Warning: Spoilers for Godzilla Minus One

A callback to a 1990s Godzilla movie in Godzilla Minus One helps illustrate the reason this iteration of the iconic kaiju is a villain. In stark contrast to the alpha of the Titans of the same name in the Monsterverse, Godzilla Minus One’s titular character is depicted as an enemy to humanity. As a story that pits the people of Japan against the King of the Monsters, the movie is a reminder of Godzilla’s roots.

Some versions of Godzilla are seen as anti-heroes or defenders of the planet, but that’s certainly not the case for Godzilla Minus One’s take on the monster. Not unlike the original kaiju in the 1954 film, Godzilla terrorized the humans throughout the film, finally pushing them to enact a plan to end his life once and for all in Godzilla Minus One’s ending. However, it’s possible that Godzilla Minus One’s human characters being forced to this point wasn’t an inevitability. One scene, which appears to be an Easter egg to a Heisei era Godzilla film, indicates that there’s a specific reason this Godzilla is a villain.

Godzilla’s Fight On Odo Island Is A Callback To Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

A Young Godzilla Was Attacked By Humans On An Island In World War II In 2 Different Movies

Godzilla’s introductory scene in Godzilla Minus One comes across as a reference to Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. A time travel mission to Lagos Island during World War II saw members of both the Japanese and American military encounter a Godzillasaurus, the dinosaur that would eventually mutate into Godzilla. Before time travel was used, it was understood that Godzilla saved the Japanese from the Americans, but after changes to the timestream, the new reality was that the Americans had injured the Godzillasaurus with their weapons. It’s this development that draws comparisons to Godzilla Minus One.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah notably used this twist to justifty taking away the heroic reputation Godzilla had cultivated over the years. As a result of what happened, the main characters returned to present-day Japan to find that Godzilla was more sinister and unforgiving than ever. Clearly, it was Godzilla’s bad experiences with humans in his youth that turned him against them. Godzilla Minus One’s Odo Island scene (which also took place in World War II) echoed this notion, as it too showed a young Godzilla getting violently blindsided by soldiers, likely instilling in him a hatred of humanity.

The Odo Island Fight Is A Reminder Of Humanity’s Responsiblity For Godzilla

In a sense, the fights on Odo Island and Lagos Island respectively are poignant reminders of the responsibility humanity bears for the threat Godzilla poses. His very existence is owed to their actions, as it was the use of nuclear weaponry that transformed him into a gigantic, radioactive monster. But as these incidents prove, there’s even more to it than that. Similar to what transpired on Lagos Island in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, it was the humans that drew first blood in Godzilla Minus One. By attacking him, they inadvertently established their species as a threat to Godzilla.

There’s no proof in Godzilla Minus One that their relationship with him would be any different if they didn’t shoot at him on Odo Island, but if Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah’s story is any indication, things could indeed have played out differently. Before time travel changed history, Godzilla wasn’t a true villain in the movie, which goes to show that humanity had shaped him into one. If the same is the case for the King of the Monsters in Godzilla Minus One, that means there might have been potential for a different dynamic.

Could Godzilla Be Anything Other Than A Villain In Godzilla Minus One?

While the 2023 movie utilized Godzilla strictly as a villain, there’s at least a chance he could receive a different role in a potential Godzilla Minus One sequel. Theoretically, Godzilla’s resurrection could resume the cycle of violence, as he could retaliate against the humans for what happened in the movie’s ending. Or, it could find a way to give him – and the humans – a fresh start. If what was left behind of Godzilla at the end of Godzilla Minus One regenerates into a new version of the kaiju, he could have no memories of what happened, and therefore no existing beef with the Japanese.

By leaning into this idea of a fresh start in a Godzilla Minus One sequel, the movie can return to Godzilla to the anti-hero roles he occupied in the Heisei and Millennium eras. It’s hard to imagine him ever being the hero he is in Legendary’s Monsterverse, but a scenario where Godzilla leaves the humans in peace – as long as they do the same – doesn’t feel implausible. Whether or not that happens, though, could be up to the humans.