Mothra vs. Bagan

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Mothra vs. Bagan
Script cover for Mothra vs. Bagan
Alternate titles Bagan vs. Mothra
Planned 1990
Concept history Mothra vs. Bagan
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1990) →
Godzilla vs. Mothra (early draft) → Godzilla vs. Mothra

Mothra vs. Bagan (モスラVSバガン,   Mosura tai Bagan) is an unmade 1990 Mothra film.

History

Mothra vs. Bagan would have been Mothra's first non-stock footage appearance since Destroy All Monsters and would have introduced the monster Bagan, who had previously been conceptualized for Resurrection of Godzilla.[1] The film would have been set in the same continuity as the Heisei Godzilla series, and as such was to include the character of Miki Saegusa. The movie was to have a direct sequel in the form of the tentatively-titled Godzilla 3, which would have further explored the origins of Bagan. Due to the poor box office performance of Godzilla vs. Biollante and also the unlikely success of the film overseas, it was cancelled.

The first version of the movie reused the concept of Bagan being a shape-shifting monster with three forms from Resurrection of Godzilla. However, Koichi Kawakita axed the element, ultimately leaving Bagan with only a single form.

Plot

Thousands of years ago, a giant monster terrorized ancient China. The demon monster known as Bagan rose to destroy the world's forests and everything living in them. Although an ancient clan of Mothra were able to defeat the creature, legend passed down through the ages claimed that the "primordial dragon" would rise again. In the present day of 1990, the glacier containing Bagan melts from rising global temperatures, and the monster sets its sights on humanity. However, standing in Bagan's way is Mothra, a giant insect monster that acts as Earth's guardian. Mothra confronts Bagan at the Thailand-Malaysia border and momentarily manages to drive him away. The two monsters then meet again, this time in Bangkok, where Bagan surprise attacks Mothra from the skies as she is retrieving the Shobijin. Mothra is mortally wounded by Bagan's assault, and in a last-ditch effort, uses a poison powder attack to severely weaken Bagan, enough to allow her to carry him away from the city. Some distance away in Borneo, a gigantic egg is formed by the song of the Shobijin, and it soon hatches an infant Mothra, which crawls to help its mother. The three monsters then engage in one last battle for the sake of the world. Fortunately, with their combined strength, Mothra and her larva are able to best Bagan, and the adult carries Bagan's unconscious body out to sea where she seals him away again. As she dies, her body dances from the skies onto the surface of the water, where she drifts on spread, vivid wings.

Gallery

Concept art

First version

Second version

Storyboards

Books

Trivia

  • Many elements from this film were carried over into Rebirth of Mothra in 1996:
    • Like Bagan, Desghidorah is an evil monster that destroys Earth's forests and was sealed away in ancient times, only to be reawakened in the present day by human activity. Desghidorah shares some physical similarities with Bagan, as they both grew wings just before the final battle.
    • Mothra's larval offspring hatches and joins her in battle against Desghidorah.
    • Mothra carries another monster out over the ocean, then dies. While in Mothra vs. Bagan she carried the unconscious Bagan out to sea, in Rebirth of Mothra she carries her larva to safety to escape Desghidorah.
  • Mothra and Bagan finally fought each other in the 2022 Godziban special episode "Mothra vs. Bagan: Prologue".

External links

References

This is a list of references for Mothra vs. Bagan. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. Kohei Nomura (August 7, 2014). Godzilla Dictionary [New Edition]. Kasakura Publishing. p. 256. ISBN 4773087250.

Comments

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Era Icon - Toho.png
Unmade
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Movie
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Era Icon - Bagan.png