History Film / MonsterVerse

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/monsterverse.jpg]]

->''"The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in our control and not the other way around."''
-->-- '''Dr. Ishiro Serizawa''', ''Film/{{Godzilla|2014}}''

The [=MonsterVerse=] is an American media franchise and [[SharedUniverse shared cinematic universe]] that is centered on a series of films featuring [[{{Kaiju}} gigantic monsters]] roaming on Earth, most prominently {{Franchise/Godzilla}} and Franchise/KingKong.

The movies are distributed by Creator/WarnerBros and produced by Creator/LegendaryPictures in partnership with Creator/{{Toho}}, the Japanese studio that [[TropeCodifier codified]] the Kaiju genre and owns most of the well known Kaiju [=IPs=]. Currently, plans are for the series to encompass four films, which is as extensive as Legendary's initial contract with Toho lasts.

Interestingly, the franchise has given Toho enough confidence to throw their hat back into the ring with making a SharedUniverse of monster movies after 2020 ([[GenreThrowback naturally featuring people in rubber suits]]). Whether the two respective settings will coexist, or if the fourth film will serve as the franchise's GrandFinale, is presently unclear, as Legendary's license to make Godzilla movies was scheduled to expire after ''Godzilla vs. Kong''.
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[[index]]
!!Media:

[[AC:Films]]
* ''Film/{{Godzilla|2014}}'' (2014)
* ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' (2017)
* ''[[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' (2019)
* ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'' (2021)
[[/index]]

[[AC: Animated Series]]
* ''Skull Island'' (TBA) - Animated series premiering on Netflix set on the titular island and following a group of explorers as they try to survive the alien environment.

[[AC:Comics]]
* ''Godzilla: Awakening'' (2014)
* ''Skull Island: The Birth of Kong'' (2017)
* ''Godzilla: Aftershock'' (2019)
* ''[=GvK=]: Kingdom Kong'' (2021)
* ''[=GvK=]: Godzilla Dominion'' (2021)

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''Godzilla: Crisis Defense'' (2014)
* ''Godzilla: Smash 3'' (2014)
* ''Kong VR: Destination Skull Island'' (2017)
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!!Tropes:
* ActionizedSequel: As the franchise trudges along, the films become much more epic and action-centric than ''Film/Godzilla2014'', which while not entirely without exciting fight scenes between the Kaiju, is an atmospheric apocalyptic horror film compared to its successors.
* AdaptationalHeroism: While both of them have always had TragicMonster traits, Godzilla and Kong are presented as almost completely heroic in this continuity. Kong is explicitly described as protecting the creatures and natives of Skull Island from the Skullcrawlers and only attacks the invaders when they threaten his home or attack him first; he even goes out of his way to help and protect the invading humans as they help him in return. Godzilla, for his part, never directly attacks humans at ''all'', the damage he causes is merely an unavoidable effect of his battles and massive presence.
** The Skull Island natives themselves are also heroic. While in the original film they practiced human sacrifice to ward off Kong, and in various other adaptions they're monstrously deformed, in ''Kong: Skull Island'' they are taciturn but peaceful and friendly to outsiders.
* AdaptedOut: Toho has to give Legendary explicit approval to use specific {{Kaiju}} for the series, meaning that the only monsters that are licensed out to the company are Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah. Presumably, this is the reason why Rodan is showing up before Anguirus. That being said, Toho is very supportive of the series, and it's likely that the approval process is based on determining what the movies need as opposed to there being real legal red tape preventing certain characters from being used.
* AllThereInTheManual: In the lead-up to the home release of ''Kong: Skull Island'', social media pages for the movie have been releasing video timelines for the [=MonsterVerse=]. Notable events include the establishment of a Monarch research base at a Caribbean volcanic island in 1991 (presumably Rodan's roost), the discovery of Mothra's cocooned form within her temple in China in 2009, and finding Ghidorah frozen in MysteriousAntarctica in 2016.
* AgeLift:
** Godzilla has always been described as ancient, but in this continuity he survived the Permian Extinction, which happened [[TimeAbyss 252 million years ago]].
** Judging by TheStinger of ''Kong: Skull Island'', Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah are also a lot older than their Toho counterparts. The original movie involving Ghidorah mentioned that he was over 5,000 years old, but based on Godzilla's own AgeLift and the fact that the two have already fought at some point in ancient history, he's most likely '''[[TimeAbyss significantly]]''' older here.
** In the meantime, Kong is conversely much, '''much''' younger than the other versions of the character, which are described as being prehistoric in nature. While his species of ape has been around for that long in this continuity, Kong himself is only a teenager in TheSeventies and still growing.
* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: This universe's entire premise is that the world is filled with these, and while they've been mostly dormant, they're making a comeback.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Apparently, a giant winged kaiju (possibly Rodan) caused the Great Smog of London.
* BehemothBattle: The franchise's crux, featuring at least one of these battles in every film. The latest battle will involve Godzilla and Kong duking it out in "a battle for the ages".
* BenevolentConspiracy: Monarch serves as an institution to make sure the monsters are kept in check, and are instrumental in helping the governments of the world prepare and deal with these threats accordingly. That being said, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero they do far more harm than good]] in ''Kong: Skull Island'', to the point where none of their people would have died if they hadn't agreed to ''bomb'' the place to try and map it.
* CanonForeigner: A lot of monsters are created for the series, including the [=MUTOs=] and the Skullcrawlers.
* CentralTheme: Both Godzilla films share the theme of a [[DysfunctionalFamily fractured family]] getting caught in the middle of the kaiju chaos and trying to survive and reunite.
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Both the MUTO and the Skullcrawlers are merely animals acting on instinct, but while the MUTO are portrayed as somewhat sympathetic {{Tragic Monster}}s the Skullcrawlers are played for full-on horror. And then they're followed by King Ghidorah, who is no mere instinctive beast, but a genuinely evil, sadistic and malicious creature.
* ContinuityReboot: The franchise represents the third reboot of the ''King Kong'' film series[[note]]not counting Toho's version[[/note]] and the first American reboot of the ''Godzilla'' franchise following the [[Film/Godzilla1998 1998 movie]].
* CosmicHorrorStory: Earth is a hellish world in which humanity is surrounded by [[{{Kaiju}} gigantic monsters]] that have existed long before everyone was even born, and they are basically powerless against them once they awaken and begin laying waste to the world. Unlike the aliens and gods in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse or Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, the heroic monsters are rather indifferent towards humanity and can be every bit as destructive as the villainous monsters. However, that does not preclude the monster being friendly and benevolent, as evidenced by Mothra, and [[spoiler:Godzilla organizing his fellow monster to help humanity repair Earth’s ecosystem.]]
* CuriosityKilledTheCast: PlayedWith. ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' is so far the biggest offender, but despite Monarch's heroism, one can also partly blame the plot of ''King of the Monsters'' on them actively seeking and containing the seventeen new Kaiju as part of doing their job (which is what gave the [[EcoTerrorist Eco-Terrorists]] something to work with, including freeing [[BigBad Ghidorah]]).
* DeadToBeginWith: Adam, the Godzilla fossil that played host to the [=MUTOs=]; and Kong's parents, respectively.
* DugTooDeep: This is one of the main causes of the Kaiju's emergences, with prominent examples including the [=MUTOs=] in the 2014 film and the Skullcrawlers in ''Skull Island''.
* GaiasVengeance: One of the core themes of the franchise, with the Kaiju generally being depicted not as [[NuclearNasty Nuclear Nasties]], but as powerful and ancient beasts who embody aspects of nature or act as invasive species, and whom humanity is almost powerless against once antagonized. Adding to the GreenAesop is that human activity such as strip mining, seismic charges and atomic testing are directly responsible for the Kaiju's emergences from long dormancy.
* GentleGiant: Both Kong and Godzilla are relatively placid (or as much as their size allows them to be) unless they're attacked (although Godzilla doesn't fight back against humans when they attack him and only seeks to destroy the [=MUTOs=]).
* GiantEqualsInvincible: There's very little that humans' general arsenal can do against the Kaiju except maybe piss them off.
* GreenAesop: Humans are not the masters of the Earth, and we should live in harmony with the ecosystem rather than trying to rebuild the world to our needs, [[SpaceWhaleAesop or we'll wake up the Earth's real rulers and they'll wreck our civilization]].
* HumansAreInsects: How humans are usually viewed by the Kaiju, which is very fortunate because when a Kaiju such as the malevolent Ghidorah or a provoked MUTO ''actively wants humans dead''...
* ILoveNuclearPower: In the original Japanese films, Godzilla (and by extension many of the other Kaijus) acted as a metaphor for Nuclear Annihilation, many of the monsters a product of radiation and nuclear weaponry. Here, it is the other way around, the Kaijus (here named "Titans") originating from an irradiated ecosystem, their massive bodies feeding on radiation and mankind's splitting of the atom being one of the catalysts for their return. [[spoiler:In ''King of the Monsters'', it is even revealed that the radiation they exude ''improves'' the planet's ecosystem, plant-life sprouting like crazy everywhere Godzilla and the [=MUTOs=] went.]]
* {{Kaiju}}: The series is about gigantic monsters rampaging through human cities.
* LovecraftLite: It has the classic conceit of ''Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu'' of beings of unfathomable age and power waking up and showing humanity's smallness -- Godzilla himself was at the Castle Bravo nuclear test, the largest nuclear explosion by the United States, and despite being point blank, he survived. This is softened because most of the monsters are much more interested in fighting each other than harming people, with some such as Kong being legitimately fond and protective of humanity, and Godzilla almost goes out of his way to avoid destruction. Furthermore, the only way humanity can survive against the genuinely dangerous Kaiju is via AlwaysABiggerFish in the forms of such benevolent kaiju as Godzilla or Kong, and despite humanity's smallness, they can still contribute majorly to the outcomes of the kaiju's battles (i.e., distracting the malevolent kaiju long enough to give the benevolent ones an advantage).
* {{Masquerade}}: Upheld in ''Kong: Skull Island'', since the island itself is hidden away and any information about what happened there is classified. Upheld for about half of ''Godzilla'', at which point Godzilla and the two [=MUTO=] [[TheUnmasquedWorld completely do away with it altogether]].
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Despite the much more realistic and grounded tone of the [=MonsterVerse=], there are a number of elements that seem to toe the line between science and supernatural. For example:
** Skull Island has bizarre {{Planimal}} wildlife, strange atmospheric anomalies like auroras and a surrounding PerpetualStorm, and natives that Marlow comments don't seem to age. Randa even refers to it as [[EldritchLocation "the land where God did not finish creation."]]
** Mothra has a strange connection to a family line of identical twins, BornAgainImmortality via GeneticMemory, and [[spoiler: Madison reviving after having a vision of her]] that all seem to suggest she may be an ''actual'' PhysicalGod.
* MilitariesAreUseless: The series follows the trend set up in the original movies of the military standing no chance against the Kaiju. Though its also deconstructed slightly, with it being indicated that the primary reason their so useless is because the things they're up against are so far beyond anything they've dealt with before.
* NatureIsNotNice: Everything humans thought they knew about the creatures they share the Earth with is really just the ''insect kingdom'', which humans are a part of; and there was once an entire world of gigantic, radiocative, borderline-supernatural beasts who will fight and kill each-other for dominance and survival (as Godzilla does to the [=MUTOs=], but fortunately these creatures are mostly indifferent to humans the same way we're indifferent to the ants we see in our garden. Somewhat ZigZagged, as some of the Kaiju such as Godzilla, Mothra and Kong are capable of higher intelligence and even displaying benevolence towards humans, and ''King of the Monsters'' establishes the Kaiju have a cross-species hierarchy amongst themselves which enables them to coexist.
* OneMythToExplainThemAll: It's suggested that {{Kaiju}} were responsible for the myths and tales around the world. King Ghidora inspired many civilization's ideas of devils and dragons and Mothra inspired, of all things, angels.
* OurGodsAreDifferent: The {{Kaiju}} are {{Physical God}}s and are often described and considered InUniverse to be TheOldGods. Specifically, they consist of various ancient primeval "super-species" and/or the [[TheLastOfHisKind endlings]] of such species which evolved when the Earth was much more radioactive than it is in modern times (Ghidorah is the exception as [[spoiler:an extraterrestrial invader]]). Traits, powers and weaknesses vary, but they have some things in common. They're in the "Scarily powerful" spectrum, they have Near Immortality if not Advanced Immortality, they're Anthropomorphically Subhuman (being literal super-evolved animals), and their needs are in the "Sustenance and Sleep" category (specifically, they tend to cycle between being active and entering long periods of dormancy). Unlike most gods, being naturalistic, the Kaiju don't need [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly prayers]] to function, although sources of radiation (which can be considered a sort of offering to them in later films) do feed and strengthen them. Morally, they're generally Exemplars; their temperaments vary from being {{Destructive Saviour}}s to [[DestroyerDeity Destroyer Deities]], with Mothra and Ghidorah being the most extreme Kaiju at either end of the scale respectively. Generally, the [=MonsterVerse=] follows Henotheism (modern humans generally favor worship of Godzilla as their main DestructiveSaviour, but they also worshipped other Titans in forgotten ancient times, and Mothra is still revered) and Polytheism (the Kaiju as it turns out have an [[AlphaAndBetaWolves Alpha-led hierarchy]] currently headed by Godzilla, but a rival Alpha can potentially overthrow him). The Kaiju did not create the universe or even the Earth as far as we know, but with the exception of Ghidorah, they're considered essential to the maintenance and defense of the Earth's biosphere.
* PrehistoricMonster: Godzilla, the [=MUTOs=], and many more existed well before the dawn of mankind.
* SealedCastInAMultipack: Many kaiju are slumbering or trapped somewhere on Earth waiting to be awakened in some way. The [=MUTOs=] were in a sealed undergrown cavern until a mining organization DugTooDeep and according to the Monarch Timeline, Mothra is dormant in a cocoon in a temple in China, Rodan is sleeping in a volcano, an unknown kaiju is dormant and contained in Siberia, Kong is keeping things under control on Skull Island, and Ghidorah is sealed away in the Antarctic ice. [[spoiler:King Ghidorah awakens a large number of them and Mothra awakens to help Godzilla, but the end credits montage reveals many of them are still out there slumbering.]]
* SequelEscalation:
** ''Film/Godzilla2014'' has only one full onscreen battle between the Kaiju as the FinalBattle, with two earlier battles which are mostly offscreen, preferring to focus on the human characters' perspective of the Kaiju's destruction. ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' doesn't shy away from depicting the action onscreen in such a way. ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' has lengthier Kaiju battles (particularly the FinalBattle), though it tends to show them from both the Kaiju's and the humans' perspective almost equally.
** Whereas the 2014 film only has two types of Kaiju in total (Godzilla and the CanonForeigner [=MUTOs=]); ''Skull Island'' has a variety of monsters but they're again mostly Canon Foreigners; and then ''King of the Monsters'' features the Big Four kaiju who originally featured in ''Film/GhidorahTheThreeHeadedMonster'', in addition to a small handful of new kaiju and ''ten others'' who are TheGhost.
** Furthermore, in ''King of the Monsters'', the ApocalypseHow occurring in the second half of the film is immediately ''global'' in scope, rather than a regional ApocalypseWow which threatens to go widespread if TheBadGuyWins like in the previous two films; and the stakes are presented as higher, with the human forces and benevolent kaiju all allying together more directly than in the 2014 film, and with Ghidorah's unnatural true nature as an [[spoiler:invasive alien]] OmnicidalManiac compared to that of the predatory Skullcrawlers and [[NonMaliciousMonster Non-Malicious]] [=MUTOs=] respectively.
* SerkisFolk: The giant monsters are animated through MotionCapture. The TropeNamer himself, Creator/AndySerkis, assisted in the animation of Godzilla, albeit uncredited.
* SharedUniverse: One of several conceived in the wake of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse achieving success with ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', and one of several owned by Warner Bros. (the others being the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, the [[Film/HarryPotter Wizarding]] [[Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem World]], the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie LEGO Movie]]'' series, and ''Film/TheConjuring'' universe).
* SingleSpecimenSpecies: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] for the most part. Most of the important kaiju discussed early on were stated to be the [[LastOfHisKind last of their respective kinds]], being relics from ancient prehistoric days when creatures of that size were common, so it's generally assumed that this is true of the other kaiju as well. [[spoiler:The exception is King Ghidorah, who is a malevolent extraterrestrial [[MysteriousPast whose origins before he came to Earth are unknown]]]].
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: So far the franchise seems to lean towards the cynical end of the scale, particularly when compared to the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] and similar franchises. Humanity is surrounded by [[{{Kaiju}} gigantic monsters]] that have existed long before everyone was even born, and they are basically powerless against them once they awaken and begin laying waste to the world, and though there ''are'' some monsters (Godzilla, Kong, etc.) willing to protect the humans, they can be [[DestructiveSavior just as destructive to everything around them]] as the ones causing said destruction. However, comparing it to its genre, it is surprisingly Idealistic. Godzilla himself is at his most heroic since the late Showa era, and as of King of the Monsters, [[spoiler:the fallout from a worldwide rising of kaiju is... surprisingly positive. The environment is benefitted immensely, and humanity itself seems to be reaping rewards too - kaiju waste is even implied to work as a renewable resource!]]
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Not in release order, but if the franchise's film installments are put in ''chronological'' order, this trope has so far been in full effect; although ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'' might break pattern. In ''Film/KongSkullIsland'', the Skullcrawlers are relatively small by Kaiju standards, and Kong who ''isn't even fully mature yet'' can beat back hordes of them. In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', the [=MUTOs=] are nearly the size of Godzilla, they create an {{EMP}} around themselves which does a lot to cripple the entire U.S. Navy's efforts to track and stop them, and the pair make Godzilla work quite a bit to kill them both and it looks like they nearly win the fight against him. And in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', Ghidorah is roughly ''twice'' the size of Godzilla, he's powerful enough that Godzilla is considered the ''only'' force on Earth that can truly rival him (and even then, in a fair fight without Mothra's assistance or watery terrain, Ghidorah does seem to have more of an advantage), Ghidorah generates an intensifying electricity-filled hurricane around himself merely by being active, and he gains command of ''all the other Kaiju on the planet'' except Mothra when Godzilla is briefly incapacitated.
* SpaceWhaleAesop: It varies slightly from film to film, but the overall messages that permeate every film are:
** "[[Film/Godzilla2014 The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way round]]." The demonstration: the world is actually populated by giant, prehistoric {{Kaiju}} endlings from prehistoric ecosystems, whom mankind are ''ants'' in comparison to.
** Don't bother trying to forcibly control or destroy a natural species or aspect of nature just because it conflicts with human interests or is an "inconvenience". If you take the wrong Kaiju out of the ecology, there'll be nothing to keep its more malevolent opponents in check and they'll start wreaking havoc.
* UnluckilyLucky: The human characters and humanity as a whole seem to have this going for them in this universe. As while Godzilla and Kong do cause them a good amount of grief, they also end up taking out the threats that would have done ''so'' much worse.
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** Skull Island has bizarre {{Planimal}} wildlife, strange atmospheric anomalies like auroras and a surrounding PerpetualStorm, and natives that Marlow comments don't seem to age. Randa even referes to it as [[EldritchLocation "the land where God did not finish creation."]]

* OneMythToExplainThemAll: It's suggested that {{Kaiju}} were responsible for the myths and tales around the world. Mothra inspired, of all things, angels.

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* ''Godzilla: Awakening''
* ''Skull Island: The Birth of Kong''
* ''Godzilla: Aftershock''
* ''[=GvK=]: Kingdom Kong''
* ''[=GvK=]: Godzilla Dominion''

** Whereas the 2014 film only has two types of Kaiju in total (Godzilla and the CanonForeigner [=MUTOs=]), ''Skull Island'' has a variety of monsters but they're again mostly Canon Foreigners, and then ''King of the Monsters'' features the Big Four kaiju who featured in ''Film/GhidorahTheThreeHeadedMonster'' in addition to a small handful of new kaiju, and ''ten others'' who are TheGhost.
** Furthermore, in 'King of the Monsters'', the ApocalypseHow occurring in the second half of the film is immediately ''global'' in scope, rather than a regional ApocalypseWow which threatens to go widespread if TheBadGuyWins like in the previous two films; and the stakes are presented as higher, with the human forces and benevolent kaiju all allying together more directly than in the 2014 film, and with Ghidorah's unnatural true nature as an [[spoiler:invasive alien]] OmnicidalManiac compared to that of the predatory Skullcrawlers and [[NonMaliciousMonster Non-Malicious]] [=MUTOs=] respectively.

The [=MonsterVerse=] is an American media franchise and [[SharedUniverse shared cinematic universe]] that is centered on a series of films featuring [[{{Kaiju}} gigantic monsters]], most prominently {{Franchise/Godzilla}} and Franchise/KingKong.

* BehemothBattle: The franchise's crux. The most anticipated battle will involve Godzilla and Kong duking it out in "a battle for the ages".

Interestingly, the franchise has given Toho enough confidence to throw their hat back into the ring with making a SharedUniverse of monster movies after 2020 ([[GenreThrowback naturally featuring people in rubber suits]]). Whether the two respective settings will coexist, or if the fourth film will serve as the franchise's GrandFinale, is presently unclear, as Legendary's license to make Godzilla movies was scheduled to expire on that same year (likely extended to 2021 due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic-[=induced=] postponing of ''Godzilla vs. Kong'').

* SingleSpecimenSpecies: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] for the most part. Most of the important kaiju discussed early on were stated to be the [[LastOfHisKind last of their respective kinds]], being relics from ancient prehistoric days when creaturs of that size were common, so it's generally assumed that this is true of the other kaiju as well. [[spoiler: the possible exception is King Ghidora, who is stated to be an alien. Nothing else is elaborated on about him, though.]]

The movies are distributed by Creator/WarnerBros and produced by Creator/LegendaryPictures in partnership with Creator/{{Toho}}, the Japanese studio that [[TropeCodifier codified]] the genre and owns most of the well known Kaiju [=IPs=]. Currently, plans are for the series to encompass four films, which is as extensive as Legendary's initial contract with Toho lasts.

* OurGodsAreDifferent: The {{Kaiju}} are {{Physical God}}s and are often described and considered InUniverse to be TheOldGods. Specifically, they consist of various ancient primeval "super-species" and/or the [[TheLast OfHisKind endlings]] of such species which evolved when the Earth was much more radioactive than it is in modern times (Ghidorah is the exception as [[spoiler:an extraterrestrial invader]]). Traits, powers and weaknesses vary, but they have some things in common. They're in the "Scarily powerful" spectrum, they have Near Immortality if not Advanced Immortality, they're Anthropomorphically Subhuman (being literal super-evolved animals), and their needs are in the "Sustenance and Sleep" category (specifically, they tend to cycle between being active and entering long periods of dormancy). Unlike most gods, being naturalistic, the Kaiju don't need [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly prayers]] to function, although sources of radiation (which can be considered a sort of offering to them in later films) do feed and strengthen them. Morally, they're generally Exemplars; their temperaments vary from being {{Destructive Saviour}}s to [[DestroyerDeity Destroyer Deities]], with Mothra and Ghidorah being the most extreme Kaiju at either end of the scale respectively. Generally, the [=MonsterVerse=] follows Henotheism (modern humans generally favor worship of Godzilla as their main DestructiveSaviour, but they also worshipped other Titans in forgotten ancient times, and Mothra is still revered) and Polytheism (the Kaiju as it turns out have an [[AlphaAndBetaWolves Alpha-led hierarchy]] currently headed by Godzilla, but a rival Alpha can potentially overthrow him). The Kaiju did not create the universe or even the Earth as far as we know, but with the exception of Ghidorah, they're considered essential to the maintenance and defense of the Earth's biosphere.

[[AC:Related franchises]]
* ''{{Franchise/Godzilla}}''
* ''Franchise/KingKong''

[[/index]]

Interestingly, the franchise has given Toho enough confidence to throw their hat back into the ring with making a SharedUniverse of monster movies after 2020 ([[GenreThrowback naturally featuring people in rubber suits]]). Whether the two respective settings will coexist, or if the fourth film will serve as the franchise's GrandFinale, is presently unclear, as Legendary's license to make Godzilla movies is scheduled to expire on that same year.