Godzilla (in Japanese: ゴジラ, Gojira) is an anti-heroic monster based on the original Godzilla that appeared in a series of comic books co-created by Marvel and Toho from August 1977 to July 1979.
Appearance[]
Marvel Comics' take on Godzilla possesses far more saurian features compared to his Japanese counterpart, who would often combine amphibian and mammalian features instead. Contrary to typical charcoal-black skin with rough texture, this Godzilla is lime-green in color and shown to have scales in more detailed panels. His head is rather large and resembles a Tyrannosaurus in shape, having jet-black sclera with blood-red slit pupils, sharp teeth sometimes hidden behind lizard-like lips, worm-like tongue and nostrils located at the tip of his snout. The belly is very large, with his legs being unusually thin for Godzilla, giving this version rather obese appearance similar to Gigan from Showa series. Three rows of dorsal plates running from neck to tail are in darker shade of green than his skin. Like real-life theropods and late Showa Godzilla, Marvel version has three digits on his feet. Godzilla's height is portrayed inconsistently across his comic series, but popular statements range from 150 (492.12 feet) to 184 (603.67 feet) metres.
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.
History[]
Backstory[]
Godzilla was speculated to be a prehistoric hybrid of both land and marine reptiles reborn as a colossal amphibious titan after being accidentally awakened by underwater nuclear test of a particularly powerful bomb performed in 1956. Disturbed out of his several-million-year-long peace, Godzilla slaughtered the ones responsible for the test as his first victims, leaving only Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi as the sole survivor of the massacre. Despite warning his countrymen of the incoming doom, Godzilla laid waste to the land of Japan for two decades straight, smashing every city from Nagasaki through Tokyo and as far as Hokkaido time and time again, facing off against many prehistoric monsters, seemingly also awakened by nuclear tests. Years later, Godzilla became trapped in an iceberg on Alaska by 1970's.
The Awakening[]
Godzilla suddenly awoke in 1977, disintegrating an iceberg he was trapped in and wrecking terror through any village, tower and power lines he came across, devastating a small town within just three minutes since his first sighting. Troops deployed by S.H.I.E.L.D. were completely useless, and even the most edge-cutting weapons could at best only get Godzilla to use his atomic breath to evaporate them instantly. When no more opponents came to challenge Godzilla at the Alaska, the radioactive monster left, heading for Seattle, Washington in US. Fourteen hours later, the amphibious titan was already rampaging through the city, killing every human he saw.
The creature was eventually lured by the beacon-flares appearing on the horizon at night. There, he encountered a helicarrier responsible for the lights. Godzilla roared in pain when a helicarreir suddenly illuminated, blinding the reptilian monster, who was subsequently hit in the face with sixteen "blockbuster" projectiles, knocking him off the cliff. Still conscious, Godzilla swam away.
Champions of Los Angeles[]
Some time later, Godzilla made it to San Francisco, rising just before Golden Gate and attempting to rip the bridge apart. Unfortunately, the reptile's arrival was anticipated by Champions of Los Angeles, composed out of Hercules, Angel, Black Widow and Iceman. Their efforts were in vain and Godzilla made it to the mainland, but failed to crush Hercules, who flipped the gigantic leviathan over with all his might. Enraged further by his failed attempt to kill Angel, King of the Monsters smashed through Golden Gate, resisted Iceman's attempt to freeze his face, ignored a piece of the bridge thrown at him by Hercules, and walked away in boredom without a single scratch.
Children of the Lifestone[]
Continuing from his rampage in San Francisco, Godzilla encountered Batragon attacking an oil cargo that was swimming the North Pacific on its way to Canada. Reptile intercepted a winged mammal kaiju, briefly wrestling with it before Batragon retreated. Unbeknownst to Godzilla, this kaiju was trying to steal oil for Doctor Demonicus to bargain with Saudi Arabia. Following Batragon, two monsters confronted once again in the Aleutian Chain. Green Giant initially stalked an injured mammal on its way to Dementia, Doctor Demonicus' secret base hidden inside a volcano, where it would heal using cosmic radiation from a meteorite known as Lifestone.
Witnessing Demonicus' henchmen forcing an enslaved, starving Eskimo village to dig Lifestone remains and kill local fauna to an increased degree, Godzilla immediately incinerated Demon Soldiers with his atomic breath and began scaling the mountain to the Lifestone Cage, where he would kill Batragon. The other kaiju was thrilled for a rematch with Monster King and forced its way through the force-field, pouncing on Godzilla and sending both kaiju falling down the mountain. However, Batragon's upper hand would not last and Godzilla killed it immediately afterwards.
Godzilla once again climbed up the mountain, but was attacked by Dragonfly Choppers, prompting him to use his atomic breath in retaliation. This gave Demon Soldiers enough time to unleash Doctor Demonicus' creations - Ghilaron, Lepirax and Centipor. Three monsters attacked Monster King, initially overwhelming him. Discouraged from the fight with a mighty foe, Lepirax got distracted and went to destroy one of the Dragonfly Choppers. Taking advantage from that, Godzilla burned Centipor to its death with atomic breath, effortlessly overpowering inferior Ghilaron and snapping its neck shortly afterwards.
Godzilla showed uncharacteristic hesitation before attacking Lepirax, who was holding onto a nonfunctional Dragonfly Chopper with a human still inside. As soon as the latter jumped out of the vehicle, Godzilla threw Lepirax high into the air, scorched its remains with atomic breath and crushed what was left of insect mutation. Godzilla briefly glared at the pilot, apparently recognizing him from their previous encounters, and spared him, swimming back to the ocean.
Birth of a Warrior[]
Godzilla was seen walking across the mountains in North California, where he entered a gigantic cave and fell asleep. Meanwhile, mankind has engineered an equally large, mechanical monster named Behemoth, created due to combined efforts of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Industries. Four minutes later after its demonstration, military forces flew to Godzilla's hideout, awakening the giant, and blasted thirty-two payloads of chloroform directly into his mouth. It did not take long for Godzilla to pass out and be transported through Behemoth to a military installation north of San Diego, where he was locked in a cell.
When Yuriko Takiguchi's son, Rob Takiguchi, sneaked into Godzilla's cell and accidentally awakened the nuclear giant. Panicking, boy attempted to activate the gigantic robot, but knocked himself out in the process. Monstrosity immediately bathed the base in fire of nuclear radiation, jumping through steel like through paper and wrecking everything around him, heading straight for a field of nuclear warheads, worrying S.H.I.E.L.D. about the possibility of nuclear war.
Meanwhile, Red Ronin, the aforementioned gigantic robot, went berserk due to premature activation and began to trample everything in its path. Behemoth fired missiles on Godzilla and was incapacitated by atomic breath, with Red Ronin arriving not long afterwards. Rob Takiguchi managed to regain control over gargantuan robot and retracted laser blade out of its right arm. Before he could use it, Godzilla retaliated with atomic breath, weakening the robot as the latter had heat guard turned off. Trying to defeat radioactive reptile non-lethally, Red Ronin captured him in cables and took off.
Godzilla would constantly trash around mid-air, bringing them both falling down to the sea. Flipping over a battleship, Godzilla continued with their fight, taking all of Red Ronin's attacks and growing stronger with rage. However, green reptile was shocked to see Red Ronin defend him from Behemoth, and respecting his wishes, he left to the ocean when robot gestured him to do so.
Last Gamble in Las Vegas[]
Godzilla destroyed a dam at Nevada-Arizona border, flooding nearby small towns. Immediately, a massive tsunami washed over him with unexpected force, carrying him for miles over the deserted land to Las Vegas. After a minute of hesitation, Godzilla entered the city and started wrecking havoc, before another wave of tsunami struck him. Tired of decisions, Monster King headed east.
Godzilla vs. Yetrigar[]
Three months earlier, mankind has detonated an explosive underground, causing a split of a subterranean fault that stretched from deserts of Arizona to a glacial cavern in Alberta, Canada. This event released an ancient apelike kaiju that was trapped in cube of ice for millenia. Radiation waves caused the beast to grow exponentially in size, matching Godzilla's own. Eventually, both monsters would square-off when Yetrigar threw a boulder at Behemoth, knocking the aerial vehicle out of the sky. Despite being tired of violence, Monster King nevertheless confronted Yetrigar at the grand canyon.
Apelike giant threw the first punch, knocking them both from the cliff into a river earlier created by Godzilla through destroying the dam. Nuclear reptilian answered with atomic breath, which Yetrigar blocked with a boulder, smashing it on Godzilla's torso, while green giant delivered a powerful blow from his tail, followed by a bite to his arm. The creatures stopped fighting when they saw Red Ronin arrive. The more aggressive of the two, Yetrigar lunged at the robot but was quickly thrown aside. Godzilla fired his atomic breath, but was attacked by Yetrigar whom Red Ronin restrained for as long as its body allowed.
Distracted by screams of innocent bystanders still trapped on a boat in a river, Red Ronin unintentionally released Yetrigar, who continued attacking him. When the robot fired its laser at Godzilla, reptile's tough skin caused the laser to refract, destroying a piece of a cliff and sending more rocks falling down the valley. After another atomic breath shot, nuclear giant remembered how Red Ronin defended him and attempted to prevent Yetrigar from killing its pilot. Regaining consciousness, Red Ronin fired a laser at the cliff and buried Yetrigar under the rubble, then left.
Star Sinister[]
Still wandering around the grand canyon, Godzilla suddenly saw a bright flash of light and was captured by Betans. Traversing through space, Godzilla found himself on a Moon and was immediately attacked by a bizarre alien monstrosity. This time, green giant was unable to crush his opponent, as the latter poisoned him with quills and further damaged him with oxygen-independent fire. The two engaged in a beam-lock, with Godzilla emerging victorious and charring alien black.
Godzilla approached Betans' base, who in return used ID-ray to communicate with reptile and explain their motives. Heavily drained by centuries of war with neighbours called Megans, Betans have eliminated further potential of life on a dozen different worlds, needing more resources from Earth. Their last conquest eliminated nearly all of their battle-monsters and thus they need Godzilla to conquer the Earth. The exposition was halted by the arrival of Mega-Monsters, Triax, Krollar and Rhiahn.
Worried about being beaten to a punch by Megans in their conquest, Betans immediately teleport Godzilla to Earth. There, Red Ronin was pathetically being crushed by Triax the Terrible's awesome power until Godzilla interfered. Triax propelled itself with jet boosters when its limbs were retracted, dashing Godzilla several times, as well as withstanding simultaneous assault from both nuclear giant and Red Ronin. Triax escaped to the city and Red Ronin followed him there, only for Rhiahn and Krollar to arrive as well.
Rhiahn went airborne, Krollar burrowed itself to the ground, confusing Godzilla. Battle went on and on, with neither side being able to defeat the other, as Mega-Monsters could easily withstand everything the duo could throw at them. Eventually, Rhiahn sliced Red Ronin's head off with rotating blade, while Megans fired energox ray, giving their trio even more power than before. Godzilla stood his ground, knocking Rhiahn unconscious with tail swipe and holding Krollar in place as it was about to burrow in the ground. Before he could do anything, green giant's grip was released when Triax dashed him.
Betans soon perished as the atmosphere on their spaceship was ruptured by a failed attack on Megan ship. When mankind distracted Rhiahn with missile fire, Godzilla managed to kill Krollar and then blasted right through Triax with atomic breath. After a while of wrestling, Godzilla used Rhiahn's own motor saw-like tail to decapitate the monster. Godzilla then retreated back to the ocean, with Megans knowing that he has triumphed over their creations.
Doctor Demonicus' pawn[]
Years later, Doctor Demonicus had managed to subdue his once "greatest enemy" and mutated the radioactive leviathan into a more amphibious form, in the process of which the creature also lost the ability to use its trademark breath weapon. Now a mere shadow of his former self, Godzilla was bent to the will of the twisted doctor, who used the beast as a watchdog for his lair in the Pacific Ocean, destroying intruders who venture too close to his fortress.
On one such occasion, the creature attacked an Avengers Quinjet, piloted by the feline superheroine Tigra, that was flying in the area, forcing the craft to make an immediate landing on a nearby island. Demonicus, furious that Godzilla failed to eliminate the intruder, ordered the monster to finish its work. The beast obeyed, traveling to the island and smashing what was left of the craft. Demonicus later visited the island to survey the wreckage, only to discover that the pilot had escaped before Godzilla was able to destroy the jet. Demonicus then ordered Godzilla to destroy the nearby village, in order to fish out the escaped intruder. Godzilla made a path toward the village, but was attacked by Tigra, now sensing the creature's new motive. Tigra fought fiercely against the beast, but was no match for Godzilla, who carelessly slapped away its attacker.
Godzilla descended on the small village, but Tigra was persistent, managing to divert the creature's attention long enough for the monster to reach out and grasp her in his hands. The amphibious leviathan moved the small, tiger-like hero up to his eye in order to fully witness his prey struggling, before he was attacked by Hawkeye, Iron Man and Mockingbird, who arrived in another Quinjet. Hawkeye let loose with an arrow at the monster, but the attack proved futile. Godzilla roared at his new attackers, giving Hawkeye an opportunity to fire an explosive arrow directly into the beast's mouth. Godzilla flinched, as the arrow detonated in his throat, and released Tigra from his grasp. Hawkeye then let loose with his entire quiver of arrows against the beast, but his attempt was for not. Godzilla quickly descended upon the archer, until Iron Man intervened and attacked the monster. His attacks proved ineffective, however, as Godzilla's thick hide withstood his attacker's blows. Iron Man, out of options, proceeded to lift the leviathan over his head and took the monster out to sea. The monster proved too heavy for Iron Man, though, as both dropped into the sea like a rock. Godzilla sunk to the depths below, as Iron Man quickly removed his armor and swam to the surface for air.
Later, Godzilla returned to his controller's lair, bearing Iron Man's armor in his jaws as a gift for his master before Demonicus would retire the monster back to its confinement. Demonicus saw his opportunity to attack Iron Man head on, donning the hero's own armor as he flew off to confront the iconic hero. Demonicus' attempt failed, however, and the mad scientist was later taken into custody as a result. Months passed, and Godzilla managed to escape from his former controller's lair out into the open sea. The creature stayed in the Pacific Ocean, and ended up wandering onto an open set of "Devil Dinosaur: The Movie." Godzilla moved in as a robotic Devil Dinosaur approached him. The robot, much to Godzilla's surprise, attacked him, an apparent betrayal by his one-time ally. Godzilla fought back, sinking his teeth into the back of the robotic Devil Dinosaur, quickly destroying the machine. Confused by this revelation, Godzilla quickly wandered back into the sea and fled the area. Since then the monster has resurfaced a few times and has seemingly reverted back to its previous form. Godzilla was most recently seen among the army of monsters Mole Man sent to attack New York.
Powers and Abilities[]
Godzilla is able to breathe a radioactive flame of intense heat, which can melt even the thermal plexilock-gauge mylarox cage designed to hold him in, "like mercury in hell". He is also immensely strong and possesses a remarkable resilience to injury and a very quick acting healing factor. The mutant dinosaur is also fully amphibious, able to operate underwater as easily as he can on land. His hands are fully usable, enabling him to grab objects and employ them as crude weapons, or even snatch planes from the sky. The monster's long tail can also be employed as a powerful, bludgeoning whip. The monster also goes into a violent frenzy when harmed, overpowering his adversaries with a sudden and surprising burst of berserk strength when on the very verge of defeat.
Godzilla in modern comics[]
- Later on in Marvel's career, Godzilla was seen as one of the Mole Man's monsters during their assault on New York. However, he was not in his mutated form, suggesting it was not actually Godzilla Demonicus mutated.
- Godzilla is the first Marvel monster to jump off the Empire State Building.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- His height is supposed to be based on the Godzilla of the Showa era, but in some issues, Godzilla is seen towering over the Golden Gate Bridge, high at its highest point.
- Popular estimates for the Marvel Godzilla’s height are 150 meters and 184 meters.
- The Marvel Godzilla has been used to represent Godzilla in the Godzilla trademark icon since 1977, with the printing of the first Godzilla issue, for the most part. The older trademark icon has been used as late as 1984 in media, an example being the box for Godzilla vs. 3 Major Monsters.
- The Marvel Godzilla is the first incarnation of Godzilla to originate in American media.