The MonsterVerse, as well as the Godzilla franchise in general, seems to be in a really good place right now. As Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’s box office seems poised for another big weekend, the 2024 movie schedule has been kind to Titans and kaijus alike. While there isn’t any announcement on a follow-up effort to director Adam Wingard’s latest entry, there is something I really need to see change ASAP in the framework of the franchise.
The MonsterVerse Has A Bad Habit With Its Human Characters
As you can already tell by the headline, there are no human characters in the Warner Bros. interpretation of Toho’s monstrous mythos that have appeared in more than two entries. Sometimes it’s because of questionable character deaths I’m still sore about, and in some cases it’s just an unexplained disappearance.
But in either case, it’s a bad habit that Godzilla x Kong seems to try and correct, to a certain point. Does anyone else remember that Godzilla: King of the Monsters post-credits scene that seemed to help the plot for Godzilla vs. Kong?
I don’t know about you, but while I’m glad the Ghidorah head purchased on the black market did resurface, I want to know what Charles Dance’s Col. Alan Jonah has been doing since that moment. Which touches upon the reason I think Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire might be the pivot point for this particular practice.
The Reason I Think This MonsterVerse Problem Came To Be
Much like its human characters, the roster of the MonsterVerse’s directing talent has also been a bit of a revolving door. Adam Wingard is the first person who's actually returned to helm a second helping, and if there’s any justice in the world, he’ll be back for as many Godzilla x Kong follow ups he wants to tackle.
But those previous shifts in personnel are probably why the people in this world have been a bit touch and go. While there was a writers' room to build the overall mythos of the MonsterVerse, different influences and touches from the directors on hand have changed things here and there.
Most notable among them was the intended inclusion of the Mothra Twins in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as well as Godzilla vs. Kong. Different talents have different visions, and while it’s exciting to know that there seemed to be compromises and a certain degree of control allowed, the human cast seems to have become pretty extensive as a result.
At least, that's until Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire seemed to address the Behemoth in the room. Now that Adam Wingard has been in the pilot's seat for two movies, his vision has become the grounding force for the MonsterVerse's future. It's a notion that seems to be reinforced with the human cast we saw return in this latest movie.
How I Think Godzilla X Kong Addressed This Practice
If you take a look at the credited cast list the next time you see Godzilla x Kong, you’ll notice something rather interesting; namely, the fact that there aren’t that many new and main human characters introduced into the fold. The only one I can really think of at the moment is Dan Stevens’ Titan dentist Trapper, which only makes me wish he’d been introduced all the earlier, as his role was a really fun touch for this sequel.
For the most part, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire stuck with mostly returning characters. In the choice of following Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), Jia (Kayla Hottle), and Bernie (Brian Tyree-Henry), it actually felt like we were reunited with friends. Sure, Godzilla vs. Kong saw us reuniting with characters like Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), but you could kind of feel that her inclusion was more of an inheritance than a conscious inclusion.
Again, different directors and story writers have different visions, and since Adam Wingard was the first director invited to return, his characters won out in the end. Besides being a fan of the man’s work from back in the days of You’re Next, V/H/S, and The Guest, that’s a huge reason I want Wingard and company to be invited back for as long as they want to take the ride.
Why The MonsterVerse Needs To Stick To This Change
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has the MonsterVerse on solid footing, both in story and in character usage. And the action-packed excitement we’ve all been able to witness firsthand is consistent with the expectations set in Godzilla vs. Kong’s fantastic result.
For the sake of this cinematic universe, I’m really hoping that the continuity that bridged these two films continues to be present, whether or not the hypothetical next step is overseen by Adam Wingard. Things seem to have gelled into the sort of phase we saw the MCU in when The Avengers came around in 2012, and that's encouraging when it comes to the potential longevity of this franchise.
Individual heroes have been set up, and the story seems ready to break out into a new golden age of Titan storytelling, as seen in Godzilla x Kong’s dialogue-less stretch in the Hollow Earth kingdom. With that confidence should come the opportunity to include more characters from MonsterVerse entries past, rather than just adding new faces to pad out the universe, in the hopes of stronger continuity.
Human Characters Who I Really Want To See Return To The MonsterVerse
Anyone who’s followed my thoughts on the MonsterVerse knows that I think Bradley Whitford is Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ MVP. So Dr. Rick Stanton is the first person I really want to see brought back into action. The dude loves Hollow Earth theory, and you know he’d be one of the first to volunteer for duty and more than likely bring Joe Morton’s older incarnation of Dr. Houston Brooks from Kong: Skull Island along for the ride. Five years later, I still want to see these science bros bond over exploration and odd couple style quippery.
And bringing it back to my earlier statement about Godzilla: King of the Monsters: it’s about time Col. Alan Jonah returned. Should Charles Dance be game for such a resurgence, it would absolutely fit into my theory about where a Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire follow up could go.
I’m not going to discuss that here, as that’s another huge feature I could write up. Just know that those concerns about the government and personal business interests wanting to plunder the Hollow Earth mentioned in this latest chapter are a huge part of what I’m dreaming of. Plus, it should go without saying that the core Monarch group seen in Godzilla x Kong are definitely on the menu, as the chemistry is too off the charts to not see them again.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is obviously an action-packed thrill ride that throws everything at its audience, and holds back only with the number of real human people it includes. That’s definitely important to keep in mind, but at the same time, I’d like to see some of the loose threads of the past tied up throughout the MonsterVerse.
Perhaps future seasons of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters might be able to aid in that quest, but we’ll just have to wait and see, I suppose. For now, you can lovingly revisit the MonsterVerse's past, as each of the previous installments are available through various streaming platforms at the time of this publication. Those of you with an Apple TV+ subscription are the only ones who’ll be able to enjoy Monarch’s first season, so that’s something else to keep in mind.
And of course, whether you’ve already seen Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire or have taken this ride without experiencing that picture, don’t worry. You can still jet out to a theater near you and watch all of the romping, stomping, zero-gravity fighting you’d expect from a film of this magnitude.
