Yes, That Was Anguirus In Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

While Godzilla: King of the Monsters was in theaters, director Mike Dougherty teased the possibility of an Anguirus Easter egg, but it was never made clear if the scene in question did indeed feature the classic Toho monster. However, the special features included in the movie’s home video release all but confirms that Godzilla’s trusted ally Anguirus was a resident of the underwater civilization discovered by Monarch.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters expanded the mythology of Godzilla by exploring a part of his life that other movies haven’t touched on, which is where Godzilla goes when he submerges into the ocean. During the movie, Monarch finds out that an ancient civilization older than both the Romans and the Egyptians once worshiped Godzilla, but was destroyed thousands of years ago. It was implied that they lived at a time where mankind lived in peace with the Titans. While no exact location was ever given for this mysterious city, it appears that Godzilla’s home is the MonsterVerse’s take on the mythical city of Atlantis.

In June, Dougherty responded to a fan question on Twitter about additional Easter eggs in Godzilla: King of the Monsters by saying that a skeleton that “might or might not be Angurius” is briefly visible in one shot outside of Godzilla’s underwater lair. Right after Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) triggers the explosion that destroys the city, a large skeleton can be seen, but it’s features aren’t distinguishable enough to identify it as Anguirus. In classic Toho movies, Anguirus is a kaiju and a loyal friend of Godzilla who fought at his side against King Ghidorah and Gigan.

One of the special features on the Godzilla: King of the Monsters Blu-ray, “The Undersea Lair”, includes a clear, black and white shot of the area before the explosion occurs. In this photo, the head, spiked nose, head, and tail can easily be recognized as belonging to Anguirus. While one could say that it may simply be a large ankloysaur — the dinosaur Anguirus is based on — the creature’s spiked nose separates it from the ankylosaur and makes it blatantly obvious that Anguirus, or a member of his species, lived in Godzilla’s underwater home. It seems possible that another Anguirus could exist somewhere in the MonsterVerse.

So why doesn’t the director just confirm that Anguirus is in Godzilla: King of the Monsters? The only Toho monsters that Legendary has the rights to use are Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah, which means that Anguirus can’t be officially used — yet. The situation with Anguirus could change however, if Legendary pursues the rights. The scene in the underwater civilization sets up multiple Titans for Godzilla 3. Is an official MonsterVerse debut for Anguirus on the horizon?

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