Warning: contains spoilers for Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #2!
Godzilla has obtained gigantic claws, and now their disturbing origin has been revealed. Godzilla, pop culture’s premiere kaiju, has dominated theaters for 72 years, and with a new motion picture debuting in November, shows no signs of slowing down. Godzilla has grown beyond his humble roots to become a beloved icon around the world.
Naturally, a character like Godzilla is going to stomp his way into other media, including comic books. Currently, Godzilla is appearing in comics produced by three different companies: IDW Publishing, who is currently spearheading the “Kai-Sei Era,” as well as DC Comics, who has pitted the kaiju against the Justice League. Finally, Marvel Comics, who were the first to publish Godzilla comics in the 1970s, has checked in with a plethora of titles starring the King of Monsters. The publisher began with one-shots before having Godzilla take on the entire Marvel Universe.
Finally, Marvel Comics, who were the first to publish Godzilla comics in the 1970s, has checked in with a plethora of titles starring the King of Monsters.
Now, in Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse, he has expanded his scope to Marvel’s vast multiverse. Knull has seemingly enslaved Godzilla, and used him to wipe out a majority of Earth’s heroes. In the wake of Godzilla and Knull’s rampage, a group of heroes is now searching the multiverse, looking for powerful kaiju to fight back with. Now, Marvel has introduced a Godzilla variant with Wolverine-like claws.
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Interactive Quiz
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King of the Monsters · 70 Years of DestructionGodzilla Trivia Challenge
☢Toho ClassicThe original king
🏯Showa EraMonster island mayhem
🔥Heisei EraDarker and deadlier
⚡MillenniumA new beginning
🌊MonsterVerseLet them fight
QUESTION 1 / 8TOHO ORIGINS
01
The original 1954 Godzilla film was directed by a visionary Japanese filmmaker and served as an allegory for the horrors of nuclear weapons. Who directed the original Godzilla?
✓ Correct! Ishiro Honda directed the original 1954 Gojira. The film was a direct response to the Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident and nuclear testing in the Pacific. Akira Kurosawa was Honda’s close friend but directed samurai films, and Takashi Shimura was actually an actor in the film.
✗ Destroyed! The answer is Ishiro Honda. Kurosawa directed Seven Samurai, Miyazaki is the anime legend behind Studio Ghibli, and Shimura was an actor who appeared in the original film. Honda’s vision turned nuclear fear into cinema’s greatest monster.
QUESTION 2 / 8SHOWA ERA
02
In the Showa era films, Godzilla frequently battles a three-headed golden dragon from outer space who becomes his most iconic rival. What is this monster’s name?
✓ Correct! King Ghidorah, the three-headed golden dragon, first appeared in 1964’s “Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.” He’s Godzilla’s ultimate arch-nemesis, appearing in more films than any other Godzilla villain.
✗ Destroyed! Mechagodzilla is a robotic duplicate, Mothra is generally an ally, and Rodan is a giant pteranodon who sometimes fights alongside Godzilla. King Ghidorah is the iconic golden three-headed dragon.
QUESTION 3 / 8TOHO LORE
03
Godzilla’s signature attack is a powerful beam of concentrated radiation that he fires from his mouth. What is this iconic weapon commonly called?
✓ Correct! The Atomic Breath (or “heat ray” in Japanese) is Godzilla’s signature weapon, powered by the nuclear energy in his body. The blue beam has been a defining visual element since the original 1954 film.
✗ Destroyed! The answer is Atomic Breath. While “Nuclear Pulse” is a separate Godzilla ability (a shockwave from his body), his signature mouth beam is universally known as the Atomic Breath.
QUESTION 4 / 8HEISEI ERA
04
In the 1995 film “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah,” Godzilla’s nuclear heart goes into meltdown, turning him a glowing red-orange. This version of Godzilla has what popular fan nickname?
✓ Correct! Burning Godzilla first appeared in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), glowing red-orange as his nuclear reactor heart goes critical. This form returned in the MonsterVerse in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
✗ Destroyed! Shin Godzilla is the 2016 Japanese reboot, Mechagodzilla is the robotic version, and “Final Godzilla” isn’t a recognized form. Burning Godzilla specifically refers to the meltdown state.
QUESTION 5 / 8TOHO CLASSIC
05
One of Godzilla’s most beloved allies is a giant divine moth who is often accompanied by tiny twin fairies called the Shobijin. Who is this kaiju?
✓ Correct! Mothra, the Queen of the Monsters, first appeared in her own 1961 film before becoming one of Godzilla’s most reliable allies. The Shobijin (tiny twin fairies) serve as her priestesses and communicate her intentions to humanity.
✗ Destroyed! Rodan is a pteranodon, Anguirus is Godzilla’s first opponent (and later ally), and Battra is Mothra’s dark counterpart. Mothra is the divine moth accompanied by the twin Shobijin fairies.
QUESTION 6 / 8MILLENNIUM
06
Shin Godzilla (2016), directed by Hideaki Anno, was a critical and commercial hit in Japan. The film reimagined Godzilla as a metaphor for which real-life disaster?
✓ Correct! Shin Godzilla was explicitly created as an allegory for the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and the Japanese government’s response. Director Hideaki Anno (of Evangelion fame) used Godzilla to critique bureaucratic paralysis during crisis.
✗ Destroyed! The answer is the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. While the original 1954 film was a nuclear weapons allegory, Shin Godzilla specifically parallels the Fukushima crisis and the government’s slow response.
QUESTION 7 / 8MONSTERVERSE
07
In the Legendary MonsterVerse films, the ancient organization that monitors and studies giant monsters is named after a real-life secret project. What is this organization called?
✓ Correct! Monarch is the secret scientific organization dedicated to studying Titans (massive ancient creatures). Named to evoke secrecy and authority, Monarch has appeared in every MonsterVerse film since Godzilla (2014).
✗ Destroyed! SHIELD is Marvel’s organization, Apex is the villainous corporation from Godzilla vs. Kong, and MUTO stands for “Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism” — a monster species, not an organization. Monarch is the answer.
QUESTION 8 / 8MONSTERVERSE
08
In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), Godzilla and Kong team up against a new threat from Hollow Earth. What is the name of the tyrannical ape villain they face?
✓ Correct! Skar King is a tyrannical great ape from Hollow Earth who enslaves other apes and wields a weapon made from a Titan’s spine. He also controls Shimo, an ancient ice-breathing Titan. His threat is so great that Godzilla and Kong must team up to stop him.
✗ Destroyed! Mechagodzilla was the villain of Godzilla vs. Kong, Camazotz appeared in the graphic novels, and Tiamat is a sea serpent Titan. Skar King is the new ape tyrant from Hollow Earth.
Destruction ReportYour Kaiju Knowledge
/ 8
King of the Monsters — or trampled underfoot?
Enter Weapon'Zilla, the Godzilla x Wolverine Mashup
Weapon'Zilla's Origin is as Dark and Disturbing as Wolverine's
WeaponZilla Origin 1
Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #2 was written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Javier Garron, and introduced Marvel fans to Weapon’Zilla, a Wolverine-Godzilla mashup. Weapon’Zilla sports claws just like Logan’s, with a similar mask to boot. Weapon’Zilla’s flesh is also the color of Wolverine’s classic yellow and blue costume. And just like Wolverine, Weapon’Zilla flies into a berserker rage.
WeaponZilla Origin 2
The surviving heroes, under the direction of Doctor Doom, try to fight back against Weapon’Zilla. Emma Frost scans the monster, but does not get too far, theorizing that this universe’s Weapon X program “hardened” the creature’s mind, making it impervious to telepaths. Emma does get a brief view, however, of the creature’s origin.
In this universe, the Weapon X program dreamt large, and not just by experimenting on, and controlling, Godzilla. In this reality, the Weapon X program was city sized, with a massive tube in the center. Inside this tube, floating in a green liquid, is Godzilla. Only here, the kaiju is subdued, and wires are running all through his body. It is a brief, but disturbing, glimpse into the tragic origin of Weapon’Zilla and his claws.
The Weapon Plus Program is Crucial to Marvel Lore
weapon x weapon plus creations captain america fantomex omega
Image of Fantomex pointing a gun towards the reader.
Wolverine Weapon X Plus Marvel Comics
The Weapon X program is a key part of the X-Men’s lore. When originally introduced, it was revealed to be a covert program experimenting on mutants. One of its test subjects was Wolverine, and his time with Weapon X gave him his adamantium skeleton. However, during Grant Morrison’s New X-Men tenure, it was revealed that the program’s origin went back much further. Originally called “Weapon Plus,” its first test subject was none other than Steve Rogers, Captain America. Other Weapon Plus castoffs include Deadpool and Fantomex.
Marvel has pulled no punches in showing the horrors the Weapon Plus project brings down on its victims. Wolverine was kept in a tank, similar to the one seen in Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #2, where his humanity was stripped away and he was infused with adamantium. Other Weapon Plus subjects experienced similar horrors, and no doubt Godzilla has as well. It speaks volumes to the technology of that reality’s Weapon Plus program that they were not only able to subdue Godzilla in the first place, but keep him contained for so long a period of time.
Can the Weapon Plus Program Keep Godzilla in Check?
Godzilla is raising from the ashes in Godzilla Minus Zero
And hopefully, the Weapon Plus program can keep Weapon’Zilla in check. Previous Weapon Plus participants, like Wolverine, eventually remembered what happened to them while being experimented on. In many cases, they swore revenge and took it out on those who held them captive. If Godzilla is able to shake off the Weapon Plus programming, then that Earth will not stand a chance, as the King of Monsters’ power and blind fury would easily destroy it.
Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!
