Zoospora
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— The Talking Cave (Godzilla: War for Humanity) |
Zoospora is a fungus monster who serves as the antagonist of the 2023-2024 IDW comic series Godzilla: War for Humanity.
A monster capable of turning other kaiju into mindless zombies, Zoospora wasted no time spreading chaos across the globe as it infected Gorosaurus, Manda, and Anguirus within a matter of days and sent them on rampages. A task force formed to stop the monster lured Godzilla to Zoospora using Minilla as bait in a desperate plan. The threat of Zoospora came to a head in the heart of Tokyo in which Godzilla and the task force's Super MOGUERA battled against Zoospora and an army of monsters who had fallen under the fungus kaiju's influence.
Development
Zoospora was created for the comic series Godzilla: War for Humanity by series author Andrew MacLean. MacLean cited an episode of the Radiolab podcast which covered a mycelium network in a Canadian forest as a source of inspiration.[1]
Design
Zoospora is a massive, bipedal fungus monster. It has a large mouth and no visible eyes with its head and back covered in asymmetrical bulges and mushroom-like bumps. Additionally, its chest is covered by growths resembling oyster mushrooms. Zoospora's feet are composed of a network of mycelia vine-like tendrils. While Zoospora is mostly various shades of green in color, its shoulders are purple.
The Talking Cave, which acts as Zoospora's brain, appears as a dark green, noseless face in a cave with various tendrils spreading around the cave into the earth. The top of its head resembles a brain, which is a lighter green in color.
Origins
While speaking with Dr. Yuko Honda, the entity known as the Talking Cave revealed that it had existed on Earth for millennia and was content to share the planet with humanity. However, as humans became increasingly careless and destructive of the Earth, the Talking Cave realized that coexistence was no longer an option and created Zoospora as an extension of itself with the goal of exterminating the human race.
Comics
- Godzilla: War for Humanity #1-5 (2023-2024)
Godzilla: War for Humanity
A mysterious new kaiju, Zoospora first made its presence known by attacking Gorosaurus while the monster was migrating. After entwining Gorosaurus within its tendrils, Zoospora secreted an unknown substance onto him, temporarily paralyzing him before disappearing beneath the Earth. Following Gorosaurus' recovery, the theropod kaiju changed migration patterns and went on a rampage in the nearest populated area. Zoospora later attacked Manda, who similarly went berserk upon being exposed to Zoospora's secretions. A task force was formed to research Zoospora and find a way to stop it, with billionaire Phazon Fullchech supplying the task force with his new mech, MOGUERA.
While Anguirus was migrating through Madagascar, Zoospora suddenly erupted out of the Earth and ensnared the unsuspecting monster with its tendrils. After freeing himself, Anguirus fought back against the fungus kaiju, violently ripping Zoospora's arm off with ease. However, Zoospora simply regenerated the limb within seconds and was able to successfully restrain Anguirus. Using its tendrils, Zoospora pried the the helpless kaiju's jaws open and secreted a purple liquid into his mouth, paralyzing him. Soon after, MOGUERA arrived and prepared to launch an all-out assault against Zoospora. Before the mecha could fire its Plasma Maser Cannon, however, a revived and berserk Anguirus attacked it, inadvertently saving Zoospora. Zoospora then tossed Anguirus out of the way to secrete more fluids onto the downed MOGUERA, which flooded the mecha's cockpit and began affecting its human pilots, who, like the kaiju, began demonstrating uncontrollable rage and madness.
Meanwhile, task force members Dr. Yuko Honda and Dr. Johnny Wiggum ventured to a cave in Mongolia, where a blob-like entity that could purportedly telepathically communicate with the kaiju existed called the Talking Cave. After locating the blob, Dr. Honda asked it why Godzilla would not save humanity; the Talking Cave explained that humans were a plague responsible for killing the planet and that Zoospora was saving the Earth from their destructive ways - a sentiment apparently shared by Godzilla himself.
Zoospora ambushed Rodan as the winged kaiju emerged from the Taal Volcano in the Philippines. Caught by surprise, Rodan was unable to defend himself as Zoospora discharged its fluids into Rodan's mouth, claiming yet another victim. Concurrently, Gorosaurus, Manda, and Anguirus, who were still under Zoospora's influence, converged on Tokyo. Desperate to gain Godzilla's help in the fight, Dr. Honda and the task force used the upgraded Super MOGUERA to kidnap Minilla in efforts to lure the King of the Monsters to Tokyo, which proved to be successful.
After incapacitating the brainwashed Anguirus, Manda, and Gorosaurus, Godzilla set his sights on Rodan before Zoozpora's tendrils burst out of the ground and grabbed the King of the Monsters shortly after Super MOGUERA was forced to abandon him due to the heavy damage it sustained in battle. While pulling Godzilla back, the fungus monster rose out of the ground in the middle of the city and began to secrete its substance onto him. However, Godzilla latched onto the larger monster and began ripping it out of the ground, tearing Zoospora's body from its roots which it needed to survive. Godzilla then fired his atomic breath point-blank at Zoospora, which seemingly destroyed the beast. However, mere moments later, a significantly larger Zoospora erupted out of the Earth behind Godzilla and sent him flying back, revealing that Zoospora could simply regrow its entire body wherever its roots are present; the task force theorized that Zoospora's roots had spread across the entire globe. The battle continued into the night, though Godzilla struggled to stop the monster. Eventually, Mothra entered the battle upon recovering from an earlier attack by the infected Rodan. Mothra blasted Zoospora with her antenna beams, only to be ensnared by Zoospora's tendrils and pulled out of the sky, where Zoospora promptly drenched the divine moth in its mouth secretions. Now infected, Mothra joined the rest of Zoospora's contaminated kaiju, who had also since recovered, in attacking Godzilla. With Godzilla preoccupied, Zoospora made its move on Minilla and grabbed the baby kaiju by their tail. Godzilla roared at Zoospora, desperate to save Minilla, but was unable to overcome the combined might of the five kaiju holding him back. Just as Zoospora brought Minilla to its mouth to infect them, Sky MOGUERA arrived to stop the fungal kaiju from gaining another victim, striking it with lasers that caused it to drop Minilla. However, Zoospora promptly used its tendrils to grab Sky MOGUERA, snuffing out the brief ray of hope humanity still had. Zoospora then prepared to infect the pilot of Sky MOGUERA - Dr. Honda's daughter, Sam.
Desperate to save her daughter and prevent Godzilla from being infected, Dr. Honda coerced the task force to reenter the battle in the heavily damaged Super MOGUERA despite the risks that the mech's exposed nuclear reactor posed to the city. Upon arrival, Super MOGUERA slashed into Zoospora's body with its chainsaw arm, forcing Zoospora to drop the Sky MOGUERA and allow it to reattach to the larger mech. Godzilla and Super MOGUERA joined forces to battle Zoospora's minions, at which point Zoospora attempted to grab Minilla again and drag the baby monster away, only for Super MOGUERA to sever the tendril to save Minilla. While trying to determine Zoospora's weak point, Dr. Wiggum suggested that Zoospora likely had a brain attached to its roots somewhere underground, at which point Dr. Honda realized that they already knew where Zoospora's brain was - a cave in Mongolia. As Dr. Honda and Sam departed to confront the Talking Cave, the battle in Tokyo continued until Zoospora was able to corner Godzilla while the infected kaiju kept Super MOGUERA at bay. Ensnaring Godzilla in its tendrils, Zoospora lifted the kaiju and brought him to its mouth, leaving him helpless as Zoospora secreted its substance onto him.
Concurrently, in Mongolia, Dr. Honda confronted the Talking Cave, which confessed that it had been controlling Zoospora all along and that it did not have a telepathic connection to Godzilla or the other kaiju after all. The Talking Cave explained that it had lived on Earth for millennia and had been content to share the planet with humanity, but could no longer do so given humanity's reckless destruction of the planet, forcing it to create Zoospora to eradicate humanity and save its home. Dr. Honda prepared to shoot the Talking Cave with a pistol, though it managed to stop her with a tendril - only for Sam to retrieve the weapon. In Tokyo, as Super MOGUERA's damaged nuclear reactor began melting down, the task force prepared to sacrifice themselves in a last-ditch effort to kill Zoospora, only to instead find Godzilla absorbing their reactor's energy before he could be completely overtaken by the spreading infection. The reenergized Godzilla fired a supercharged blast of his atomic breath directly into Zoospora's maw while Sam simultaneously shot the Talking Cave in the head, killing it for good. Zoospora's body exploded and covered the city with mushrooms and sludge, though its secretions now appeared to be harmless to those who came into contact with it. At the same time, the infected kaiju were freed from Zoospora's influence and retreated while the previously poisoned humans similarly recovered, confirming that the threat of Zoospora had finally ended.
Abilities
Secretion
Zoospora can secrete a substance that places other kaiju into a frenzied and berserk state and causes them to go on rampages, even if they are otherwise peaceful. In this state, infected kaiju also never attack Zoospora and even defended it from the attacking Godzilla, suggesting that they are doing Zoospora's bidding. This secretion can also induce similar reactions in any humans who are exposed to it, effectively turning them into violent, mindless zombies.
Burrowing
Zoospora can burrow up through the Earth wherever its roots are present underground.
Tendrils
Zoospora features a mass of tendrils stemming from each foot that can be used to constrict and restrain other kaiju with ease. Additionally, Zoozpora can elongate its fingers into tendrils as well. Zoospora can extend its tendrils at remarkable speeds, to the point where it was able to snatch Mothra and the Star Falcon out of the sky while they were flying around its body.
Regeneration
Zoospora can regenerate entire limbs almost instantaneously, as demonstrated during its battle against Anguirus.
Regrowth
As a fungus monster, Zoospora can simply regrow its entire body from its roots. After Godzilla destroyed one of its bodies, Zoospora simply regrew another that was several times larger than its previous body within mere moments.
Telepathy
While the Talking Cave was purported to be capable of telepathically communicating with Godzilla and other kaiju, it later confessed this to be a lie. However, the Cave nevertheless appears to have some degree of telepathic capabilities, as it identified Dr. Yuko Honda by name before she had a chance to introduce herself.
Weaknesses
Dr. Johnny Wiggum theorized that Zoospora was susceptible to fire, which was seemingly confirmed when Godzilla burned one of its bodies with his atomic breath to destroy it. Zoospora also never loses connection with the ground and must remain connected to its roots at all times. Being a fungus, Zoospora requires nutrients from the ground to survive, and its body will die if separated from its roots within the Earth.
Zoospora’s brain, also known as the Talking Cave and hidden in a cave in Mongolia, is vulnerable to pistol fire, as Samantha killed with a single bullet. The giant Zoospora was simultaneously destroyed by Godzilla's atomic breath, which was powered up after he absorbed energy from Super MOGUERA's reactor, finally ending the threat.
Gallery
Concept art
Zoospora character sheet by Andrew MacLean
Scans
Zoospora's brain - the Talking Cave
Zoospora ensnares Manda in its tendrils
The giant Zoospora appears before Godzilla
Trivia
- Zoospora is the first original monster to appear as a major antagonist in an IDW Publishing Godzilla comic since the Trilopods from Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, which concluded in 2015.
- While Zoospora's height is unknown and can vary, even its smallest observed height towered over all of the kaiju it encountered, including Godzilla, who was noted to be 355 feet tall in issue #3.
References
This is a list of references for Zoospora. 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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