A Unmade 1972 Monster Movie Reveals the Ultimate Villain Team That Even Godzilla Couldn't Beat

Godzilla vs. Gigan almost featured a lineup of monsters that would have produced the strongest team of villains in history. While many of the Godzilla films have been simple “contra” stories that pit him against singular villains, several of them are willing to pit the King of the Monsters against multiple opponents. Sometimes this requires Godzilla to be outnumbered, as was the case in 2014 Godzilla. On the other hand, there were some situations – such as Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire ending – where Godzilla gets a partner to help him face his enemies.

Villain teams have been in the Godzilla franchise since 1972, when Toho made Godzilla vs. Gigan. One of Godzilla's many allies in Destroy all monstersformer Godzilla villain Anguirus was paired with Godzilla in the film for a two-on-two kaiju battle against Ghidorah and Gigan in his first appearance. It was a fight that Godzilla almost lost, and if Toho had stuck to one of his previous ideas for the confrontation, victory would have been more difficult for the monster to achieve.

The Return of King Ghidorah! Would have featured three powerful Godzilla villains

Godzilla, Rodan and Varan would have fought Gigan, King Ghidorah and Megalon

With Gigan and King Ghidorah as its main villains Godzilla vs. Gigan offered a formidable duo of monsters for Godzilla to face. Interestingly, though, this wouldn't have been as challenging as the fight envisioned in an earlier version of the script. Before the project was renamed and reformulated in Godzilla vs. Gigan, The Return of King Ghidorah! was destined to end in a three-on-three battleinstead of two against two. According to John LeMay The Big Book of Giant Japanese Monster Movies: The Lost FilmsGodzilla would have to deal with the two classic Godzilla villains plus Megalon.

The Return of King Ghidorah! would have been a debut a year before Megalonsince the creature had not yet appeared in the franchise and was only presented the following year via Godzilla vs. Megalon. In that film, Godzilla had Jet Jaguar helping him defeat Gigan and Megalon. As for who would help him in this particular confrontation, Rodan and Varan would have served as his allies. Rodan had already proven useful to Godzilla thanks to his roles in previous Godzilla films, but even with him around, Godzilla would have been hard-pressed to win this potential battle.

Why the plan for King Ghidorah's return! Outperforms all other villain teams in the Godzilla films

Gigan, Megalon, and Ghidorah would have been an extremely difficult matchup for Godzilla

Through his appearances in both films, Gigan has had Ghidorah and Megalon as partners in his efforts to defeat the King of the Monsters. However, he never had both by his side at the same time. But there was The Return of King Ghidorah! achieved, this is exactly the scenario Godzilla would have faced. Considering Ghidorah's history of fighting entire teams of kaiju and the bloody beating Godzilla received from Gigan in the final film, adding another kaiju into the mix would certainly have made this fight an extraordinary challenge.

Megalon is arguably less imposing than Gigan and Ghidorah, but he is still dangerous. His drill-like hands and digging ability have made him a force to be reckoned with in the world. Godzilla vs. Megalonand these unique qualities would have brought balance to Gigan and Ghidorah's team. With Gigan's lethality in hand-to-hand combat and Ghidorah's versatility as a creature that can fly and deliver a potent beam attack, Megalon would have transformed the duo into an even more multifaceted threat.

This team of villains would have surpassed all others in the franchise's history, and not just because of each kaiju's individual powers and how they complemented each other in battle. There's also the fact that the franchise hasn't really tried to put together impressive teams of Godzilla villains. If he's going to fight more than one, it's usually just two, with the band of Kamacuras in Son of Godzilla standing out as just one of the situations where he had to fight three monsters at the same time. And these creatures were hardly threats to Godzilla in the first place.

Toho's Canceled Plan for King Ghidorah's Return! Highlights what the Godzilla films should do next

It's been 52 years since Toho scrapped its plan to The Return of King Ghidorah! and the notion that even after all this time, the Godzilla franchise has yet to feature a team of this level of power is indicative of what the franchise is missing. Through films like Destroy all monsters and Ghidorah, the three-headed monsterhas certainly brought together some powerful heroic alliances, but it hasn't done the same when it comes to villains. Godzilla: Final WarsTo its credit, it featured a handful of Godzilla's established adversaries, but most were spread throughout the film.

Future installments, whether Godzilla x Kong's announced sequel or continuation from Toho to Godzilla minus onecould take the franchise in a bold direction, bringing together a trio of monsters from Godzilla's rogues' gallery. In the end, a three-on-three battle isn't something the Godzilla films have done before. Being on a larger scale than previous Godzilla films would bring a new level of excitement to the film's final showdown. A plan like this would be especially appropriate for the Monsterverse, as the stakes increase as it progresses. A three-on-three battle seems like the natural next step for Monstervese, who just had a two-on-two fight in Godzilla vs. Kong.

In terms of what this team could be, there is no shortage of attractive options. The exact team from the precursor to Godzilla vs. Gigan is naturally out of the question for the Monsterverse due to Ghidorah's death in Godzilla: King of the Monsters' ending, but both Gigan and Megalon would make a lot of sense for at least two of the villains. The existence of alien Titans in Godzilla's Monsterverse makes Gigan a real possibility, and Megalon's subterranean origin would allow him to fit seamlessly into the Monsterverse's Hollow Earth world. Biollante, Destoroyah, SpaceGodzilla, or even Hedorah could work as suitable replacements for Ghidorah.