Find out the secrets of the Titans in our Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer breakdown! Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. just released an epic new trailer for the bigger and badder Godzilla sequel, where the giant fire-breathing lizard will do battle with his fellow Titans, including Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.
The third movie in Legendary’s MonsterVerse is a sequel to the Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla and it will also set up the next chapter, 2020’s Godzilla Vs. Kong, which will be the clash between the fully-grown giant ape of Skull Island and the giant lizard. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is significantly raising the stakes from what fans have seen before, with the fate of the entire world going to be decided depending on which kaiju emerges victorious.
There are also plenty of human characters caught in the middle of Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ giant kaiju fights. The top-secret government agency Monarch, which is dedicated to tracking and cataloguing the enormous beasts, is represented by Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga), who is kidnapped along with her daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) by a mysterious organization who are pursuing their own agenda and believe that the Titans are the first and rightful rulers of the planet. Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chander), Emma’s husband, joins up with Monarch’s Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) to rescue Emma and Madison, as the fate of the world hangs in the balance when Godzilla faces off against the other monsters.
The new Godzilla 2 trailer offers some amazing visuals and tantalizing new story details about King of the Monsters, so let’s dive in and discover the hidden secrets and surprises in our Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer breakdown.
30. Madison Russell Calls For Help
The Godzilla 2 trailer begins with Madison Russell in a room with old-fashioned communication equipment. She’s trying to send a distress call. “Hello? Is anyone there? I’m trying to reach–” she says as she hears a garbled voice respond “Is anyone out there?” before the deafening sound of Godzilla or another kaiju forces her to cover her ears in pain.
Madison and her mother Dr. Emma Russell are kidnapped in the film by a mysterious organization, but it seems like at this moment, Madison has found a way to try to call for help. Unfortunately, the sounds of the Titans’ screaming overwhelms her. Could this be in the Antarctic location where King Ghidorah awakens, with Godzilla arriving to try to stop him?
29. Dead Fish
Madison’s message is intercut with a shot of the ocean with dead fish littering the surface with a buoy in the distance. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the Earth is suffering from an environmental catastrophe that the mysterious anti-Monarch organization attributes to humanity’s negligence towards the planet. It seems like the changing Earth is killing the fish in the oceans - possibly cutting off a food supply to kaiju like Godzilla who dwell in the depths.
28. Rodan Emerges From a Volcano
Next in the Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer, Rodan rises and begins to wreak havoc around the world. The enormous Pteranodon-like Titan’s resting place was teased by the Monarch Sciences website as a volcano in Isla de Mona, Mexico, and he indeed rises from a volcano erupting in lava, smoke, and ash. As thousands of people flee in terror, we see Rodan’s shadow soar over and demolish what looks like a town in Mexico, thanks to the sonic thunderclap generated by his massive wings.
27. The Military Arrives in Washington, D.C. - And Finds Ghidorah
Washington D.C. looks to be the location of the epic final battle between the Titans to determine who is the King of the Monsters. From the cockpit of an aircraft, we see the damaged dome of the U.S. Capitol building while fighter jets zoom in the direction of the Washington Monument and King Ghidorah overhead, as the blackened skies emit lightning - likely due to Ghidorah’s wings having the sheer power to create massive electrical storms.
26. A Monarch Plane
During the aerial battle over Washington, D.C. all kinds of military aircraft are seen fighting the Titans, but one unusual plane makes a couple of appearances. This mystery aircraft seems like it belongs to Monarch and it could be specially designed to fight the giant monsters. It could also be Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ version of the Super X, the anti-nuclear attack plane that was seen in 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, a cool callback and upgrade to the franchise’s past.
Page 2: Mystery Titans, and More From The Godzilla: King of the Monsters Trailer
25. Arrival at the Antarctic Base
Next we see a rotor winged transport plane arrive at the Monarch Antarctic base. This is the location where King Ghidorah is buried in a huge wall of ice. Before Ghidorah is awakened, the mysterious character played by Charles Dance brings Emma and Madison here. Dance’s mystery man is likely in charge of the other secret organization in the film that believes the Titans are the rightful rulers of the Earth. We saw in the first trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters that Emma Russell delivers an ultimatum under duress about humanity’s mass extinction from this Antarctic base (apparently in the same room Madison tries to send her distress call from).
24. Godzilla: King of the Monsters Fifth Titan
While King of the Monsters’ main kaiju are Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah, it seems like other Titans are awakened during the course of the film. The Titan emerging from a mountain could be Angurius! The giant armadillo-like kaiju debuted in 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again, which was the second Toho Godzilla film. Angurius was also the first monster Godzilla ever fought, so it would be fitting for Angurius to appear in King of the Monsters.
23. A Scorpion Titan?
There’s a shot of a kaiju with gigantic scorpion-like legs and tail emerging from the desert underneath oil pumps. Could this be the Sasori Monster? The Sasori Monster is an unused scorpion kaiju design from 1992’s Godzilla Vs. Mothra. This mystery Titan could also be Ts-eh-Go, a mutant scorpion from Godzilla: The Series and a shout out to the 1998 Sony Godzilla.
The Monarch Sciences viral website has teased nearly two dozen other beasts scattered around the globe; the events of King of the Monsters could mean every Titan eventually awakens and some could be cool Easter eggs to past Godzilla franchises.
22. Mark Russell
We see a red-hued shot of Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) flanked by soldiers (likely members of Monarch’s military wing G-Team) in cold-weather gear arriving in what looks like the Antarctic Monarch station that houses the dormant King Ghidorah. Though little is yet known about him, Russell is the male lead of the film and he is a Monarch-affiliated scientist who spearheads a rescue mission for his kidnapped wife Emma and their daughter Madison.
21. Charles Dance
One of the biggest mysteries in King of the Monsters is who Charles Dance is playing. The Game of Thrones’ alum appears to be the man who leads the mystery group that kidnaps Emma and Madison Russell, and he takes them to the Monarch Antarctic station where King Ghidorah sleeps - and awakens. There are rumors that a character from Kong: Skull Island returns in Godzilla 2; it could be that Charles Dance is playing an older version of Tom Hiddleston’s character, Captain James Conrad. Some fans theorize Dance may also be the human villain of the film. What we do know so far is that Dance gets to utter the line, “Long live the King!”
Page 3: The Threat of Ghidorah & Monarch In Godzilla: King of the Monsters
20. Ghidorah Rises
Ghidorah may be the real King of the Monsters. The titanic dragon is thawed out, rises and attacks with all of his three-headed, fire-breathing fury. Ghidorah is the biggest and most fearsome kaiju in King of the Monsters, and Monarch categorizes him as Monster Zero, a living extinction-level event. The human soldiers of Monarch prove no match for him when Ghidorah is finally awakened.
19. The Senate Hears About The Titans
Thomas Middleditch plays Sam Coleman, the communications liaison between Monarch and the U.S. Government. Coleman addresses the Senate about the Titans. “Which of these Titans are here to protect us and which of these Titans are here to threaten us?” he asks as the trailer seemingly answers the question by showing Mothra when Coleman says “protect us” and Ghidorah after Coleman says “threaten us” (with a shot of a flame-winged Rodan in the middle of the sentence).
18. We’re Godzilla’s Pet
A key figure at this Senate hearing include Ken Watanabe returning as Dr. Serizawa. When a Senator asks “So you’d want us to make Godzilla our pet?” responds “No, we would be his.” This isn’t just dialogue as memorable as his immortal “Let them fight!”, it implies that Godzilla, for better or worse, is humanity’s protector, benevolently looking out for us lesser beings. Also in attendance at this hearing is David Strathairn, reprising his role as Rear Admiral William Stenz from Godzilla 2014.
17. Dr. Vivienne Graham Returns
Another character returning from Godzilla 2014 is Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins), who was Dr. Serizawa’s assistant in the previous film. In the trailer, she specifically addresses Ghidorah as “A rival alpha to Godzilla.” Given that Sally Hawkins is fresh from an Academy Award-nominated Best Actress performance in The Shape of Water, Vivienne Graham may have a larger role in King of the Monsters.
16. Godzilla Makes Contact With Monarch In The Ocean
It seems like Monarch actively seeks Godzilla’s help in King of the Monsters, which is a contrast to how Godzilla completely ignored all humans and anything human-made as he chased after the M.U.T.O.s in the 2014 film. We see a shot from an underwater window where an unidentified man is lit up by the blue lights that Godzilla emits from his scales (which power his atomic fire breath). There’s also a shot where Godzilla is seen through the window quickly swimming past Monarch underwater, which frightens the humans but also gives an indication of how fast Godzilla can swim.
Page 4: Godzilla’s Role In King of the Monsters Explored
15. Dr. Chen
A new character named Dr. Chen is played by Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha). Dr. Chen is a Monarch scientist who specializes in the mythological backgrounds of the Titans, which is useful as many of the monsters have been historically worshipped as deities across different cultures all over the world. Her mother and grandmother also once worked for Monarch so it’s possible Dr. Chen is the descendant of San Lin (Jing Tian), Monarch’s biologist from Kong: Skull Island.
14. Godzilla Battles Ghidorah In The Antarctic
This is one of the big money shots of the film! Monarch is witness to the first showdown between Godzilla and Ghidorah in thousands of years as the giant lizard arrives in Antarctica to prevent the newly awakened dragon from getting loose - and he apparently fails. This shot is not only epic, it also conveys the size difference between the 300 foot-tall Godzilla and the 500 foot-tall Ghidorah, who is the biggest of the Titans by far.
13. Barnes And G-Team
Monarch isn’t just made up of scientists; they also have a special military component dubbed G-Team. O’Shea Jackson plays Chief Warrant Officer Barnes, and he and G-Team take on the Titans in Antactica and when the monsters rampage in the United States. G-Team is likely based on the military organization G-Force, which appeared in movies like Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2 and Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.
We see Barnes and G-Team accompany Monarch to the Antarctic site where Ghidorah gets loose and then Godzilla confronts him - which is likely the reason Barnes exclaims, “You gotta be kidding!” Not only are Barnes and G-Team futilely opening fire at the Titans from the snow-covered ground, the clash between Godzilla and Ghidorah is also witnessed by Mark Russell and other G-Team soldiers from a bunker beneath the ice.
12. Godzilla Held Captive?
At some point in King of the Monsters, it looks like Godzilla falls (possibly defeated by Ghidorah in their first fight) and he may even be held captive by Monarch (or the other mystery organization). There’s a shot of the fallen Godzilla in front of a building in flames, possibly the Antarctic base that has been destroyed by the Titans’ fighting, and a close-up shot of Godzilla’s eye. This could be the giant lizard’s low point in the film before his big comeback for his final fight with Ghidorah.
11. Madison Is Concerned About Godzilla
“You sure he’s gonna be okay?” Madison asks her mother, presumably about Godzilla when the titular Titan has fallen, likely at Ghidorah’s hands. The role Madison Russell will truly play in King of the Monsters is a big mystery (one theory suggests that Madison could be a new version of one of Mothra’s fairies) but she seems to be on the side of the (good) Titans. Millie Bobby Brown is also returning in a lead role in Godzilla Vs. Kong, so there is much more to this teenage girl and her greater significance to the MonsterVerse than meets the eye.
Page 5: More of our Godzilla: King of the Monsters Trailer Breakdown
10. Dr. Emma Russell Is Distressed
Meanwhile, a great deal falls on the shoulders of Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell. She’s kidnapped by a mystery organization, she has to protect her daughter Madison, but her role in Monarch is as a paleobiologist who discovers a way to communicate with the Titans. Is Dr. Russell the reason why Godzilla ultimately rises to fight for humanity or does her discovery also allow for the humans and Godzilla to communicate, and thus work together to win in the end.
It’s interesting to note that while Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler are listed among the cast of Godzilla Vs. Kong, Vera Farmiga is not. It’s possible Emma makes an ultimate sacrifice in order to save the world from Ghidorah, leaving Madison without her mother in the next film.
9. Something Falls From Space
There is a quick but ominous shot of an egg-like object vertically falling from outer space. Could this be how Ghidorah arrives on Earth? In the original Toho film, King Ghidorah was a space dragon that destroyed the planet Venus before making Earth his next target, and it took the combined effort of Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra to chase Ghidorah away from Earth.
This shot could be a part of a flashback set thousands of years ago explaining the origin of how Ghidorah came to Earth, which makes him an alien invader like in the original Japanese classic, and not a Titan of Earth like Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan. It’s possible, in a nod to Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster, King of the Monsters could end in the same way: with the dragon fleeing Earth instead of being killed by Godzilla.
Read More: Godzilla 2 Makes Ghidorah’s Alien Origin Canon In The MonsterVerse
8. “They’re Everywhere.”
In the trailer, we see Dr. Vivienne Graham speaking to Mark Russell about the awakening of the Titans: “They’re everywhere. Battling for dominance.” It seems like the outbreak of Titans all over the globe are a critical problem, even while Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and Ghidorah are battling each other. What becomes of the other Titans that awaken in the film, and can Monarch and Godzilla possibly stop them all?
7. Meet Mothra
Dubbed Titanus Mosura by Monarch, Mothra also rises from her resting place in China to join the battle, presumably on the side of the humans. We see the backs of Madison, Emma, and other humans’ heads as they come face to face with the Queen of the Monsters, who comes out of her larval stage at the Monarch containment site. Mothra will be seen both in her larval and imago stages in King of the Monsters.
6. Mothra’s God Rays
It seems like when Mothra awakens, she quickly grows out of her larval stage and into her more battle-ready imago stage, where she develops fully-grown wings and long, scythe-like front and hind legs. Mothra also unleashes her most potent weapon: her God Rays, a new power she exhibits in King of the Monsters. Theres a shot of an unidentified man shielding his eyes in the full blast of Mothra’s bioluminescent God Rays - the Queen of the Monster’s awesomely blinding power.
Page 6: The Big Fights of Godzilla: King of the Monsters
5. Mothra Joins The Fight
Designated by Monarch as the Queen of the Monsters, Mothra is certainly no weak link among the Titans and she exhibits incredible skills at aerial combat. We see a full body shot of Mothra attacking while in flight and then another close up of the Titan with her colorful, luminescent wings lit up with a blue hue. It seems Mothra and Godzilla both share a blue colored light, although Mothra’s God Rays are a brilliant, blinding yellow.
4. Rodan’s Aerial Skills
Monarch designates Rodan as The One Born of Fire and it’s a proper nickname for the flying Titan. The Pternadon-like creature may be massive, but he’s also got unmatched aerial combat skills. Rodan not only takes on other kaiju but the air force also does battle with him. However, it seems like human weapons can’t harm the flame-emitting monster as we see Rodan execute an amazing spin move to harmlessly shake off missiles shot at him by fighter jets.
3. Ghidorah Grabs A Plane
Rodan isn’t the only airborne Titan with combat moves in the sky. Once Ghidorah gets loose, he attacks American cities, necessitating a military response, however futile. There’s an amazing shot of a fighter jet trying to outrun Ghidorah giving chase, with the dragon reaching out to grab onto the aircraft with his claws. With Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan all able to take flight and fight in the skies, this puts Godzilla at an extreme disadvantage.
2. Serizawa’s Pocket Watch
There’s a shot of a pocketwatch, which belongs to Dr. Serizawa and is a callback to Godzilla 2014 and the history of Monarch itself. In the prior Godzilla movie, while he’s on board the U.S. Navy air craft carrier chasing Godzilla trying to convince the Americans not to drop a nuke on the Titan, Serizawa tells Rear Admiral William Stenz that the pocketwatch belonged to his father, who secretly worked for Monarch during its early years.
The watch stopped at 8:15 in the morning on August 6, 1945 - the date and time of the Hiroshima bombing in World War II, which Serizawa survived. It seems Serizawa still has the pocketwatch, which is clearly of great emotional significance to him and probably makes him feel closer to his father, in whose footsteps he followed as part of Monarch and as an admirer of Godzilla.
1. Godzilla V Ghidorah: King of Monsters
The main event clash between Godzilla and Ghidorah happens twice in King of the Monsters and the trailer delivers two money shots of them facing off. One happens in Antarctica and the second collision happens as part of the film’s climax in a stormy Washington, D.C., where the two great Titans charge at each other, stomping over buildings as they are about to collide.
Amusingly, both money shots are reminscient of when the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight faced off in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, with the showdown in rainy D.C. especially resembling the heroes facing off in rainy Gotham. Of course, this makes sense as a wink to the DCEU as Warner Bros. is the studio behind both franchises. However, this monstrous clash of the Titans to determine whether the fire-breathing lizard truly deserves the title Godzilla: King of the Monsters surely won’t end because both of their mothers happen to be named Martha.
Next: Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Every Update You Need To Know
- Godzilla 2 Release Date: 2019-05-31 Godzilla Vs Kong Release Date: 2021-03-31
