In the world of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the Titans that roamed the earth were quite bountiful, and had both traditional and modern origins that helped flesh out the landscape of the MonsterVerse’s bestiary. But, of course, with the rights issues being what they are on some classic Toho Godzilla creatures, director Michael Dougherty got crafty when it came to including one of Godzilla’s deep cut characters: Anguirus.
Right now, you’re probably scratching your head as to where Godzilla: King of the Monsters hid this massive friend to the recently crowned Alpha of all Titans. Well, we can tell you exactly where that is, as a seemingly innocuous special feature on the film’s home video release has confirmed that Anguirus is present as a gigantic skeletal remnant amidst all the other wreckage of the underwater city Godzilla uses as a crash pad.
It’s a sort of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it easter egg that occurs, sadly, around the same time Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Serizawa explodes a nuclear bomb as a sort of Five Hour Energy Drink for Godzilla. He kind of needed that pick-me-up after the military launched an oxygen-destroying missile in an attempt to kill King Ghidorah, which went horribly awry and left Godzilla on death’s door.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard about Anguirius being in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as Michael Doughterty previously mentioned that the Titan may or may not have been hidden in the film during one of his generous info dumps on Twitter. In particular, he stated the presence of this beast in the following capacity:
Again, the rights issues being what they are between Toho and Warner Bros, there may not have been clearance to use Anguirus as a full-fledged Titan in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. First appearing in 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again, the monster has seen itself play both hero and villain to Godzilla’s presence throughout the classic eras of Toho Godzilla movies. And while it may not be able to jump into the fray just yet, the possibility of Michael Doughterty using him as just an easter egg is enough to lay the framework for a potential appearance down the line.
Whether it be a hero or a villain, a version of Anguirus might be lurking somewhere in the world of the MonsterVerse. All it’ll take is the right writing and some legal clearances to bring it back into the spotlight, ready to take on the new Alpha Titan on its own terms.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is currently on Digital HD, as well as 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. Meanwhile, Godzilla vs. Kong is still set to touch gloves in theaters on March 13, 2020. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates concerning the MonsterVerse.
