Two kings, one world, one unknown future. The Monsterverse has continued with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Each film that has led up to this one, has reeled in particular audiences. Each film has used different tones to tell the film’s unique stories. But all have delivered on the absolute messy fun of seeing giant monster fighting giant monster. That even trinkled down to streaming services with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters that filled in some gaps, told the story of Monarch in more depth, and created additional lore. That all narrows down to the events that will unfold in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. While the Monsterverse is ready to release another chapter, eyes are on the chapter after. No news, no statements about further projects are know to the public at time of writing. But, the Monsterverse is arguably the best cinematic universe after the MCU. Why should it stop after Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire? If this universe is to survive and set up future installments, the foundation needs to be made now. A path needs to be carved. And that could only lead to one “destructive” destination.
The Monsterverse has released a few movies but with half of the films setting up the next. One film that did that is Kong: Skull Island to Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The post-credit scene at the end of Kong: Skull Island set up the events and foreshadowed the monsters that appeared in the preceding film. Godzilla: King of the Monsters did two things to create more connective tissue. Characters referenced Kong and the events in the movie. Then at the end in its post-credit scene, it teased something that had to deal with one of Ghidorah’s heads. It left it vague and forced fans to put the picture together. That momentum stopped however with Godzilla vs Kong. No post-credit, no mention of what’s to come. It had an ending that felt as a true ending to the franchise. Fans were ecstatic when news broke that a sequel was on the horizon. But again, while the MCU and DCU have set up films in advance, the Monsterverse has yet to do that. The franchise seems to be playing it by ear to see if one film leads to another. That is the business strategy. Smart and bold, but there needs to be a creative strategy that pushes this franchise forward. A story that goes through every film and maybe spawn a few just for itself.
In the late 1990’s, the Heisei era of Godzilla movies was going with a literal bang. This chapter of Godzilla movies had that continuity’s Godzilla die from his own radiation. But more than that, this last film in that era pitted a powerful enemy against the King of the Monsters. This monster started small then evolved into one that towered over Godzilla. The last monster this Godzilla fought was Destoroyah. A monster that evolved from a crustacean to become the devil to Godzilla’s godly aura. What made Destoroyah such a unique villain was that he technically got his start in the very first Godzilla film in 1954. When the scientists in the film unleashed the state-of-the-art, controversial oxygen destroyer, they killed Godzilla but birthed Destoroyah. Due to the power it unleased, it mutated nearby sea life and thus paved the way for Destoroyah’s dawn.
The thing with the Monsterverse, this even has happened in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The military launched the Oxygen Destroyer on Godzilla and Ghidorah. Fans were quick to pick the mere mention of the name and know what it led to in the original Godzilla films. The groundwork has already been laid out for Destoroyah. What the Monsterverse could do it gradually work up to his arrival. The film where Destoroyah debuted had this type of buildup. But with multiple films and perhaps series, the Monsterverse could draw out that buildup. Set him up in the background. Perhaps set him in the post credit scenes. A potential season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters could investigate an uptick of strange events. Perhaps a fishing city, cities by the coasts are getting sick, getting harmed. Somewhere along the way the word ‘monster’ is mentioned and Monarch sends out agents and soldiers to investigate. What made Destoroyah such a treat in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, is that he was problem for every hero in their own domain. One of his forms was the height of regular person and that form spawned an army. The military had to come in and fight them. Something Monarch agents and soldiers will have to deal with. Then when Destoroyah got a little bigger, he was the size of the adolescent Godzilla in the film. The two fought. Maybe a fight the beloved Titanis Doug could handle? He also has a winged form, a fight that Rodan and Mothra could take. And of course he grew to Godzilla’s size. But with a monster that has many different forms that started small, that could warrant some time to investigate his evolution.
His arrival could also play with the themes that have already been set up in the Monsterverse. The balance of nature is a core element in the films. That the Titans are the ones that dictate the flow, the balance, the preservation of the nature order. Like Ghidorah, Destoroyah is not a part of that natural order. But what gives a special case to Destoroyah is that he is man-made, unlike Mechagodzilla. Destoroyah is flesh and bones like Ghidorah, man-made like Mechagodzilla but is all hellbent of destroying everything. He is the flaw of humanity that Godzilla and others have to fix again.
Time and success will tell if the Monsterverse lives on after Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. But the tools for a continued universe are already laid out. The monster to end it all not only already exists in Toho’s library, but a monster that fans want to see. His evolution from crustacean to a titan is tailored made for a drawn-out story. And the Monsterverse has the projects to tell a story that needs to be told gradually. At a time where the Godzilla IP is hot property because of the Monsterverse, the quality of Godzilla: Minus One, and a recent Academy Award for Godzilla: Minus One, there is no need to stop the Godzilla franchise. Destoroyah is the key. Destoroyah keeps Godzilla alive.
