Details on Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong 2 put the MonsterVerse in a good position to finally explain what happened to Anguirus. Though he wasn’t name-dropped within the movie itself, Anguirus was shown to be an ancient, long-dead MonsterVerse Titan in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. So far, though, his role has yet to be officially confirmed by Legendary.
In a tweet made in 2019, King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty drew attention to a skeleton spotted in Godzilla’s underwater city. Upon close inspection, it became difficult to deny that these are the bones of Anguirus, the ankylosaur-like kaiju who helped Godzilla save the world in both Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs. Gigan during the Showa era. The skeleton shares the distinguishing physical features of Anguirus, including the ones that set him apart from all known species of ankylosaurus. Whether it was only meant to be an Easter egg or not, the inclusion of the skeleton in the movie confirms that this creature did indeed exist in the MonsterVerse’s history.
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Ever since King of the Monsters, questions about Anguirus’ place in the MonsterVerse have lingered. Unsurprisingly, Godzilla vs. Kong didn’t answer them, but the sequel certainly can, especially when taking into consideration what the story is. A Godzilla vs. Kong 2 plot synopsis confirmed that it’ll revolve around an “undiscovered threat hidden deep within our world” while also exploring the “histories of the Titans.” If the sequel is going to spend a significant amount of time in the Hollow Earth (and on the ancient past) there should be ample opportunity for an explanation on Anguirus’ fate combined with the introduction of a present-day member of his species.
Who Killed The MonsterVerse’s Anguirus?
How Anguirus died is unclear, but there are several ways that this question could be answered. First of all, there are hints that multiple monsters fought in the Titan War, so Anguirus certainly could have been one of them. Plus, it’s possible that Godzilla’s underwater city was one of the battlegrounds for the war. If so, Anguirus could have been killed by one of Kong’s ancestors. Or, it could be discovered that he was a casualty of a battle with Godzilla vs. Kong 2’s “undiscovered threat”, whether it be an established Toho monster like Gigan or an original MonsterVerse Titan. Either of these reveals would allow Anguirus to fit seamlessly into the sequel’s story.
Of course, any direct mention of Anguirus in Godzilla vs. Kong 2 is unlikely to happen unless the movie also plans to have a new version appear in the flesh as well. As both Dougherty and Wingard have pointed out, purchasing the rights to Toho kaiju can be expensive. For that reason, it makes sense that if the sequel is going to use Anguirus at all, the Titan will get a substantial role in the story, possibly as an ally to Godzilla and Kong against the main villain.