The Next MonsterVerse Movie Could Introduce The Kaiju That Killed A Godzilla

Though Destoroyah is a favorite among kaiju superfans, he’s not a monster that more casual moviegoers may know. Unlike the rest of Godzilla’s most famous allies and adversaries — Mothra, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, Anguirus, etc. — Destoroyah only appeared in a single film. And though he’s certainly the biggest name on the franchise’s long list of one-hit wonders, he’s also one of the strangest Kaiju Godzilla has ever fought.

Destoroyah is actually many creatures — at least at first. The plot of the film revolves around a species of Precambrian crab-like organisms that are mutated into dangerous monsters by the oxygen destroyer. Yes, that’s the same oxygen destroyer used to kill the first Godzilla in the 1954 film. The creatures eventually become larger than humans, leading to a series of confrontations with the military that intentionally evoke James Cameron’s “Aliens.” It’s only in the film’s final act that the ultimate form of Destoroyah, who stands tall over one of the biggest incarnations of Godzilla ever, takes the stage.

Destoroyah nearly defeats Godzilla, but he ultimately falls thanks to some help from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and an experimental aircraft called the Super X3. Still, Godzilla does die at the end of the film, falling victim to a nuclear meltdown within his own body. To this day, Destoroyah remains one of the most powerful monsters ever featured in a Godzilla movie.