Godzilla (Marvel)

Godzilla comic Incarnations
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Godzilla® GodzillaMutationMighty Avengers Alternate names The Beta-Beast, A Monstrous Hybrid of Land and Marine Reptiles, Subtitle(s) King of the Monsters Species Giant irradiated prehistoric amphibious reptile Height 1 foot (shrunken, smallest), 4 feet (shrunken, human-sized) 605ft/184.4m Forms Shrunken (sub-human height, human height), Doctor Demonicus' mutation Controlled by Doctor DemonicusIM #193-194, 196, Mole Man Mighty Avengers First appearance Latest appearance Godzilla #1 Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration

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“	Some factors are certain: Godzilla represents a hitherto unknown essence of life and behavior...As such he is highly unpredictable, and definitely the most dangerous living creature on the face of the Earth.	„
	— Yuriko Takiguchi (Godzilla #2)

Godzilla (ゴジラ,   Gojira) is a giant monster who starred in Marvel Comics' Godzilla series. He is the first incarnation of Godzilla to originate in American media, as well as the first incarnation featured in an American comic.

A giant prehistoric monster roused by atomic testing, Godzilla first menaced Japan in 1956 and repeatedly attacked the nation's cities before gradually becoming the lesser of two evils, fending off other more malevolent creatures and unintentionally defending mankind in the process. This lasted for 20 years. At some point after that, Godzilla became frozen inside an iceberg, only to break free once the iceberg reached Alaska. Godzilla then began a destructive campaign across the United States, tracked by S.H.I.E.L.D. and crossing paths with the many heroes of the Marvel Universe. This finally culminated in a battle against the Avengers and the Fantastic Four in New York City, which ended in a draw as Godzilla decided to return to the ocean. He was later captured and mutated by his old nemesis Doctor Demonicus and used as a pawn in his evil plans, at one point clashing with Iron Man. Godzilla largely disappeared afterward, though many creatures resembling him have since appeared. His last known appearance came when he attacked New York City along with several other inhabitants of Monster Island under the control of the Mole Man. By this point, he no longer bore the mutated appearance he had while under Demonicus' control.

Name

See also: Godzilla#Name.

Godzilla's Japanese name, Gojira (ゴジラ), comes from a combination of the Japanese approximation of "gorilla" (ゴリラ,   gorira), and kujira (クジラ), the Japanese word for "whale."

After the close of Godzilla, Godzilla is never referred to by name during any of his subsequent appearances, due to Marvel Comics no longer holding the rights to the character, though, perhaps jokingly, the mutation which appears in issue #31 of The Thing is referred to as "Godzilla."

Design

Upon finally securing the comics rights to Godzilla, and after opting for an original storyline instead of adapting any of the existing films, Marvel began considering their interpretation of Godzilla's appearance. Due to the campy nature of the contemporary films, they chose to model their Godzilla after the original suit. Despite this, they were willing to make changes to make the character more workable in the new medium.

This incarnation of Godzilla is entirely green, unlike the character's film incarnations, and has purely red eyes. His dorsal fins start near the top of his head, similarly to the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla. His head is more dinosaur-like, with a long snout, sharp teeth, and eyes positioned higher on his head and facing slightly to the sides. His dorsal fins maintain the traditional maple-leaf shape, but are green in color rather than bone-white. The Marvel Godzilla has long, muscular arms with four claws. The Marvel Godzilla tends to keep his tail suspended in the air rather than drag it across the ground.

In the Iron Man comics, Godzilla's mutated form has webbed fingers and large fish-like fins starting at his armpits and going down to his wrists. During his appearances in The Thing #31, the Godzilla mutation has very short arms and large scales on his brow and lip areas. In both comics the mutated Godzilla has a large fish-like fin in place of his dorsal fins, and two horns protruding from the top of his snout. He is also a lot smaller than his normal appearance.

In his last known appearance in Mighty Avengers #1, Godzilla has returned to a more traditional appearance, having a appearance closely to his Heisei Counterpart. In an early version of the comic, he bore visible dorsal fins, though they were removed in the final comic.

Personality

The Marvel Godzilla is an aggressive creature who often attacks anything in his path. According to Yuriko Takiguchi, Godzilla's behavior is unpredictable, making him particularly dangerous. Takiguchi's assistant Tamara Hashioka compares Godzilla to an elemental force, claiming he has his own dignity and cannot be judged as evil. His aggressiveness frequently puts him into conflict with other, more malevolent monsters, painting him as the lesser of two evils as he unintentionally defends mankind from his monstrous foes. This Godzilla's portrayal as a violent force of nature is somewhat in line with the character's portrayal in the early films of the Showa era, and predates his similar portrayal in the Heisei series of films. However, Godzilla has occasionally displayed inquisitive behavior and has also proved capable of complex reasoning and making moral decisions. In one of his fights against another giant monster, it is explained that Godzilla’s drive for survival is drawn from him tapping into his inner strength, which consists of courage and rage.

Origins

The Marvel Godzilla is a prehistoric hybrid of land and sea reptiles who was awakened in 1956 by an underwater joint-nation nuclear weapon test in the Pacific Ocean which split open the ocean floor and released him while also radiologically mutating him. The King of the Monsters first attacked the ship which oversaw the test before attacking Tokyo. Over the ensuing two decades, Godzilla became the lesser of two evils, fending off malevolent monsters that would attack Japan. By unknown means he was eventually trapped in an iceberg, and managed to break free once the iceberg reached Alaska in the 1970s.

History

• Godzilla #1-24 (1977-78)
• Transformers (1984) #3 (Mentioned)
• Iron Man #193-194, 196 (1985)
• The Thing #31 (1985)
• Mighty Avengers #1 (2007)
• Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration #1 (2014) [censored]

Godzilla

"The Coming!"

Godzilla suddenly erupted from an iceberg that floated into Alaskan waters, capsizing a supply ship. The monster quickly stomped ashore and destroyed a lighthouse before making his way to the Alaskan Pipeline. The King of the Monsters easily lifted the pipeline and slammed it on the ground like a whip, causing untold destruction. S.H.I.E.L.D. was alerted to the attack and sent a Helicarrier commanded by Agent Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan to attack Godzilla. Soldiers were deployed on floating platforms and opened fire on Godzilla, who simply swatted them out of the sky. Dugan commandeered a Disc-Plane and flew at Godzilla, but the monster simply snatched it in his mouth, with Dugan barely escaping. Fighter jets began firing missiles at Godzilla to no effect, with the monster snatching one out of the air and breaking it in half. S.H.I.E.L.D. next deployed an advanced laser cannon invented by Tony Stark to attack Godzilla, which only succeeded in hurting and enraging him. Godzilla lashed out with his radioactive fire breath, obliterating the cannon. He continued spewing flames from his mouth, igniting the oil which leaked from the destroyed pipeline and setting the surrounding encampment and forest ablaze. Dugan and Agent Jimmy Woo drew Godzilla's attention and made him smash a nearby mountain, triggering an avalanche that smothered the raging fire. Godzilla then walked off into the sunset unopposed.

"Thunder in the Darkness!"

After leaving Alaska, Godzilla rose from Elliot Bay, still in pain from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s laser cannon, and set the docks ablaze with his fire breath. As Godzilla made his way toward the heart of Seattle, he was observed from above by Agent Gabe Jones, who reported the sighting to S.H.I.E.L.D. As night fell, Godzilla laid waste to the city before being drawn toward the lights of the Space Needle. Godzilla peered into the observation deck and lit it on fire with his fire breath. Jones destroyed the local power plant with bombs and plunged the city into a blackout in order to stop Godzilla, but the monster was still attracted to the fire he had started at the top of the Space Needle. Using beacon-flares, S.H.I.E.L.D. began to lure Godzilla away from the city and toward the ocean. However, the monster stopped following the flares once he reached the coastline. The Helicarrier flew overhead and emitted a blinding bright light that blinded Godzilla. With the monster temporarily stunned, block-busters opened fire at Godzilla's back, causing him to fall off the cliffside he was standing on and into the ocean below. Godzilla's head broke the surface as he turned and began swimming out to sea rather than returning to Seattle.

"A Tale of Two Saviors"

Godzilla surfaced next at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Police watercraft opened fire on him, irritating him enough to smash one. Four of the members of the Champions - the Black Widow, Hercules, the Iceman, and the Angel - sortied to the area. They landed their Champscraft on the bridge as Godzilla shifted his attention to Fisherman's Wharf. Godzilla struck the Angel with an errant swing of his tail as the hero tried convincing police to evacuate, knocking him to the ground. Hercules stopped him from stepping on the Angel, using his incredible strength to topple him. He quickly returned to his feet and unleashed his radioactive fire on the city.

The Helicarrier arrived on the scene and readied Electro-Mag-Nets to stun Godzilla, while Dum Dum Dugan bickered with the Champions over jurisdiction. As he took off on his hoverbike, the Angel startled him by flying too close, forcing him to leap off of it as it sailed into Godzilla's mouth. The monster briefly submerged into the bay, only to emerge beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. The Iceman briefly froze Godzilla's head as Hercules swam towards him and an irate Dugan ordered the Electro-Mag-Nets into action. Realizing the danger to Hercules, he tried to call off the attack, failing to do so but spoiling his team's aim. The nets only grazed Godzilla, but his thrashing forced Hercules underwater. The demigod retaliated by throwing a broken-off section of the bridge at Godzilla, only for the monster to dodge it. The missile hit the Helicarrier instead, causing it to drop into the bay directly in front of Godzilla. He paused suddenly amidst the mayhem, gently crumpled one of the Helicarrier's back fins, and returned to the sea. Dugan blamed the Champions for the fiasco, but Jones pointed out that S.H.I.E.L.D. was equally responsible.

"Godzilla Versus Batragon!"

"The Isle of Lost Monsters"

"A Monster Enslaved!"

"Birth of a Warrior!"

"Titan Times Two!"

"The Fate of Las Vegas"

"Godzilla vs. Yetrigar"

"Arena for Three!"

"The Mega-Monsters from Beyond! Part One: The Beta-Beast!"

"The Mega-Monsters from Beyond! Part II: Triax"

"Mega-Monsters Part III: The Super-Beasts"

"Roam on the Range"

"The Great Godzilla Roundup!"

"Of Lizards, Great and Small"

"Fugitive in Manhattan!"

"With Dugan on the Docks!"

"A Night at the Museum"

"The Doom Trip!"

"The Devil and the Dinosaur!"

"The King Once More"

"And Lo, a Child Shall Lead Them"

Iron Man #193-194 and 196

"The Choice and the Challenge"

The Godzilla mutation in Iron Man #193

After being captured by his former nemesis Dr. Demonicus, Godzilla was mutated to an unrecognizable extent, with further mutation being used as punishment for misbehavior. One day while in the Pacific Ocean, the former Godzilla swatted an Avengers Quinjet out of the sky and onto an uncharted island, though Demonicus was greatly angered by the fact that the beast had not destroyed it completely. On reaching the shore and seeing the ship unoccupied, Demonicus discovered a native village, and ordered the monster to destroy it. However, Tigra, the ship's pilot, attempted to lure him away and leapt at the beast before trying to run away to divert its attention from the villagers. The monster grabbed her, but was then attacked by the Avengers. Hawkeye fired an explosive-tipped arrow into its mouth, causing it to drop her. The mutated monster attempted to swipe at Hawkeye, but was stopped by Tony Stark, who used an old Iron Man suit to carry it away over the ocean.

"Otherwhere"

After the suit's boosters could no longer sustain their combined weights, Stark and the former Godzilla fell into the sea, the latter losing interest and swimming away.

Iron Man #196

After abandoning Stark, the creature discovered his abandoned suit of Iron Man armor and brought it back to Demonicus' lair. There, the doctor took the beast back in and shelved his plans to take over the world with an army of clones of his creature for the time being, now favoring the use of Stark's armor to take personal revenge on him for his interference in his schemes.

• 

  Clones of the mutant Godzilla

The Thing #31

The Godzilla mutation in The Thing #31

"Devil Dinosaur: The Movie"

The mutated Godzilla resurfaced on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean, the filming location of Devil Dinosaur: The Movie. Likely intrigued by the activity, Godzilla poked his head above the water's surface to take a peek at the island one evening, before attacking during the night. Godzilla destroyed the film set before returning to the sea. That afternoon he arose once again to menace the film crew. After getting from the beach to the clifftop off camera, Godzilla posed a threat to the actors, and mistook the Devil Dinosaur animatronic for a rival. The special effects director, Mr. Trimble, swung the suspended "pteradactyl" prop at him to distract him long enough for the actors to escape from the set. Godzilla bit and crushed the prop, before turning his jaws on the Devil Dinosaur prop. However, when he bit into its back, he was electrocuted by the sparking animatronics. Godzilla then retreated into the ocean, never to be seen again, although it is implied that the Fantastic Four might go looking for him.

Mighty Avengers #1

When the Mole Man invaded New York City with his army of giant monsters from Monster Isle, the unmutated Godzilla was among them.

Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration #1

Godzilla fighting Shoegun Warriors, Rom, Superpro, and Micronauts

The stories in this issue are interspersed with comedic "rejected" pitches for Marvel comics, one of which is Licensed Contest of Champions. The cover depicts a battle between Godzilla, the Shogun Warriors, SuperPro, and Rom, teasing an appearance by the Micronauts as well. Since Marvel no longer has the rights to any of these properties (although Micronauts characters that Marvel themselves created continue to appear in their comics without using the team's name), they are all obscured and censored by black boxes and furious notes from an editor.

Abilities

Radioactive breath

The Marvel Godzilla is capable to breathing a breath weapon similar to radioactive flames from his mouth, referred to as "radioactive breath" in issue 5. Godzilla can also shoot a non-lethal blast of hot air from his mouth instead of radioactive breath. Godzilla's radioactive breath is strong enough to overpower the Human Torch. However, he appears to lose this ability following his mutation at the hands of Dr. Demonicus.

Durability

Like most other incarnations of Godzilla, the Marvel Godzilla displays an impressive level of durability. Godzilla is immune to all conventional weaponry, and appears to be mostly unharmed when hit full-force by Thor's hammer, though it did made him feel a lot of pain.

Physical Abilities

Godzilla’s strength is unimaginable, being able to match Thor, who even compared Godzilla to the Midgard Serpent, whose reputation revolves around constricting planets. Heracles, the Greek god of strength and known for handling the weight of the universe itself, struggled to hold back Godzilla when the monster tried to crush him under his foot.

Intelligence

Godzilla is somehow capable of understanding human speech, as demonstrated when a young Japanese boy persuaded him to stop fighting the Avengers.

Gallery

• 

  Godzilla's first appearance in the U.S.

• 
• 

  Artwork used to announce the Marvel comic book series

• 

  Godzilla takes down the Helicarrier

• 

  Godzilla vs. Lepirax

• 

  Godzilla vs. the Beta-Beast

• 

  J. Jonah Jameson yells at Godzilla

• 

  Godzilla vs. Thor

• 

  Godzilla vs. Thor at the Empire State Building

• 

  Godzilla vs. S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers and the Fantastic Four of the Marvel Universe of Earth-616

• 

  Spider-Man takes a picture of Godzilla

• 

  Godzilla in textless The Godzilla: Original Marvel Years Omnibus cover

• 

Merchandise

• 

  Raymond Toys Godzilla

Roar

Godzilla's roar is spelled "MRAWWW" in the comic.

Trivia

• Artwork of this incarnation of Godzilla was used by Toho to create Godzilla's current trademark icon.
• The Marvel Godzilla's appearance reflects the American poster artwork for Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, which depicted Godzilla as green and breathing orange flames. The stereotype of Godzilla being green and breathing fire would be carried over to many other depictions of the character in both American and Japanese media, such as Hanna-Barbera's Godzilla cartoon and the Godzilland merchandise line, as well as the television series and OVAs based on the latter. Most notably, in the 1999 Toho film Godzilla 2000: Millennium, Godzilla's skin was a dark green color, while his atomic breath was orange rather than blue. These characteristics were carried over into the next film, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus.
• The backstory given for Marvel's version of Godzilla loosely reflects that of the Showa Godzilla films, in that he is said to be a prehistoric monster living deep underwater before being unleashed and irradiated by an underwater nuclear bomb test. After first attacking Tokyo, he gradually began to be viewed as the lesser of two evils as other, more malevolent, monsters began to attack Japan. The comic specifies that Godzilla's first attack on Tokyo occurred in 1956 rather than 1954, reflecting the release date of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! instead of the original Japanese version of his debut film. It also makes no specific mention of any of the other monsters Godzilla encountered in the Showa films (mainly because Marvel's contract with Toho permitted them the comics rights only to Godzilla and not to said other monsters, such as Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, etc.), nor does it indicate that more than one Godzilla existed, as was the case in said films.
• With the Monsterverse incarnation of Godzilla appearing in the collaboration comic book Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong in 2023, the character has appeared in the universes of both DC and Marvel Comics.

References

This is a list of references for The King of the Monsters/Sandbox/Marvel. 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]

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