Sons of Giants
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SPOILER WARNING: This section may contain major plot and/or ending details. Proceed at your own discretion. |
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The Sons of Giants are a secret society that first appeared in the 2023 IDW Publishing comic series Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, and are the focus of its 2024 sequel Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants. The Sons of Giants worshiped kaiju such as Godzilla and sought to conceal their existence from the rest of the globe throughout human history.
History
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons
During the 16th century, having found himself in British custody, the pirate "One-Eyed" Henry Hull bargained a reprieve from the gallows by revealing information he knew concerning the existence of giant monsters - and a conspiracy to conceal their existence from the rest of the world by a secret society known as the Sons of Giants. Hull first became aware of the conspiracy through Sir Francis Drake, who himself first learned of them through a doubloon he was presented with that featured the image of a monster on it. After Hull alleged that Queen Elizabeth I herself was involved in the conspiracy, one of his interrogating officers, Boggs, notified proper authorities. In response, the Queen's chief advisor, Lord High Treasurer William Cecil, dispatched Sir Francis Walsingham to investigate these claims.
Hull explained that giant monsters, also called kaiju, have existed all over the world throughout history, respected for their power and what they meant to the planet. The Sons of Giants were formed to protect the secrets of the kaiju by any means necessary. Hull went on to detail his first-hand experiences with the kaiju that he encountered during Drake's circumnavigation of the globe in pursuit of treasure on Monster Island, from surviving an initial confrontation with Godzilla to being attacked by giant bats and Ebirah. As a reward for Hull's cooperation, Walsingham provided the pirate with a feast. Hull eventually revealed that they located the treasure in Godzilla's cave beneath a mural of Godzilla identical to the image on Drake's doubloon, piquing Walsingham's interest. Despite a number of setbacks along the way, Drake and Hull were able to escape Monster Island with the treasure in tow.
As promised, Drake brought the treasure back to the queen and was sworn to secrecy, only to die mysteriously shortly thereafter. Hull rejected the official account that Drake had died of dysentery, claiming that the Sons of Giants poisoned him and that no one who knew of the kaiju was safe from their wrath. After Hull confirmed that he had concluded his story and shared all that he knew, Walsingham abruptly shot Hull dead, revealing himself to be a member of the Sons of Giants who was to conceal the queen's involvement in the conspiracy at all costs - hence why he needed to know everything that Hull knew first. Walsingham proceeded to have the interrogating officers executed for listening to the story as well - including Boggs, despite his earlier assistance, not wanting to leave behind any loose ends. Walsingham and his officers then went as far as to burn the entire prison, leaving no trace behind as they reiterated their allegiance to the Sons of Giants, the kaiju, and Godzilla himself.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants
In 1804, reporter Mortimer Lane approached Vice President Aaron Burr in a restaurant shortly after the latter's duel with Alexander Hamilton and spoke with him about a coin he claimed to have been found on Hamilton's body - a coin bearing the image of Godzilla that had been created by a secret society formed in Ancient Rome known as the Sons of Giants. Lane correctly surmised Burr to be a member of the organization, though upon exiting the establishment with Burr, he was subsequently abducted and brought before dozens of members of the Sons of Giants in the flesh in an undisclosed location. Lane spoke to a member donning a mask of Godzilla, professing that his investigation into their organization's history had yielded little concreate information about their activities or members. The masked man identified Lane as an ancestor of pirate Henry Hull, the true owner of the coin Lane had in his possession; he also confirmed Lane's suspicions that Hamilton had been murdered over a dispute concerning the future of the Sons of Giants.
The masked man revealed himself to be none other than President Thomas Jefferson, with this gathering taking place within the White House. He shared various historical tales of the kaiju with Lane, from Hedorah's battle with Beowulf, to Mothra's role in the story of the Book of Exodus, to Rodan's part in saving the Mayan people from the conquistadors in the 14th century; Jefferson expressed the Sons of Giants' beliefs that the kaiju protect those who safeguard their existence. Most notably, however, Jefferson warned Lane of a coming threat he believed to be connected to a monumental battle that took place in Ancient Rome between Godzilla, Hedorah, Mothra, and Rodan. The all-out brawl was interrupted by King Ghidorah - a kaiju the Sons of Giants believed to have extraterrestrial origins and the reason the other monsters had been drawn to Rome. The monsters eventually banded together to stop the alien invader, saving the planet from untold decimation while witnesses would go on to found the Sons of Giants to honor their saviors. While learning of these legends, Lane expected to be killed by the group, only to be initiated into the Sons of Giants instead, as Jefferson desired his assistance with a matter relating to Lane's mentor - the late Benjamin Franklin.
Jefferson detailed Franklin's beliefs that visitors from other worlds walked the Earth among humans - theories which Jefferson had reason to believe were connected to a possible threat forming out west in the land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. With Lane's help, they located Franklin's secret workshop in the hopes of finding additional information or the means of defending themselves against the unknown threat. Unbeknownst to the duo, Burr had followed them to the workshop, revealed to be an Xilien in disguise. In the ensuing confrontation, Lane was mortally wounded protecting Jefferson, the Xilien Burr was forced to retreat, and Franklin's home was destroyed, but not before Lane was able to save a book for Jefferson containing the blueprints of an advanced robot designed to combat the Xilien threat. Days later, the Lewis and Clark Expedition were able to confirm Jefferson's worst fears, happening upon a growing Xilien invasion fleet with various giant monsters at their disposal - an invasion the Sons of Giants could only hope to prevent.
Notable members
- Sir Francis Walsingham
- Queen Elizabeth I
- Aaron Burr
- Alexander Hamilton
- Thomas Jefferson
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Ragnar Lodbrok
- Julius Caesar
- King Henry VIII
- Kublai Khan
- Joan of Arc
- Mortimer Lane
Gallery
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants
A meeting of the Sons of Giants
The Sons of Giants in Ancient Rome
The Sons of Giants as they have appeared through history
Trivia
- The Sons of Giants have masks of the monsters Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Ebirah, King Ghidorah, Hedorah, Kamacuras, Orga, King Caesar, Gabara, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Gigan, Manda, Baragon, Titanosaurus, Kumonga, and Varan.
- Curiously, the Sons of Giants do not appear to have a mask of Oodako, despite being aware of the kaiju's existence due to Henry Hull sharing his tale with Sons of Giants member Sir Francis Walsingham.
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