Summary
Godzilla is one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. The powerful atomic titan has a long and illustrious history in cinema, both as a destroyer and threat to humanity, as well as a benevolent protector who fights other titans to protect the Earth. The Monsterverse has led to a resurgence in popularity for the Kaiju King, pitting him against several titans and monsters that pose a threat.
Since the release ofGodzilla(2014),he’s faced several monsters in the Monsterverse and defeated them in different ways. While some of them were quick and easy victories for him, others nearly killed him, and he needed the help of allies to defeat them. So, regardless of how powerful Godzilla is as the King of the Monsters, there are always threats he faces that are capable of defeating him.
Godzilla
The male and female MUTOs are thefirst Kaiju Godzilla faces in theMonsterverse. Considering his reputation, most viewers expected him to stomp them and claim easy victories, introducing himself to theMonsterversein triumphant style. However, that wasn’t how it went, particularly because this was a Godzilla that had just woken up from a long slumber, starved of radiation and thus much weaker.
Furthermore, the MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) are stated to be specifically capable of defeating Godzilla’s species. These creatures feed off and gain power by absorbing electricity, and they release EMP waves, which subdue Godzilla’s atomic breath. Despite these advantages, they had to work as a tag team to keep Godzilla pinned down, and it worked until the humans destroyed the Female MUTO’s nest, which distracted them and turned it into a 1v1 for Godzilla, who promptly defeated both of them one after the other. Regardless, it’s clear that if the fight had continued without human interference, the two MUTOs would have defeated Godzilla.
MUTO Prime
The Queen Bee of the MUTO Species Was One of Godzilla’s Toughest Foes
The MUTO Prime is the queen of the MUTO species and the most powerful one. She appears in theGodzilla: Aftershockcomic, which was released in 2019, just beforeGodzilla: King of the Monsters. Chronologically, the comic takes place right after Godzilla’s battle against the MUTO siblings in San Fransisco in 2014. MUTO Prime emerges as a new threat, and it is revealed that the MUTOs that Godzilla killed were her spawn.
MUTO Prime is a significantly more powerful version of the Female MUTO with more abilities and weapons at her disposal. Referred to by the Japanese as Jinshin Mushi, MUTO Prime puts up a strong fight against Godzilla and nearly kills him. Her sonic roar ability released a sound wave so powerful that it shattered Godzilla’s dorsal plates. Just like with the MUTO Siblings, Godzilla wouldn’t survive this fight without human interference. The comic also reveals that she killed Dagon, one of Godzilla’s ancestors, and planted her eggs in him, which eventually grew to become the MUTO siblings Godzilla killed in San Fransisco.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
In his biggest challenge yet, Godzilla faced off against King Ghidorah inGodzilla: King of Monsters(2019).Ghidorah has historically been among Godzilla’s most famous foes and played the role of an arch-nemesis. In the Monsterverse, he’sone of his most powerful iterationsyet, and Godzilla really had to up his game to defeat him. The film reveals that Godzilla and Ghidorah are ancient enemies and fought centuries ago.
InGodzilla: King of the Monsters, Ghidorah is released from his ice prison by Emma Russell and immediately confronted by an angry Godzilla. Ghidorah initially seems to have the upper hand in this fight, despite just being released from a centuries-old frozen state. Later, he gains a huge power-up in his fight against Godzilla in Boston by tapping into the city’s power grid. In this powered-up state, he flies Godzilla into the stratosphere and drops him toward the Earth, nearly killing him. He then begins to bite into Godzilla’s neck repeatedly, further draining his energy.
It takes Mothra to sacrifice herself to distract him and buy just enough time for Godzilla to go thermonuclear and defeat Ghidorah. In their base forms, it’s clear Ghidorah had the upper hand when they fought in Antarctica.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Mechagodzilla isa mechanized version of Godzillaengineered by Apex in the hopes of having a solution of their own against the Kaiju threat. They used Ghidorah’s severed head to control the mechanical titan. Unfortunately for them, this led to Mechagodzilla going rogue, immediately killing Ren Serizawa (The human controlling it) and breaking out of the facility.
Right as it breaks out of the facility, it locks in on Godzilla, who has just emerged victorious after a long battle against Kong. Godzilla is already tired from fighting Kong, and Mechagodzilla is specifically designed to defeat him, with his archnemesis controlling the giant robotic lizard. Mechagodzilla proceeds to overwhelm Godzilla in combat with its superior strength and agility and diverse arsenal of weapons. He’s just about to kill Godzilla when Kong emerges to save the day. Godzilla has to work together with Kong, who gets the finishing blow on Mechagodzilla with his axe, which is charged with the G-Man’s Atomic breath.
Kong
With the Right Tools and Creativity, Kong Can Defeat the Titan
Kong is kind of an outlier here in that he’s definitely not strong enough to take on Godzilla in a direct one-on-one fight. However, if there’sone thing the Monsterverse proves, it’s that he can overcome an insurmountable foe by using the right set of tools. InKong: Skull Island, he manages to defeat the alpha Skull Crawler by using a chain attached to a boat’s propeller. InGodzilla vs. Kong,he uses his parents' axe to put up a good fight against Godzilla and, eventually, defeat Mechagodzilla.
Kong isn’t inherently strong enough to fight Godzilla, particularly because he has no powers like Godzilla’s atomic breath or Ghidorah’s gravity beams. He does have incredibly strong arms and opposable thumbs, which he can use to wield and use weapons creatively. This is also visible inGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, where he uses the B.E.A.S.T glove effectively against Godzilla and nearly knocks him out. This is in a fight where he doesn’t want to kill Godzilla or defeat him. So, when armed effectively enough, he’s capable of beating Godzilla.
Mothra
Often Godzilla’s Ally, Her Powers are Uniquely Strong
Mothra is often considered a symbiotic partner to Godzilla, and she makes her first appearance inGodzilla: King of Monsters(2019).She demonstrates her powers and combat prowess in this film masterfully by playing a key role in Ghidorah’s defeat and also defeating Rodan by herself. She’s a powerful titan, but her presence in fights often goes unnoticed because of her beauty and gentle presence.
Evenhistorically, outside the Monsterverse, she has a better win rate against Godzilla than many other Kaiju. Her webs effectively immobilize Ghidorah inGodzilla: King of Monstersto give Godzilla the advantage in their battle in Boston. She also takes out Rodan with her Stinger and imbues Godzilla’s body with her essence in a final sacrificial attack at Ghidorah. This allows Godzilla to survive going Thermonuclear. InGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, she emits a light pulse that knocks both Godzilla and Kong off their feet. She also effortlessly holds Skar King’s army back in Hollow Earth. She has many different powers and is incredibly intelligent, so she tends to come out on top in most of her fights.
The Ancient Frost Titan is Much Bigger and Stronger than Godzilla
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire finds the titular pair of giant monsters facing a new enemy hidden below the Earth’s surface.
Shimo is a Kaiju exclusive to the Monsterverse, introduced inGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire(2024).She’s an ancient titan that is extremely powerful and caused the first ice age. She’s the largest titan shown in the Monsterverse so far, bigger than even King Ghidorah, and evidently much heavier than both Godzilla and Ghidorah. It is stated that during Godzilla’s battle against Ghidorah in the past, it was Shimo’s frost breath that froze Ghidorah.
InGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, she freezes Kong’s hand, causing frostbite. She’s under Skar King’s control, as he uses a shard from her dorsal plates to inflict pain on her. Under his control, she poses a huge threat to even Godzilla. During their fight in Rio De Janeiro, Skar King constantly uses Shimo to keep Godzilla and Kong off him, and she proves to be a challenge for Godzilla to deal with, particularly because of her bulk. This is despite being controlled by Skar King. If she was powerful enough to freeze King Ghidorah, it’s clear she’d be strong enough to deal with Godzilla. The main thing about her is that she seems to be more of a benevolent titan than a destroyer, and violence isn’t in her nature.
