Following the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, it became clear that Godzilla still holds the title of King of the Monsters. However, since his first appearance in 2014, the MonsterVerse’s version of the titan has had to fight harder than others to maintain that rank. While this is due in part to the immense strength of his opponents, Godzilla’s lack of arm reach and mobility highlights that evolution hasn’t been in the character’s favor.
In 2014’s Godzilla, the titular kaiju came onto the scene ready to take on two enemies at once, the MUTOs. However, the battle was far from easy for Godzilla. Not only could one of them fly, but the other was considerably larger and stronger. Eventually, Godzilla defeated them, but the MUTOs’ talons proved to be a major hindrance, as they were able to pierce Godzilla’s hide. At one point, the flying MUTO even picked him up and tossed him into a building.
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2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters exemplified another moment where his shorter reach became a problem. King Ghidorah served as the film’s main antagonist. While the three-headed dragon lacked arms, he made up for it with three incredibly long necks, allowing him to bite Godzilla from any angle. Godzilla’s reach was able to keep two heads at bay, but he was always left open to the third. Ultimately, Godzilla was forced to go nuclear to eradicate the alien threat.
The titan’s evolutionary disadvantage reached its breaking point in Godzilla vs. Kong when he faced off against the King of Skull Island. It took multiple rounds to decide the victor because Kong refused to go down without a fight. He scaled buildings and used weapons, while Godzilla was forced to embrace his primal urges and crawl on all fours for a strike, resembling an alligator or crocodile. Despite all this, it was Mechagodzilla that exploited the kaiju’s weakness to a near-fatal end.
Humans designed Mechagodzilla to be the killer of all titans, including Godzilla. Because of that, the machine was outfitted with offensive weapons along with long arms, atomic breath and jets for an added speed boost. The deadly combination proved too much for Godzilla, who couldn’t even unleash his atomic breath before getting an elbow to the neck. Mechagodzilla’s Muay Thai style of combat meant that it utilized a lot more of its arms and elbows, which gave him the upper hand against Godzilla. That mixed with its missiles and atomic breath, nearly killed the titan before Kong came in and, with the help of Godzilla, killed Mechagodzilla.
Evolution has worked against Godzilla by giving him a considerably shorter reach than other kaiju. But his strength, tail and size, along with his resilient hide and will to keep fighting, has seen him through all of his battles. That, coupled with his drive to work harder each fight, has shown other humans and titans why he earned the title of King of the Monsters despite his weakness.
Directed by Adam Wingard and written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry. The film is now playing in theaters and on HBO Max.
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