Summary
Courtesy of Legendary’s Monsterverse andGodzilla Minus One, audiences have been treated to two powerful incarnations of the King of the Monsters in just the span of a few months.Minus Onecalled back to the original 1954 movie, depicting the kaiju as a terror to humanity created by its use of nuclear weapons. Obviously, that’s in stark contrast to Legendary’s take on the monster, who is instead characterized as an ancient beast and self-appointed protector of the planet.
Of course, this only accounts for some of the ways the twoversions of Godzillaare different. However, there are some elements of the international pop culture icon that any faithful adaptation of the creature’s story should share, and that’s certainly the case forGodzilla Minus Oneand theMonsterverse’sGodzillamovies. Both, for instance, are forces to be reckoned with who can fairly be called the King of the Monsters in their respective universes. But, that’s not to say their power levels are equal. Their abilities create a clear distinction between them and what they’re capable of.
All 9 Godzilla Transformations, Ranked By Power Level
Godzilla has received many upgrades over the years via his new forms, from the classic Showa and Heisei Eras to the Monsterverse to one-off movies.
Monsterverse’s Godzilla Is Significantly Bigger Than Minus One’s Godzilla
Monsterverse’s Godzilla Has The Advantage In Size
Without receiving any changes,Minus One’sGodzilla wouldn’t be able to hold his own against the threats that his Hollywood counterpart has dealt with, and part of that boils down to the size difference. ForShin Godzilla, Toho made the monster comparable to Legendary’s version in the size department by upping his height to 389 feet.Godzilla Minus One, on the other hand, decided to take his height down to 164 feet, making him exactly as tall as the original version from the 1954 classic. That’s well short of the staggeringheight that Godzilla currently reaches in the Monsterverse- 393 feet.
Admittedly,this shouldn’t be the only indicator of how they stack up to each other. After all, Godzilla movies aren’t averse to changing the creatures' sizes to accommodate showdowns, hence how his fights with Kong were arranged in bothKing Kong vs. GodzillaandGodzilla vs. Kong. Both movies gave Kong size upgrades to allow for a fair fight. This was done to enable the two to be judged by their capabilities outside of that single factor, which is also how the version of Godzilla inGodzilla Minus Oneshould be examined as well.
Monsterverse Godzilla Is More Durable Than Minus One’s Version
Monsterverse’s Godzilla Has The Advantage In Strength
Another category the Monsterverse’s Godzilla wins in is durability. In the Monsterverse, Godzilla has nonchalantly shrugged off all sorts of human weaponry, including missiles, explosives, and guns. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said ofMinus One’sGodzilla, who visibly reeled when he was fired upon by a Japanese battleship. His face was also left heavily disfigured by the detonation of a mine in his mouth. Based on what’s been seen of Legendary’s Godzilla so far, it’s safe to say a similar explosion would only be a minor annoyance to him, and not one that would leave any wounds.
It also shouldn’t be forgotten what it took to kill Godzilla inGodzillaMinus One’sending. Ultimately, his defeat came at the hands of a civilian force, topped off by a bomb exploding in his mouth. Traditionally, it takes so much more to subdue - much less kill - Godzilla, which says a lot about the power level difference between this interpretation of the creature and many of his predecessors, who generally hold up much better to human attacks.
Monsterverse Godzilla Is Faster Than Minus One Godzilla
Monsterverse’s Godzilla Moves Faster Than All Godzilla Versions
In addition to being the stronger of the two, the Monsterverse version is also considerably faster and more agile. InGodzilla Minus One, he has a halting way of walking that’s reminiscent of some of the older Godzilla films, specifically those that released in the early 1990s. When juxtaposed with how Godzilla acts in Monsterverse movies likeGodzilla vs. KongandGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, it’s not hard to see which monster holds the advantage in speed. Rather than take slow, lumbering steps, the Monsterverse’s Godzilla runs and even leaps when necessary.
Minus One’s Godzilla Appears To Heal Faster Than Monsterverse’s Godzilla
Minus One’s Godzilla Has An Advanced Regeneration Ability
Minus One’sGodzilla may not match the Monsterverse character in terms of physical toughness, but he does appear to beat the rival alpha Titan in at least one category - the ability to regenerate. InGodzilla Minus One, the monster is able to regenerate instantly from his wounds. How quickly he can recover is one of the reasons why he was so difficult to kill. As for the Monsterverse’s Godzilla, he too seems to enjoy fast healing, but there’s no evidence that his regeneration rate is as advanced asMinus One’sGodzilla. To his credit, though, that’s partially because that power hasn’t really been fully tested.
Minus One Godzilla’s Atomic Breath Is Much Stronger (But There’s A Catch)
His Atomic Breath Has A Glaring Weakness
Minus One’sGodzilla also rivals his Monsterverse counterpart when it comes to their atomic breath, and that’s saying a lot, especially when considering that Legendary’s version blasted a hole all the way to the Hollow Earth inGodzilla vs. Kong. But while that’s impressive, his individual blasts still don’t cause the same level of widespread harm asMinus OneGodzilla’s atomic breath. True to his status as a product of nuclear weaponry,Minus One’sGodzilla has an atomic breath power that functions like an actual nuclear bomb, complete with a mushroom cloud.
That puts the destructive potential of his atomic breath levels above the Monsterverse version of the power. But, this comes with a massive caveat. As Kenji Noda hypothesized (seemingly correctly),Godzilla needs to recharge his atomic breathafter just a single use of the attack. That’s not something that’s ever held back previous versions of Godzilla, including the Monsterverse’s. As his recent fights prove, Legendary’s Godzilla has few (if any) limitations on his atomic breath. Unlike the new Toho monster, he can use this ability whenever he wants.
Monsterverse’s Godzilla Is Superior To Minus One’s Godzilla
Monsterverse’s Godzilla Is Nearly Unbeatable
In spite of how wellGodzilla Minus Onemanages to honor the spirit of the original kaiju, its titular villain still falls short of the alpha Titan’s incredible power level. He may be incredibly strong, but he has glaring weaknesses not shared by the Monsterverse’s Godzilla. With more physical durability, speed, and agility than the Toho monster, this Godzilla would be in excellent position to win any one-on-one fight he fights himself in. And if he winds up in a situation where he has to fall back on his atomic breath against an enemy, he can afford to miss a blast or two.
