Monsterverse Titans: Their Coolest Moments

Last Updated on March 25, 2022

Once Legendary and Warner Bros. got their “Monsterverse” started with Godzilla in 2014, the only follow-ups we heard we’d get were a Kong movie (Kong: Skull Island); a movie in which Godzilla would share the screen with Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan (Godzilla: King of the Monsters); and a movie where Godzilla and Kong would clash (Godzilla vs. Kong). Now that we’ve gotten all of those and Godzilla vs. Kong is offically a theatrical, streaming, and international hit, fans are waiting for more Monsterverse movies to be announced, even getting #ContinuetheMonsterverse trending on Twitter. While we wait with fingers crossed for positive news about the Monsterverse’s future, we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best monster moments from the films we’ve gotten so far. We call this list Monsterverse Titans: Their Coolest Moments!

MECHAGODZILLA VS. SKULLCRAWLER, GODZILLA VS. KONG

Mechagodzilla has a great introductory scene in Godzilla vs. Kong, and it comes at the expense of a Skullcrawler, one of the monstrous lizards we first saw in Kong: Skull Island. That movie showed us that the Skullcrawlers can be a pain to deal with, so what better way could there have been for this version of Mechagodzilla to demonstrate its power than by making quick, gruesome work of one of these creatures? If this Mecha thing can reduce a Skullcrawler into a puddle of goo in approximately thirty seconds, it’s clear that Godzilla and Kong have quite a fight ahead of them, and now the anticipation for that fight is building.

GODZILLA KILLS THE MUTOS, GODZILLA 2014

I was never a fan of director Gareth Edwards’ approach to Godzilla 2014 and the fact that he only gave the title monster around eight minutes of screen time, but once Edwards finally lets Godzilla stay on the screen for a while during the climactic battle, he does present the big guy as a total badass. It’s a joy to watch Godzilla handle the MUTO creatures that have been wreaking havoc throughout the movie, and he eliminates them in great ways. Sure, one of those ways was lifted straight out of Godzilla 2000, but it’s such a cool method of dispatching an enemy that it was worth repeating.

RODAN TAKES DOWN JETS, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

The fact that Godzilla: King of the Monsters packed multiple Monsterverse Titans into one movie was appreciated, but Rodan and Mothra do get quite overshadowed by Godzilla and Ghidorah. Rodan makes a fantastic entrance, though, bursting out of a volcano and immediately being confronted by a squadron of fighter jets. The flying Titan’s aerial battle with these jets, which includes things like a spinning wing attack, is its standout sequence in the film. One of the best moments comes when a pilot ejects from their jet and ends up going straight into Rodan’s mouth.

MOTHER LONGLEGS, KONG: SKULL ISLAND

The Mother Longlegs scene in Kong: Skull Island has always been fascinating to me, because somehow director Jordan Vogt-Roberts managed to work a Cannibal Holocaust tribute into a big budget, PG-13 creature feature. Mother Longlegs is a giant spider creature that’s as tall as the trees in the Skull Island jungle, and the first thing it does is stick one of its legs right into the mouth and through the body of a character, impaling him just like the girl in that unforgettable image from Cannibal Holocaust. When Mother Longlegs removes its leg from this guy, it’s surprisingly gross.

KONG BRINGS AN AXE TO A MONSTER FIGHT, GODZILLA VS. KONG

Kong carrying around an axe is something I never expected to see, and Godzilla vs. Kong makes that concept even better by making the “blade” of the axe a dorsal plate from an ancient creature that was just like Godzilla. It would have been awesome if Kong made this axe himself after ripping off one of Godzilla’s own dorsal plates, but I can accept that he just happens to find it because it’s so entertaining to see him whack this axe into Godzilla, and into the neon-coated Hong Kong skyscrapers that surround him and his opponent. Godzilla vs. Kong treats us to the visual of Godzilla having an axe stuck in his flesh, and I thank director Adam Wingard for that.

GHIDORAH REGROWS A HEAD, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

Flying around the world while wrapped in a tropical storm, blasting bolts of energy from multiple points on its body, sporting three dragon-like heads, Ghidorah is one of the most formidable of the Monsterverse monsters – which it really proves after one of its battles with Godzilla in King of the Monsters. Ghidorah loses a head in that battle, but that’s just a brief and minor inconvienence for the monster. It flies off to a high perch, grows a new head in place of the missing one, and then starts awakening Titans all over the world. Ghidorah’s abilities make it an apocalyptic threat.

BATTLE IN THE BONEYARD, KONG: SKULL ISLAND

There seems to be uncertainty among fans over whether or not the Monsterverse monsters called Skullcrawlers actually qualify as Titans, so there may not actually be any Titans directly involved with this sequence, but it’s still one of the best sequences in a Titan movie. When the human characters go strolling through a mass grave filled with the bones of giant monsters and the regurgitated remains of Skullcrawler victims, they quickly find themselves in a battle with both a Skullcrawler and flying things called Leafwings. There’s gunfire, toxic gas fills the air, and a samurai sword is put to use, all while characters seek shelter in massive skeletons.

AIRCRAFT CARRIER FIGHT, GODZILLA VS. KONG

The aircraft carrier fight between Godzilla and Kong received a lot of attention in this film’s marketing, and for good reason. This clash of Titans is the sequence we’ve been waiting years to see, the first time the Monsterverse versions of these characters get to beat on each other a bit. The fight takes place underwater, on top of ships, and continues back into the ocean, Godzilla fires some atomic breath Kong’s way, and both land punches on each other. There’s something very satisfying about seeing Godzilla catch a Kong fist to the face, that brought a smile every time I saw it happen.

GODZILLA HAS A MELTDOWN, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

When Japanese studio Toho decided they wanted to take a break from Godzilla movies for a while, they worked the idea of Godzilla being on the verge of a nuclear meltdown into the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. Director Mike Dougherty revisited that idea with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, having Godzilla absorb so much energy and radiation by the end of the film that he glows red and emits a heat that melts everything around him. Godzilla died from this in Destoroyah, but here he survives to earn the respect of every other Titan on Earth. If he can handle this much power, he definitely is the King.

KONG’S WRATH, KONG: SKULL ISLAND

With its 1970s setting, classic rock soundtrack, cast, and characters, Kong: Skull Island remains my favorite film in the Monsterverse series – and the coolest part of this movie is when the military escort that has come to Skull Island with scientists from the Monarch organization happen to stir up the wrath of Kong. As soon as they reach the island, soldiers start dropping bombs from helicopters, and even though they’re doing this for scientific purposes, they’re still causing destruction and killing wildlife, all while blasting some Black Sabbath. Then Kong arrives to show them the error of their ways, and Vogt-Roberts brought this sequence to the screen with some stunning imagery, making it one of the ultimate moments from one of the best of the Monsterverse Titans.