King Broodfish
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“
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All gone now. But something new is here. He does not know these creatures. But they do not belong here. They carry the scent of the deep hollows, the world beneath the world. They do not act alone, but as if they share the same mind.
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„
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— Narrator (Godzilla Dominion) |
The King Broodfish is an aquatic superspecies that appears in the 2021 Legendary Comics graphic novel Godzilla Dominion, a prequel to Godzilla vs. Kong. A swarm of them followed a larger one, with which they were seemingly connected, into a territorial battle against Godzilla. The King of the Monsters ultimately slew the leader, and without it the smaller fish soon joined it in death.
Name
The King Broodfish are not referred to by any specific name in Godzilla Dominion, nor was a name originally devised for them by writer Greg Keyes. In his script for the comic, Keyes used the term "genitor" to refer to the creatures' leader, which he explained is "not a name, it is a description-- a gender neutral term I used in the script to denote something like a queen bee".[2] Illustrator Drew Edward Johnson took to calling the creatures Murderfish, a name which was jokingly suggested by his editor,[3] and referred to the leader as King Murderfish in at least one tweet.[4]
The species was finally christened in 2026's The Monarch Files: A Monsterverse Manual, written by Keyes. It is also given the cryptozoological classification Dinichthys Eusocial, a combination of Dinichthys, the name of an extinct genus of arthrodires, and the word "eusocial", referring to the highest level of sociality in organisms. Neither "genitor" nor any other specific term is used for the creatures' leader besides "the larger specimen", while the smaller ones are referred to as a "swarm", "smaller fish of the same species", or simply "the smaller fish".[1]
Design
The King Broodfish strongly resemble extinct placoderms, specifically Dunkleosteus, due to Greg Keyes' childhood interest with the animal.[5] The larger specimen has a rough blue body, pectoral fins that possess red undersides with three fingers, a dorsal fin that is made up of red ribbon-like flesh, and pelvic fins that are long and thin and also have the same red ribbon-like flesh. Its eyes are red, it has two pairs of sharp bony plates that form a beak-like structure, and it has a tail fin that also has the same red ribbon-like flesh surrounding it.
Behavior
The larger King Broodfish was shown to be highly territorial, fighting Godzilla over leftover radiation in the latter's old lair. After it was killed and its control over them severed, the smaller fish ravenously devoured its carcass. Greg Keyes has referred to the larger fish as the "creator" of the other ones in addition to their controller.[2] However, this has not been established as canon; according to Monarch, the species "seems to be biologically male, which has led to much speculation about whether there is a Queen Broodfish and what the life cycle of this superspecies might be".[1]
History
- Godzilla Dominion (2021)
Godzilla Dominion
After Godzilla arrived at his destroyed lair, he witnessed a swarm of King Broodfish congregating in the area. Godzilla was taken by surprise when he was ambushed by their leader, sinking its teeth into his neck after it erupted from the ground. Godzilla then proceeded to tear its spine out, killing it. With the leader's connection to its swarm severed, the swarm descended to feed on its carcass. Godzilla promptly incinerated them all with his atomic breath.
Abilities
Physical abilities
The larger King Broodfish possesses a strong bite, being able to draw blood from Godzilla's neck.
Tunneling
According to Greg Keyes, the larger King Broodfish is "probably" able to dig, reasoning that it possibly tunneled to the surface from the Hollow Earth.[6]
Swarm
The narrator in Godzilla Dominion observes it is "as if [King Broodfish] share the same mind". According to Monarch, "it is hypothesized" that the larger fish controls its swarm with "some sort of telepathy or electromagnetic impulses".[1]
Weaknesses
Godzilla easily ripped out the larger King Broodfish's spine, then incinerated the smaller ones with his atomic breath. According to Monarch, without their leader, the smaller fish "[seem] to lack the ability to care for themselves" and are "without guidance".[1]
Trivia
- Prior to the King Broodfish officially being categorized as superspecies, Greg Keyes used the non-canon term "sub-Titans" for them,[2] while Drew Edward Johnson opined that the larger specimen is "like a sub-species below that of a Titan".[3]
References
This is a list of references for King Broodfish. 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]
Bibliography/videography
- Keyes, Greg (6 April 2021). Godzilla Dominion. Legendary Comics. ISBN 978-1-68116-078-8.
- Godzilla Guy (7 January 2024). "LIVE Interview With Greg Keyes Writter Of The Novelizations Of KOTM, GVK, And GXK!". YouTube.
- Keyes, Greg (23 June 2026). The Monarch Files: A Monsterverse Manual. Insight Editions. ISBN 979-8886636321.
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