Godzilla: Monster Island is a 2020 American science fiction monster film directed by Gareth Edwards. A direct sequel to Godzilla 2: Rise of Ghidorah and the third and final installment in the Legendary Godzilla franchise, it is a high-budget remake of Destroy All Monsters, tying in events from the Godzilla: Awakening graphic novel prequel, and the fourth Godzilla movie to be fully-filmed by an American studio, featuring a mix of new and classic Toho kaiju. It It is a production from Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures worldwide starring Chris Hemsworth, Emily Blunt, Ken Watanabe, Emma Stone, Liam Neeson, Laurence Fishburne, Tommy Lee Jones, Costas Mandylor, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Kelsey Grammer, Dominic Cooper, Idris Elba, Antje Traue, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bill Nighy and Ben Foster. The film was released worldwide on May 5, 2020 in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.
Plot[]
Movie starts out in 1995. We are taken to the inside of AeroTech, an industrial tech/engineering facility. We pass by a bunch of glass display cases, fellow men in white coats, a man holding a clipboard, etc. as a group of scientists meet up with Norv Bennett, the CEO. Accompanied by his son, Dan, the Chief Scientist, he leads them past a couple constructs they're working on, code-named "MOGUERA" and "Super-X" when the lights go out. Smoke begins to fill up the place as mass panic erupts when something destroys both the constructs. Suddenly, a silhouette of a bunch of tails and red eyes appear through the smoke and a pack of scorpion-like MUTOs, covered in smoke, start attacking the scientists. Norv barely makes it out unscathed, but is saddened by the deaths of every single one of his scientists, including his son. Grieved, he vows to create a new weapon in his son's memory, and looks and turns to a nearby sculpture of Godzilla as inspiration.
Cut to the present. A montage of news clips from all around the world is seen: the second erruption of the underwater Tamu Massif volcano days earlier, a devastated Fukushima left in smoke-reportedly hit by an earthquake caused by it-the the EDF disbanded by the UN, US President Rick Ellis speaking before the nation, plus civilian reactions all around the world; some shown praising Godzilla as a hero while others pleading they want answers as to if and when more monsters shall attack. We eventually get to a CNN news report where Lt. John Reaver of the US Navy is present, where it's revealed that a new anti-kaiju weapon that he has helped build is about to be unveiled "very soon", a weapon which he characterizes as symbolic of both the patrotism of our fighting men and women all across the globe and Godzilla as a protector of the earth, having twice saved them from forces of terror, and "unlike any weapon the world has ever seen before", a weapon that, quote unquote "will change the face of military technology forever". He then adds "from the weapon's built in VSAT and radar feeds, we'll soon know the whereabouts of every single remaining monster on the planet and once they're found, we now have the firepower to eradicate them once and for all." In response to her "monster tank?" suggestion, he answers "no, a deus ex machina".
Fade to San Francisco, where a special memorial is held in the city, honoring Godzilla. The Secretary of Defense, Kristoferson, along with Lt. John Reaver and Cpt. Natalia Orlovsky, present a Godzilla statue in the city to civilian cheers. They are both soon confronted by a journalist, Marissa Thornberg, who's trying to collect leads for her story. They both attempt to paint a hero story of Godzilla, Orlovsky revealing the time he saved her from a kaiju attack during a Delta Force operation, while Reaver insists of seeing a vulnerable side to the creature, living literally right next door to his oceany habitat on Monster Island. Answering a final question, he tells her "we will need him again" and "when more threats to world peace begin to emerge, he'll come calling".
We get a shot of a group of a group of scavengers scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean. They are wearing ski masks and holding a lantern, eventually coming across the corpse of King Ghidorah, lying at the bottom of the ocean.
Cut to CIA Headquarters. CIA Director Jed Mayhew is watching a CNN report of the Godzilla statue memorial. We see a split-by-screen, showing Godzilla's battles with the MUTOs and King Ghidorah, respectively, in San Francisco, while a foreign CNN report cites the eruption of the underwater volcano, Tamu Massif, in the Pacific Ocean, leading a trail of radiation in the water behind. From this tidbit, he confronts the lab's DNA and forensic scientist, Sarah Bennett, haunted by a plaque of her late brother who was killed during the construction of a couple militant weapons. She reveals that they've begun testing fabrics and other forensic evidence from the destruction sites from the previous film-initially blamed on Godzilla-and are awaiting the testing results. When asked of his whereabouts-citing the developing radiation trail story after the eruption of the Tamu Massif-she informs him that, for reasons currently unknown, they have been unable to track the monster due to satellite and radar disruption. They are then confronted by a group of CIA Research Scientists with findings of their own. This leads to them enlisting a search for the only man or persons who might have an answer.
We then pan to Reaver's home, where he's seen watching it along with Orlovsky, who has now split from her ex-husband, as foreshadowed by a divorce paper lying on the nearby table. She is relishing her engagement with Reaver, who are now back together. After accepting his proposal, they enjoy some personal time together before someone answers the door. Dr. Serizawa, along with Graham, greet them, congratulating them for their engagement and Reaver specifically for his new project. They then confront them with some rather unsettling news: the newly-erupted Tamu Massif has left a trail of radiation behind, which they fear will awaken monsters all across the globe. They then reveal a dark secret: the Tamu Massif was a live volcano that they've led the public to believe was extinct for years, and it was ignited by none other than Godzilla, who goes there for hibernation and energy, as a result of giving off too many chemical compounds from his body. Fearing that this will eventually result in him suffering a nuclear meltdown from a radiation overload, citing a possible addiction, Reaver reveals to them that, pulling research from his father's old files, he's created a special hybrid version of the fusion reactor used for his latest project that could ultimately sustain it, combining both fusion and the fission energy he sustains and nourishes. However, he warns that it must only be used as a last resort, for it "could change him forever".
They go outside when Reaver notices a chopper landing from outside his house through the window. After a group of CIA Research scientists enlist Serizawa's help for a research project, Reaver takes Orlovsky to the grave site of his pet crab in his backyard. Flowers and a tombstone marked "Devil" on it is shown. They reflect on this devastating loss, then discuss marriage plans, which Reaver vows "when the dust settles and the world no longer needs its King". Heading back to base, they're thrown an engagement celebration from the Navy back at base and confronted by AeroTech CEO, Norv Bennett. After a congratulatory greeting and handshake, he agrees to take them to Washington, D.C., where his new weapon, now finished construction, is to be publicly presented by none other than himself on the White House lawn during a special presidential address speech.
Pan to a live feed of the statue presentation on the news. We are taken to an editorial building, where the editor-in-chief, Ted Larsen, a contrarian, rejects journalist, Marissa Thornberg, story after scoffing at the live news feed painting Godzilla as a "hero". Like all giant monsters, he views Godzilla as a threat to humankind. When she asks him what more he must do to prove his worth to the city-having saved them from the MUTOs and King Ghidorah-he simply tells her "disappear off the face of the planet along with the rest of em". He forces her to get a lead from her friend, Sarah Bennett, lab Research Scientist for the CIA Science Division, to publish his personal story, against her will, painting Godzilla as a menace responsible for breeding threats like King Ghidorah, and eventually more like him "all across the globe", pointing to a nearby news feed of a man and a group of villagers shown without power in Guam, claiming they know "what did it" as inspiration in a desperate ratings bid.
Cut to Guam, where the news journalists are just seen leaving. Maddox mentions that they are awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, when they are met with the sudden arrival of Godzilla, who strangely has went solo after last being seen accompanied by Rodan headed into the San Francisco bay following his battle with King Ghidorah. He emerges from the river, and spits a nuclear reactor from his mouth and into the river before heading off.
In Arlington, Virginia, We get a nice overhead shot of The Pentagon before panning inside. Jed Mayhew, Director of the CIA, is speaking at the CIA Headquarters via video conference with Kristoferson, who are monitoring Godzilla and Rodan. They find that Godzilla and Rodan, last seen departing together during the climax of the second film, have gone their separate ways via satellite and radar feed, which were subsequently scrambled as a result of a power outage, which he claims may have been the result of an EMP strike, thereby deducing that another MUTO may be on the loose. They then mention they've received inside reports that a third creature was recently spotted with them before the radar outing. Kristoferson's final consensus is "they must know something we don't" in connection with their divergence.
After the Monarch agents, led by Dr. Serizawa, answer a call from a group of CIA Research scientists, they arrive on Guam where they find monster traces, including a destroyed submarine, the contents of which they are unable to get a forensic match. Looking for leads, they eventually stumble across markings oddly similar to Godzilla's spikes, but smaller, suggesting that another creature may be on the loose, however, Serizawa insists he's not alone and there may well, in fact, be others. The search then begins for additional monster tracks. They eventually stumble across a priest, Dante Maddox, surrounded by a group of villagers. In a stunning revelation, they reveal that they've not only witnessed Godzilla passing through there, but they were, in fact, the first eye witnesses of Godzilla during his pursuit of Shinomura, as Serizawa is well aware. He then dwelves deeper, revealing the submarine to be the same Vessell attacked by Shinomura decades earlier. Furthermore, he adds that his ties to the monster run deep within his own family bloodline, his pregnant wife having been killed along with their unborn child to a prehistoric creature hailed in biblical scripture as Leviathan, a member of Shinomura's species and his adoptive daughter, Alissa, being apart of the Russian military, who cooperated with the Americans in hunting and nuking Godzilla in 1954 during his battle with Shinomura as part of Operation Castle Bravo.
The Monarch scientists, and the CIA Research scientists accompanying them, are eventually greeted by Research Lab Scientist, Sarah Bennett. We cut to the CIA Headquarters, where CIA Director Jed Mayhew gives them an important announcement: Monarch have merged with the CIA's Science Division, led by Sarah Bennett, daughter of AeroTech's CEO, Norv Bennett. Sarah informs Serizawa that DNA tests reveal a match to a creature containing the DNA of Godzilla and another ancient creature that existed during Godzilla's time, and moreover, a member of this being's species has recently been tracked in Antarctica via a radiation trail. Graham describes this being as an ancient leviathan linked to many catastrophes they've covered as natural disasters, including the earthquake of 1812 and the 1983 Sea of Japan tsunami, in addition to centuries worth of prehistoric devastation leaving off offspring in the form of super cells that would merge into one Shinomura. Rumblings from within Monarch place an ancient sea creature at the sites of the attacks, thereby blaming Godzilla, however, DNA profiles matched a different creature bearing a striking resemblance to the mythical creature from the bible, Monarch henceforth naming him Leviathan. From this, Serizawa reveals the origin of Monarch via projector footage. In 1945, his father, the original Monarch company head, went looking for his wife and his son-Ishiro himself-in Hiroshima, finding only his son. Together, they discovered a flying creature summoned by man's arrogance known as the Shinomura, who had been closely followed by Godzilla, both having been awakened from the Atom Bomb. He then reveals that, in 1954, the same nuke used to kill Godzilla unsuccessfully had slain the Shinomura. However, he warns "traces of this organism are still out there" to this day. Sarah, eager to find her brother's killer(s) for years, suspects this multi-celled creature(s) is responsible and is dying to know what it is. Before he can reveal them, they are interrupted by fellow scientists with the news that they've finally gotten their first sightings of them: more of these creatures have been spotted in the Paris Catacombs in the form of spores, where he "once hid something".
Back at the USS Seratoga, from the new MechaGodzilla's built-in VSAT/thermal radar system, the Navy is able to sight various monsters all over the globe. From it, they are able to deduce that something is "buried" in Guam, where a group of miners discover an alloyic plate labeled "M.I.C.K.A." buried underground. From the VSAT, they are able to successfully ID the creature, noting that "MICKA" is an acronym for "Massive Irradiated Cybernetic Kaiju Assassin". Noting the similarities to the MUTO acronym and this being the location of the power outage, the Navy determines that this is a type of MUTO, having hit them with an EMP strike earlier.
After being assigned to the Antarctica project, Sarah calls her work-obsessed father with the stunning revelation of Monarch joining forces with the CIA Science Division and her big expedition to Antarctica to research a giant prehistoric monster, but he ultimately ignores her, being caught up in the unveiling of his big project. She is then confronted by Thornberg, her journalist friend trying to get her leads for her big force-fed story from her boss. "Excuse me, can I have a word?"
Cut to a private jet, where Reaver and Orlovsky are taking their flight to Washington, D.C. The two enjoy their personal space, joking and laughing amongst each other, when Norv congratulates them on their engagement and wishes them nothing but the best on their marriage vows. Orlovsky then asks him about the new weapon he's about to unveil to her, when he tells her "it's like nothing you've ever seen before." They are then confronted by Norv's aid, who tells them both "you two should see this". They are directed to a private ball room in the back where they are shown a news feed. Carl Frank, leader of the now defunct Earth Defense Force, is on the news, informing the public "the U.S. has threatened to unveil a weapon of terror on us all" before threatening to unleash a weapon of their own. We then cut to CIA Research Lab Scientist, Sarah Benett, giving a tearful story that "her brother's killer or killers are still out there somewhere, and it's only a matter of time before they strike again and deprive another family of their loved ones" from which we pan to the Russian prime minister prophecising that the ongoing monster phenomenon is now a global crisis amid televised civilian protests all across the globe before eventually signing the NATO treaty. They then pan to Tokyo, where both the China and Japan prime minsters are present. They reveal growing tensions between them and the U.S., Japan's prime minster blaming them for spawning a "global monster takeover" before China's prime minster speaks and publicly pressures Serizawa to bring back the Oxygen Destroyer. Marissa Thornberg, from her force-fed story from her boss, then blames Godzilla for all of this, at which point Orlovsky tells Reaver "better hope you're right, solider" in regards to his previous remark toward his big project.
Cut to Virginia. Inside of a large dome complex, we see a middle-aged, senile Shaw, an American intelligence agent from the 1954 standing in a padded room outside where King Ghidorah is being stationed and monitored. They find that Ghidorah has a barely live pulse, from which Shaw reveals he has a plan to bring him back to life, showing his aid a microchip and armor he stole from AeroTech that they've used to build their new "weapon" which Shaw and Co. plans to revive Ghidorah with, and then a fossil of the ancient Shinomura monster. He reveals that he was apart of Monarch's Castle Bravo project led by General MacArthur, the first Russian-American joint operation, in which he was responsible for nuking the two ancient prehistoric creatures, from which the "MUTO" designation was originally created for before simply code-naming them Gojira/Godzilla and Shinomura, respectively, in 1954. Shaw, having grown obsessed with finally destroying Godzilla over the years, after General MacArthur's failure to do so resulted in the death of Shinomura, has took it upon himself to create what he calls "a Category 7 super fauna," combining the DNA of the two ancient creatures, which he crafted for the sole purpose of "finishing what he started" in 1954. He then reveals "but that's just the tip of the ice berg", where he disputes Serizawa's claims of man being powerless against nature, having crafted the Oxygen Destroyer, a super weapon from which they've repeatedly tried and failed to obtain the formula to recreate. He then reveals the EDF acted under his guidance, plotting their sinister actions towards civilians for looking up to Godzilla as a hero, who Shaw despises. He then plots a global monster invasion, which he code-names "Operation: Destroy All Monsters", in a sinister attempt to get Serizawa to bring back the OD.
Monarch, meanwhile, enter the Paris Catacombs in search of the monster spores, racing against time. They are wearing their white protective gear and helmet. However, they are shocked to discover the spores have already hatched upon their arrival when suddenly, they hear cackles. Serizawa turns around and we see a black tail silhouette turning the corner. Serizawa is eventually attacked as a creature attacks him through his visor with its pincer. Graham and the fellow Monarch scientists distract them with aerosol, prompting them to turn around and chase after them. The scientists barely escape as the critters make it out into the city. Graham attends to Serizawa, who is squinting out one eye and severely wounded. They rush him out and quickly try to get him to evac when suddenly, a gigantic bat creature, donning a MUTO-like head and scythes, rises from the ocean and attacks the Eiffel Tower, causing it to collapse. They barely walk out of the devastation unscathed as they fly out of there. The CIA Research scientists are stunned and horrified after seeing this on the news, however, they go on with their jobs. They arrive in Antarctica to study the flying serpent creature buried in an avalanche-induced iceberg. Bennett reveals that their reports indicate he was buried here years ago following a battle with Godzilla, but before long, the creature is inadvertently awakened. He breaks out of the ice prison and kills all of the scientists, including Bennett before fleeing.
Cut to Washington, D.C. Reaver and Orlovsky are standing right beside the President and Norv in a hangar where the new weapon, inside a metal casing, is to be unveiled later on when his cell phone rings. Reaver, who vowed to show his fiance his new weapon he's been building all these years, is forced to break his vow. When vigorously confronted about it, he gives her the devastating news: Serizawa has just been violently attacked and is in critical condition. Norv is then confronted with the news of his daughter after being shown the news feed of the reawakened Leviathan's attack upon emerging from the icy crevice of Antarctica, much to his horror.
Larsen, after gutsily forcing his hand in Thornberg publishing a story that stirred headlines and controversy all across the globe-ultimately leading to Russia signing the NATO treaty and officially siding with the US in a joint operation-makes her continue to "feed the machine". Against her will, she publishes and airs a forced story hyping the unveiling of the new anti-kaiju weapon, where Norv Bennett, stricken with guilt after ignoring his daughter before she was killed in the excavation in Antarctica, vows, against growing public pressure to "find their hero (Godzilla)" that, from the new weapon, they will soon be able to track and hunt these monsters wherever they are at the seem "so that what happened to me twice will never happen to another family ever again". In doing so, Larsen successfully manages to divert much of the public's praise and attention from Godzilla to the new weapon as planned.
Back at Washington, D.C., the president arrives via jet and is greeted by Norv, who, after informing the president he swept airwaves with his latest move, Ellis vows to "deliver the next shot heard around the world", looking up at the large metal casing-now standing vertically-with the weapon inside.
Cut to Capitol Hill, where Thornberg, standing outside a massive group of tourists on the White House lawn, headlines-with great privilege-the presentation of the new weapon during a special televised Presidential Address. On the White House lawn, a stage and podium along with the casing containing the weapon-and a large opener mechanism-can be seen. Many reporters, tourists and civilians are present, many seen taking snap shots with their cameras. The President speaks to the press, declaring the ongoing monster crisis as the first ever "category 6 disaster in global history", which, as he puts, has now become a global catastrophe. He then makes way for CEO Norv Bennett. He first holds a memorial for his son and daughter, who both lost their lives to kaijus, and shows off a plaque of both of them, before he unveils the new weapon. A group of colleagues opens the metal casing with the large metallic prod, and presents to the public a new life-sized, mechanical clone of Godzilla, armed with various projectiles, met with extreme awe as more snapshots begin rolling. He dedicates the weapon to the hard-working efforts of our military, and to our hero, officially dubbing him MechaGodzilla.
Reaver, after leaving D.C. with Orlovsky, finally arrive on Guam and check on Serizawa, inside of a medical facility. The medic informs him he's in critical condition and is unlikely to survive the attack he took, while Reaver and Orlovsky frantically pressure her to keep him in stasis by any means necessary. Orlovsky, having some degree of medical training, after an exchange with the doc, insists on giving him intensive treatment of her own while Reaver checks on his pulse monitor.
Meanwhile, back at Virginia, Shaw checks on King Ghidorah, where he has now been encased in metallic armor and a mechanical middle head, replacing his organic middle head lost in his battle with Godzilla. Shortly after informing him they're about to plant a microchip inside of his mechanical middle head, soon placed with a microchip per his assistant's instructions, from which he is dubbed Mecha-King Ghidorah. However, Mecha-King Ghidorah, enraged from his defeat to his bitter arch nemesis, attacks his crew with energy-siphoning strikes from each of his three heads, killing many of the scientists, then unleashes a huge electrical shockwave, both causes fragments of the building to collapse before flying through the retractable roof. Shaw barely walks out unscathed, and watches in shock as Mecha-King Ghidorah escapes. We get a nice inside shot of a plane while a group of passengers sees a familiar silhouette fly by the windows to a batch of screams before cutting to the Pentagon. Kristoferson, in horror, is directed to the transmitted radar and VSAT feeds from the new weapon, where he's shocked to find a revived King Ghidorah approaching the Penatgon which is immediately struck by Mecha-King Ghidorah's gravity beams, including his new plasma tri-beam from his mechanical middle head via Lightning Guns placed in its mouth. Grabbing his assistant's hand buried underneath some rubble, he gets up and sees his familiar silhouette flying through the smoke and debris surrounding them.
Back at Guam, Reaver and Orlovsky check on Serizawa who, due to her undying efforts, has miraculously sustained a longer life force than expected. This is a situation that is closely monitored until they are eventually called and sought after by Stenz, who has a stunning revelation for both of them as he takes them both to the new MechaGodzilla, standing right outside. Orlovsky is blown away by her man's invention, as are their two new colleagues: Sgt. Alexei Voronov and Alissa Maddox of the Russian military, who have now joined forces and are accomodating the US Navy in operations after the Russian prime minister signed the NATO treaty, a relationship that starts rocky due to past and present political disputes between their respective countries, including Castle Bravo, but eventually molds into mutual respect due to Reaver and Orlovsky's brazen leadership and no-nonsense attitude. They are taken outside, where a group of fishermen have unloaded a batch full of dead fish from the polluted waters which, as Graham verifies via forensics, were caused not by the Tamu Massif eruption, but from the very creatures they've encountered in the Catacombs. Orlovsky questions the possibility that this might be the work of their long lost pet crab, to which Reaver insists "it's not possible, we both watched him die, remember?" After Orlovsky suggests that it may have sprung back to life, Reaver then assures her that they're more than prepared to take it down if the unthinkable were to happen thanks to his new weapon he has perfected.
After getting a panorama of Leviathan destroying the Harbor Bridge and Opera House in Sydney, Australia before quick cutting to moving panorama shots of the smashed up Moscow Kremlin and downtown Moscow where the giant MUTO-spliced bat last seen attacking the Eiffel Tower is shown. We cut back to the Navy's tent, where Admiral Stenz reveals to them via live news feeds and the MG's VSAT-enabled radar that a giant prehistoric Shinomura species-named Leviathan-has just attacked Sydney, Australia and a giant MUTO of bat specimen codenamed Kumoraiju-portmanteau for "Bat Monster" in Japanese-has been flying all around Europe, first demolishing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where Dr. Serizawa was attacked, and was last seen attacking Moscow. This catches the Navy's eye, Leviathan being the monster that attacked and fatally injured Reaver years ago during a Delta operation, and the creature Godzilla subsequently saved Orlovsky from, and Maddox's nationality residing in Russia.
He then goes on "but that's not why we are here, gentlemen. You're here because another MUTO has been found buried underground not far from where we stand at this very moment." He then reveals to them a live black and white satellite video feed of another MUTO-codenamed "M.I.C.K.A."-dropping an American vessel from its mouth and burrowing itself underground in Guam. Going on, he warns that other creatures have been spotted nearby-which, as he explains, "these creatures have been identified, but we refuse to refer to them by name at this time"-and a nest has also been spotted underground, where it's determined it has laid eggs containing more MUTOs. Using the tanks and Reaver's new MechaGodzilla via control deck from the interior of the USSS, the Navy must find and destroy the spores before they do, making sure to close with "and use force if necessary". When told it would be controlled by the Russian Sgts. against his wishes, Orlovsky insists "you're coming with me". Asking to be the driver, in an exchange that ends with him cracking his usual jokes "you may have me on a tight leash this time, but I won't stay grounded for long, you know me better than that, love" after sternly being told "that's an order, soldier", he joins a vessel with Com. Voort, the assigned driver, who tells him "no, I'll drive, you shoot, Lieutenant".
The tanks depart, with MechaGodzilla leading the way along with a couple of tanks flanking it. Their search leads them to a trail with a cloud of smoke rising above them when suddenly, the two tanks in front of MG are driven under as a result of a massive underground fissure. A silhouette of a giant ankylosaurus emerges. Admiral Stenz, I.D.ing it as Anguirus on their MG-transmitted radar, orders it to open fire, prompting MG to fire its rail guns at the burrowed creature along with the tanks surrounding it. Anguirus screams in pain as blood can be seen flying from its punctured flesh, however, another fissure is heard nearby as Rodan comes bursting from the mountains. Rodan screeches at MechaGodzilla attacking Anguirus, which goes ignored, when suddenly, the "M.I.C.K.A." plate rises from underground, revealing itself as a giant, irradiated MUTO, complete with double-bladed, tasered claw arms, buzzsaws on both shoulders, and a circular-head. Various parts of its body are lit up in a blue aurora and covered in a gray alloy (nod to Ultron). It gets up and hits MechaGodzilla with electrical charged, dual-bladed claw swipes, disorienting it, when both Anguirus and Rodan attack it. Rodan Sonic Booms MICKA, turning him, then starts pecking away at his forehead while latching onto it with both talons, at which point, Anguirus bites its leg. MICKA hits them both with an aerosol-powered Nuclear Pulse attack, fending them both off, only to be bombarded by a barrage of MechaGodzilla's various types of SOTA kaiju-piercing projectiles. MICKA falls back-first into the ocean, where it proceeds to turn around and retreat, prompting Anguirus and Rodan to follow suit.
Cut to the crew celebrating back on board the USSS. Stenz congratulates Voronov and Maddox, telling them both "you two have put the new weapon to good use, way to make our boy, Reaver proud, well done, gentlemen." Stenz is then referred to the monitor with a news report citing a flock of micro bat critters attacking construction workers-and eventually civilians-in Tokyo, revealing that the Kumoraiju has also left MUTO offspring of its own in its path of destruction in stark contrast to the earlier tsunami theory, which they take note of. Voronov then asks where Godzilla is, at which point, Maddox, using the linked VSAT-powered radar system, spots him heading towards Janjira near Tokyo, noting more signatures on their radar right nearby him.
We pan to the heart of Tokyo where the military are using any and all means to combat the micro-bats when in the distance, an explosion is heard, followed by a familiar roar. The creatures follow the echo patterns straight to the monster, where we get our very first in-depth on-camera sights of Godzilla as he emerges from the water. Pan inside the now fully-rebuilt Janjira Plant, where scientists are frantic upon hearing colossal footsteps. We see a tall silhouette above when an agape mouth goes crashing through the funnel to get to the reactor. Godzilla scrapes up from his mouth and chews on the reactor, however, more chaos ensues as giant swarms are seen and heard soaring in the sky. The Kumoraiju offspring emerge. Godzilla tries to fend them off by force, but they swarm him from all sides and start leaching onto his body. Godzilla, showing off his dependence on and increased nuclear capabilities, fries all of them with a Nuclear Pulse attack.
At the Pentagon grounds, Mayhew rushes inside. Destroyed monitors and electrical sparks are seen flying everywhere, while firefighters are spraying the ravaged building's outer walls. Checking on the devastation at the site and the health of his colleagues in the Department of Defense-Kristoferson in particular-he is confronted by Thornberg, who is forced to continue her bosses' crooked demands, for a live news report, in which he reveals, before the world, him having a change of heart. No longer viewing Godzilla as the protector/balancer the earth can depend on, he now publicly declares all giant monsters hostile before the media, closing with "we've now issued death warrants for all of 'em, courtesy of our new MechaGodzilla", including Godzilla himself when asked, smugly answering "his services are no longer needed." Kristoferson, angered by this, sternly asked "under who's authority?" upon her departure, to which he hears President Ellis stoicly answer "mine" behind them. After a debate, Ellis reveals that he, too, has caved into growing public pressure and is zeroing in on a plan to eliminate all monsters, including Godzilla. When questioned, President Ellis slyly tells the Defense Secretary "like the good architect once said: desperate times call for desperate measures".
Meanwhile, back at the tent, Reaver, using live video feeds from his own perfected system, reveals to the military that the devastation in Fukushima was not caused by an earthquake from the newly-erupted Tamu Massif as reported, but by devastation caused by other monsters, revealing another Monarch cover-up. On the radar, a large flying figure in the sky, originally believed to be Rodan, is actually revealed to be Kumoraiju, who laid his offspring in Tokyo. He then zooms in on an on-cam explosion in the downtown area, with close-ups revealing the culprit to be M.I.C.K.A., who stole the American vessell from a Navy museum in Tokyo and is shown carrying it to Guam where the latest incident occurred and carrying MUTO spores. Reaver, after hearing echo signals from the MG blackbox, then unveils a plan for dealing with all the kaiju, in which they will head to London and transmit artificial Godzilla roars through the St. Mary's Axe to lure them all in one spot, where they will then be neutralized by the Omega X electric amplifier weapon they've obtained from the UN-confiscated EDF tanks. However, after seeing side-by-side feeds of the shocking report from Thornberg of the Pentagon attack-followed by shots of devastated Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA skylines-with a headline that reads "King Ghidorah has returned" much to their horror-and a side feed of Godzilla in Janjira-they track Godzilla from the new MechaGodzilla's VSAT system. From the radar, they deduce he's headed towards South America. MechaGodzilla, under orders from Stenz, to Reaver and Orlovsky's disapproval, under the control of Voronov and Maddox, follows suit to destroy Godzilla, with both Leviathan and Mecha-King Ghidorah headed his direction.
Godzilla arrives in In Rocinha, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil where a giant crustacean creature-in scorpion form-goes down the hill, trampling the hordes of scattered houses along the favela in the process. After a roar and brief showdown, Godzilla manages to destroy the giant crab with little difficulty, but is then met by MechaGodzilla, teasing a showdown between the two of them, at which point, Leviathan arrives and cuts MechaGodzilla off, knocking him down. Godzilla looks up and notices a familiar figure in the sky, now in mechanical form. We get a silhouette of his feet landing and a shot of his mechanical chest as Ghidorah, now revived as Mecha-King Ghidorah, arrives. He hits Godzilla with an electrical shockwave, knocking him down and destroying chunks of land and the skyscrapers surrounding them, and then a body strike before blasting him with his gravity beams-including his new and improved middle one-that do serious damage to Godzilla. Godzilla gets up and tries to blast Ghidorah with his atomic breath, but is once again cut off by Leviathan, who body strikes him. Mecha-King Ghidorah, from his micro-chip, then fires his new Capture Cables at Godzilla, shocking him with them, however, he is cut off by MechaGodzilla's array of missiles and rail guns, who, controlled via the military's new control deck, is now forced to help Godzilla. Ghidorah gets up and escapes. Meanwhile, Godzilla chases after Leviathan as all 3 monsters head towards Japan.
Meanwhile, a crew led by Reaver, Orlovsky and Voort arrive in London. Reaver sets off the artificial Godzilla roars through the top floor of the St. Mary Axe after the crew sets up audio infiltration equipment and a PA system everywhere inside. They then post up at the windows with the amplifier masers scattered outside, where they wait. Citizens are shown panicking everywhere upon hearing the artificial Godzilla roars, we see a news feed of a spiked monster approaching London in the water with the "Godzilla Sighting?" caption below. The military gets ready to fire upon seeing signatures approaching them in the river. We get a nice spiked body silhouette up close and personal when a giant splash occurs as it makes it way out of the River Thames. Citizens are shocked to find not Godzilla, but Angurius appear. The military gets ready to blast and paralyze it with the amplifier when a miniature flying silhouette can be seen in the distance, crashing through and demolishing Big Ben. We pan to a news feed, with an underhead shot of Kumoraiju cutting up some buildings with his scythe and spraying a bunch of cars with his venom/spray attack when a flying pteranodon-Rodan-is seen launching at him in the background. Rodan arrives and Sonic Booms Kumoraiju through and into the Sharing Cross Station. We get a shot from inside one of the incoming trains as the two flying critters are duking it out along the railway tracks when Kumoraiju cuts it off with both wings, flipping it high in midair. Rodan then Sonic Booms Kumoraiju through the tracks, causing both it and the nearby Hungerford Bridge to collapse simultaneously as he tackles him into the River Thames.
As the two are fighting underwater, we pan to the Navy, who are getting red signatures on their radar from up ahead. They turn to see MICKA demolish the Heron Tower straight ahead, at which point, they all evacuate via HALO Jump. They fly over Anguirus and MICKA, who are both seen duking it out in the streets of downtown London in a nice moving panorama shot. The soldiers take cover behind buildings upon landing, but are startled to see a gigantic splash in the distance with only Kumoraiju making it out of the River Thames. Reaver calls in the maser tanks to Bishopsgate where they land as they see Kumoraiju approaching them. Anguirus is getting pummeled by both Kumoraiju and MICKA, who are now double teaming him while the maser tanks are seen crossing the Tower Bridge and headed towards central London. Rodan suddenly emerges and the two monster duos are now fighting side-by-side until the tanks arrive, and blast all of them with the amplifier weapon-code-named Omega X-paralyzing all of 4. We see the humans' reactions as they look up at each of their charred bodies in the streets until a batch of DTCs arrive, and carry all 4 monsters away.
Reaver is confronted by Orlovsky, and greeted with a little congratulatory kiss from his lover. When asked "what's your brilliant plan now, soldier?" he tells her "it's simple: we head straight to the control center and we wait it out, on Monster Island, where it all began."
At Virginia, we pan to the CIA Headquarters, which is now temporarily occupied by the USDOD with The Pentagon currently in limbo. We see a series of news clips: King Ghidorah attacking Tokyo and Leviathan attacking Hong Kong which, as reporter Thornberg notes, they're not alone, as she reveals in the next clip with a ravaged Philippines, with smoke, fire and giant prints in the form of pincers seen everywhere. Devastated eye witnesses claiming-in utter horror-that they saw a massive creature that looked like the Devil trance through there, pointing to possible conspiracy theories as she entails in her latest report. We then cut to the meat of her story, where she's standing live with Dante Maddox on the outskirts of Monster Island, who is with his cult members, scattered around, getting ready to perform a ritual of some kind, which he describes as "the awakening of our Messiah". After venting his frustrations, Kristoferson asks who he's referring to, which Mayhew confirms in a declassified report that they've obtained from Monarch, is a 4-headed crystalias creature named Mesias, who they've looked up to as the protector of China for many years, and was buried in the mountains of Monster Island following a battle with Leviathan. Using these latest feeds, and feeds from the battle in Brazil, to fuel his argument that MechaGodzilla alone can't defeat the monsters, hence the continued need for Godzilla, he is confronted with news that the president plans to deliver a written speech to the press, to which Kristoferson then hurriedly leaves to the White House.
Cut to the White House, where the President's secretary informs him of his impending speech and prepares accordingly. It's not long before he is angrily greeted with company, though. Kristoferson, in an attempt to rectify his idol's now damaged reputation, enlists the help of the UN, who, having seen the error of their ways, delivers a message before the public, stating that we mustn't distinguish the two Godzillas as protector and nuisance, but acknowledge them as interwoven: ours (MechaGodzilla) protector of the earth's inhabitants and the Godzilla as protector of the earth itself, and they must continue to co-exist if we are to survive this invasion. The humans, reassured of Godzilla's status as a defender in his heroic efforts in Brazil, strive to make their sentiments known as many are lined up outside the White House in an angry protest, where President Ellis promised to deliver another shot heard around the world in a presidential address speech, which had been teleprompted in advance to paint Godzilla as a menace like he originally believed under unspeakable duress, until now. Bennett, speaking out against the President using his creation for purposes he hadn't intended, shows him a live feed of the UN address in the White House after confronting him at his desk. Kristoferson then steps in and intervenes, revealing that it was he, not Bennett, who went to the press with this. He then adds "you wanna deliver your shot? By all means, have at it, just let it be known you'll have an angry mob and soon your own maker to answer to." Ellis, after being informed the cameras are now rolling in the Oval Office, delivers an impromptu speech, recognizing Godzilla as a hero, and that this is not a situation that will be repaired overnight with our new Godzilla drone, but it will be an elaborate process, noting there are "tough times ahead of us, but with the combined forces of our alpha predator and our greatest creation, we will get through this together, and we will prevail".
On Monster Island, the Navy, after hearing the news about Maddox's cult, are greeted by the members, along with Maddox, who is reunited with his daughter, Alissa. He explains to the Navy that his people looked up to Mesias as the protector of China, hence the name, until he betrayed them as a result of the destruction his people have caused to his homeland following the cold war. He is buried within these mountains following a battle with Leviathan, who, as he explains, then went on a rampage of his own, eventually killing his then-pregnant wife and their unborn child, Alissa thus being his adoptive daughter. He then goes on: "we stubbornly awakened Leviathan to save us from Mesias, now, we're depending on Mesias to save us from Leviathan."
Inside the control center, Reaver pulls up a file of Mesias after encryption, revealing that he is a giant 4-headed crystalias creature-the 4 heads being of a gargoyle, mutant vulture, whale and dragon-created during a solar eclipse wherein 4 crystalis creatures, named Shatomongai, emerged into one. They're eventually greeted by none other than Dr. Serizawa, now alive, and wearing his famous eye patch over his right eye where he was stabbed via pincer by the attacking parasites inside the Catacombs. While they await the inevitable awakening and all-out brawl between the monsters, Serizawa gives them both a stunning revelation: with Russian soldiers present, he once believed, like they did, that Godzilla was a threat to mankind and created a weapon for extinguishing him, and all like him, called the Oxygen Destroyer, however, he dismantled it, fearing it would create a far bigger abomination, and buried it within the Catacombs, thinking it would never be found. He then witnessed Godzilla defeat the first MUTO, upon his failure to use the Oxygen Destroyer, from which he grew his philosophy of "man controlling nature". Reaver pulls up a file on the MUTOs that attacked Serizawa. After discovering that they're man-sized crustaceans with DNA matching his long lost pet crab "Devil", Reaver learns of the shocking truth: his "dead" pet crab is actually alive after all these years, and it's responsible for killing the sea life uncovered at Guam and attacking Serizawa, leaving him blind in one eye, and forcing him to wear an eye patch.
Leviathan soon emerges, however, and attacks the control tower, however, he is met by the emergence of Anguirus-whom they've discovered via file to be the protector of Monster Island-distracting him as the two begin to brawl. Leviathan tackles Anguirus through the control center as they're making it out and they narrowly escape. Anguirus and Rodan fight Levi together in a 2-on-1 while they're outside, performing the ritual. However, MICKA and Kumoraiju awaken, leaving Levi unoccupied as they start to battle each other. Leviathan pusues the humans, looking to have free reign on all of them, however, they are saved when Mesias comes bursting out of the volcano where he was previously buried and does battle with Leviathan. We quick cut around each of the 3 duos of monsters as they're fighting each other for several minutes until suddenly, they are met with the emergence of Mecha-King Ghidorah, who comes crashing down. After Ghidorah attacks, the creatures stop fighting and all team up on Ghidorah together. Ghidorah is able to overpower them temporarily, but not for long as they eventually get the better of him with the vast strength in numbers. They are distracted as something is eventually seen and heard crashing into the sea behind them. Out of the water, a batch of missiles and other projectiles plasters Ghidorah, when something levitates itself out, revealing it to be MechaGodzilla. Levi, Mesias, and Kumoraiju start quadrouple teaming the new perceived alpha predator along with Ghidorah until Anguirus, Rodan and Mesias continue fighting their original targets, leaving the 2 cyborgs to duke it out alone. However, something aurora-filled falls from the sky, severing Mecha-King Ghidorah's now mechanical middle head and parts of his body in the process while also damaging MechaGodzilla-showcased by them losing connectivity with the outside control deck and power. We see a winged silhouette through the smoke until it all settles, revealing itself as a giant demonic, flying horned kaiju (later dubbed as "Destoroyah" by Serizawa and in the press)!
Rodan flies at Destoroyah, and tries to hit him with a Sonic Boom, but in impressive fashion, Destoroyah slices him in midair with a Horn Katana beam in the act. Rodan falls to the ground with a huge gash in both of his wings. Anguirus retaliates, charging at Dessy, only to be hit with a tail swipe. Destoroyah lights up and tries to hit Anguirus with a Transgmugen Beam, but Kumoraiju throws him off guard, jamming both his claws into Destoroyah's back. Destoroyah levitates himself and sways back and forth, and eventually shakes Kumoraiju off of him. Upon hitting the ground, Destoroyah puts his face close to his as his gills, mouth and crown all light up again in a purple aurora, and blasts Kumoraiju with a purple Transmugen Beam, disintegrating him in one blast. Leviathan tries charging at Destoroyah from his side, but Destoroyah violently slams him to the ground with his tail, crushing Levi's windpipe. Destoroyah then looks ahead and notices Mesias charging ahead at him, but Dessy hits him with a horn katana beam which he then aims downwards at Levi, and in doing so, simultaneously cuts off all 4 of Mesias' crystal heads and asphyxiates Leviathan in a single move! Destoroyah tries hitting the downed MechaGodzilla with a Transmugen Beam as it tries to escape after regaining power, but Rodan gets up and flies in front of the fleeing MechaGodzilla, sacrificing himself in the process and allowing it to escape. MICKA cuts the distracted Dessy off with electrical-charged swipes of its dual-bladed tasered claws, disorienting him, and then jams them into Destoroyah's spine before cutting him with both of his shoulder buzzsaws. Chunks of flesh are cut off of Destoroyah in doing so, but it doesn't contain him for long the floral pattern on Dessy's chest lights up. Destoroyah then proceeds to destroy MICKA with a single blast of his Chest Beam! He then turns around and notices the wounded Anguirus trying to escape. Like a shark that smells blood in the water, he pursues him, levitating himself and then flying after him, which he then drops down and crushes Anguirus' tail in a dual-footed curb stomp! Anguirus claws at the ground like crazy, trying desperately to crawl away upon letting out a suffocating yelp. Destoroyah then lowers his head and, in sadistic fashion, horn katana beams a helpless Anguirus, killing him.
Destoroyah then turns around, looking ready to turn his havoc on the terrified humans, when they notice a giant tide in the water. Destoroyah looks behind, and sees Godzilla emerge from the ocean. Godzilla checks out the devastation and is saddened by the death of his friends, Anguirus and Rodan, a sad look that quickly turns to seething anger as he looks up at Destoroyah. Determined for revenge, Godzilla roars at Dessy, and approaches him for battle. However, Godzilla is decimated in ways never seen before. In a fight that sees Destoroyah literally launch himself at Godzilla while hit with his his atomic breath unaffected and slamming him neck first into the ground with his tail, repeatedly maul Godzilla with his claws, body blows and shoulder-mounted spikes, make him cough up blood after choking him with his tail, discharge a suffocating Godzilla's atomic breath after draining his energy with his tail, sustain a blast of Godzilla's Nuclear Pulse energy unaffected, cut Godzilla open with his Horn Katana, bite into Godzilla's flesh, and repeatedly outmaneuver Godzilla's attacks with his flight, Destoroyah has Godzilla on the ropes.
With Godzilla laying prone and lifeless following a body strike, Destoroyah walks up and starts mauling Godzilla with his claws, however, Godzilla, in a last ditch effort, lights up and hits Destoroyah with his atomic breath. However, Destoroyah's overwhelming strength and endurance is once again realized as he takes an atomic blast right to the skull from point blank range without even flinching, leaving only a tiny abrasion in his forehead to boot! Unfazed, Godzilla starts mauling Destoroyah with claw swipes, but it once again has no effect as he merely shrugs them off. Destoroyah emphatically responds by blasting Godzilla with his Transmugen energy after lighting up, which sends him falling to the ground, severely charred as smoke rises from his body. Destoroyah then picks Godzilla up by the back of his neck with both feet and, raising him into the air, drives him head first into the ground with a devastating double-footed curb stomp that shakes the ground! Godzilla's head bounces off the ground as Destoroyah knocks him out cold. Completely devastated, the humans then watch as Destoroyah flies off, and carries Godzilla away from both feet.
Destoroyah flies with him in his talons to San Francisco, and drops down and emphatically places Godzilla's mangled body in the middle of the street. The civilians let out horrified screams as they can't believe what they were just exposed to! After soundly defeating Godzilla, Destoroyah then flies off. Many in San Fran are scouting his battered corpse in agony, while a kid breaks from his parents to rush up to it and cries.
In a news report captioned "King No More? Shot Heard Around the World", the news of Godzilla's defeat and apparent demise is shown to have left a devastating impact on humanity, with many respondents showing great despair, however, as Thornberg notes, mankind must now turn to the man-made monster created in his image, the reigns of nature's Godzilla as protector now being passed onto his cybornetic clone: MechaGodzilla. This causes a stir with her editor, repeatedly warning her against publishing any stories painting Godzilla as a hero, still seeing him as a menace, hence rejoicing in his fall, and agrees not to fire her only for seeing, as he apparently does, Godzillas place in society being smitten by a new man-made Godzilla that's in every way superior and leaves no collateral damage behind, unlike its flesh and blood predecessor. These sentiments are later echoed by Admiral Stenz as they eagerly await the finished repair of MechaGodzilla in an argument that ends with Serizawa proclaiming "arrogant humans, you still don't understand."
During this time, Monarch are also closely monitoring Godzilla's pulse, noting that he's dying as he's being held in New Jersey, having survived Destoroyah's brutal beatdown only because of his regenerative powers and by their acting quickly to supply him with a minuscule stream of nuclear energy and keeping him alive in doing so, but not before Serizawa proclaims that Destoroyah made his alpha predator "look like an insolent child" after watching the footage of their battle, still in complete awe, a feat which he concedes has never been done before. Asking if it's another "MUTO", Serizawa proclaims... "no, there's only one name suitable for this abomination..." upon watching him deliver the finishing blow "...Destoroyah".
Meanwhile, the effects of Destoroyah's aftermath continue to be felt everywhere. After panning to a nearby feed of the dust-covered silhouettes of his aggregates-the scorpion-like "MUTOs" seen earlier-attacking a mine in New Orleans, we eventually see a shot of an infected, bitten man buried in the rubble. He is rushed to a crowded hospital where, after seeing tons of theraputic patients mourning the loss of their symbol of hope-including two parents who's son committed suicide following Godzilla's defeat at the hands of Destoroyah, leaving him crippled-his devastated wife is forced to watch her infected, battered husband be put down, diagnosing his infection as contagious. Reaver is then seen watching footage of his late father showing his pet crab, "Devil" to himself as a little boy after retrieving him from a mine. Reaver is visibly depressed knowing that he's not not only truly alive, but among the creatures responsible for the recent devastation and the fall of Godzilla, which has left mankind reeling, being a gift from his now late father, and put his marriage plans in jeopardy. Orlovsky comforts him, later expressing confidence in his weapon's ability to defeat it, having never let her down before.
After leveling downtown Houston, in an attack which sees the demonic creature cut off all loops connecting the freeway system with his Transmugen Beam, and place a bus full of evacuating civilians in his mouth with his aggregates outside-of which leg and shadow silhouettes are seen from inside the bus through the windows as it's being lifted and devoured-the military see a news feed from reporter Thornberg, where she reveals an obtained Monarch report, publicly code-naming the creature "Destoroyah" to the media, a creature composed of hordes of crab organisms mutated from the aftermath of the 1985 meltdown of the first Janjira plant, after which, we pan to a psychiatric ward in Hiroshima where Serizawa's mother, traumatized by the event, is listening to Robert Oppenheimer's atom bomb speech on repeat in a rocking chair.
Confronted for covering up more secrets, Serizawa informs Reaver that, in 1985, a group of terrorists nuked the first Janjira plant with the D.E.S.U. nuke previously found on Monster Island, created using parts of his Oxygen Destroyer formula, after General MacArthur and Agent Shaw had cloned Shinomura using samples of both his and Godzilla's DNA, giving him regeneration as well as splitting and reforming abilities. As Graham notes, this spread a deadly contagion dubbed the Transmugen Virus per the CDC. The deadliest contagion in history, it claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, Serizawa's own mother being a surviving victim, and also caused the embryonic clones containing Godzilla and Shinomura's DNA to mutate into the deadly crustaceans known as Destoroyah, containing the virus from within. Meanwhile, after learning that Destoroyah is headed for Chicago, MechaGodzilla has finished repairs, though they've lost contact with the outside control deck. Mentioning that it can be controlled from inside, Voort vows to pilot the cyborg himself to fight Destoroyah as a plea to Reaver and Orlovsky, noting "I've already been denied the chance to watch my daughter grow up, I won't let my fellow comrades be denied the chance."
Destoroyah arrives in Chicago, during which time, we get a nice underhead shot of the congested Hubbard's Cave as Destoroyah rips the top of it off, his silhouette hanging just above to screaming masses. He then attacks the downtown portion of Chicago, eventually setting the Sears Tower and various surrounding buildings aflame with his Transmugen Beam as it crumbles and collapses onto many frantic civilians below when suddenly, MechaGodzilla lands via foot and does battle with Destoroyah, under the control of Voort from inside. After weakening MechaGodzilla with his Katana Beam-requiring several to do so, it being composed of chrome steel-Voort opens up the chest compartment and hits Destoroyah with Reaver's patented Penta Maser Canon, composed of 5 Tesla Guns giving off a single supercharged electrical blast. Destoroyah supposedly disintegrates as smoke piles up, however, Voort notices scorpion shadows walk by the surrounding buildings, at which point, Destoroyah reappears, daunting a flourescent purple light, and blasts MechaGodzilla with his Transmugen Beam, destroying it and Voort in the process.
The world's populace, now without its greatest weapon and alpha predator, is on the brink of annihilation, with many now on the verge of complete and total breakdown. Watching the clip in the newsroom, Larsen, too, has a change of heart, now seeing humanity's need for Godzilla and finally recognizing him as a hero. Meeting with Thornberg, he finally gives her the okay to publish heroism stories as she's long desired. Meanwhile, the Navy, devastated by this news and the loss of a fellow comrade, are back at a holdout in Newark, New Jersey, where Godzilla is being detained, having prepared in advance for this. Reaver unveils his last resort plan in which he will inject Godzilla with energy from a special hybrid copy of his reactor he built from his project, dubbed "MG", a procedure which will permanently alter him, combining fusion energy with the fission energy he nourishes. Orlovsky, fearing it will inject so much radiation into Godzilla that it'll kill him, is assured they have no other choice, Reaver plainly stating "I was hoping we'd never have to use it."
Meanwhile, in a news report from reporter Thornberg, noting a steady increase in suicides and overpopulated care facilities dealing with depressed patients, highlights the defeat of MechaGodzilla in Chicago in a final clip, before unveiling that Destoroyah has left Philadelphia in a firepit, and enclosing with "which begs the question... where's our King to save us now?" Having leveled Philadelphia, Stenz fears that Destoroyah is headed towards New York City, not far from where Godzilla is being detained, and they must go through with this procedure, and act quickly. Voronov and Maddox, under orders from Orlovsky, after finally caving in, round up survivors from the attack in Philadelphia. The Navy, after attaching cables to Godzilla, infuse him with a stream of fusion energy from MechaGodzilla's backup reactor core, and in doing so, awaken Godzilla and making him much more powerful than ever before while giving him permanent skin-altering changes. Godzilla, now donning glowing blue ultraviolet rashes all throughout his body and his eyes now tinted blue, breaks out of his cell and marches towards Newark Bay.
His return is made public spectacle of, with reporter Thornberg headlining a report with the caption "The King Has Returned" showing a clip of Godzilla awakening and marching towards Manhattan. A young boy, watching it on the news inside a Newark hotel, excitedly gets his dad, who, after watching him pass by some buildings through the window, remarks "he's back!" Orlovsky, before leaving, expresses doubt that the re-energized Godzilla can defeat Destoroyah after the weapon he spent years perfecting for her failed to do so and remembering the vicious beating he gave Godzilla previously, to which Reaver assures her "he tossed our King around like a ragdoll on Monster Island, beat him to within an inch of his life... not this time." After Voronov and Maddox arrive in Philadelphia, gathering survivors from Lincoln Financial Field where they're being attended to, noting crowded medical facilities, Stenz sternly asks "It's a question that bears repeating, Doctor... do you really think he has a chance?" To which Serizawa answers "the King has marched to reclaim his throne from the Devil's incarnate... let them fight."
After arriving in New York, Voronov and Maddox extract the hostages to Central Park where they can safely observe the fight, while the rest of the crew wait it out on the Brooklyn Bridge along with a warhead and a batch of tanks, opting to use force if necessary. They post up on the Brooklyn Bridge, watching Destoroyah tear up Brooklyn, when suddenly, they see giant UV-emitted spikes in the water. Godzilla emerges from the water, his UV-irradiated body topped off with lightning flashes from the stormy Manhattan skies as he rises, looking angrier than ever. Destoroyah flies across as the two start fighting in lower Manhattan, trying to body strike Godzilla, but Godzilla hits him with a tail smash. Godzilla starts the fight in impressive fashion, burning Destoroyah as he tries to tear off his spikes before hitting him with a pair of back-to-back blasts from his new red spiral breath-his blue UV rashes glowing red as he does so-that sends him staggering and toppling through a building, but Destoroyah eventually overpowers Godzilla. At one point, the military intervenes-Orlovsky emphatically shouting at Reaver "I'm coming with you" in a small exchange beforehand and eventually "I already lost you once, and dammit to hell, I'm not losing you again!"-in a scene where a remix of a famous Toho score plays as Destoroyah is holding down and biting the end of Godzilla's tail while applying pressure with one foot, blasting him with masers and concussion weapons. In the distraction, Reaver's crew places a missile in the downed Godzilla's mouth, which he chews on, subsequently replenishing his health from the radiation. Godzilla's tail lights up red again, as he bites Destoroyah, backing him into a building wall, then slamming him face first through a nearby parking deck before pelting him with a red spiral beam, putting his face close to his as he does so. Smoke piles up everywhere, with Reaver checking back with the crew via walkie talkie back onboard the Brooklyn Bridge when they arrive, when suddenly, the maser troops see more scorpion silhouettes and the feed goes dead on the other end.
We eventually see a winged silhouette emerge as the smoke begins to clear where Godzilla is as Destoroyah gets up and carries Godzilla across before tackling him into the East River. The military watches through the nearby bridge as they start fighting underwater. However, blood eventually begins to stain the surface as Destoroyah emerges out of the water with his tail around Godzilla's throat. Destoroyah drags Godzilla across the water via trail and dumps him there as his aggregates-now appearing in full for the first time-begin to emerge. Destoroyah then goes underwater and vanishes. Reaver notes a bunch of small wave patterns converging as they approach the Brooklyn Bridge on the opposite side, when the military turns around and is horrified to see a gigantic devil face rising up through the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge! Destoroyah, after separating and reforming itself, tries to kill the military, when suddenly, they notice a red aurora behind them. Destoroyah turns around and is met with another red spiral breath from Godzilla, stunning him and cornering him into the bridge after destroying the aggregates off-screen. The military runs and tries to escape while they are fighting, but Destoroyah once again eventually overpowers Godzilla after hitting him with a Horn Katana and carries him across the bridge in his arms, the Brooklyn Bridge collapsing as they try to make it across. The Navy barely makes it out. Destoroyah slams Godzilla into the ground, then goes searching for the military as they hide and take cover. After eventually finding them, they take solace in Godzilla's tail lighting up red again and hitting Destoroyah with a burning tail swipe into the Met Life Building, disorienting him. Godzilla then tackles Destoroyah through the Met Life Building, blasting him with a red spiral beam as they land, causing the Chrystler Building to collapse and supposedly crush Destoroyah's head in the process!
Godzilla scouts through the encompassing smoke, when more aggregates appear, biting and holding Godzilla when suddenly, Destoroyah gets up and blasts Godzilla with a Transmugen Beam after lighting up, badly injuring and disorienting him. He then levitates himself and picks Godzilla up, raising him in midair before tackling him through the Empire State Building! He then drags Godzilla by the neck via tail into Times Square, where he proceeds to maul the downed Godzilla, eventually ripping off a couple of his spikes. Stenz notes "this is one fight your alpha predator might not be able to win, doctor... Destoroyah is just too powerful." He then proceeds to choke Godzilla with his tail, while draining his energy. However, Godzilla, while in the midst of suffocating, in no-give-up fashion, gets up and slams his skull into Dessy's sternum, disorienting him. He then bites Destoroyah's neck before delivering another red spiral breath, causing him to supposedly vanquish! However, Destoroyah, in amazing fashion, reforms himself once again after Godzilla hits him with his best shot once the smoke clears, and blasts him with a Chest Beam from his floral pattern that knocks him off his feet, dissecting his skin in several areas! He then begins to choke Godzilla out some more with his tail around his throat, choking Godzilla so hard he begins to cough up bloody saliva from his mouth while nearly passing out! Destoroyah then lights up again, and picks the near-asphyxiated Godzilla up, holding him in front of him by the neck with his tail, looking to finish Godzilla off once and for all.
As Destroyah prepares to deliver the finishing blow, Godzilla hits him with a tail swipe inside his mouth, causing it to deflect and hit his intestines, ripping his insides open and destroying his energy draining spores. Destroyah starts puking blood like crazy as he's left reeling and letting go of Godzilla's neck. Godzilla then starts putting a pounding on the weakened Destroyah, blowing off both wings and parts of his flesh with a point blank Nuclear Pulse to the spine, even ripping his horn off of his skull to increase the bleeding. In a last ditch effort, the mutilated Destroyah tries to hit Godzilla with one more Chest Beam, only for Godzilla to grab his chest armor, causing it to retract against his chest, ripping it open and making him bleed even more in the process. The mortally-wounded Destroyah falls over and looks in the soldiers' direction, that's when Reaver starts seeing flashbacks of his long lost pet crab (little Devil) when he sees the dying look in his eyes: his Dad retrieving Devil, he and his lover taking a smiling portrait in front of his tank, them feeding him, losing him to Monarch agents who raided his home, and finally, Reaver finding Devil's supposedly dead corpse with Orlovsky trying to console him afterwards. Godzilla eventually picks Destoroyah up by his face crests while his spikes charge, giving him a bitter look before blasting him with a red spiral kiss of death against an oil tanker, killing him in the ensuing ignition as we hear Dessy's dying roar.
We then get the celebratory aftermath: Godzilla's final victory roar, news report with the caption "Godzilla Victorious", Orlovsky muttering "he did it, the world is safe now" while shedding gleeful tears of joy, her falling head first into her lover's arms while he looks up at the triumphant King from afar, chorus of joyous cheers, Godzilla's march back to the ocean after defeating the ultimate evil, all happening while Hans Zimmer's "Chevaliers de Sangral" plays in the background.
Back at San Fran, Reaver and Orlovsky visit Voort's grave site along with Voronov, Maddox and her father, planting roses by his tombstone and paying their respects. However, as Orlovsky notes "he gave his life for us, now, we can be together". Serizawa arrives along with Graham, noting "it wasn't just him", Reaver proclaiming "no, your alpha predator made all this possible". "No, our alpha predator, love" says Orlovsky. Serizawa claims "and you gave him the strength to defeat Destoroyah, thank you". They then tie the knot in San Fran, Serizawa being Reaver's Best Man with Stenz, Graham, Kristoferson, the rest of the Navy, etc. all present. However, they are soon greeted by the arrival of Godzilla, who has marched all the way from Manhattan back to San Francisco, and we get a final montage set to Robert Oppenheimer's Atom Bomb speech as we're approaching the end credits.
Oppenheimer Ending[]
"We knew the world would not be the same..."
Shots of devastation on Monster Island are shown.
"Few people laughed..."
Shots of the shattered Sydney Opera House and Eifel Tower in Paris are shown.
"Few people cried..."
A moving panorama of the smokey remains of the shattered Sears Tower in Chicago is seen.
"Most people were silent..."
A view of the fiery, demolished Philadelphia skyline is shown.
"I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita..."
A close up view of the remnants of the ravaged Janjira Plant where the (in)famous meltdown occurred is shown.
"Vishnu takes on his multi-armed form..."
Moving shots of the destroyed Statue of Liberty, Chrystler Building and Times Square are shown before cutting to a brief blackout.
"And says..."
Godzilla is shown leaving the outskirts of San Francisco, walking by a few buildings before heading into the San Francisco bay.
"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."
We hear one final roar from Godzilla as he's descending into the ocean, heading off into the sunset as the closing score and end credits roll to end the trilogy.
Cast[]
- Chris Hemsworth as Lt. John Reaver
- Emily Blunt as Cpt. Natalia Orlovsky
- Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
- Emma Stone as Marissa Thornberg, journalist
- Liam Neeson as Dante Maddox, priest/cult leader
- Laurence Fishburne as Chad Kristoferson, USSOD
- Tommy Lee Jones as Rick Ellis, POTUS
- Costas Mandylor as Jed Mayhew, CIA director
- Sally Hawkins as Dr. Vivienne Graham
- David Strathairn as Rear Admiral William Stenz USN
- Kelsey Grammer as Norv Bennett, CEO of AeroTech Enterprises
- Dominic Cooper as Ted Larsen, editor-in-chief
- Idris Elba as Lt. Com. Jay Voort
- Antje Traue as Alissa Maddox, Dante's adoptive daughter & Russian military sniper.
- Anton Yelchin as Alexei Voronov, Russian military
- Bryce Dallas Howard as Sarah Bennett, Norv's scientist daughter
- Bill Nighy as Shaw
- Ben Foster (cameo) as Dan Bennett, Norv's son
Monsters[]
Protagonists[]
- Godzilla
- Mechagodzilla
- Anguirus
- Rodan
Antagonists[]
- Destoroyah: LegendaryDesu (Micro, Aggregate, Final/Devil form)
- Mecha-King Ghidorah: Legendary MechaGhido
- M.I.C.K.A.* (Massive Irradiated Cybornetic Kaiju Assassin [MUTO cyborg])
- Kumoraiju* ("Bat Monster"), bat kaiju with dead MUTO remnants
- Leviathan*: LegendaryLevi
- Baragon
Trivia[]
- Length: 165 minutes
- Budget: $230 mil
- Gross: $1,060,000,000 (worldwide), $115,000,000 (opening), $410,000,000 (domestic), $650,000,000 (foreign)
- Tagline: "One Monster Gauntlet To Rule Them All."
- The first Godzilla-Destoroyah fight scene, on Monster Island, is said to be influenced by the famous Batman: Knightfall storyline (later reimagined in Chris Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises), due in part to Thomas Tull, who was also executive producer of TDKR from Legendary and Warner Bros.
- A scene from the film, with survivors being attended to inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia following an attack from Destoroyah, is said to be be a direct homage to the Heinz Field scene in TDKR, once again due to Thomas Tull's influence as exec. producer of the film.
- The new MUTO cyborg, code-named "M.I.C.K.A.", was inspired by Ultron , the "Irradiated" part of his name signifying his constant glowing emmitions as a nod to the famous Marvel character.
- The second and final Godzilla-Destoroyah battle is a retelling of the climax of the famous Godzilla vs. Destoroyah storyline (made famous in a highly-publicized CNN news report ) with a Burning Godzilla variant (dubbed "Fusion Godzilla", donning glowing blue ultraviolet rashes and eyes in place of the red/orange lava ones of old) battling Destoroyah's final (devil) form in New York City, which is, in itself, said to be a direct homage to Cloverfield.