Godzilla has been storming through big screens for 65 years now, and wow do they grow up fast! The legendary movie monster has always been portrayed as a menacing presence, but he towers much higher today then he did in his first appearance. Artist Noger Chen has shared a size chart of Godzilla over more than 20 film appearances. Take a look:
Starting from the left of the chart on this image shared on Twitter, the kaiju made his movie debut in 1954 at 50 meters (164 feet) and stayed at that relative height until 1975. He grew to 80 meters (262 feet) for 1984’s The Return of Godzilla after the franchise had been dormant for almost a decade. The monster also saw a growth spurt to 100 meters (328 feet) for much of the ‘90s.
When the first American iteration of Godzilla was made in 1998, the beast stood at 70 meters (229 feet) before 2014’s reboot brought him to a record-breaking height of 108 meters (354 feet). 2016’s Shin Godzilla took back the title to Japan when the monster’s final form was 118.5 meters (389 feet). But it looks like the upcoming version in Godzilla: King of Monsters will be the tallest of them all with a height of 119.8 meters (393 feet). In all, he has more than doubled his size since his first appearance, growing over 200 feet since the ‘50s.
It’s interesting to see how the iconic creature has changed over the years per this chart by the Taiwan-based illustrator. Filmmakers have continually tried to raise the stakes by making Godzilla taller and more frightening. As cities have grown since then, it only makes sense for the kaiju to also adapt, so they can terrify among the buildings, not hide behind them.
In the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, he will be going head-to-head with three famous threats from the franchise: Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah to become the “king of monsters.” The movie is a sequel to the 2014 film with Ken Wantanabe and Sally Hawkins reprising their roles and an exciting lineup of brand new characters, including Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown joining, along with Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and Charles Dance.
The size of Godzilla has recently concerned audiences when it comes to the installment coming after King of Monsters, Godzilla Vs. Kong, which wrapped filming last month. Since the MonsterVerse's King Kong stands at a little over 100 feet tall, how will it be a fair fight against Godzilla’s almost 400 feet? The filmmakers have recently assured that the film will address this in the film. Maybe because Skull Island took place in the ‘70s, Kong since grown just as Godzilla has over the years?
You can see the kaiju next in Godzilla: King of Monsters on May 30, and then he’ll be returning on March 13, 2020 to face off against Kong.
