of the script could get revived in the MonsterVerse as the “undiscovered threat” teased in Godzilla vs Kong 2's plot synopsis. While 1998’s Godzilla didn’t fight any monsters in his movie, the 1994 script – written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio – called for him to fight an all-powerful, alien beast known as the Gryphon. Interestingly, Rossio co-wrote Godzilla vs. Kong and is back to help pen the script for Adam Wingard’s MonsterVerse sequel. It’s because of his involvement that fans now think that the Gryphon – which was partly his brainchild – could finally receive his live-action debut as a Hollow Earth Titan in Godzilla vs. Kong 2.
The Gryphon’s Powers & Origin Explained
Concept art and sculptures of the Gryphon, combined with the script for the precursor to the 1998 Godzilla movie, provide a full picture of the writers’ vision for the creature. In Greek mythology, “gryphon” is interchangeable with “griffin,” which is the name of a well-known, winged monster with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. The design for Gryphon confirms the link to the griffin, but his physical appearance is where the resemblance ends. The Gryphon was meant to possess extraordinary powers, one of which being an ability to transform.
The Gryphon was to be introduced as a genetically-engineered monster and the weapon of an alien species bent on eliminating all of humanity. Apparently, his creators intended for Gryphon to destroy the humans to make room for the aliens. Similar to what Toho did with Megaguirus, Gryphon originated as a multiple of much smaller creatures that proceeded to collect Godzilla’s DNA and come together to form one being. As for where Godzilla fit into the story, he too existed as a creation of another civilization. Long ago, humans gave Godzilla life in the interest of having an ally that could defend the planet from the Gryphon when it launched its attack.
Can The Gryphon Actually Be Godzilla vs. Kong 2’s Villain?
The MonsterVerse pulling directly from the 1994 Godzilla script for its story and using the Gryphon in Godzilla vs. Kong 2 feels highly unlikely, regardless of the Terry Rossio connection. That being said, it’s not impossible that some of these ideas could be retooled for the MonsterVerse in some way or another. In other words, Godzilla and Kong’s next opponent may not be the Gryphon per se, but shades of the monster could be found in whichever creature is chosen to be Godzilla vs. Kong 2’s villain, especially if the MonsterVerse opts to use an original Titan over a Toho kaiju.
