Fridge / Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

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Fridge Brilliance

• During the underwater fight in Mexico, where Godzilla severs one of Ghidorah's heads, the head snaps off quickly and neatly with little blood or torn hanging tissues. Ghidorah can regenerate the lost head (with its mind and personality intact). Considering that if you look closely, the point where the head's neck rips is nowhere near Godzilla's bite when it happens, it's possible that Ghidorah actively shed off his head, similar to how lizards are known to shed their tails when grabbed voluntarily.
• The film's Logo Joke involves Mesopotamian art. Why specifically Mesopotamian? Because the old Mesopotamians and Sumerians were among the first peoples to construct a pantheon of divine beings, fitting with the "ancient," "godly" aspect of the creatures and ultimately links to the submerged sanctuary the characters come across.
• The eco-terrorists talk about humanity being an infection and responsible for the imminent global extinction. While they refer to us being irresponsible with the environment in general, the Titans' existence gives a darker context to some unnatural disasters like atomic testings (which awakened Godzilla in the first place) and strip mining (which aroused the MUTOs). The most ominous is humanity's effect on global warming, which has started to melt the polar ice caps, just like in real life. And where is King Ghidorah imprisoned? In Antarctica. Humanity was already (and inevitably) in the process of unleashing the greatest disaster upon Earth. The eco-terrorists just brought the apocalypse ahead of schedule.
• In a meta sense, Ghidorah in this film represents an allegory of climate change, just as the 1954 Godzilla represented nuclear war. Emma unleashes him from Antarctica, although the melting polar ice caps would've freed him. Then he destabilizes the weather and causes a mass extinction crisis that threatens all life. It's like how real-life human activity has caused abnormal weather patterns and damaged the atmosphere.
• According to this Tumblr post, the other kaiju are also allegories of clean energy battling a personification of global warming.
  • Even better, if that is the case, Godzilla no longer represents only the Atomic Bomb. Instead, Godzilla is now the personification of radiation and nuclear forces. If misused, deliberately provoked, or disturbed, it is unimaginably dangerous; at the same time, if left in peace, harmless and proper management can benefit everyone—not a bad turnaround for a cultural ambassador of Japan.
• Given that the monster cast of this film is the same as that of Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, this film (part of a cinematic universe) is a fitting spiritual homage to that movie. Why? That film was one of the earliest examples of a cinematic universe—done in the '60s—since Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra all appeared in solo movies before coming together in that movie to fight a common, greater enemy.
• The moth cocoon aquarium in the first film labeled 'Mothra' makes sense when you read that Mothra worship was widespread in this universe, especially in the East where she lives; calling it Mothra is akin to naming a pet after a god like Zeus or Hades.
  • Not really. The tank is labeled "Dad's moth," and a torn paper with R.A. is next to it, acting as a MythologyGag/Foreshadowing to Mothra herself.
• Mothra's design in the MonsterVerse is reminiscent of the male MUTO: she has a pair of curved front legs, digitigrade hind legs, a set of smaller arms on her chest, and a couple of elongated membranous wings. It may be more than just coincidence: likely, Mothra's species is related to the MUTO, being in the same family just like how wasps and bees are, sharing common traits but being distinct in terms of behavior.
  • Notably, both the MUTO and Mothra's species are symbiotic with Godzilla's — just different kinds of symbiosis (the MUTOs are parasitic, and Mothra appears to be mutualistic, e.g., what some colloquially refer to as symbiotic). It is not unknown that evolution causes jumps from one kind of symbiosis to another or has speciation that happens by specializing in different symbiosis types.
  • Alternatively, Mothra and the MUTO might not be related. The MUTO evolved a similar appearance as a form of deceptive mimicry, identical to the Real Life fish called the saber-toothed blenny, which mimics the look of the beneficial cleaner wrasse, luring in unsuspecting fish for grooming, only to attack them when they come close. The male MUTO possibly evolved a similar appearance to Mothra's species to lure susceptible, inexperienced members of Godzilla's species over to their nest, where the larger and more potent female would be lying in wait.
    • This is supported by the fact that after being decapitated, the female MUTO's spine can be seen briefly flopping around, proving she is a vertebrate and not... a moth.
  • The concept of the male MUTOs evolving to look similar to Mothra's adult form to get the drop on Godzilla's species is what possibly happened to the skeleton in the first movie. It also explains why Godzilla was adamant about hunting down the MUTOs. It wasn't just two rival species going at it; instead, Godzilla, in all likelihood, had a score to settle.
• The female MUTO's severed head is in a research facility in the Bermuda Triangle. Of course, they'd be studying a kaiju carcass there: it's the only place cold enough to preserve the specimen, as no forensic freezer would be big enough to contain it.
• Godzilla's new design in King of the Monsters has a smaller and thinner tail, and his dorsal spines are much more prominent. Real-life lizards store energy-rich fat in their tails as an energy source during lean times, so likely similar to this, Godzilla's been using up more of his stores due to increased activity since the MUTO incident. His more enormous claws and spines may also be similar to him entering a hormonal cycle where he becomes more aggressive and territorial, like an elephant on musth or bucks during the breeding season.
• Godzilla's sauropod-like feet with stubby toes in the first film were not very plausible for a biped; much of his weight would be supported by the front of the foot, as with humans and bipedal dinosaurs. His having longer toes in the sequel would make more sense in sustaining his massive bulk.
• Looking closely at Mothra's face, one will notice that she has mouthparts more similar to her original design than a proboscis like real moths despite the MonsterVerse going for more realistic designs. However, most moths are tiny enough to feed on flowers, from which there aren't any large enough for a creature Mothra's size to drink. It's likely a form of neoteny that lets her retain her larvae form's mandibles to feed on more accessible food sources. She kept the silk glands from when she was a larva, allowing her to web her opponents in battle.
• The fate of Madison's parents is hinted at as far back as with which monster they are associated. Mark is associated with Godzilla because he left an impact on him, more so than it did on his wife. Emma is associated with Mothra because she and Madison witnessed her birth. Mothra's ultimate fate is to sacrifice her life for Godzilla. In the end, Emma does the same to protect her family.
• Mothra's family always survives her. Likewise, Emma is survived by Madison.
• As frequently mentioned in merchandise, Ghidorah's heads' behavior reflects the concept of an "alpha," as seen in the Shazam trailer. The middle head is the most vocal and aggressive of the three, rearing high in the air in a dominant posture. The other two heads are bowed down and look toward the middle head, reflecting a submissive posture similar to dogs and wolves.
• In one T.V. spot, Sam Coleman asks (about Godzilla), "Is it just me, or has he been working out?" Since Godzilla has been out and about more after awakening from his decades-long hibernation in the first movie, he would be getting exercise and working off any weight. So, yes, he has - although, in the film, the line refers to a power boost he gets in the movie.
• The film's final trailer uses an instrumental version of the song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It makes perfect sense as The Wizard of Oz and Godzilla celebrated their anniversaries in 2019. (The Wizard of Oz celebrated 80 years, while Godzilla celebrated 65 years.)
• In Godzilla Aftershock, Jinshin Mushi, aka MUTO Prime, made a mighty shout that could break apart all of Godzilla's dorsal fins. Why mention this? Ever wondered why his dorsal fins are more prominent and look like the classic maple leaf shape in this movie? While it may be part of his evolution, it's simple - he regenerated a new row of them, just like a starfish can restore a whole arm after losing one.
• It's revealed that Ghidorah can regenerate his heads, which makes sense as he is said to have inspired the legends of the Greek Hydra. And how does Godzilla kill him? By burning his heads off with his nuclear pulses in his Burning Form, just like how Hercules slew the Hydra by burning off its heads so they couldn't regenerate. Even after Godzilla vaporizes the rest of his body, the center head is shown still alive and struggling in Godzilla's jaws, like how the mythical Hydra had one immortal head that lived after Hercules severed it and forced him to bury it beneath a rock.
• When Burning Godzilla unleashes his first nuclear pulse, we hear Mothra's roar and faintly see her outline in the flaming burst. Because she sacrificed her life to power up Godzilla, her essence now flows through him, and in a way, she is still fighting alongside him, in spirit at least.
• Godzilla and Ghidorah win one of their two fights before the final battle, where Godzilla still needs a supercharge from a nuke and Mothra’s Heroic Sacrifice before becoming Burning Godzilla. But that’s because Ghidorah has the clear edge in the battleground for the first and third fights: he’s larger and can fly, so give him solid ground and atmosphere, and he’ll overpower or outmaneuver Godzilla. However, when ambushed over water and dragged beneath its surface, he’s helpless; Godzilla is an actual amphibious lifeform who doesn’t need air and quickly maneuvers through the water to manhandle Ghidorah there.
• The female MUTO who woke with the rest of the Titans bowing before Godzilla makes no sense. They're natural enemies if the MUTO eggs in one of Godzilla's kind are any indication. But perhaps MUTOs are only hostile to Godzilla and his kind in mating pairs. If this is the last living MUTO, she cannot find a mate and would submit to the superior Alpha to preserve her existence. Indeed, since Godzilla quickly handled the MUTOs one-on-one in the first film and only really struggled when they could work as a pair, it might imply that the relationship between these species is much more complicated than predator-prey or rival predators. Considering the plot of the Aftershock comic, one can guess that MUTO Prime's presence drove the animosity between the MUTOs and Godzilla. It might as well have been another competing alpha that specifically targeted members of Godzilla’s species as a host for reproduction. With the MUTO Prime out of the way, any remaining MUTOs would be subservient to the only remaining Alpha.
  • She's a sterile member of her species, possibly the last known one, which means the real threat posed by the MUTOs is no longer a factor.
  • Since the director said she’s “older and different” than Femuto, perhaps she’s in her species’ equivalent of menopause (i.e., too old to breed successfully, even if there was a male around).
• Why does Ghidorah shrug off the Oxygen Destroyer without a scratch? Ghidorah is an alien creature whose biology is inherently different from earthly Titans. Plus, the movie hints that he's capable of independent space flight—like his counterparts from other continuities; his body doesn't use oxygen in its processes, so there's nothing for the Oxygen Destroyer to set off in his system.
• Mothra arrives later in the final battle than Godzilla despite being capable of flight and around the same area as him. The credits reveal she'd laid an egg somewhere before her death, explaining why that would be the case.
  • Mothra always has an egg before the conflict starts, so she can return if she dies. She didn't this time since the threat developed so quickly, so she had to lay one as soon as possible.
• After Godzilla emerges post-nuking, he regards everyone on the sub's deck with some interest for a few seconds, then leaves to go after Ghidorah. He probably doesn't see them as a threat. But considering that he saw Serizawa in his lair and Serizawa got close enough to touch his jaw just before the nuke detonated, he probably smelt Serizawa’s scent on the others and realized they helped heal him.
  • There's another angle to this scene if you know your Godzilla lore. The scene centers on Mark during this confrontation, but Dr. Chen happens to be standing right next to him and is only seen partially on camera. In past Godzilla movies, the Shobijin were known to be telepathic and could communicate with kaiju. This scene is a deliberate bait and switch if this version maintains some of those abilities; Chen later shows awareness that Mothra is about to arrive before she does, which might bolster this theory.
• The "Monarch" codename for the organization has a double meaning after this movie, associated with the two monsters that take humanity's side. On the one hand, they're the MONARCH organization. They rule over and monitor the monsters like Godzilla does/will. On the other hand, their symbol is two triangles together. A shorthand for something else, or the symbolism of looking like a monarch butterfly? Like Mothra, in being the wingman for protecting the Earth with Godzilla?
• Mothra reacts more with curiosity than intimidation or submission when hearing the Alpha Frequency for the first time. Not only is Mothra unaffected by it because she is an Alpha in her own right, but it's also revealed that humans used Godzilla's calls to create the Alpha Frequency, mixed with some human vocals. She calmed down because she heard a sound similar to her male counterpart.
• It may seem odd that Madison is Defiant to the End when faced by Ghidorah in Fenway Park but is reduced to a screaming wreck upon barricading herself inside her house. However, it makes sense that Godzilla's timely arrival gave her a Hope Spot. Beforehand, Madison was 100% sure she would die and might as well give Ghidorah one last "Screw you!" in retaliation, but now that she's got a fighting chance, she wants to live to see her parents again.
  • Another possibility worth considering is that she's just spent a decent amount of time broadcasting the Alpha frequency, which contains frequencies from Godzilla and humans as part of its signal. Frequencies seemingly are directed heavily as a challenge directly to Ghidorah's supremacy. It influences Titans; it's not unreasonable to suggest that it affected her on some level, similar to how it calmed Mothra or subdued other Titans or enraged Ghidorah himself, essentially triggering some subconscious attack response against a rival species.
• Behemoth resembles a mammoth but lacks a trunk. However, his anatomy is more ape-like, so prehensile forelimbs likely remove any need for a trunk.
• This film reveals that ancient humans built a massive temple for Godzilla, where he still returns for rest. This would explain why Godzilla has a softer spot for humanity and would go out of his way to avoid human casualties, unlike in the previous film. He had positive interactions with humans spanning millennia, so he didn't need to quarrel with them or cause intentional destruction to their homes.
• Even when frightened, Mothra—in her larval form—doesn't try to kill humans. She might knock them into webs or only a short distance away when throwing them aside. Even from the start, she wasn't interested in seriously harming humans.
  • Taken a step further, consider that dialogue in a later scene revealed that there were survivors of the eco-terrorists' first attack, which seems unlikely given how they blew up the observation lab and shot anyone the explosion didn't kill. Likely, the security guards Mothra tossed aside and into the webs survived thanks to being far from the attack, meaning that even unintentionally, Mothra was already saving human lives within minutes of birth.
  • Or that's what she meant to do. Mothra only starts getting aggressive when containment fails, and one of the Monarch scientists states that someone (Jonah and his men) is sabotaging them. Mothra knew something dangerous was about to happen, and when the humans already present began pointing guns at her, she tried to intimidate them into backing down. When they fired anyway, she fought to subdue but went out of her way to pick one guy up in her mandibles and toss him into her web. She may have been well aware that whatever was about to happen, these people wouldn't be safe if left to their own devices.
• Ghidorah's theme has Buddhist chants in the background, almost like a prayer of protection or a means to suppress evil. But at specific theme points, the other instruments overpower the chants, which become quieter. Ghidorah is so powerful and malignant that nothing can subdue him.
  • In addition, the Buddhist chant in his theme is the Heart Sutra, which refers to the phenomenon of Sūnyata, that all comes from nothing and returns to nothing. Sūnyata also means Zero, as in Monster Zero.
• So, with the religious symbolism in this film, it's repeatedly noted that Godzilla is supposed to be God while Ghidorah is Satan. Remember how the other two "main" Titans are portrayed: Mothra is a benevolent being of light that displays unwavering loyalty to Godzilla. At the same time, Rodan is a chaotic creature of fire that ends up serving Ghidorah—Mothra is an angel, and Rodan is a demon.
• We see a cross in the foreground when Ghidorah roars for the other Titans from atop a volcano. It's rather fitting when one knows that people put crosses near volcanoes in some cultures because people once believed that volcanoes were portals to Hell, making for a poetic Darkest Hour. It gives the audience the feeling that Hell is on our doorstep and our fate lies in God(zilla)'s hands.
• Rodan is persistent when chasing the ARGO, but consider the plane's shape; from Rodan's perspective, it resembles another airborne kaiju or a rival Rodan.
• Mothra's timely arrival in Boston is noticeably preceded by Dr. Chen seemingly anticipating it, fitting with Dr. Chen's status as the Monsterverse's Shobijin. But it becomes more brilliant when you remember that Mothra's Leitmotif is playing when this happens—a leitmotif whose lyrics in older portrayals were the Shobijin calling for Mothra to help save the world.
  • This is also proved when we see Dr. Ling, Chen's twin sister, standing before Mothra's cocoon minutes before the Titan emerges from it as if she is feeling her awakening.
• Although King Ghidorah could defeat Godzilla on land in two of their three encounters, their second encounter most likely shows how Godzilla defeated King Ghidorah the first time around. While King Ghidorah is a Titan adapted for flying through the sky (and space), Godzilla is at home in the ocean. During their second fight, Godzilla kept Ghidorah's level of moment crippled by keeping him underwater and tore off one of King Ghidorah's heads before the Oxygen Destroyer crippled Godzilla. Where do we see King Ghidorah entombed at the beginning of the movie? Under the ice of Antarctica. In their last encounter, Godzilla likely dragged him underwater to Antarctica, where the Titan stayed frozen until the modern day.
• The beginning of the Boston fight (before Rodan's arrival) is a callback to the first Legendary film's fight regarding the MUTOs' strategy against Godzilla. Godzilla hits Ghidorah with powerful, heavy attacks like the female MUTO while tanking any returning damage. Mothra (a smaller and more maneuverable flier like the male MUTO) darts in and out with quick strikes or immobilizing techniques, and the other picks up the slack either time Ghidorah reacts to one. Given this, it's no wonder he summoned Rodan because he likely would have lost himself.
• It makes sense why the Titans are restoring ecosystems at the film's end: each Titan is a walking ecosystem, complete with all its byproducts. The 'radiation' is part of that since the news clips during the credits mention that Scylla alone produces enough liquid nitrogen (which is EXTREMELY cold) to stop and reverse melting ice sheets. Hence, each Titan likely does something similar along with the 'radiation.'
• Godzilla goes to Antarctica to battle King Ghidorah after the latter has re-awakened. Before engaging in combat, the two Alpha Titans exchange vicious expressions towards each other. Ichi is the most vengeful against him, while Ni is likely confused about why he's here. But if you pay attention to Kevin, he's visibly anxious and looks at Ichi, almost as if he's silently asking if he has to fight. Why is that? Some old recordings stated that King Ghidorah's presence inspired the hydra myth. Aside from having multiple heads, the Hydra's most notable trait is to regenerate another if one loses it since humans in the distant past have witnessed his Healing Factor in action. Michael Dougherty has (jokingly) claimed that Kevin is the most proficient at regrowing his missing heads as he's likely suffered numerous decapitations that Godzilla had done to him way before the film's events. It's no wonder why Kevin's fearful reaction to Godzilla is rightfully justified. He doesn't want to get his head torn off again, so he hardly contributed to fighting in the first battle since Ichi and Ni made most of the effort to confront Godzilla.
• This movie reveals that most of the Titans' names emanated from myths and legends. The MUTOs getting an acronym instead of having an actual name could be because none interacted with ancient humans enough to be remembered through legends.
  • MUTO Prime was also known as Jinshin-Mushi, a beetle-like creature from Japanese mythology.
• The final battle occurring in Boston is appropriate when viewed through the Rule of Symbolism. Boston is famous for being the American Revolution's birthplace, where the 13 Colonies fought for their freedom against the British Empire. In the movie, it's where Godzilla fights King Ghidorah, Alpha of the Titans, and frees the world from his tyrannical reign.
• Does Alan Jonah and Emma Russell using the ORCA on the Titans and attempting to control Ghidorah seem familiar? It should. They're a human adaptation of the Human Aliens who use kaiju-controlling technology to direct Ghidorah and other kaiju towards attacking humanity in the old Toho movies, just like the Chen twins are an intentional adaptation of the Shobijin. The elements of Jonah and Emma failing spectacularly to control Ghidorah because it's Eviler than Thou and their plan going wrong seem like a Take That! at the Toho Ghidorah's Villain Decay.
• Emma Russell's claim that life on Earth will perish due to human activity if the Titans aren't released to restore ecological balance is a strong case for Artistic License. Real-life predictions indicate that life will survive even if biodiversity gets massively impacted if human activity drives our species to extinction. However, real-life projections don't account for a prehistoric Earth ruled for millions of years by gigantic super-species like Godzilla and Rodan's kind that affect the environment in such a way as they do. So Emma might've been entirely right that if the Titans were to die all before they could restore balance, the Earth would be doomed to total extinction.
• The director's statement that Ghidorah's Bizarre Alien Biology includes octopus-like scattered neurons in his body and limbs. In Real Life, an octopus' limbs are each capable of limited coordination and problem-solving independently of the brain due to two-thirds of the octopus' neurons being bunched separately from the brain inside their limbs. It's similar to Ghidorah's Multiple Head Case; however, it might function somewhat differently with Ghidorah based on the evidence stating that Ghidorah's regrown head had the same personality and memories as the severed one. Octopi can also regrow severed tentacles, though not as fast as Ghidorah.
  • In Real Life, octopi are unique among Earth's native lifeforms. They're considered an ideal model for studying what complex extraterrestrial life could be like—maybe Ghidorah's biology is a hint at something...
• It seems suspicious that Godzilla was headed straight to Isla de Mara after the Antarctica scene before Emma had started broadcasting the ORCA there since Ghidorah was going in a different direction until he sensed Rodan's awakening. Godzilla might've been heading to de Mara to awaken Rodan and have him fight Ghidorah alongside him. It may help considering Godzilla and Rodan's relationship in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and the Hollow Earth murals showing a Titan resembling Rodan's old Toho version fighting alongside Godzilla and Mothra against Ghidorah.
• Although they don't qualify as Foils due to not meeting each other, Admiral Stenz ends up being a counterpart to a couple of characters in this film:
  • Dr. Emma Russell and Admiral William Stenz. Stenz cares about human lives and tends to lean towards killing the Titans to protect people, damn the environmental ramifications of doing so and the potential future consequences for the planet; he also has no love (or hatred, for that matter) for the Titans. Emma is bitterly misanthropic and willing to risk (if not outright cause) millions of deaths so that the Titans can prevent humanity from destroying the planet. She admires and reveres them, believing the Titans are Earth's rightful rulers. Meanwhile, in the second film, Stenz seemingly hasn't listened to Serizawa's "arrogance of man" Wham Line. Stenz attempts to kill Ghidorah and Rodan, while Emma attempts to free them—both of their attempts are part of the chain of events that cause the same Gone Horribly Wrong Apocalypse Wow.
  • Alan Jonah and Admiral Stenz. It comes across most notably in some of Jonah's interactions with Emma (who is herself another Foil to Serizawa). They're both lean, older men and leaders with a military background; however, Stenz is a high-ranking U.S. Navy officer, whereas Jonah is the Evil Brit leader of an international paramilitary group. They both try to control or regulate the Titans, which fails due to the Green Aesop (nature being beyond man's control). But Stenz advocates attempting to kill the Titans and is primarily concerned about protecting human lives. Jonah advocates enabling the Titans to take over the Earth from humanity even if Ghidorah threatens the planet's natural balance. Stenz and Jonah make Serizawa and Emma, respectively, an Ignored Expert when their contemporary tries to persuade them that their course of action is making things go From Bad to Worse. Still, Stenz notably has more respect for Serizawa and more rational grounds for ignoring him at first. In contrast, Jonah is contemptuous of Emma and uses Insane Troll Logic as a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist to justify his actions.
• Ilene Chen instantly recognizes Mothra when she arrives at Castle Bravo. An earlier scene shows Monarch doesn't know what a fully grown Mothra is like; she's currently covered in a blinding light, and the outpost monitoring her has no means of contacting them to tell them. That makes no sense...until you realize Chen, as one of the Monster'Verse Shobijin, would naturally know what Mothra looks like precisely and might even have telepathically sensed her coming.
• It seems somewhat odd that after Madison uses the ORCA to disorient Ghidorah with pain briefly, Ghidorah—instead of being pissed into attacking the Osprey, where the signal hurting him came from—resumes investigating and tormenting the grounded Osprey that he looked at beforehand. However, considering Ghidorah's intelligence and extreme sadism, Ghidorah may realize the ORCA signal was meant to distract him from hurting the humans in the downed Osprey. Therefore, he immediately proceeds to menace and tries to crush said humans while Madison is helpless as her actions are seemingly in vain.
  • Ghidorah has seen that the ORCA signal (which he likely doesn't quite understand the source of) is coming from a flying Osprey in the air, so he immediately decides to start toying with the downed Osprey like a guinea pig—considering how he pulls a Villain: Exit, Stage Left in response to the Argo and human aircraft bombarding him and tends to react with some curiosity to encountering modern human technology for the film's first half.
• Ghidorah's Backstory suggests that he fought Godzilla and Mothra several times for dominance over the other Titans and lost before getting frozen in Antarctica. In earlier Toho continuities, Ghidorah usually fled Earth and returned to space when fought off. But the fact this incarnation stuck around repeatedly on the ancient Earth to try again suggests one of two things: either the MonsterVerse Ghidorah isn't capable of traveling through space on his own and, indeed, probably came to Earth as an egg or by accident; alternatively, in a case of Fridge Horror, it means this version of Ghidorah is an adaptational Determinator about destroying the Earth.
• Mothra's Godrays are supposed to aid her in her symbiosis with Godzilla. As a flyer, she's likely to discover threats far faster and easier than Godzilla. Once she does, she creates a signal flare that signals Godzilla to visit her location.
• In the Toho continuities, Godzilla's Meaningful Name isn't just for show, displaying feats of strength against solid opponents and even the odds stacked against him, even though the Odo Island legend portrays him as an evil sea god. Here, Godzilla's Meaningful Name works for him. He is shown as the Earth's greatest protector, not its Destroyer. Humans from thousands of years ago had worshiped him as a literal Physical God, with Serizawa going out of his way to revive the god he came to admire. He rightfully earned his name as God Incarnate.
• The U.S. Senate in the opening scene seems to be really confident that they can kill the Titans if they try, despite how in Godzilla (2014), everything in the military's arsenal short of a nuke failed to do more than slightly slow Godzilla and the MUTOs down.^note The only thing they didn't try against the Titans (because they didn't get the chance) was nukes, and detonating nukes around the world to neutralize every sleeping Titan seems ill-advised. Considering the revelation later in the film that the army has been building a Fantastic Nuke prototype which they hoped could kill Titans, this weapon is likely why the senators were so cocky. They knew about the Oxygen Destroyer and were probably repaying Monarch's refusal to say what they knew about the living Titans by withholding information on the weapon.
• This YouTube video explains how Madison helps her divided parents find the necessary balance between them. Emma hinges humanity's survival on the Titans, willing to commit unforgivable acts for it. It's not until after admitting that Madison is right about them worsening the world rather than healing it that Emma sets to make amends. After losing Andrew, Mark believes the only good Titan is a dead one and refuses to entertain the notion that some are benevolent. He finally realizes his mistake upon his second eye-to-eye moment with Godzilla: the answer to finding his family was in the Orca's alpha frequency—human-Titan co-existence; the key to saving the world and finding his daughter was in front of him all along. When Madison endangers herself, Emma and Mark come together to save her, reuniting their family and achieving balance.
  • Additionally, Madison symbolizes what Monarch and Emma preach regarding the human-Titan relationship—balance. Madison is torn between her parents, who have opposing extreme viewpoints about Titans: co-existence vs. destruction. Madison must choose which parent to side with and whose perspective suits everyone. Emma promotes co-existence as the only way for humankind to advance; Mark is more apprehensive about the Titans but firmly believes they should all die after Andrew's death. Initially swayed by Emma's pro-Titan sentiments and on board with her plan, the emotional toll forces Madison to face reality. Disenchanted with Emma, she starts being more like her father by risking her neck to try and save the world from the rampaging Titans. But instead of completely turning against them as Mark had, Madison finds a happy medium: humans can co-exist with the Titans while some, like Ghidorah, are better off dead.

Fridge Horror

• Mothra's anatomy differs from actual moths; she has sharp-toothed mandibles instead of a proboscis, mantis-like forelimbs, and a seemingly venomous stinger. The smoking gun is her forwards-facing eyes. This is the weapon toolkit of a predator.
  • Fridge Brilliance: Perhaps she's a predator of the MUTO? Since the MUTO are enemies of Godzilla's species, they took a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" approach and, in turn, protected the Mothras from their own stronger enemies.
• In previous iterations, Ghidorah is a creature created artificially, most often at the hands of aliens who use him as a Living Weapon. This version of Ghidorah is indicated to be his own agent, who fell from the stars on his own from a different world. Let that sink in: there could be an entire planet of creatures like Ghidorah. And just what sort of world could create such a foul, horrifying monster?
  • For an even deeper case of horror relating to the above: In this continuity, Ghidorah has sideways-facing eyes, aka the hallmark of a prey animal. The eldritch, planet-destroying abomination is a prey animal, meaning somewhere out there, there is something strong enough to hunt Ghidorahs for food—you may all panic now.
• How unhinged is Emma (right down to Madison rightfully calling her a monster)? Is she, at best, a Well-Intentioned Extremist resorting to desperate measures to save the world or a straight-up Omnicidal Maniac of an eco-terrorist who deliberately wants to destroy humanity? The answer is somewhere in between. She's a Monarch agent who not only took Dr. Serizawa's beliefs about the necessity of the Titans to preserve Earth's ecological balance to heart but went radical with it. She became convinced that only by releasing the Titans to "cleanse" Earth and forcibly push humanity out of its dominant role could she prevent society from causing the mass extinction of all life. To this end, she allied herself with extremist eco-terrorist Alan Jonah and betrayed Monarch to set them loose. But once the full impact of her plan hits home, she realizes how crazy her plan was and regrets it, especially since it makes Madison disown her.
• The government's plan to kill all the Titans while they slept becomes horrifying once you look at it through a mathematical lens. The people advocating for it seem to assume that their targets are slumbering, guaranteeing success (far from it, considering WHAT they're trying to kill), and don't think of the consequences of failure (an awake, angry Titan). If the chance of failure for whatever method they use exceeds 0%, the odds are that at least one of the 17 monsters they planned to target would pay them back kindly. And that's excluding any Titans that Monarch hadn't yet discovered...
  • To illustrate this point, imagine that the government's chosen method (buried nukes or oxygen destroyers) had a 95% chance of killing or sufficiently crippling a Titan and a 5% chance of failing, resulting in a rampaging Titan. Those odds are suitable for a single monster, but for 17, the odds of there being a very angry survivor jump to around 59%. Couple that with the unlikelihood that humankind can maintain those odds throughout all 17 of their attempts...
    • This issue becomes even more so when you remember the one shot we see of someone trying to kill a dormant Titan (the male MUTO in the original film) via electrocution but fails to do so much as injure it. The male MUTO is comparably physically frail for a Titan (with Godzilla only needing one solid hit to kill him), making it even more likely they'd only succeed in waking them up and making them mad.
    • Making this yet even scarier is when you realize that since all the Titans of the planet respond to an Alpha if humanity established itself as a deadly and hostile threat to the Titans by attacking the sleeping ones in this manner, the Titans killed unsuccessfully could organize their retaliatory strikes around the world for maximum impact and efficiency, similar to how King Ghidorah manipulates the Titans during the film. "Send us back to the stone age," indeed.
    • On the other end of the spectrum, this hits if you consider what might be the result should the world's governments succeed in killing all the Titans. While clearly out of line with her plan to awaken them all, Emma showcases how essential the Titans are to maintaining Earth’s biosphere. The consequences of just offing them would likely have devastating long-term detriments. And then, considering the likelihood of the Oxygen Destroyer being utilized as the primary instrument of this extermination and the devastation left behind by the one used off the coast of Isla Del Mara ("Everything’s dead"), what damage would that do to our biosphere to have the world’s militaries set multiple Oxygen Destroyers off all over the world?
    • Serizawa says, "Seventeen. . . and counting." What happens even if you manage to kill all seventeen you know about. . . and then the one you don't wakes up?
  • Another problem with the government's plan: Ghidorah is explicitly immune to the only manufactured weapon that's managed to come seriously close to killing a Titan, and he's a potential Alpha Titan in his own right. Such is his immense power. Let's assume Monarch did listen to the government and kill all the Titans while they were dormant — their attempt to kill Ghidorah would likely only awaken him. With the other Titans, including Ghidorah's rivals, dead, there'd be no hope of stopping Ghidorah from destroying whatever's left of the Earth's biosphere as he sees fit.
• For those of us who think the Strawman Has a Point, if Emma hadn't released Ghidorah and her plan went off without a hitch, the human race would've had a terrible day in the short term. Still, humans and Titans would coexist afterward, and the planet would be in harmony with many more solutions than problems, right? This YouTube comment perfectly explains why we'd be wrong to think that. ^Quoted"People say she was right are missing the point. The Titans are vital to the planet and would help restore balance, but only under Godzilla. If her plan had worked (i.e. no Ghidorah), she and Jonah would be the ones controlling the Titans and determining who lives and dies via the ORCA. And if you've read the hidden credits, humans also tried commanding monsters at one point via calling horns, only to lead to a Human/Titan war, meaning it would only be a matter of time until the ORCA-controlled Titans would revolt. And while her concerns about Monarch controlled by the military are valid, voluntarily releasing the Titans ultimately worsened the situation and led to them dropping the Oxygen Destroyer on Godzilla, nearly dooming the Earth.
  • As Serizawa said, "The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control and not the other way around." "
• Consider the damage level that the fight between Godzilla and the MUTOs, and the MUTOs in general, caused. This movie has four kaiju at minimum, all of which dwarf the MUTOs in power (the MUTOs only had one unique ability that only caused indirect damage, Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah all have abilities capable of destroying entire cities), and if King Ghidorah is anything like his previous counterparts, imagine the amount of damage they will cause.
• Serizawa mentions that Mothra and Ghidorah aren't the first Titan specimens captured by Alan Jonah and his paramilitary gang. What happened to others, especially if they were living?
  • The same scene mentions Jonah is involved in a "new and dangerous" market that traffics Titan DNA.
  • Jonah's paramilitary gang may be a bunch of pro-Titan eco-terrorists, but from what we've seen, they're more likely to own ferocious guide dogs trained to be efficient than sweet-hearted, cared-for pups. And bear in mind that their leader is a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist. He will turn to Insane Troll Logic to justify himself when you call out the Omnicidal Mania of his supposedly noble actions.
• Remember how Gareth Edwards said in the 2014 film that humans are like ants to the kaiju, mostly ignoring and swatting us away when we start stinging them? With that analogy, Ghidorah is the equivalent of a kid burning ants with a magnifying glass, reveling in their pain for his twisted amusement.
• So, Ghidorah is an alien Titan. That raises a whole lot of horrifying questions:
  • How did he get here? If he's capable of independent space travel, like his older incarnations, then there could be more Ghidorahs, but they could also be coming to Earth in time.
  • Did other aliens put Ghidorah here if he didn't come to Earth of his own volition? If so, why and will they be coming back?
  • What other Titans out there could come from beyond the stars? And how do we know that, in his environment, Ghidorah was actually the alpha species? As terrifying as he is, Ghidorah might not be the apex lifeform of his environment.
  • Speaking further on the above, Ghidorah's extreme sadistic behavior towards all life it encounters coupled with the indications of his Apocalypse How was turning the Earth into a storm-wrought, lifeless, and radiation-bombarded Hell on Earth brings up another question. If Ghidorah's behavior results from whatever extraterrestrial environment it originally hails from, what kind of hellish environment is Ghidorah's homeworld to create a monster like him?
  • During his appearance in Isla de Mara and Washington D.C., the sky and environment look eerily similar to some artists' impression of Venus's surface. It is quite possible that just like in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Ghidorah is also why Venus became the blazing hot hellscape it is today before he targeted Earth as his next "playground."
• A deleted scene shows Madison in kickboxing practice with one of Jonah's men while Jonah and some of his group watch, with Jonah taking pleasure in watching Madison vent her anger. In the audio commentary, Michael Dougherty reveals that the scene shows some of Madison's survival training, which Emma alluded to earlier during her manifesto. The scene depicts Madison's character development as she's on the edge of joining the dark side because of her mom's deception and their complicity in causing global destruction and millions of deaths. Emma notices and calls her back from the edge before their argument in the corridor.
  • This video shows how Jonah could've exploited Madison's emotional vulnerability if he were a more conniving opportunist and Emma hadn't intervened. With Madison disillusioned with Emma and distancing herself from her, Jonah could have taken advantage of Madison's inner turmoil, encouraged her to go over the edge, and started grooming her into another of his followers. Jonah might've wanted to use Madison to replace his murdered daughter Lindy/surrogate son Asher (whom Col. Foster killed in Antarctica). Corrupting Madison and taking her from Emma may even be a petty tactic for Jonah to assert his dominance over Emma. If Emma hadn't made Madison an emotional wreck after manipulating her, Madison wouldn't have become an easy target for Jonah to indoctrinate into his misanthropic beliefs.
• At one point in the movie, the Monarch crew returns to Godzilla's nest and finds themselves amidst an Advanced Ancient Acropolis filled with carvings of its former populace worshipping Godzilla and the other Titans. Considering Ghidorah and Godzilla once fought each other thousands of years ago and evaluating a lack of landmass around the city... was the intensity of their battle the reason Atlantis sank?
• In the first film, the military tries to initiate a plan to use a nuke to kill the MUTOs and Godzilla but fails because the MUTOs saw it as food. Serizawa voluntarily detonates a nuclear warhead on Godzilla to charge him up, but it works too well as too much radiation makes him a literal atomic weapon. If that plan had even worked, Godzilla would have been a walking nuke that might destroy half of the United States because of his size.
• Emma Russell is an Expy of Joe Brody from the first film: Someone dedicated to a cause and forcing it on people; they wreck their family life but eventually realize they were wrong and harming their family. However, it comes near the end of their lives.
• What killed Emma? Did she succumb to her injuries shortly after her one-liner? Was she roasted alive by Godzilla's nuclear pulses, crushed by Ghidorah when he fell backward, or worse, somehow managed to survive all that and is doomed to die of exposure in the ruined radiation-filled city? The novelization reveals that Emma dies from her injuries shortly before Burning Godzilla appears.
• The original 1954 movie made it a point to say how terrifying the Oxygen Destroyer was, with Dr. Serizawa going so far as to burn all his research notes and allow himself to die with Godzilla when it was deployed so that no one else would be able to recreate the weapon and use it for their purposes. That's not the case in this continuity at all. For better or worse, the United States military has its Oxygen Destroyer, and it's likely only a matter of time before more nations can develop their versions. The Pandora's Box that it represents has been officially opened.
  • And let's not forget that the Oxygen Destroyer eventually gave birth to Destroyah!
  • The films only show the Destroyer's use underwater. What if a truly insane, genocidal lunatic gets their hands on one and goes for a midair detonation over a densely populated city?
• Monarch's website implies that ancient cultures may have offered Human Sacrifices to Rodan to ensure his benevolence. Given that Rodan exists in this setting, can he physically show up for said sacrifices? How many innocent and likely terrified people were thrown into his waiting beak to ensure he didn't go on a rampage? He seems pretty eager to eat those pilots in his first scene in the film...
• In the movie, several people are eaten by Ghidorah and Rodan—whole. How long were they alive before rubble or teeth killed them? How long were they conscious? Did they have time to realize their fate before the end? Goji Center even posted a video exploring this topic, which could look better.
• Ghidorah's Bizarre Alien Biology parallels octopi (see the Fridge Brilliance section) — and octopus limbs in Real Life can continue to perform motor and sensory functions even after being severed from the main body. Further possible evidence that the leftover decapitated Ghidorah head is secretly still alive at the end of the film, or at least didn't die straight away when ripped off.
• Related to Been There, Shaped History aspect of Ghidorah, and how he is the source of the Proto-Indo-European myth of Chaoskampf in the Monsterverse (and by extension, mythological creatures derived from that like Lernaean Hydra, Jörmungandr, Azhi Dahaka, Vritra, and others. All have serpentine features) Proto-Indo-European (or their even earlier ancestors) possibly witnessed the calamities Ghidorah caused firsthand, and the titanic battle between Godzilla and Ghidorah, hence the "slaying the serpent" myth.
• Ghidorah trying to inflict a mass extinction that'll wipe out all non-kaiju multicellular life on the planet is extremely bad. There's also something else to consider: if this incarnation of Ghidorah does intend to rule over the Earth permanently after destroying it (unlike most of his embodiments in previous continuities, which were serial Planet Killers who'd ruin a planet and then move on), then Ghidorah's continued presence will likely ensure that life on the empty planet will never have a chance to re-evolve from scratch, possibly to the day the sun expands to consume the Earth depending on for how long Ghidorah can live.
• Are the Titans the planetary ecosphere's antibodies acting to replenish, maintain, and defend it? In that case, what'll happen when all the Titans currently alive have died of old age, considering that most of them are the Last of His Kind? Titans might be biologically immortal since the ones we see are already millions of years old. But the only reason the Titans have lived that long might be their long dormancy periods, slowing their aging processes in suspended animation.
  • It brings up another bit of Fridge Horror—each of these Titans is the last of their kind; in most cases, once the individuals die, their species will disappear from the Earth forever.
• The film subtly hints at it and doesn't explore it in-depth; however, there's a lot of evidence (including a deleted scene and the novelization) to conclude that Madison has been a victim of emotional abuse from her mother since she was six or seven years old.
  • After Andrew died, Madison suffered neglect as Mark started drinking, and Emma became a workaholic while losing her mind but keeping up appearances well enough. Meanwhile, Madison felt she had to please her parents to keep the family together. When Mark left after he and Emma divorced, Emma took it personally and committed parental alienation—one parent (usually the custodial one) says or does things to their child to turn the kid against the estranged parent, regardless of whether or not the claims are valid—which sometimes happens after bitter separations/divorces and is often done out of resentment toward the ex, like in this case. Emma saw Mark leaving her and Madison as a betrayal and conspired to turn Madison against him out of petty spite. She likely also interfered with Mark and Madison's interactions to widen the rift between them; she watched Madison closely to ensure they stayed estranged and that Madison couldn't warn Mark about Emma's plan. Emma gaslights Madison, manipulating her child's perception of the family situation so she can have her all to herself.
  • In roping Madison into her plan, Emma took advantage of her daughter's eagerness to please, grooming her into partaking in global mass murder. She ensured Madison's approval and cooperation by using Andrew as leverage and feeding her a sugarcoated plan based on skewed information that a young child would eat up, shaping Madison's environmental beliefs and political views about the Titans to match hers instead of letting Madison form her own opinions. Plus, Emma subjected Madison to tough love through survival training, which, given the context and Emma's mental instability, sounds like raising her almost like a child soldier but without weapons. Madison's loyalty to her parents becomes conflicted; she still loves her father but is now wary of him because of Emma's lies, and she also wants to be a good daughter to her mother and make her happy, oblivious to Emma's manipulations.
  • Once people start dying and Madison gets severely traumatized, Emma invalidates her pain by telling her to tough it out for the sake of the plan's success and making excuses for her actions, like leaving Mark for dead in Antarctica was an accident. Madison serving as her tagalong confidence booster matters more to Emma than her daughter's mental health. When Mark gets involved and gives Madison an out, Emma abuses her authority as Madison's mother and covertly guilt-trips Madison into staying with her. Once Madison starts thinking for herself, she finally confronts her mom for her lies but still doesn't want to think badly of her despite the extensive proof of Emma's insanity; yet, everything hits Madison like a ton of bricks upon realizing her mom played her for a fool for years. The harsh realization of Emma's deceit and the consequences of naively trusting her are enough for Madison to sever ties with her mother, and the damage from all the years of hidden child abuse overwhelms her, leading to guilt and self-hatred.

Fridge Logic

• Why would Madison blindly go along with her mother's "save the world" plan and not have any second thoughts about it until too far into it? She seemingly does for a moment while writing an email to send to her dad in the beginning based on the last line that she types about starting to worry about Emma; Madison wanted to warn Mark about what would happen but didn't get the chance. Emma probably saw and took advantage of Madison's desire to help her heal after the divorce, so Emma slowly indoctrinated Madison into following her ideology about saving the planet and making her loyal to the cause. Emma only told her of benevolent Titans like Godzilla, Kong, and Mothra, sugarcoated the plan, and dispelled the idea of it ever going haywire. Emma warned Madison that some people would die, but it wouldn't be much of a problem if they were careful, and everything would be worthwhile. Emma also forced Madison to keep the plan on the down-low, leaving Madison unable to hear any conflicting stances about it and get any second opinions while growing up, so she didn't know the plan could backfire after years of Emma making her see it through rose-tinted glasses. Emma coaxed her underage daughter into partaking in criminal acts under the delusion they would help people, like a manipulator duping someone into joining a cult or violent radicalized group, believing their actions would make the world a better place.
  • Because Emma tricked her into supporting and participating in terrorism, Madison will undoubtedly develop emotional problems from the trauma and Emma's mind games. She, a 12-year-old kid, also has to live with being complicit in almost destroying the world and killing thousands/millions of people on her conscience for the rest of her life and—as the Godzilla vs. Kong novelization reveals—the infamy and discrimination for being Emma's daughter.
• Besides Emma indoctrinating her into eco-terrorism, why doesn't Madison take the chance to escape to Mark in Antarctica? The novelization—and an alternate version of the hallway argument—have dialogue revealing that Emma told Madison that Mark left them because he became a drunk who stopped loving them and didn't want to be with them anymore. Then Emma bitterly explains it's because Mark chose to leave them in the first place. After Andrew's death, Emma felt she and Mark had to step up for Madison's sake, but Mark failed and left them when they needed him most. Hurt by Mark's "desertion," Emma twisted the truth about Mark to Madison to poison her against him. So when Emma calls her back from Mark in Antarctica, her brainwashing makes Madison so conflicted about where her loyalties should lie that she stays with Emma and Jonah.
• Multiple moments in the film show that Emma is still heavily affected by Andrew's death. She tells certain people (Jonah, Mark, and Monarch) that she's releasing the Titans to save the planet, but Madison calls B.S. since Emma told her that she was doing everything for Andrew. Once Madison runs away, Emma doesn't hesitate to drop her whole "save the world" ploy as Madison's life now takes priority for her. Emma likely never truly believed in her mass awakening plot.
  • This YouTube video explains that Emma might blame humanity for Andrew's death based on her speech to Mark and Monarch. While Mark blamed Godzilla and became an alcoholic to cope, Emma considered the bigger picture and found society at fault instead of blaming one person or creature in particular. Perhaps Emma freeing the Titans is just an outlet for her grief; Emma's sorrow possibly corrupted and drove her to express it by unleashing the Titans to cause widespread destruction to the world to punish humankind and use Andrew to justify it.
  • Given how Emma emphasizes that Madison now has a fighting chance during her manifesto and how she dumps her plan once Madison endangers herself, Madison may have also been part of Emma's true motive all along. Emma doesn't want to lose her second child to another event caused by humanity's negligence, so she seeks to create a better world for Madison and save her from sharing Andrew's fate.
• Why does Madison recklessly flee to her house after escaping Fenway Park? She's still a terrified child, alone and trying to find shelter in a warzone. What is a kid likely to do in that situation? Go somewhere familiar that they associate with safety and other positive feelings. Madison hides from the chaos in her family home but quickly realizes she isn't better off there than anywhere else.

Fridge Sadness

• HISHE poked fun at how quick and willing Serizawa was to volunteer for a Heroic Suicide. Considering Serizawa's close relationship with Vivienne Graham, who gets killed by Ghidorah earlier in the film (with the novelization and other Manual materials shedding further light on Graham and Serizawa's relationship), he might've actually had a death wish after losing her.
• Overlapping with Heartwarming. Mark Russell's decision to leave Castle Bravo and look for Madison during Ghidorah's Apocalypse How before Mothra shows up is already presented as a narrowly-averted case of Didn't Think This Through, but there might be more to it. It wouldn't be out of character that Mark is just pulling another Leeroy Jenkins. Still, considering Serizawa established in the previous scene that there's nothing that can stop Ghidorah with Godzilla gone now, it could be that Mark expects to find his daughter so they can spend whatever little time they have left together before Ghidorah's apocalypse inevitably causes their deaths.
• Madison and Mark watching Emma's death becomes darker when you realize it's a lot like the last time one of the family tragically died: dying in an apocalyptic hellscape of a city ravaged by battling Titans.
• Serizawa wouldn't have had to make his Heroic Sacrifice if the military hadn't wounded Godzilla with the Oxygen Destroyer in the first place. Like his father, he died because of an American weapon of mass destruction.
• Considering how poorly her parents dealt with Andrew's untimely demise, Madison seems to have moved on from losing her brother and be the mentally healthiest one in the Russell family. But Emma using Andrew to manipulate and exposing her to Jonah's violence and an evil Titan like Ghidorah probably makes Madison the most emotionally damaged after all is said and done.

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