Is There Another King Ghidorah In The Monsterverse? Forgotten KOTM Tease Set Up A Future Godzilla Rival

A forgotten tease from five years ago laid the groundwork for another version of King Ghidorah to appear in the Monsterverse. In Godzilla: KIng of the Monsters, Legendary’s Monsterverse introduced its take on King Ghidorah as an ancient rival to Godzilla. Not unlike the way its Toho counterpart is traditionally depicted, this incarnation of Monster Zero is a creature from a distant planet. As the only known alien Titan in the Monsterverse, Ghidorah has a certain uniqueness to him, but interestingly, there have been indications that perhaps Ghidorah isn’t the outlier he originally seemed to be.

The idea of Ghidorah not being alone goes beyond the notion that the creature may have shared the Earth with other alien Titans. In fact, there could be other creatures of the same species out there in the Monsterverse somewhere. The Monsterverse movies themselves haven’t directly confirmed this as a fact, but the novelization of the 2019 film did indeed point to Ghidorah having a relative around. What’s worse, this other Ghidorah could be even more powerful than the Titan Godzilla faced in Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ ending.

How The Monsterverse Teased The Existence Of Another King Ghidorah

According To A Legend, Ghidorah Supposedly Left His Home Planet Because Of His Sibling

In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it was Zhang Ziyi’s Dr. Ling who identified Ghidorah by name, having linked the three-headed dragon Titan to a creature from legend and surmised that he was from outer space. The novelization of the movie expanded on by featuring excerpts from Dr. Ling’s research into Ghidorah’s past. In addition to Ghidorah being an alien, Dr. Ling had heard it said that Ghidorah was a “younger son.” On account of that, he “wouldn’t inherit territory, and so he came here to find his own.” Not only does this provide a possible explanation for Ghidorah’s arrival on Earth, but it also sets up a similar version of the creature.

If Ghidorah was a “younger son” who felt like he had to leave his home planet in order to gain power, that would mean that he has an older and perhaps stronger brother. That idea carries some dangerous implications, especially when taking into consideration how close Ghidorah came to killing Godzilla and terraforming the planet. It goes without saying that any monster who had Ghidorah in his shadow must be a force to be reckoned with.

Since it was thousands of years ago that Ghidorah came to Earth, there’s no telling what may have become of his older brother (if he existed at all). Theoretically, he could still be there, ruling over his home planet. But given all the time that’s passed by, all sorts of different scenarios could have played out, many of which being situations where Ghidorah’s relative moved on. He could be out there looking for new worlds to conquer, and if so, it’s not implausible that he winds up in the same area of space as Ghidorah all those centuries ago. If that happens, he could have his own conflict with Godzilla.

Classic Toho Godzilla Movies Could Explain The Monsterverse’s Second Ghidorah Setup

In Toho’s Movies, There’s Not Just One Ghidorah

The concept of a second Ghidorah isn’t unprecedented in Godzilla’s universe, which is one reason why it’s not unfathomable for the Monsterverse. There are actually two different versions of Ghidorah’s backstory that the Monsterverse could take inspiration from if it were to head in this direction. The first stems from Rebirth of Mothra, which introduced Desghidorah, a monster similar but not identical to King Ghidorah. The connection to the more popular monster made more sense after Rebirth of Mothra III, which brought in the more powerful King Ghidorah and established the two villains as relatives.

Desghidorah never got a chance to battle Godzilla since he never appeared outside the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, but the concept did lead to yet another King Ghidorah variation. Part of what made Desghidorah stand out from the traditional version of the kaiju was his build; he stood on four legs instead of two. The franchise recycled this idea when it created the design for the main villain of Godzilla: Final Wars, Kaizer Ghidorah a.k.a. Monster X. The new version of Ghidorah was characterized as the strongest of Godzilla’s villains, as he was the last in a long string of classic foes Godzilla had to fight in the film.

As a creature weaponized by aliens, Kaizer Ghidorah has an origin that likens him to the original Ghidorah from the 1960s Godzilla films, but his name and menacing design create a clear distinction between him and Monster Zero. “Kaizer” translates to “Emperor” in Japanese, so there’s definitely meaning to be found in his name; an emperor’s power is greater in scale than that of a king, which speaks to Toho’s efforts to make Kaizer Ghidorah come across as the superior version of the kaiju.

Could Kaizer Ghidorah Appear In The Monsterverse?

The franchise’s history when it comes to multiple Ghidorah versions and the suggestion that there’s a second one out there furthers speculation that such a Titan could menace the Monsterverse at some point in the future. As for what form it would take, Legendary could invent its own or use one of the two pre-existing alternatives. Of the two, the strongest option for this role is Kaizer Ghidorah. Due to Rebirth of Mothra not being a Godzilla film and therefore having less visibility in the franchise, Desghidorah is arguably less appealing, even if his origin would allow him to take this role rather seamlessly.

Kaizer Ghidorah, on the other hand, is remembered as a powerful member of Godzilla’s rogues’ gallery and would be a standout addition to the Monsterverse’s Titan lineup. It’s not implausible that, given his reputation, King of the Monsters’ allusion to a Ghidorah relative was a subtle hint toward Kaizer Ghidorah’s existence in the Monsterverse. That said, there’s no evidence as of yet that the Monsterverse will ever act on this reference. After all, using him would risk taking away what made Ghidorah special, as he’d no longer be one-of-a-kind in the Monsterverse.

Another major obstacle in the way of Kaizer Ghidorah joining the Monsterverse is the fact that Legendary admittedly has more unique options available to it when it comes to Godzilla’s next villain. Gigan, Biollante, and Destororyah are all exciting choices in their own right, and could get more interest than another version of a villain Godzilla fought as recently as 2019. But, with the Monsterverse expanding through new TV shows and possibly new movies (including a Godzilla x Kong sequel) on the way as well, his debut remains an avenue Legendary could explore later.

Legendary could avoid a retread of Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ Godzilla vs. Ghidorah rivalry if it uses him as an opponent to another monster in one of Apple TV+’s planned Monsterverse spinoffs. Or, true to his image as a kaiju of greater strength than King Ghidorah, he could be introduced as a foe that Godzilla can’t beat without Kong’s help.