Toho’s Baragon would be a natural fit for the Hollow Earth in Godzilla’s MonsterVerse. In Legendary’s universe of Godzilla and Kong movies, the Hollow Earth is a system of deep, underground tunnels that Titans can use to travel around the world, undetected by humans. The idea was first floated in Kong: Skull Island, but it was shown shown in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Thus far, four of the creatures in Toho’s library exist in the MonsterVerse; Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah all made their first appearances in a Hollywood movie with King of the Monsters, which had Ghidorah serve as the movie’s main villain. Mothra acted as a benevolent guardian monster much like his Toho counterpart, whereas Rodan – Godzilla’s biggest ally in Toho’s movies – joined forces with Ghidorah. A fifth Toho property is expected to be added to the MonsterVerse when Godzilla vs. Kong reportedly introduces Mechagodzilla. If Legendary gets the rights to more Toho characters, Godzilla could cross paths with other familiar friends and foes in future MonsterVerse installments.
Among the Toho kaiju that Godzilla could meet at some point is Baragon, a Toho monster who feels like he belongs in Hollow Earth. Introduced in 1965’s Frankenstein vs. Baragon as an opponent for the movie’s supersized protagonist, the creature is a four-legged, reptilian beast with a horn positioned between his eyes. Baragon can shoot blasts of fire from the horn. Following his debut, he appeared alongside several other kaiju during Ghidorah’s attack on Japan in Destroy All Monsters. He returned in 2001’s Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack as one of three guardians who rise up to defend the Earth from Godzilla.
What makes Baragon a monster who could be easily translated to the MonsterVerse is his signature ability. The subterranean dinosaur possesses the ability to burrow underground and dig tunnels that allow him to surface wherever he wants. He spends most of his time beneath the Earth. It’s easy to imagine a Titan like this being right at home in the Hollow Earth tunnels. Admittedly, one-time Godzilla villain Megalon shares this power, but a move to the MonsterVerse wouldn’t be as smooth a transition for him as it would be for Baragon. A giant cockroach-like monster who walks upright like a human would likely need more updating than Baragon, who looks much more like a giant dinosaur.
If Legendary ever acquires the rights to him, he could be one of many undiscovered Titans in the MonsterVerse. Monarch already knew about 17 during the timeframe of King of the Monsters, and it was made clear in the movie that this number is still going up. This line was included specifically for the purpose of making room for more Toho monsters. If Legendary does end up adding more, Baragon could be one of them. He’s a monster that would make sense for the future, especially since Monarch will be exploring Hollow Earth in Godzilla vs. Kong and may inadvertently awaken some of the Titans who are slumbering deep in the hidden tunnels.
