The MonsterVerse Will Go Up Against The DC Universe

This piece was initially published at KaijuRamenMedia.com on August 12, 2023.

Godzilla is no stranger to crossovers. In his comic book appearances, the Big G has gone up against the Power Rangers, The Avengers, and even Charles Barkley. But this year will see him go up against a group of heroes he has never faced before: The Justice League. At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, DC Comics announced that Godzilla and Kong will be making their way to the DC Universe to face off against Wonder Woman, Batman, and, of course, Superman.

Written by Brian Buccellato (The Flash, Injustice) and drawn by Christian Duce (Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point), Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong will be a seven-issue mini-series launching in October. The fun starts with Lois and Clark enjoying their day off before being rudely interrupted by a rampaging Godzilla. Somehow, Godzilla and Kong have found themselves in the DC Universe. Godzilla, whose main role is protecting the balance of nature in his universe, senses that the DC Universe is wildly out of balance due to the many heroes, villains, and gods that inhabit it. He instinctively begins rampaging in order to right the balance. If it wasn’t clear before, the Godzilla and Kong that the Justice League encounter is specifically the MonsterVerse versions. Buccellato also mentioned that some other MonsterVerse Titans have also found their way to the DC Universe, but won’t say who at this time. 

At first glance, this sounds like a crossover between IDW and DC Comics due to IDW holding the license to publish Godzilla comics. IDW has been known to do inter-company crossovers for decades with their licensed IP and has crossed DC heroes with their licenses multiple times. But for this historical first, this crossover will be with Legendary Comics and DC Comics. Legendary Comics is a subsidiary of Legendary Pictures which primarily funds the MonsterVerse movies with Warner Bros. Discovery. Legendary Comics most notably publishes comic book tie-ins to their movies such as Pacific Rim, Godzilla, and Krampus. But this marks the first time they have partnered with another publisher for a crossover. 

It being the MonsterVerse version of the characters does mean that the crossover will be unnecessarily limited in what it can do. While the MonsterVerse has introduced a few Toho monsters like Mothra or Ghidroa, it is mostly populated with original creatures. So while it’s exciting to think about the heroes of the DC Universe going up against Godzilla and Kong, it’s unfortunate that they won’t be able to go up against foes like Gigan, Biolante, or Space Godzilla. A match-up of Martian Manhunter and Behemoth doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as a match-up of Martian Manhunter and Hedora for example. But that’s not to say that something exciting can’t come from this. The very fact that it’s seven issues must mean there’s something that hasn’t been revealed yet about the nature of this story. It’s just that this version of Godzilla was probably not everyone's first choice for crossing over with the DC Universe. 

Due to Toho’s insistence that Godzilla be a hero, this is most certainly a case of “they punch for a bit, then they’re friends”, much like what happened with the recent crossovers that the Power Rangers went through with both Godzilla and the Justice League. The main threat of the comic has yet to be revealed but expect it to be something that will require the Justice League to team up with Godzilla and Kong. Perhaps it’ll be an alpha Titan that’s already been introduced but it’s possible that it could be something completely new.

This isn’t the only big thing to come from the MonsterVerse this year. Netflix just released Skull Island (Check out my review) and by the end of the year, Apple TV+ will release the first-ever live-action Godzilla show. Next year will see the big screen return of Godzilla and Kong with Godzilla X. Kong: The New Empire. To coincide with the release of the film, Legendary Comics will be publishing a new tie-in comic called Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted. Nothing is known about the plot of the comic at this time, but it's due out in February of next year. Legendary will also be publishing a book called Monarch: Declassified, which will act as a sourcebook for the monsters within the MonsterVerse. Giving MonsterVerse fans new insight into the world and a glimpse at some of the new monsters introduced in the upcoming film. 

There’s so much to look forward to with the MonsterVerse, but Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong seems to be getting the most hype. A crossover like this is a dream come true for nerds of all ages. Sure, there are some who question why such a crossover is necessary, especially when the MonsterVerse is far more tame than the Toho films and characters that inspired it. Godzilla and Kong are truly no match for a character like Superman, but why should that stop this story from being told?