AfterGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the door is open for the very first ancient rivalry in the Godzilla franchise to play out on the big screen. Since the beginning of the Monsterverse, the concept of creatures being engaged in conflicts that go back millennia has been integral to the lore. The theme started with Godzilla and the MUTOs in 2014’sGodzilla, and continued to be relevant inevery Monsterverse moviereleased since.
Godzilla x Kongkept that trend alive when it brought the Skar King into the mix; as it turns out,the Monsterverse’s Skar Kingis also an old rival of Godzilla’s from eons past. Helping to end that threat inGodzilla x Kongwas Mothra, who was resurrected in the movie. In bringing her back, the film created new storytelling opportunities for future movies. One of these could lead to yet another ancient rivalry surfacing in the Monsterverse, Mothra vs. Battra. What makes this particular conflict so special is the fact is that it predates all others in the franchise.
Mothra vs. Battra Is The First Ancient Rivalry In Toho’s Godzilla Movies
Toho Created The Mothra vs. Battra Rivalry In 1992
Despite Godzilla boasting 70 years of cinematic history, the role that ancient rivalries play in his universe has only been around for roughly half that time. The firstGodzillamovie to implement this idea wasGodzilla vs. Mothra, the 1992 film that introduced the villainous kaiju known as Battra. In the movie, it was established thatMothra and Battrawere good and bad counterparts of each other, but with different goals for the planet. Both actually see themselves as its protector, but they differ on their views of humanity. Mothra protects and values humans, whereas Battra is convinced that they’re hurting the planet.
According toGodzilla vs. Mothra,Mothra and Battra have been at war for centuries. Some millennia ago, Mothra and Battra fought over the fate of humanity, with Mothra proving triumphant in the end. Battra’s defeat left him frozen in the Arctic Ocean, where he stayed until he was stirred awake by the events ofGodzilla vs. Mothra, not unlike the backstory given toGodzilla and Ghidorah’s rivalry inGodzilla: King of the Monsters. His awakening set up a continuation of their rivalry, but the movie offered a twist by having the two set aside their differences. Battra decided that Godzilla was a greater danger to the planet and died helping Mothra beat him.
The versions of Godzilla seen in Toho’s classic films weren’t around thousands of years ago and therefore didn’t have centuries-old rivalries with any of his villains
Thoughthe plot ofGodzilla vs. Mothrasounds very similar to the stories found in the Monsterverse, it was unique to everything else in the Godzilla franchise at the time. That’s primarily because Toho’s Godzilla is traditionally defined as a product of nuclear testing. The versions of Godzilla seen in Toho’s classic films weren’t around thousands of years ago and therefore didn’t have centuries-old rivalries with any of his villains. The franchise had to delve further into Mothra’s past in order to explore this concept.
Battra Would Continue A Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Theme The Monsterverse Forgot About
Like King Of The Monsters' Villains, Battra Wants To Stop Humans From Destroying The Planet
Because of whatGodzilla vs. Mothrashares in common with the Monsterverse, Battra makes a lot of sense for the Monsterverse. Making that fit even better is how Battra leans into the franchise’s environmental themes. BothGodzillaandGodzilla: King of the Monstersleaned into the notion that humanity is responsible for the planet’s problems. Of the two,King of the Monsterswas the most direct about it, with Emma Russell explicitly blaming civilization for the suffering of the planet.King of the Monstersused this viewpoint as the setup for the awakening of Ghidorah andKing of the Monsters’other Titans.
Since some Titans are characterized as creatures who protect the balance of nature, it’s not hard to imagine there being one who has identified the destruction of humanity as the solution to nature’s troubles.
Through Battra, the Monsterverse could revive this story, but in a way that’s different fromKing of the Monsters' approach. Instead of letting humans be the one to address the issue, a movie with Battra as the villain could see a Titan adopt this mindset. Since some Titans are characterized as creatures who protect the balance of nature, it’s not hard to imagine there being one who has identified the destruction of humanity as the solution to nature’s troubles. This could set Battra on a collision course with Godzilla and Mothra, who clearly want to safeguard both the planet and the humans, rather than just the former.
How Godzilla: King Of The Monsters May Have Subtly Set Up Battra’s Fight With Mothra
Battra Already Has A Path Into The Monsterverse
If the Monsterverse does intend to bring Battra into the picture, it already has an avenue for that open, thanks to an Easter egg inKing of the Monsters’credits. According to one of the newspaper articles in the credits sequence,Monarch discovered an egg identical to Mothra’s sometime after her deathin the movie’s ending. The impression given by this reveal was that Mothra laid an egg sometime before joining the fight against Ghidorah and Rodan in Boston. But with Mothra being brought back to life in the Hollow Earth world, the egg is no longer needed for her resurrection.
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Instead, it can facilitate Battra’s introduction to the Monsterverse. Since the two are counterparts,it stands to reason that a Battra egg would be mistaken for a Mothra egg. If that happened, the eventual hatching of the egg while it’s in the custody of Monarch could be what awakens the monster in the present day. And with Mothra also being alive at this time, it would be relatively easy for this to segue into a Mothra vs. Battra conflict inGodzilla x Kong’supcoming sequelor a potentialMothraspinoff series, which could very well be one ofApple TV+’s planned Monsterverse shows.
Focusing specifically on Battra’s history with Mothra is arguably the best way to make use of the kaiju. With Godzilla being so much stronger than Mothra, it’s extremely unlikely that her evil counterpart would be powerful enough to challenge Godzilla, let alone the alpha Titan and Kong. With that in mind, it may work better for Battra to appear as a secondary antagonist. The two-on-two fight inGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire’sending is evidence that the Monsterverse’s battles are growing in scale, and it could be a step toward larger team-ups. If so, Mothra could get her own opponent to fight in Battra if she joins Godzilla and Kong a second time.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Cast
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire unites iconic monsters Godzilla and Kong in a colossal confrontation. As these ancient titans clash, humans delve into their shared origins and explore the enigmatic secrets of Skull Island.
