User:The King of the Monsters/Sandbox/GvKG
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The 1991 Godzilla film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah has raised a great deal of confusion and misconceptions regarding the timeline of the Heisei series of Godzilla films, due to its plot involving time travel. The following is an attempt to explain the meaning behind the film's events in detail and how it affects the Heisei timeline.
Common Misconceptions
The most common misinterpretation of the time travel plot in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is that it completely erases the events of Godzilla (1954), The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Biollante from the timeline, and introduces a brand new Godzilla that appears in the remaining films of the Heisei series. This stems from dialogue from the characters in the film, who repeatedly state that Godzilla has been "erased from history" as a result of the actions the Futurians committed in the past. According to this interpretation, the Godzillasaurus on Lagos Island was transported through time from 1944 to 1992 and placed in the Bering Sea, then transformed into a new Godzilla by a nuclear submarine sent by the Japanese government. Another misconception that is common to this interpretation is that King Ghidorah took Godzilla's place due to being mutated by the Castle Bravo test while on Lagos Island in 1954, and that he had been menacing Japan instead of Godzilla prior to 1992.
However, upon closer examination this explanation does not hold up. Perhaps most noticeably, subsequent films directly refer to the events of Godzilla, The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Biollante, proving they were not erased from the timeline. In addition, the characters in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah all clearly remember Godzilla, whereas if he were truly erased from history nobody should remember his existence. Some theories attempt to explain that the results of the Futurians' tampering with the timeline do not take effect until 1992, hence why characters can still remember events of past films despite now living in an altered timeline. However, this explanation is not sufficient to explain how in 1992, there is no Godzillasaurus in the Bering Sea, as the nuclear submarine sent by the Japanese government encounters the fully-mutated Godzilla en route. In addition, Miki Saegusa states prior to the sub being dispatched that she senses Godzilla (not a Godzillasaurus) moving through the ocean, while a clip is shown of Godzilla walking across the sea floor.
What Really Happened
Given that the above explanation is not accurate, this article will now attempt to explain what the Futurians really did in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. But first, it is important to understand what took place prior to the beginning of that film. The Heisei series takes place in a different continuity to the earlier Showa series, though it includes the original 1954 film. The first entry of the Heisei series, The Return of Godzilla, serves as a direct sequel to the original film.
Godzilla (1954)
In 1954, an American hydrogen bomb test conducted in the South Pacific completely destroyed the underground habitat of a gigantic prehistoric amphibious reptile, killing the other members of its species and drawing it to the surface. Enraged, burned and heavily irradiated, this creature began sinking all ships that it came across, plunging the nation of Japan into a panic. The natives of Odo Island, a small island located in the waters off Japan, believed the shipwrecks were caused by Godzilla, a terrifying sea monster from their folklore which they believed would come ashore to feed on humanity after eating all fish in the sea. One night, the creature came ashore on the island during a typhoon and destroyed a village there. Shortly afterward, a research party headed by Kyohei Yamane traveled to the island, where they witnessed the creature appear over a hillside. Naming the monster "Godzilla" after the being from the island's folklore, Yamane proposed that the creature was brought to the surface after repeated H-bomb testing destroyed its natural habitat. Eventually, Godzilla surfaced from Tokyo Bay and destroyed the outskirts of Tokyo before returning to the ocean. The J.S.D.F. mobilized and attempted to fend off the creature when it surfaced again, but was unsuccessful. Godzilla reached the heart of Tokyo and completely destroyed the city in one night, leaving it a smoldering wasteland by morning. Reluctantly, scientist Daisuke Serizawa agreed to use his experimental chemical weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer, to stop Godzilla. Godzilla was tracked down while resting under Tokyo Bay, and Serizawa donned a diving suit to use his device. Serizawa activated the Oxygen Destroyer on the sea floor and severed his line, ensuring the weapon could never be used again. Godzilla rose to the surface one last time and roared before sinking to the ocean floor, where he was disintegrated by the Oxygen Destroyer. Dr. Yamane solemnly warned that Godzilla couldn't have been the last of his species, and that if nuclear testing continued, another Godzilla would surely appear.
The Return of Godzilla
In 1984, a volcanic eruption on Daikoku Island awakened a second Godzilla, which destroyed the fishing boat Yahata-Maru, leaving only one survivor, Hiroshi Okamura. Godzilla soon destroyed a Soviet nuclear submarine to feed on its nuclear energy, causing the Soviets to believe the United States was responsible for the attack and almost plunging the world into World War III. The Japanese government finally announced that Godzilla was responsible for the attack, averting nuclear war. Godzilla then attacked the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, feeding on the reactor before following a flock of birds out to the ocean. Shortly afterward, Godzilla appeared in Tokyo Bay, obliterating the J.S.D.F.'s forces and coming ashore. Godzilla wandered through downtown Tokyo, where he was attacked by several Hyper Laser Cannons and the advanced floating fortress Super X. The Super X managed to knock Godzilla unconscious by firing cadmium shells into his mouth. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union accidentally launched a nuclear missile meant to destroy Godzilla at the heart of Tokyo. The U.S. shot down the missile with one of their own, but the resulting cloud of radiation revived Godzilla. Godzilla destroyed the Super X and resumed his rampage, but was drawn to Izu Oshima by a magnetic wave transmitter created by Doctor Hayashida. Godzilla was lured to the summit of Mount Mihara, then was trapped in the volcano's molten crater by a controlled eruption.
Godzilla vs. Biollante
In 1990, the terrorist group Bio-Major released Godzilla from his volcanic prison by planting explosives on Mount Mihara, which were detonated during a botched ransoming. Godzilla returned to the ocean and began heading to Japan, but was engaged in the ocean by the Super X2. Godzilla forced the Super X2 to retreat, then came ashore in Japan again. Godzilla was drawn to Lake Ashi, where Biollante, a creature spawned from experiments combining Godzilla's DNA with that of a human and a rose, had taken root and was calling out. Biollante attacked Godzilla, sparking a brief struggle which ended after Godzilla set Biollante ablaze with his atomic breath and forced her to break apart into energy spores and retreat. Godzilla returned to the ocean and disappeared, but the J.S.D.F. expected him to surface at Ise Bay, where the nearest nuclear plant was located. Surprisingly, Godzilla surfaced in Osaka Bay and came ashore in Osaka, catching the J.S.D.F. completely off-guard. The Super X2 was deployed to distract Godzilla while a team of commandos led by Goro Gondo arrived with rockets laden with the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria (ANEB), a bio-weapon engineered to kill Godzilla by breaking down the nuclear energy that kept him alive. Godzilla destroyed the Super X2 and killed Colonel Gondo, but was successfully infected with the ANEB. When Godzilla showed no ill effects from the ANEB, it was determined that his body temperature needed to be raised for the bacteria to take effect. Godzilla was lured to Wakasa Bay, where the J.S.D.F. used the experimental M6000 T.C. System and MBT-92 Maser Cannons to raise his temperature. Just as the ANEB appeared to be taking effect, Biollante returned in her colossal final form and attacked Godzilla again. During the battle, Godzilla's temperature was raised to a point that the ANEB took effect and weakened him. Godzilla collapsed headfirst into the bay and appeared dead, while Biollante retreated back to space. The cold water managed to lower Godzilla's body temperature just enough to keep him alive, and he proceeded to swim away.
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
By 1992, Godzilla was still infected by the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria, and was forced to remain underwater at all times. Godzilla had remained dormant in the Sea of Japan for a considerable amount of time, and was under constant observation by the J.S.D.F. Meanwhile, writer Kenichiro Terasawa had been investigating accounts from Japanese soldiers during World War II that they had seen a living dinosaur while on Lagos Island, a small island in the Marshall Islands. Terasawa's investigation led him to Yasuaki Shindo, a former major in the Lagos garrison and owner of the Teiyo Group, a wealthy Japan-based industry. Shindo provided Terasawa with photographs of the dinosaur, which Terasawa showed to paleontologist Professor Mizaki. Terasawa hypothesized that the dinosaur was present on Lagos Island in 1954, when the Castle Bravo H-bomb test was conducted at nearby Bikini Atoll. As a result, Terasawa proposed, the dinosaur was exposed to massive amounts of radiation and transformed into Godzilla. Terasawa planned to write a book about his theory titled The Birth of Godzilla.
A group of time-travelers, dubbed the Futurians, arrived in Japan in 1992 in their time machine MOTHER. They stated that by the year 2204, Japan would be an uninhabitable wasteland due to damage caused by Godzilla years before. They argued that the only way to prevent Godzilla from returning and destroying Japan was to erase him from history entirely. They cited Terasawa's book, The Birth of Godzilla, and revealed a plan to travel back to Lagos Island in 1944 and remove the dinosaur that would become Godzilla before it could be exposed to the Castle Bravo test in 1954. The Futurians sent their member Emmy Kano and their android M11, along with Terasawa, Mizaki and Miki Saegusa back to 1944 Lagos Island in the ship KIDS, where they witnessed the Godzillasaurus emerge from the jungle during a battle between American and Japanese forces. The Godzillasaurus wiped out the American troops, but was badly wounded by artillery fire. Miki Saegusa confirmed that the dinosaur was in fact the Godzilla she had attempted to psychically communicate with in 1990, allowing the plan to proceed. M11 used KIDS' teleporter to transport the wounded Godzillasaurus to the bottom of the Bering Sea, where it was expected to die far from nuclear testing. In its place, Emmy secretly left behind three genetically engineered creatures called Dorats before KIDS departed for the present. When they returned to 1992 Japan, the Futurians' leader Wilson reported that Godzilla had vanished from the Sea of Japan, making the plan an apparent success. However, another monster, the three-headed dragon called King Ghidorah, had appeared in Japan instead, seemingly taking Godzilla's place. The Futurians had actually double-crossed Japan, attempting to erase Godzilla from history and replace him with their own monster, King Ghidorah, in order to level the country and prevent it from becoming a global superpower in the 23rd century.
This is where much of the confusion regarding the film's plot arises. Many people take Wilson's claim that Godzilla had vanished from history at face value. They assume that by transporting the Godzillasaurus off Lagos Island, they prevented it from being exposed to radiation in 1954 and becoming Godzilla. However, this is not what happened, due to the Futurians' plan being based on an incorrect theory. The Futurians and Terasawa both believed that the H-bomb test in 1954 transformed the dinosaur into the Godzilla that attacked Tokyo that same year, which then returned 30 years later. Anyone who closely watched the 1954 film will see that the first Godzilla was clearly killed by the Oxygen Destroyer in front of numerous witnesses during the climax, meaning that the Godzilla that attacked Japan in 1984 could not have been the same individual. In addition, this theory contradicts the origin of the 1954 Godzilla. Dr. Yamane stated that the original Godzilla was living deep underwater, possibly among other members of his kind, before being irradiated and drawn to the surface by the H-bomb. Finally, in the film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, the final entry of the Heisei series, it is explicitly stated numerous times that the first Godzilla was killed in 1954, and that the Heisei Godzilla was an entirely separate individual. By removing the Godzillasaurus from Lagos Island, then, the Futurians could not have affected the creation of the 1954 Godzilla in any way, meaning the events of the original film were not erased from the timeline.
Another misconception is that KIDS transported the Godzillasaurus through time, meaning it was taken from Lagos Island in 1944 and placed in the Bering Sea in 1992. However, this is untrue. The Godzillasaurus was transported to the Bering Sea in 1944, and remained there in a state of suspended animation from then on.
After this point in the film, an observant viewer would begin to notice many subtle hints that Wilson's claim is wrong and Godzilla was never erased from history. Perhaps most obvious is that everyone still remembers Godzilla. If Godzilla were erased from history, then no one should remember him ever existing. Second, Miki Saegusa remarks that she can sense Godzilla moving through the ocean. A clip is then shown of Godzilla, not a Godzillasaurus, walking along the sea floor. An important plot point from Godzilla vs. Biollante that is often overlooked is that when moving underwater, Godzilla cannot be tracked. While the J.S.D.F. was able to observe the ANEB-infected Godzilla sleeping in the Sea of Japan, it would not be able to track him if he suddenly moved. This is why when the characters return to 1992, the J.S.D.F. reports that Godzilla has disappeared from the Sea of Japan, confirming to them that he was erased from history. In reality though, Godzilla just moved unexpectedly, causing him to vanish from the J.S.D.F.'s tracking systems. Emmy Kano, who has defected from the Futurians after being horrified by their true plan, states that if the Godzillasaurus was exposed to enough radiation at any point while in the Bering Sea, it still could have become Godzilla. Terasawa looks through newspaper archives and eventually finds an article from the late 1970's which states that a Soviet nuclear submarine crashed in the Bering Sea almost exactly where the Godzillasaurus was placed. Terasawa then concludes that this nuclear submarine accident turned the Godzillasaurus into the Godzilla that attacked Japan in 1984 and 1990, and rushes to stop a plan by the Japanese government to transform the Godzillasaurus they erroneously believe is dormant in the Bering Sea into a new Godzilla. Terasawa is too late, and the nuclear sub is intercepted by the ANEB-infected Godzilla en route, who feeds on the sub and cures his ANEB infection, in addition to growing 20 more meters in height.
The takeaway from all of this is that the Futurians did not erase Godzilla, either the 1954 or 1984-1990 Godzilla, from history. In fact, they created the 1984-1990 Godzilla in the first place. By removing the Godzillasaurus from Lagos Island and placing it in the Bering Sea, the Futurians allowed it to be exposed to a nuclear submarine crash in the 1970's that mutated it into a second Godzilla, 30 meters taller than the first. In addition, they did nothing to affect the 1954 Godzilla, which was living underwater when the Castle Bravo test was conducted in 1954, irradiating and drawing it to the surface. As a result, the events of the original Godzilla, The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Biollante were not erased from the timeline, and history was not changed in any way. This is supported in future films of the Heisei series, which refer to the events of these films. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla mentions Godzilla's battle with Biollante in 1990 as well as the death of Goro Gondo, while Godzilla vs. Destoroyah refers to the use of the Oxygen Destroyer to kill the original Godzilla in 1954 and features the Super X3, the successor to both the Super X from The Return of Godzilla and the Super X2 from Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Timeline of Events
- 1944 - A Godzillasaurus appears on Lagos Island during a battle between American and Japanese forces, wiping out the American units and inadvertently saving the Japanese soldiers' lives. The dinosaur collapses from wounds it received from the Americans' artillery, and the Japanese garrison salutes it before returning to Japan. M11 and Emmy Kano use KIDS to teleport the wounded Godzillasaurus to the Bering Sea, expecting it to die far from nuclear testing.
- 1954 - The Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test is conducted at Bikini Atoll. The blast completely destroys the underwater habitat of the original Godzilla, who absorbs huge amounts of radiation and is drawn to the surface. In addition, three Dorats left behind on Lagos Island by Emmy Kano are exposed to the blast, which causes them to merge together into a single creature called King Ghidorah. While King Ghidorah remains dormant on the island awaiting the Futurians' commands, Godzilla begins sinking ships to take out his rage. Godzilla eventually destroys Tokyo before being killed by Daisuke Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer in Tokyo Bay. Microscopic crustaceans that have survived since the Precambrian era are exposed to the Oxygen Destroyer, which rapidly accelerates their evolution and causes them to begin merging together.
- 1970's - A Soviet nuclear submarine crashes in the Bering Sea, in the vicinity of the dormant Godzillasaurus placed there in 1944. The radiation released by the submarine mutates the Godzillasaurus into a second Godzilla, which is 30 meters taller than the original one. Godzilla swims to the waters off Japan and takes up residence near Daikoku Island, sleeping on the sea floor.
- 1984 - A volcano on Daikoku Island erupts, awakening Godzilla, who destroys a fishing boat. Godzilla feeds on a Soviet nuclear submarine and swims toward Japan in search of more nuclear energy. After feeding on the reactor at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, Godzilla surfaces from Tokyo Bay and enters Tokyo, where he battles the Super X. Godzilla is drawn to Oshima Island my a magnetic wave transmitter, then is trapped inside the crater of Mount Mihara by a controlled volcanic eruption.
- 1990 - Godzilla is released from Mt. Mihara by explosives planted by Bio-Major, and returns to Japan. Godzilla battles Biollante and the Super X2, then is infected by the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria. Godzilla confronts the J.S.D.F. at Wakasa Bay, where he is attacked by Biollante again, who raises his body temperature and causes the ANEB to take effect. Weakened, Godzilla retreats underwater while the wounded Biollante retreats to outer space.
- 1992 - Time-travelers from the year 2204 arrive in Japan and warn that Godzilla will return soon and destroy Japan. After attempting to remove Godzilla from history, the Futurians unleash King Ghidorah and force him to attack Japan in the hopes that the country will be unable to become a superpower in the 23rd century. Godzilla, still weak from the ANEB, encounters a nuclear submarine and feeds on it, growing him from 80 to 100 meters and curing his ANEB infection. Godzilla kills King Ghidorah and the Futurians and begins rampaging across Japan, heading straight for Tokyo. Emmy Kano converts King Ghidorah's body into a cyborg dubbed Mecha-King Ghidorah and sends it back to 1992 to battle Godzilla. Mecha-King Ghidorah carries Godzilla out to sea, then is shot down by Godzilla's atomic breath. The United Nations forms a countermeasures center to combat Godzilla in the future.
- 1993 - A meteor crashes in the Pacific Ocean, reawakening Godzilla and an ancient creature called Battra. Mothra hatches from her egg and battles both Godzilla and Battra, who vanish after being swallowed in a volcanic fault. Mothra travels to Tokyo to rescue the Cosmos from a greedy industrialist, while Godzilla and Battra both resurface. All three monsters converge in Yokohama, where Mothra and Battra team up against Godzilla. Godzilla kills Battra, but is dropped in the ocean by Mothra. Mothra then flies to outer space to intercept a meteor that will strike the Earth in 1999.
- 1994 - Scientists discover a Godzillasaurus egg on Adonoa Island, which is guarded by the mutant Pteranodon Rodan. Godzilla arrives on the island to recover the egg and raise the hatchling as his own, battling Rodan while the humans escape with the egg. Godzilla arrives in Japan to recover BabyGodzilla, the creature that hatched from the egg, but is intercepted by G-Force's new weapon, MechaGodzilla. Godzilla defeats MechaGodzilla but fails to recover Baby Godzilla. Rodan, revived by radiation as Fire Rodan, flies to Japan to try and recover Baby Godzilla. MechaGodzilla and Garuda battle Rodan and seemingly kill him, then battle Godzilla when he arrives. MechaGodzilla and Garuda combine into Super MechaGodzilla and cripple Godzilla, only for Rodan to sacrifice his life force to revive Godzilla, who promptly destroys Super MechaGodzilla. Godzilla takes Baby Godzilla away from Japan and begins raising him as a son.
- 1995 - Some of Godzilla's cells, brought into outer space either by Biollante or Mothra, are absorbed into a black hole and are exposed to cosmic energies, producing the monster SpaceGodzilla, which travels to Earth. SpaceGodzilla attacks Godzilla's adopted son, now called Little Godzilla, on his new home of Birth Island, drawing Godzilla there. SpaceGodzilla defeats Godzilla and traps Little Godzilla in a crystal prison, then flies to Fukuoka and transforms the city into his own fortress. Godzilla travels to Fukuoka and works with G-Force's new mecha, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. to defeat SpaceGodzilla. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is destroyed, but Godzilla successfully defeats SpaceGodzilla and returns to Birth Island to reunite with his son.
- 1996 - A nuclear reaction in Godzilla's heart ignites uranium deposits under Birth Island, destroying it in a fiery explosion. Godzilla resurfaces in Hong Kong, covered in glowing red rashes and emitting intense heat. It is discovered that Godzilla has absorbed critical levels of radiation from the Birth Island explosion and will soon undergo a nuclear meltdown and destroy the Earth. Meanwhile, Precambrian crustaceans mutated by the Oxygen Destroyer are disturbed by an underwater mining operation and come to the surface, merging together into a monster called Destoroyah. G-Force uses Godzilla's son, now grown into a sub-adult and dubbed Godzilla Junior, to lure Godzilla to Tokyo in the hope that he will be killed by Destoroyah. Destoroyah kills Junior, but is himself killed by the vengeful Godzilla. Godzilla then melts down, while G-Force minimizes the damage from his meltdown using freezer weapons. The excess radiation is absorbed by Junior, reviving him and mutating him into a third Godzilla.
- 2204 - Chuck Wilson, a member of a radical political activism group called the Equal Environment of Earth Union, which aims to equalize the power of all nations on Earth, formulates a plan to weaken Japan in the past in order to prevent it from becoming an economic superpower. Wilson steals the time machine MOTHER and travels back to 1992 with his associates Grenchko and Emmy Kano, planning to create a giant monster and use it to destroy Japan and force the country to surrender to his demands.
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