With the recent Japanese release of Godzilla: Resurgence and the announced international release, I've been wanting to make a thread where I'd ask a rather specific question: What if the aftermaths of the events of Gojira '54 split off into multiple timelines with the Godzilla continuity? Warning: This is merely speculation and if there are any holes in the theory, just let me know.
First there's the Showa timeline, beginning with Godzilla Raids Again, all the way until Terror of Mechagodzilla in '75 and Destroy All Monsters (chronologically set in 1999). That seems about it, right? More about it later.
The next timeline is the Heisei timeline, which began with Godzilla '84 and ended with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. The '84 film is said to be a sequel to the original '54 Godzilla, but how? What makes this different from Raids Again? This is when my theory truely comes into play.
In the third installment of the Heisei series, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, people from the future year of 2204 (the people call themselves "Futurians") travel back to the year of 1945 where they spot a "Godzillasaurus". Obviously this specimen isn't the same as the one that would become the Godzilla that rose, attacked and was ultimately killed by the Oxygen Destroyer back in 1954, but what if this creature had a presence in the original series? What if it was supposed to be the Godzilla that appeared in Godzilla Raids Again, King Kong vs. Godzilla, etc? Yes.
Anyway, the Futurians apparently teleport the Godzillasaurus from Lagos Island into the Bering Sea, believing they erased the Godzilla altogether, right? Sort of. They didn't really erase Godzilla from history, but instead erase the events of Raids Again onwards (or at least transferred such films into an alternative timeline of course) and kickstarted the Heisei timeline. In short, the '55-'75 Godzilla and the '84-95 Godzilla are the same specimen/character/incarnation (all three were the same Godzillasaurus), but in two different altered series of events (remember this for later on).
But that's not all, the Millennium era's another story. First there's Godzilla 2000, which is probably the most difficult to explain since its "sense of continuity" is left rather vague. Some people once speculated that this particular film is set after Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (the last installment of the Heisei series) and it follows the Godzilla Junior all grown up. I have to admit that it's somewhat likely since they say in the film that Godzilla has become a "common event", even though this Godzilla looks radically different from previous designs.
Next is Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, which actually follows the original Godzilla from 1954, in a timeline where Dr. Serizawa and the Oxygen Destoryer never seemed to exist so Godzilla was never killed by the OD. This one seems more easier to figure out than G2K since it does explain the backstory very well. As for a second Godzilla, it might've never came to be in this particular timeline and the next one.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is also easy to explain and figure out. This one also follows the original '54 Godzilla. Except this time, despite actually being killed off by the Oxygen Destroyer, it was resurrected by the souls of people killed by Japan's military back in WWII to seek revenge on the nation. The prologue also addresses the Roland Emmerich Godzilla film from 1998 as well as other monster sightings across the world (one of them could be Gamera, considered Kaneko directed both GMK and the '90s Gamera trilogy).
The Kiryu Saga (Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla & Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) has its version of Mechagodzilla as a cybernetic weapon built by humanity with the actual bones of the '54 Godzilla contained within as well as a second Godzilla, but where did this particular Godzilla come from? Well, remember when I said that the Showa Godzilla and the Heisei Godzilla are the same character but in two different timelines? Well there might just be more to that, this Godzilla may also be the same as those two as well.
And finally there's Godzilla: Final Wars. The Godzilla in this is either the original one if it wasn't killed via Oxygen Destroyer (similar to Godzilla vs. Megaguirus) or another Godzilla entirely (maybe the same as Godzilla '55-'75, Godzilla '84-'95 and Godzilla '02-'03). The prologue when Godzilla was trapped in the South Pole is apparently set in 1964, a whole decade after the events of Gojira '54. The rest of the film is set in the 21st century, although it's never established what specific year.
As for Gareth Edwards' Godzilla reboot and Shin Godzilla/Godzilla: Resurgence. They're obviously seperate continuities, not just from each other but also any previous film/series.
In conclusion, the Godzilla timeline is indeed a split timeline. First, the events of Gojira '54 split off into one timeline when Godzilla was killed by Serizawa's device, and one when he wasn't (the GxM timeline). Next, the former itself splits into more alternative timelines, such as ones with a second Godzilla (the Showa timeline when the second Godzilla appeared since 1955, the FW timeline when it appeared in the South pole in 1964, the Heisei timeline when it appeared since 1984, the Kiryu Saga timeline when it appeared since 1999, and the G2K timeline when it fought Orga in 2000) and one without a new Godzilla (the GMK timeline).
That's my Godzilla Theory (so far at least), what do you think? Please feel free to leave your thoughts, ideas, opinions and reasons in the comment section down below. Thank you.
| Posted by Son of Gorgo on 31 August 2016 at 13:16. |
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