Rattler
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Rattler is a rattlesnake kaiju from the Scott Ciencin novels Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island and Godzilla vs. the Space Monster.
Name
Rattler's name references his original rattlesnake form.
Design
Rattler's appearance is that of a gigantic rattlesnake, although his exact species is unknown.
Personality
Rattler, in his previous unmutated form, had no discernible personality of its own as it was a wild animal. However, upon becoming a gigantic creature through scientific experiments done on it, he developed a higher degree of intelligence and personality. Despite that, the monster's original predatory instincts still could resurface, leading him to attack a city in search of human prey before being thwarted by Godzilla, Kamacuras, and Kumonga. He maintained a close bond with his fellow giant serpent monster Yellowback, both of them going after humans after reverting to their natural instincts. Rattler was featured alongside him in both of their appearances, possibly viewing the coral snake as his brother or twin.
When emerging onto Monster Island, Rattler struggled with his own mind after terrorists attempted to put him under mind control, alongside Godzilla and his allies. He was, however, able to resist it, with it being mentioned that he possessed strong enough willpower to match Godzilla's, and went on to help the reptilian against a rampaging Anguirus.
Origins
Originally an ordinary rattlesnake waiting to hatch in the Nevada desert, Rattler was among the monsters created by a Cryo Chem lab accident which exposed local wildlife to nanomachines that caused them to gradually grow to gigantic proportions. Kamacuras and Kumonga, among the first of the monsters to reach their full size, traveled to Las Vegas to prepare a larger nest for their comrades, but retreated after confronting Godzilla, Sasori, and a U.S. superweapon called Deep Freeze which could reverse their growth.
History
- Godzilla Invades America (1997) [allusion]
- Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island (1998)
- Godzilla vs. the Space Monster (1998)
Godzilla Invades America
Rattler was implied to be among the numerous creatures caught in the accident at the Cryo Chem laboratory, transforming the rattlesnake gigantic. Unlike his fellow monsters Kamacuras and Kumonga, Rattler did not set out to create a larger nest elsewhere, and stayed behind with his smaller comrades alongside Varan and Yellowback.
Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island
To be added.
Godzilla vs. the Space Monster
Rattler and Yellowback shared a swamp on Monster Island that King Ghidorah destroyed by drying it up with his gravity beams. When the monsters of Monster Island were corralled to Australia to battle King Ghidorah, the two snakes end up biting into the dragon's wings. While Yellowback became dislodged quickly, Rattler was able to inject a fair amount of venom before King Ghidorah crashed to the ground to dislodge him and bite off his rattle, which he threw at Godzilla's feet. Going missing after the battle, Rattler was presumed dead by his friends and the humans until re-emerging from hiding after King Ghidorah's defeat, where he rejoined Yellowback on Monster Island.
Abilities
Physical abilities
In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island, Rattler constricted several tanks ambushing Godzilla, restraining them for Kumonga to destroy. Later, he bit into a rampaging Anguirus's underside and dragged him off of Godzilla. He then proceeded to whip Anguirus around with his tail before hurling the ankylosaur away. After Godzilla knocked Rodan to the ground, Rattler immediately pounced on the pterosaur. When Rodan tried going after Godzilla, Rattler clung to his wing and was unable to be shaken off by him. He later constricted around Varan, squeezing as tightly as possible to stop the varanopode from moving.
Venom
Being a giant rattlesnake, Rattler possesses a venomous bite. In Godzilla vs. the Space Monster, Rattler's venom was potent enough to briefly disorient King Ghidorah in the air.
Amphibiousness
In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island, Rattler swam across the Pacific Ocean for two weeks alongside the other monsters in order to reach Monster Island. While in a brief spat with Yellowback, Rattler ducked beneath the water several times to avoid bites from the coral snake. When challenging Godzilla's dominance, Rattler reared up out of the water and charged towards a bridge.
Durability
In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island, Rattler briefly went rogue and was able to survive Godzilla pinning down on the ocean floor with his foot after the reptilian caught him trying to sneak by, and was able to escape after enough thrashing. He was later grabbed by Godzilla, shaken around, and thrown over a bridge, finally surrendering to Godzilla afterwards. While helping Godzilla fight against the mind-controlled monsters, Rattler was blown backwards by Rodan's shockwaves. In Godzilla vs. the Space Monster, Rattler survived King Ghidorah tearing off his rattle.
Trivia
- Manda's trademark icon appears on the back covers of both Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island and Godzilla vs. the Space Monster despite the character never appearing in either story. It is possible this was either an error or that Toho felt Yellowback and Rattler were similar enough to Manda to require use of the license.
Notes
- ↑ While an exact size was not given for Rattler, he was described as being as long as a freight train.
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