Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
Recommended reading
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Sci-Fi Movies Next Godzilla x Kong movie announces title with a dramatic new teaser – and it's already in production
Jurassic World: Rebirth trailer still showing the D-Rex
Sci-Fi Movies Jurassic World: Rebirth goes full fantasy with a new crop of mutant dinosaurs including one that looks like a T-rex "designed by HR Giger" which then "had sex with a Rancor"
Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Sci-Fi Movies Every dinosaur in Jurassic World Rebirth, listed
Godzilla Minus One
Superhero Movies Superman director James Gunn says the DC film is inspired by the best Godzilla movie in decades: "At its core it's a human story"
Emma Stone in Bugonia
Sci-Fi Movies Emma Stone stars in frenetic first trailer for Poor Things director's remake of cult South Korean sci-fi comedy
Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World Rebirth
Action Movies Final trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth shows water is just as dangerous as land, as Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey face off against new dinosaur foes
Lego Godzilla model seen from the side, breathing blue 'fire'
Toys & Collectibles The king of all monster Lego sets is on its way with a simply enormous Lego Godzilla kit
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Horror Movies

12 Awesome Monsters For The Godzilla Reboot

Features
By Andy Lowe published 7 January 2011

Mad moths, laser squirrels, swamp things...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Gamera

Gamera

What Is It? A giant turtle thing. Created by a rival studio to head up an alternative to the Godzilla franchise. But he’s a good guy, so, politics permitting, a team-up with Godzilla could work - as long as the film’s villain monster doesn’t live in a lettuce patch.

First Seen In... Gamera (1965)

Origin: Slept under Arctic ice until an atomic blast woke him up.

Powers: Flying, breathing fire, walking upright, eating really slowly, falling off the edge of tables.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Christian Bale.

Page 1 of 13
Page 1 of 13
Mothra

Mothra

What Is It? A giant woman moth thing. Usually accompanied by two little fairy butterflies who do the talking for her. Genuinely popular with Japanese girls.

First Seen In... Mothra (1961). Met Godzilla for the first time in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964). Godzilla won.

Origin: A big blue egg from, it would seem, space.

Powers: Emits poisonous dust, shoots laser rays from antennae, zaps lightning bolts from wings, telepathic. Can’t throw a ball to save its life, though.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Dakota Fanning.

Page 2 of 13
Page 2 of 13
Rodan

Rodan

What Is It? A giant green pterodactyl thing. Looks worryingly chicken-like from some angles.

First Seen In... Rodan (1956)

Origin: Unearthed by an ill-advised mining operation - along with a swarm of prehistoric, people-eating insects.

Powers: It can create hurricane-force winds and blast out destructive sonic booms. Also, flies really fast, weighs 16,000 tons, tears up buildings with titanic talons and is forced to bob its head backwards and forwards as it walks for some reason.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Ray Liotta.

Page 3 of 13
Page 3 of 13
King Ghidorah

King Ghidorah

What Is It? A giant dragon thing. With three heads.

First Seen In... Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Origin: Space. Controlled by evil beings from Planet X, just outside Jupiter.

Powers: Breathing fire, flying really fast, making hurricane winds come out of his wings, really annoying high-pitched squawking.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Anne Hathaway.

Page 4 of 13
Page 4 of 13
King Ghidorah

King Ghidorah

What Is It? A giant dragon thing. With three heads.

First Seen In... Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Origin: Space. Controlled by evil beings from Planet X, just outside Jupiter.

Powers: Breathing fire, flying really fast, making hurricane winds come out of his wings, really annoying high-pitched squawking.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Anne Hathaway.

Page 5 of 13
Page 5 of 13
Gigan

Gigan

What Is It? A giant spiky monster thing. Not really something you would care to meet down a dark alley. Unless you're blind.

First Seen In... Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Origin: He's a mate of King Ghidorah's. Both of them took the trip from space to Earth together, possibly sharing the driving and popping sweets into each other's mouths.

Powers: He's got enormous great metal hooks instead of hands which, should frantic stabbing prove ineffective, he can also use to shoot out explosive charges at your face.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Seth Rogen.

Page 6 of 13
Page 6 of 13
Hedorah

Hedorah

What Is It? Jesus, we don’t know. It’s supposed to be an evolved tadpole (from space). But it’s more like a child’s plasticine model that’s been left alone in a daycare centre during a summer heatwave, mocked by spiteful Ben 10 action figures and forced to remain still and stoical as sun-sheltering house spiders scuttle across its forehead.

First Seen In... Godzilla vs Hedorah (1971)

Origin: A pond in space.

Powers: According to some frightening fansite we’ve found, Hedorah is Godzilla’s most powerful adversary. It can squirt CHUNKS OF ITS OWN ACIDIC BODY at opponents, as well as firing a laser gun from out of its eye.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Carey Mulligan.

Page 7 of 13
Page 7 of 13
King Kong

King Kong

What Is It? A giant ape thing. Obviously.

First Seen In... King Kong (1933)

Origin: Prehistoric gorilla who, according to Godzilla lore, loped across a land bridge from Asia to Skull Island where he lived like a lord and ate women.

Powers: Grunting, roaring, chest-beating, ice-skating.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Colin Firth.

Page 8 of 13
Page 8 of 13
Varan

Varan

What Is It? A giant flying squirrel thing with horns on its back.

First Seen In... Varan (1958)

Origin: He’s the 'mountain god' of an understandably compliant village. Annoyed by a nearby scientific study of butterflies (really) he emerges from his mountain lair and attacks Tokyo. Pre-Godzilla, he’s eventually destroyed by bombs containing “special gunpowder” (really again).

Powers: Membranes under his arms let him leap and glide around disturbingly. He can also level buildings with a swish of his tail and, in some incarnations, fire a ball of energy out of his mouth. Godzilla then bats it back at him. Astonishingly, this dual monster weapon interplay was responsible for table-tennis being big in Japan in the ‘50s.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Morgan Freeman.

Page 9 of 13
Page 9 of 13
Manda

Manda

What Is It? A giant snake thing. Or possibly a dragon with a long neck... Sorry. Godzilla.com doesn’t really make it clear.

First Seen In... Atragon (1963)

Origin: He was a dragon (ah!) who lived in the sea and attacked warships which fought him off with electric shocks and he tried to swim away but he was shot by a powerful freezing cannon and aliens came down and took control of Manda and made him attack humans until humans freed him from alien mind control and made him attack them back.

Powers: Crushing with his body, fast swimming, breathing underwater, strategic hissing.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Brenda Blethyn.

Page 10 of 13
Page 10 of 13
Mechagodzilla

Mechagodzilla

What Is It? Godzilla, only in robot form.

First Seen In... Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974)

Origin: The ‘mecha’ layer was a disguise conceived by sneaky ape-like aliens who planned to fool people into thinking he was the real Godzilla. But the real Godzilla breathed on him and burned off the ‘pseudo-flesh’, thus exposing the ruse. He then had to go back to space for repairs (really, really).

Powers: Shoots a laser from his mouth and missiles from his fingers. Cool!

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Anthony Hopkins.

Page 11 of 13
Page 11 of 13
Space Godzilla

Space Godzilla

What Is It? Godzilla, only from space. It’s a modified, outrageously pimped super-Godzilla clone, carefully designed to be toy-friendly.

First Seen In... Godzilla vs Space Godzilla (1994)

Origin: It came from a 'white hole' with plans to take over Earth by defeating Proper Godzilla. Guess how that goes...

Powers: Energy beam from mouth, telekinesis, EMP wave... Has also been known to pat his head and rub his tummy at the same time.

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Ryan Gosling.

Page 12 of 13
Page 12 of 13
Jean Reno

Jean Reno

What Is It? A huge, secret-service monster thing, hell-bent on killing Godzilla and, in order to prop up Roland Emmerich's idea of Frenchness (even though he's Belgian) getting a “decent cup of coffee” and a quality croissant.

First Seen In... Godzilla (1998)

Origin: Belgium, not France.

Powers: Scowling, baritone grunting, abysmal Elvis impersonating, avoiding being in a decent film since Ronin .

Who Should Do The Voice-Over If It Speaks Or Roars? Golden Voice Homeless Guy.

Page 13 of 13
Page 13 of 13
Andy Lowe
See more Movies Features
Read more
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Next Godzilla x Kong movie announces title with a dramatic new teaser – and it's already in production
Jurassic World: Rebirth trailer still showing the D-Rex
Jurassic World: Rebirth goes full fantasy with a new crop of mutant dinosaurs including one that looks like a T-rex "designed by HR Giger" which then "had sex with a Rancor"
Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Every dinosaur in Jurassic World Rebirth, listed
Godzilla Minus One
Superman director James Gunn says the DC film is inspired by the best Godzilla movie in decades: "At its core it's a human story"
Emma Stone in Bugonia
Emma Stone stars in frenetic first trailer for Poor Things director's remake of cult South Korean sci-fi comedy
Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World Rebirth
Final trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth shows water is just as dangerous as land, as Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey face off against new dinosaur foes
Latest in Horror Movies
still from The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror is getting yet another remake, this time by the studios behind modern horror hits Barbarian and Heart Eyes
The hook handed killer strikes in I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer star makes huge horror blunder in saying the original movie walked so Wes Craven’s Scream could run
Jonah Hauer-King, Sarah Pidgeon, Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, and Tyriq Withers in I Know What You Did Last Summer
I'm as surprised as you, but it looks like decent horror reboots might be back, as I Know What You Did Last Summer gets overwhelmingly positive first reactions
M3GAN post dog attack in M3GAN 2023
After flopping at the box office, it looks like once horror icon M3GAN is dead and buried as the sequel lands on digital just weeks after theatrical release
Weapons
"I probably shouldn't even say that": Weapons director teases surprise cast members in his new horror movie, which has "more twists and turns than Barbarian"
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity is returning as a London stage show from an acclaimed immersive theatre company
Latest in Features
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Five questions I hope Fantastic Four: First Steps answers
Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Starlord (Chris Pratt), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Drax (Dave Bautista) in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
I've watched all the best James Gunn movies and TV shows, and this is how I'd rank them
One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 is releasing in just under 2 months, so I'm revisiting the 5 best Gearbox games while I count down the days
The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature screenshot of a fairy, a ghost, and a mermaid looking scared
After 400 hours in The Sims 4, I've finally met my match: an occult-only household riddled with phantoms, house fires, and dead plants
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild screenshot of Link cooking over a campfire
The Legend of Zelda and Red Dead Redemption 2 have whetted my appetite, so I've found the 7 best cooking games to tuck into
David Corenswet as Superman fighting back flames
I’m tired of MCU post-credits scenes that go nowhere, which is why Superman’s organic world-building is such a breath of fresh air
  1. DK and Pauline look surprised in Donkey Kong Bananza
    1
    Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years"
  2. 2
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  3. 3
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  4. 4
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  5. 5
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...