Every MonsterVerse Movie Godzilla vs Kong Sets Up | Screen Rant
Godzilla vs Kong ends by setting up multiple MonsterVerse sequels, but whether those movies happen or not are unclear given the franchise is in a holding position. Years ago, Legendary Entertainment announced they had acquired the rights to certain Toho characters - namely Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah - who could appear in a future Godzilla sequel. Sequel plans were unclear at the time since Gareth Edwards' film had just released, but the following year, a new shared universe was ultimately established.
Legendary branded the MonsterVerse and revealed plans to release Kong: Skull Island in 2017, Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2018 (which later became 2019), and Godzilla vs Kong in 2020 (which later became 2021); not only would they exist in the same world, but each production would be tied together by the organization Monarch, whose job is to research and control the monsters (officially known as Titans in-universe). And aside from a handful of delays, some of which were out of the studios' control, the MonsterVerse has been generally on track. Now that it's reached its end, the future is somewhat uncertain.
The specific details of Legendary and Toho's contract are unclear, but it's been generally believed that the deal would end in 2020, with Godzilla vs Kong. It's why Legendary nor Warner Bros have announced future MonsterVerse movies, despite there being obvious potential for more sequels. Whether those movies happen or not remain to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Godzilla vs Kong ends in such a way that those stories can happen if the studios want them.
Hank Marlow first referred to Kong as a king in Kong: Skull Island, but Kong didn't fully earn that name until Godzilla vs Kong when he took over the Hollow Earth. At some point, thousands of years ago, Kong's ancestors defeated Godzilla's ancestors by using an axe comprised of Godzilla's dorsal spike, and they ruled over the subterranean world with it. It's what Kong found in the throne room and why he was able to defeat the other monsters in the Hollow Earth. While he only had a moment to sit upon the throne before Maia Simmons took a sample of the Hollow Earth power source for Apex, it teased Kong's future as King Kong, which he officially became at the end of the film.
After Godzilla and Kong's battle with Mechagodzilla ended, the two monsters went their separate ways. Godzilla returned to the ocean, where he presumably would continue patrolling the Pacific Rim, while Kong returned to the Hollow Earth rather than Skull Island. It's his new home and he's now king down there. But being king is a title Kong may find himself defending, just like Godzilla had to defend his title as King of the Monsters from the alien Ghidorah. It's been confirmed that there are more monsters in the Hollow Earth than those revealed in Godzilla vs Kong. Therefore, it stands to reason a future Godzilla vs Kong sequel or spinoff would see Kong defending himself and others in the Hollow Earth, forcing monsters to submit to him just like Godzilla had done up on the surface.
Strangely, it's Godzilla's future that remains the most uncertain. Kong's story is at least somewhat settled, but just like the previous two movies, Godzilla's story ends with him being the alpha Titan. So the only direction he can go is up - with him taking on an even stronger monster than Ghidorah, Kong, and Mechagodzilla. And really, the only villain that fits the bill, especially considering the foundation that's already been laid, is Destoroyah. First appearing in 1995, Destoroyah is a monster who was mutated into existence; he didn't come from Monster Island or another planet, which made him unique. Following the Oxygen Destroyer's detonation, a colony of crustaceans mutated and rose to the surface, eventually combining into one large monster called Destoroyah.
Thankfully, the MonsterVerse has already embraced its weirder elements, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters set up Destoroyah to appear in a future movie. When Ghidorah and Godzilla faced each other off the coast of Mexico, the military unleashed the Oxygen Destroyer, which nearly killed Godzilla but barely affected Ghidorah. That one act might have put in motion the events that will lead to Destoroyah; however, one scene in Godzilla vs Kong could be the next step. When Kong arrived in the Hollow Earth and began running to the throne room, he passed a handful of monsters, including some unidentified crustaceans who could eventually migrate to the surface world. If that happens, they could feed on the organic life there and begin to merge into Destoroyah. At this point, there's no Titan left to challenge Godzilla, so the MonsterVerse may need to create one.
Now that Godzilla and Kong have met onscreen, and the fact that so many other monsters have appeared or been teased, the MonsterVerse's next crossover movie should be even bigger than Godzilla vs Kong. And the good thing is there's already a template for how that can happen: Destroy All Monsters. In 1968, Toho released Destroy All Monsters, a movie that brought together Godzilla, Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus, and even Gorosaurus, among others. Society at the time had achieved global peace and the U.N. were monitoring the creatures on Monster Island when an alien species arrived and took control of the monsters' minds, forcing them to wreak havoc all around the world. After the U.N. severed control of the monsters from the Kilaak, the aliens used Ghidorah to defend their base from the rest of the monsters, resulting in a massive battle in Japan. Eventually, Ghidorah was defeated and the monsters all returned home.
Part of that storyline was used in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but only to a small extent. It's possible for the MonsterVerse to visit the idea of a massive Destroy All Monsters type of crossover in the future, and the seeds have already been planted for that arc. Nearly half of the monsters needed for Destroy All Monsters exist in the MonsterVerse, and the rest can be made up of the original Titans in the franchise. Furthermore, two key aspects of Destroy All Monsters' story getting underway are an area where the monsters all live (the Hollow Earth) and a research facility monitoring them (Kong's monitoring station). A MonsterVerse version of the Toho film could have Monarch lose contact with Kong's outpost and for the Titans to come out of the Hollow Earth, ultimately ravaging the world. This could lead to Monarch becoming more militaristic and working to save the monsters, while also aiding Godzilla, Kong, and every other Titan in their efforts to defeat the Kilaak or some other alien species. In a way, this would be the perfect film to wrap up the MonsterVerse, with the Titans returning to the Hollow Earth to live in peace.