30 years after pitting Godzilla against Mothra in 1961’s Showa-era filmMothra vs. Godzilla, Toho arranged a rematch.
To this end,Godzilla vs. Mothraintroduced a rival to Mothra,a villainous creature known as Battra.
Through the creation of Battra, the studio quietly laid the groundwork for a foundational element of the Monsterverse.
Mothra won the fight, but Battra survived, albeit in ice.
Upon his awakening in the present-day era, he was given an opportunity to continue his fight with Mothra.
This served as the basis of the story, making it comparable tomovies set in the Monsterverse.
They too focus on ancient monster rivalries.
However, it’s not an idea found in the vast majority of Godzilla’s films.
to go down this route, Toho had to shift focus to two different monsters.
Custom image by Ana Nieves
The Monsterverse is a giant kaiju franchise that began in 2014 with Legendary’s Godzilla starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen. The film was followed up by Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs Kong, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
