A handful of monsters inGodzilla’sworld haven’t graced the big screen in 50 years. The sheer number of movies in the franchise has allowed fora multitude of Godzilla villainsand other kaiju to make recurring appearances in his films. Several of the franchise’s most prominent monsters, such as Rodan and Ghidorah, have appeared alongside Godzilla more than a half-dozen times. Mothra, for example, has been in a whopping total of 11 Godzilla movies.
Of course, not all monsters have received the same treatment. With nearly every reboot, new monsters are brought into the fold, alongside a few returning favorites. An unfortunate consequence of mixing the old with the new is that a few kaiju get overlooked completely. But in most cases, these long-term absences are rectified eventually, such as the time whenGodzilla: Final Warsmemorably revived Anguirus, King Caesar, Ebirah, and King Caesar after decades with no appearances. Sadly, the same cannot be said forall of Godzilla’s alliesand villains.
Gabara
It’s Been 56 Years Since Gabara’s Last Movie Appearance
Gabara made his first and what coiuld potentially remain his final movie appearance inAll Monsters Attack. Made with an abundance of stock footage from previous entries in the franchise,All Monsters Attackwas a story about a young boy’s dream ofbeing about being on Monster Island with Godzilla’s son, Minilla. His fantasy was basically a way for him to escape from reality, as he was being regularly tormented by another child in school. But his problems followed him into his dream regardless, with Gabara, a green, reptillian kaiju serving as a personification of his fear of the bully.
In other words,Gabara wasn’t a real monster, but a product of a child’s imagination. Theoretically, future installments could have proved otherwise by having Gabara appear in a non-dream sequence, but that scenario never came to pass. And sinceAll Monsters Attackcontinues to be one of the least popular movies in Godzilla’s Showa series, it’s not surprising that no film has attempted to reinvent him as a canonical kaiju in the franchise.
The closest Gabara has gotten to a resurgence isGodzilla Singular Point, Netflix’s single-season Godzilla anime. No creature explicitly named “Gabara” appeared in the show, butGodzilla Singular Point’sSalungawas evidently a redesigned take on the highly ridiculedAll Monsters Attackvillain.
Megalon
It’s Been 52 Years Since Megalon’s Last Movie Appearance
Godzilla vs. Megalonis another movie where the main antagonist turned out to be a one-off villain. But what makes this situation distinct fromAll Monsters Attackis thatGodzilla vs. Megalonactually has a mostly favorable reputation with the fanbase. Despite its silly tone, it managed to deliver some standout moments, including a thrilling final showdown where Godzilla and Jet Jaguar took on Megalon and Gigan. It would have been enough to justify a return for the coakroach-like kaiju and his drill-shaped hands, but the franchise - for better or worse - has continued to avoid him.
Similar to the situation with Gabara, there’s an element of camp to the monster that helps explain why there wasn’t room for him in the Heisei and Millennium series. But, that’s not to say a return is implausible.Godzilla vs. Megalondefined the kaiju as the god of an ancient underground civilization known as Seatopia, a backstory that could translate well to Legendary’s Monsterverse.
2 Iconic Monsters Almost Became Cyborgs In Godzilla’s Movies
On separate occasions, two iconic monsters in Godzilla’s franchise nearly received mechanical upgrades that would’ve completely altered their designs.
Godzilla and Kong’s Hollow Earth worldis confirmed to house human societies, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that one of them is Seatopia. What’s more, it’s also been established that some Titans are worshipped as deities. These two facts provide the Monsterverse the building blocks it would need forMegalon’s Monsterverse debut.
Jet Jaguar
It’s 52 Years Since Megalon’s Last Movie Appearance
In addition to Megalon,Godzilla vs. Megalonmarked the first and last time fans saw Jet Jaguar in live-action. After recieving an unexplained, giant-size transformation for the big finale, he fought side-by-side with Godzilla as they drove off Megalon and Gigan. Godzilla was clearly the stronger of the two, but Jet Jaguar was without question the true hero ofGodzilla vs. Megalon. But Toho’s decision to cede Godzilla’s spotlight to Jet Jaguar was not a sign of things to come; he was sidelined immediately after the film in a move that was never undone.
Jet Jaguar has been revisited in other forms of Godzilla media, including comics andGodzilla Singular Point, but movies have not been a part of the equation. He doesn’t fit with the dark undertones employed by Toho’s most recent Godzilla films, so the studio reversing course with him is unlikely, but he does appear to be on the table in the Monsterverse. In fact,the possibility of Jet Jaguar showing up inMonarch: Legacy of Monstershas already been raised by those involved with the show. Mechanized Titans are an existing concept in Legendary’s Godzilla universe, so a Monsterverse incarnation of Jet Jaguar shouldn’t be ruled out.
Varan
It’s Been 57 Years Since Varan’s Last Movie Appearance
Varan was first introduced to moviegoers in 1958 viaVaran the Unbelievable. Following the formula of the 1954 Godzilla and other monster movies from that era, the film saw the Japanese military look for a solution as it struggled to contend with Varan, a giant monster terrorizing the region. What made Varan so challenging to deal with was his ability to be a threat on land, in the sea, and in the air. With the characteristics of a flying squirrel and a reptile, its unique physiology enabled him to glide through the air, swim effectively, and maneuver well on land.
Varan is one of only two monsters in the entire Godzilla franchise who has never fought or even assisted Godzilla in battle, with the other being Manda.
The military eventually overcame these obstacles and killed Varan, but that didn’t stop Toho from reintroducing him a decade later.Varan was one of the kaiju on Monster Island that the villains took mental control of inDestroy All Monsters.He was later deployed against King Ghidorah along with everyone else, but didn’t take part in the fight itself. That rendered his role in the film as little more than a cameo. With that in mind, Varan is one of only two monsters in the entire Godzilla franchise who has never fought or even assisted Godzilla in battle, with the other being Manda.
There were multiple opportunities where this could have changed. Varan was under consideration for an appearance in three more Godzilla films, but didn’t follow through with any of these plans. His first chance at an appearance followingDestroy All Monsterscame in the early 1970s. An early version ofGodzilla vs. Gigan, titledReturn of King Ghidorah!, would have seen the creature participate in a three-on-three monster battle.Godzilla, Varan, and Rodanwere to team up against Gigan, Ghidorah, and an original, unintroduced monster villain.
Years later,Varan was proposed as the final villain of the Heisei series before Destoroyah was chosen for the role. Here, the versatility that was established as a key facet of his design inVaran the Unbelievablewould have been used to depict him as the ultimate adversary to Godzilla. In the Millennium series, Varan was supposed to be a titular protagonist inGodzilla vs. Baragon, Varan, and Anguirus: All Monsters Attack Godzilla.The script was reworked intoGodzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, with Anguirus and Varan being replaced by the more popular Ghidorah and Mothra.
Titanosaurus
It’s Been 50 Years Since Titanosaurus' Last Movie Appearance
Titanosaurus, the aquatic dinosaur kaiju that Godzilla fought inTerror of Mechagodzilla,never returned after his debut in the 1975 film. Rather than continue the franchise, Toho took a break after Terror of Mechagodzilla, leaving its entire kaiju lineup in flux for years. It wasn’t until 1984’sReturn of Godzillathat Toho finally resumed the series with a reboot. It gradually began reintroducing some of Godzilla’s old foes and allies, but his one-off opponent fromTerror of Mechagodzillawasn’t among them.
Interestingly,Titanosaurus is arguably the most misunderstood villainin the Godzilla franchise. In fact, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t have a reputation as a villain at all if the Showa series of Godzilla movies continued beyondTerror of Mechagodzilla. After all, Titanosaurus wasn’t a truly evil monster or even a rival to Godzilla; he was introduced as a peaceful creature who kept to himself, eating the fish in the ocean’s depths. But as a result of mind control, he had no choice but to serve as a partner to Mechagodzilla.
Had Titanosaurus' debut come before the final installment in the Showa era, it’s easy to imagine him showing up in a sequel, filling a role not unlike that of Godzilla’s other enemies-turned-allies, like Rodan, Anguirus, and Kumonga. Instead, his failed team-up with Mechagodzilla remains his only contribution to Godzilla lore.
Gorosaurus
It’s Been 57 Years Since Gorosaurus' Last Movie Appearance
Introduced inKong Kong Escapesas a secondary antagonist for the giant ape, Gorosaurus is a dinosaur kaiju whose appearance was heavily inspired by the real-life allosaurus species. After his death at the hands of Kong, he was reimagined as one of the many kaiju residents of Monster Island and an ally to Godzilla. But in contrast to how the film used Varan, Gorosaurus actually played a role in the action.Destroy All Monstersgave Gorosaurus a moment to shine when it let him unleash his signature move - the kangaroo kick - on Ghidorah, delivering a devastating blow in the process.
A long list of kaiju appeared inDestroy All Monsters, but only Godzilla, Rodan, Anguirus, Mothra, Kumonga, Minila, and Gorosaurus actively helped beat King Ghidorah. Varan, Baragon, and Manda did not participate in the fight.
Having appeared in both 1967’sKing Kong Escapesand 1968’sDestroy All Monsters,Gorosaurus had two movie roles in an extremely short span, which did indicate that Toho intended to do more with him. At the time, it might have been easy to believe that this was the beginning of a special role in the Godzilla franchise for Gorosaurus, but it was not to be. Gorosaurus might have been an exciting choice for a partner to Godzilla in one of his two-on-two fights in the 1970s, but this avenue was not explored.
According to theBig Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Filmsby John DeMay, Gorosaurus came close to joining the list of long-absent monsters brought back byGodzilla: Final Wars,which ultimately included Ebirah, Hedorah, King Caesar, Anguirus, Kamacuras, Manda, and Kumonga. LeMay noted in the book thatGodzilla: Final Warsdirector Ryuhei Kitamura had requested Gorosaurus' inclusion, but the monster didn’t make it into the 2004Godzillamovie’s final cut.
