A recent set photo from the production ofGodzilla X Kong: Supernovateases the inclusion of a famously unused monster from Godzilla’s history, and I’m convinced it’s evidence it’ll be included in the next chapter of the Monsterverse. Currently slated for a March 2027 release date,Godzilla X Kong: Supernovawill be the sixth entry in the interconnected universe.
While there are no major plot or character details available with the release date still so far off, that hasn’t stopped Godzilla and Kong fans from craftingtheories about what comes next for the Monsterverse. Most of the early speculation around the movie’s plot has revolved around theSupernovasubtitle, which the most popular theory says is an indication ofSpaceGodzilla’s imminent arrival.
TheSupernovasubtitle certainly points to a cosmic villain like Hedorah, Orga, or Gigan if it isn’t SpaceGodzilla, but there is always the possibility thatthe next movie’s villain isn’t any of the popular choices. In fact, a set photo from the production ofGodzilla X Kong: Supernovapoints to an unused American monster from Godzilla’s past being the true villain.
A Recent Godzilla X Kong: Supernova Set Photo Teases The Unused Monster Gryphon
Oscar Winner Stan Winston Designed A Cosmic Villain For Tristar’sGodzilla
As pointed out by X user@Mr_goji54, a recent photo posted to the Instagram story ofcinematographer Simon Englandfrom the set ofGodzilla X Kong: Supernova’s latest shooting location in Moab, Utah shows a distinct red patch on a camera. That patch, although not 100% clear,shows an outline of a winged four-legged creature with a bolt of lightning in the background.
That creature looks exactly like a monster known as the Gryphon, an alien kaiju that was intended to be Godzilla’s primary adversary in Jan De Bont’s scrapped 1996Godzillamovie. That movie would go on to become the1998 Tristar version ofGodzilla, which focused on Godzilla as the villain and contained no other monsters.
2014
$160 million
$529.1 million
76%
66%
2017
$185 million
$568 million
70%
2019
$200 million
$387.3 million
42%
83%
2021
$470.1 million
91%
2023
86%
77%
2024
$150 million
$572.3 million
54%
89%
The Gryphon was designed and even worked into models by legendary special effects artist Stan Winston, who won Academy Awards for his work onAliens,Terminator 2: Judgment Day, andJurassic Park(with nominations for a number of other classics).Winston designed the Gryphon as a winged monster with the body of a puma, with massive front claws and sharp hooves for feet.
The Gryphon’s scripted origin borrowed from classic Godzilla lore;it was a biological weapon designed by an alien race, sent to Earth to wipe out all lifeso that the aliens could take the planet for themselves. It arrived on Earth in a meteorite, and adopted the genetic material of several Earth animals to come up with its final monstrous form.
In addition to its winged attacks and massive claws,the Gryphon was able to fire blasts of lightning out of its wings, not dissimilar from Ghidorah’s Gravity Beams in appearance. The Gryphon was essentially a stand-in for King Ghidorah, in fact, as Tristar and Toho negotiated rights and licensing for the characters.
Gryphon Is A Perfect Fit For Godzilla X Kong: Supernova
His Origin And Power Set Fit What We Know, And He Doesn’t Need To Be Licensed From Toho
The Gryphon actually makes an incredible amount of sense as one of, if not the primary villains forGodzilla X Kong: Supernova. For starters,the camera patch from the set was seen while shooting in Utah, which is where the Gryphon’s meteorite was supposed to landin the original scriptfrom Jan De Bont’s version ofGodzilla.
His alien nature, along with the fact that he arrives on Earth in a meteorite, satisfies the apparent connection between theSupernovasubtitle and a cosmic villain. The Monsterverse has already seen one alien monster in Ghidorah, sothe Gryphon could come from the same alien race or planet that sent Ghidorah, which would explain his similar attacks and body type.
The Gryphon’s ability to assimilate DNA from other creatures to create a final form was supposedly borrowed for the creature Orga inGodzilla 2000: Millennium.
The Gryphon is also a monster that wouldn’t require Toho’s involvement, which has been a roadblock for Legendary and Tristar in the past. It’s expensive to license each Toho monster, and they need to be licensed individually. The process is so complicated thatLegendary even made a brand-new monster named Phospherathat would have slotted into Mothra’s peacekeeper role inGodzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
Frankly, the Gryphon seems like a perfect fit for the Monsterverse, especially given how neatly its backstory aligns with the Monsterverse in its current state.Godzilla blogs, fansites, and Reddit communities generally approve of the Stan Winston’s original Gryphon creature design, which is a major factor in how well a new monster is typically received.
The Gryphon’s origin even fits in as a good foil for the Monsterverse’s Godzilla, who has now on multiple occasions shown the ability to assimilate DNA from other monsters. He used Mothra’s DNA to help power up into his Burning Godzilla form inGodzilla: King of the Monsters, and used Tiamat’s as he powered up into Evolved Godzilla inThe New Empire.
The Monsterverse’s Gryphon, instead of using genetic information from other animals,can use genetic information from other Titans to achieve its final form. That would allow for screentime for some of theMonsterverse’s named but unseen Titans, like Typhon, Bunyip, or Baphomet in addition to introducing the Gryphon, which would be a great celebration of Legendary’s creative team.
The camera patch seen in the recentGodzilla X Kong: Supernovaset photo has me convinced that the Gryphon will show upin some capacity in the movie. It may not turn out to be the “final boss” of the movie, but it would make a great secondary villain at the very least.
