Gigan, a fan-favorite choice for Godzilla vs Kong 2 villain, can’t be used without repeating the MonsterVerse Godzilla: King of the Monsters‘ history. Easily recognizable by his cyborg physiology and hooked hands, the Toho kaiju is one of the most popular villains in Godzilla’s rogues gallery. Thanks to his iconic design and his ability to physically defy the Godzilla Toho movies, Gigan is one of the most talked about candidates for the mystery villain of the next MonsterVerse movie.
While a MonsterVerse rendition of Gigan would certainly be a sight to see, it’s worth noting that his origin presents a clear problem for the next story in the franchise. It has been established by a Godzilla vs Kong 2 plot synopsis that the villain is a “undiscovered threat hidden deep within our world.” If the movie were to reveal that this creature is Gigan, the movie would essentially share the same premise as Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which was ultimately about the discovery of an alien Titan that had been secretly on Earth for thousands of years. Since Gigan is also traditionally an alien, he, too, would have to be introduced as an alien monster who crash-landed on Earth centuries ago, only to be forgotten over time.
Why does Gigan have to be an alien in the MonsterVerse?
Since his cyborg body is a key part of his design, it’s hard to imagine the MonsterVerse using Gigan as anything other than an alien. Due to his appearance and the nature of his character in general, he doesn’t really fit the mold of an Earth-born Titan or a product of the planet’s natural environment. For that reason, the MonsterVerse better stay true to Gigan’s Toho origin as long as it brings it to the big screen. and yes what king of the monsters did with Ghidorah is an indication, there’s a good chance the MonsterVerse wants to make sure their version of Gigan maintains the essence of the classic Showa-era monster.
How Gigan can work in the MonsterVerse
Gigan’s similarities to Ghidorah from the MonsterVerse would complicate any plans to craft a story centered around him, either Godzilla vs Kong 2 or a completely different movie. However, that’s not to say that kaiju should be avoided entirely. After all, there are ways you can work on a MonsterVerse movie. The best course of action would be to follow the formula of movies like Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. MegalonY Godzilla: Final Wars, which refrained from making him the central antagonist. Instead, Gigan was depicted as an ally to another monster. So if Gigan is a secondary villain in Godzilla vs. Kong 2 (unlike the main threat), the MonsterVerse won’t risk having his alien origin define the plot the same way Ghidorah’s backstory did.
Gigan is not the best option for Godzilla vs Kong 2 villain further limits the options for this mysterious role. With the monster in question set up to be a secret Hollow Earth Titan, chances are they’re also not man-made monsters like Destoroyah or Biollante. In fact, the villain may not be any existing kaiju in Toho’s library. Instead, the movie may feature an original Titan and save Gigan, Destoroyah, Biollante, and everything else for later.