Tiamat
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SPOILER WARNING: This article may contain major plot and/or ending details. Proceed at your own discretion. |
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Once again her body cuts into him like a hundred teeth. Here, below, she is at her strongest.
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— Narrator (Godzilla Dominion) |
Tiamat (ティアマット Tiamatto) is a serpentine Titan first alluded to on a map in the 2019 Monsterverse film Godzilla: King of the Monsters. She debuted physically in the 2021 graphic novel Godzilla Dominion, and made her first audiovisual appearance in the 2024 film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Once dormant underneath Stone Mountain in the U.S. state of Georgia, Tiamat was awakened by King Ghidorah's call in 2019 and began to attack humanity. She was pacified when Madison Russell activated the Orca in Boston. Some time later, Tiamat was residing near one of Godzilla's old lairs in the Hollow Earth, and attacked him when he came to reclaim it. Tiamat dominated much of the fight until Godzilla managed to bring her onto land, after which he was able to get Tiamat to submit and withdraw. By 2027, Tiamat had established a lair in the Arctic Ocean to absorb massive amounts of electromagnetic energy from solar winds interacting with the North Pole. Godzilla, seeking to accumulate power in preparation for war with the Skar King, challenged Tiamat and killed her, absorbing some of her DNA in the process of evolving into a supercharged form.[5]
Name
Tiamat is named after a Babylonian salt sea goddess who gave birth to gods that later killed her and used her carcass to create Earth. Monarch assigns Tiamat the Titan classification Titanus Tiamat.[1]
Development
Tiamat was designed by well-known kaiju and creature artist Dope Pope.[6] Some iterations of her design possessed limbs and a large frill. For Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Tiamat was redesigned by Harold Novella, who also sculpted and modeled her 3D model. Both the limbs and frill scrapped from Dope Pope's concepts were reinstated for this film. Texturing and look development for the model were performed by Robert Pashayan.[4]
Design
In most of her appearances, Tiamat is depicted as a sea serpent who is covered in sharp, violet scales that vary in size and shape, her chest in particular being jagged and armor-plated. Her body is lined with numerous blue bioluminescent fins and spots. She sports two larger fins on her torso that curve backwards and are covered in spikes, and similar spines run down her back. Two sets of catfish-like barbels protrude from her narrow snout, which ends in two smaller barbels on her chin. Her eyes are bright yellow, and two pairs of segmented, ear-like fins rest on the side of her head.
In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Tiamat's design is drastically altered and appears much closer to concept designs by Dope Pope, as well as to the kaiju Manda. Her body is more serpentine, and she has numerous smaller, purple fins which line most of her body, only ending near the tip of her tail. She also no longer has tail fins. The rest of her fins, along with her eyes and bioluminescence, now glow magenta, and she has four short legs, each ending in five-toed, clawed feet. Her ear-like cranial fins are now separated into four segments, and are arranged similarly to a flower's petals. She is nearly identical in the video game Kong: Survivor Instinct, with the exception of the fins lining her body appearing to be disconnected segments and triangular in shape, as well as her cranial fins bearing a red and blue flower-like pattern.
Personality
In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Monarch classifies Tiamat's behavior as that of a "destroyer"; in supplementary material, this designation is also applied to fellow Titans King Ghidorah, Rodan, MUTO Prime, Scylla, Camazotz, Mechagodzilla, and the Skull Devil. Accordingly, in each of her appearances, Tiamat is hostile and territorial, as shown when she attacks Godzilla on sight both times when he came to claim her territory. According to Bernie Hayes in Monsterverse Declassified, her antipathy towards humanity stretches back to prehistoric times.
In Kong: Survivor Instinct, Tiamat doggedly pursues David Martin through several buildings, only breaking off her pursuit when Hyena fighter jets engage her, and launches a sneak attack against Kong. Once she is reunited with her daughter Lahamu, however, she departs the city peacefully. Martin speculates that she called Kong to the city by imitating his roar, although her motives for doing so are unknown.
Origins
According to Godzilla Dominion writer Greg Keyes, Tiamat was responsible for killing the ancient member of Kong's species whose skull is seen in Godzilla's lair, and likely also fought many other Titans.[7] In Monsterverse Declassified, Bernie Hayes explains how Tiamat has terrorized humanity for 17,000 years, citing cave paintings, early papyrus drawings, and other artistic depictions of the beast. He also suspected that more recent attacks had been covered up; in the comic, this is accompanied by a scene of Tiamat sinking a Russian submarine.
History
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) [name]
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Residing at Outpost 53, beneath Stone Mountain in the U.S. state of Georgia, Tiamat was one of the many Titans who began to attack humanity in 2019 under the direction of King Ghidorah. She was later pacified when Madison Russell activated the Orca at Fenway Park.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
By 2027, Tiamat had taken up residence beneath the frozen Norwegian island of Kvitøya in the Arctic Ocean. Her lair was the largest stockpile of energy on the planet due to the electrically charged solar winds it absorbed. When Godzilla began gathering power in anticipation of a powerful new threat, he invaded her lair, boring a hole into it with his atomic breath to draw her out. Tiamat rushed towards Godzilla and constricted him. He tore a chunk out of her flesh; she answered by biting his neck and covering his face with her cranial fins. The fins were unable to stop Godzilla from firing a point-blank blast of his atomic breath, which obliterated Tiamat, cutting her into numerous chunks. After surfacing to throw one of her severed limbs aside, Godzilla entered her lair to complete his evolution.
Abilities
Physical abilities
Tiamat is a powerful aquatic Titan, having killed a specimen of Kong's species in the past. She is thoroughly in her element underwater, dominating Godzilla there in Godzilla Dominion. Her scales are described as razor-sharp and cut into Godzilla's flesh in Godzilla Dominion. In Kong: Survivor Instinct, Tiamat is agile enough to dodge a punch from Kong.
Tiamat's serpentine body is prehensile, allowing her to constrict enemies. This was used against Godzilla in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and against Kong in Kong: Survivor Instinct, though to no avail. She used it to great effect against Abzu in Monsterverse Declassified, however, coiling her back half around one side of its body and biting down on the other, then using her grip to pull the monster apart. The cranial fins she gained in The New Empire are also prehensile, but failed to prevent Godzilla from firing his atomic breath while wrapped around his face.
Durability
In her fight against Godzilla in Godzilla Dominion, Tiamat survived a tail-whip and a stomp to the head. In their rematch in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Tiamat continued fighting after a chunk of her flesh was torn off by Godzilla. She also withstood physical attacks from Godzilla and the Kraken in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, as well as a barrage of anti-Titan ordnance and being repeatedly slammed into a bridge by Kong in Kong: Survivor Instinct.
Phosphorus ink
Tiamat can expel a corrosive, phosphorous ink from her mouth (also called "toxic/acidic breath" by Godzilla Dominion artist Drew Edward Johnson[8]), that blinds opponents and conducts electricity. She is able to do this via chemoreceptors located in her venom hood.[2] In Godzilla Dominion, she uses this attack to temporarily blind Godzilla with just a single spray. This attack's coloration frequently changes, being yellow in Godzilla Dominion, purple in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #4, and magenta in Kong: Survivor Instinct. In the latter game, Tiamat uses this attack more frequently, most notably when she chases David Martin through a building; puddles of her ink also serve as hazards that he must avoid. In her fight against Kong, the ink briefly staggers him, giving her time to recover.
Hydrokinesis
Tiamat generated a maelstrom at the start of her fight against Godzilla in Godzilla Dominion, dragging him into the ocean's depths. In Monsterverse Declassified, she repeatedly swam in circles to generate a whirlpool which disoriented Abzu. According to Drew Johnson, she may also be able to create waterspouts.[9]
Electrogenic cells
Tiamat possesses electrogenic cells that collect and release electricity in currents to such an extent that she can cause the ocean to boil, generating a steam trail visible from space.[2] The first PDF edition of Legends of the Monsterverse: The Omnibus also states that this ability can generate a "powerful electrical superstorm so massive that it can be seen from space."[2] In Kong: Survivor Instinct, after Tiamat absorbs energy from a nuclear power plant, her body releases electricity before she swims away.
Titansong
Tiamat can utilize vocal folds in her tendrils to mimic the sounds of other creatures.[2] In the first PDF edition of Legends of the Monsterverse: The Omnibus, this ability is referred to as her Titansong.[2] Due to her years imprisoned in Monarch Outpost 53, humans are among the species she can imitate, although she is incapable of speech.[2]
This ability is reiterated in Kong: Survivor Instinct, with David Martin even speculating that it was what drew Kong out of the Hollow Earth.
Amphibiousness
While more at home in the water, Tiamat is able to travel across land and engage opponents there, demonstrated at length in Metropolis in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong.
Bio-ultraviolet nature
Monarch data on Tiamat in Legends of the Monsterverse: The Omnibus, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Kong: Survivor Instinct, and Monarch Declassified all state that she has a bio-ultraviolet nature, although this is never elaborated on.[2] In the first PDF edition of Legends of the Monsterverse: The Omnibus, her nature was bio-electrical instead.[2]
Weaknesses
Although Tiamat is a highly dangerous Titan in underwater combat, she was quickly overwhelmed by Godzilla when he dragged her onto land in Godzilla Dominion and before that Godzilla manage to draw Blood from a bite. In their fight in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Godzilla dispatched her with his atomic breath, which blasted her into numerous pieces. In Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, the upgraded Batplane was able to knock out some of Tiamat's teeth with its weaponry, and stagger her by ramming. It ultimately knocked her unconscious through means not shown.
Video games
- Call of Duty: Warzone (2020; added in 2024) - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S [decal]
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023; added in 2024) - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S [decal]
- Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers (2024) - iOS, Android, PC [region names]
- Kong: Survivor Instinct (2024) - PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers
Two of the game's player servers, called regions, are named "Tiamat 1" and "Tiamat 2."
Kong: Survivor Instinct
Tiamat was one of three Titans who besieged a coastal American city shortly after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, along with Kong and Abaddon. She sought to rescue her daughter Lahamu, who was being experimented on by an ecoterrorist group called the Hyenas in an underwater facility. Upon hearing of her arrival, the Hyenas' leader, Alan Jonah, ordered reinforcements to the bay to protect the facility. David Martin, an oil rig worker who had ventured into the city to rescue his daughter Stacy, found the East Bay District covered in her deadly ink. He soon spotted her when she burst out of the water and roared before swimming away. After coming across a research log on her which mentioned that the she could imitate other species, he wondered if she summoned Kong.
At Lighthouse Point, he reluctantly used the ORCA Σ to call her over to remove a ship from a waterway, allowing him to extend a bridge and cross over. He listened to a radio report on the Hyenas preparing for a large-scale assault against Tiamat with anti-Titan ordinance. When he neared the Great Bridge, she confronted him. The serpent pursued him through a building, spraying ink at him. He briefly distracted her twice by detonating flammable drums in her face, but she refused to be deterred until Hyena fighter jets began their attack.
David next saw Tiamat absorb energy from a nuclear power plant. When he called Kong over to remove a truck in his path on the Great Bridge, Tiamat attacked the ape Titan from behind. Tiamat bit Kong's arm; he picked her up and slammed her into the bridge; she kept him at bay with a spray of ink; he slammed her into the bridge again; she tail-whipped and constricted him. Kong missed a punch, nearly hitting David. As he and Tiamat continued grappling, David reached the end of the bridge and entered the Hyenas' underground facility. Though Stacy turned out to be working for the Hyenas, she goaded Lahamu into breaking free of her Containment Chamber to save David. Reunited, Tiamat and Lahamu swam away.
Comics
- Godzilla: Aftershock (2019) [name on monitor]
- Godzilla Dominion (2021)
- Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #4-7 (2024)
- Monsterverse Declassified (2024)
Godzilla: Aftershock
When Dr. Emma Russell traveled to Monarch Outpost 14 during the MUTO Prime crisis in 2014, a map displayed at the site showed Tiamat's location beneath Stone Mountain. Her name is only legible in the digital version of the comic.
Godzilla Dominion
When Godzilla arrived in the Hollow Earth to reclaim one of his old lairs, he was suddenly attacked by Tiamat. She coiled her body around Godzilla as she dragged him underwater in a maelstrom, with her scales cutting into him. He headbutted Tiamat in the mouth, but she expelled a blinding acidic breath into the water. Using his other senses to track Tiamat, Godzilla turned as Tiamat was trying to swim up behind him. Tiamat again constricted her body around Godzilla and began dragging him deeper and deeper underwater. Tiamat pulled Godzilla through an underwater tunnel that led into an air pocket. As the two Titans surfaced, Tiamat bit down on Godzilla's neck. Godzilla grabbed Tiamat by the throat and threw her onto solid ground. He stomped on her repeatedly, but Tiamat roared defiantly at him. Godzilla answered the upstart Titan with a roar of his own which convinced her to submit. Tiamat then slithered back into the water and departed.
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
When the Titans were unleashed onto the DC Universe's Earth through the Toyman's use of the Dreamstone, Tiamat made her way to the city of Atlantis. Aquaman's ability to communicate with sea creatures failed to calm her and with Godzilla arriving on the scene to engage her, Aquaman was left with no choice but to release the Kraken from a deep sea trench to save his kingdom.
As the three monsters clashed, Hal Jordan was able to use his Green Lantern ring to trap Tiamat in a net and separate her from Godzilla and the Kraken. However, Tiamat would be knocked into Atlantis's dome, creating a crack, pulling Hal's focus away to reinforce the dome. The Flash was able to find the beacon that had lured Tiamat, allowing him to draw her away from the city, while other Green Lanterns arrived to reinforce the dome for repairs and the Kraken managed to bring Godzilla down to the trench, where Aquaman was able to chain the Monster King up.
Tiamat, alongside Behemoth and Scylla, was then lured to Metropolis by Lex Luthor's activation of Mechagodzilla, where the trio fell under the mech's control. When the Justice League arrived to stop the Titans, Aquaman and Hawkgirl confronted her first, knocking her back with twin blows. Tiamat soon threatened to eat Hawkgirl, who struggled to keep her jaws open. Red Hood, co-piloting a Batplane, intervened, transforming it into humanoid form and firing shots into Tiamat's mouth. The rounds broke off several of her teeth, allowing Hawkgirl to escape as the Batplane pressed its attack.
Books
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization
In trying to determine Godzilla's motives for attacking Tiamat, Monarch was unable to find any instances of her attacking humans since Godzilla defeated her in Godzilla Dominion.[10] After Godzilla killed her and began evolving, Monarch Director Hampton observed that his energy readings now incorporated Tiamat's energy profile.[11] Once he burst out of the ice, her assistant Laurier stated, "It looks like he somehow incorporated Tiamat's DNA into his."[12]
In other languages
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Mandarin Chinese
Gallery
- Main article: Tiamat/Gallery.
Roar
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Trivia
- Tiamat was located in Outpost 53, a possible reference to the 1953 film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which featured a semi-aquatic reptile.
- Tiamat has the second-longest body length of any Monsterverse Titan at 847 feet, surpassed only by the 898-foot Na Kika.
- Of the eleven Titans in Godzilla: King of the Monsters who appeared as names on monitors but were not physically seen, Tiamat is the first one to be featured in a later Monsterverse film.
- Tiamat is one of only two monsters in the Monsterverse to survive battles against both Godzilla and Kong, the other being Shimo.
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References
This is a list of references for Tiamat. 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
- Keyes, Greg (23 April 2024). Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1803368108.
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