With his radioactive breath and terrifying roar, Godzilla has become an iconic monster. He is the king of Kaiju. Since his first appearance in 1954’s Godzilla, this iconic beast has starred in 32 films as well as a variety of comic books, video games, and other media.
In the last 68 years, Godzilla has gone from a terrifying monster that can destroy cities to a beloved character in pop culture. While the character is known for destroying cities and fighting other monsters, there’s much more to this famous creature than his destructive nature.
Test your knowledge with these weird and wonderful facts about everyone’s favorite agoraphobic apex predator.
He Is a Hollywood Star
When it comes to Hollywood celebrities or centerstage, one of the most popular attractions is the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Back in 2004, for his 50th birthday, our beloved monster was finally given his star and rightful place in cinema history.
But did you know that Godzilla has one of the very few stars that have been given out to a fictional character? Out of over 2500 stars, he is one of 18 stars given to make-believe characters.
Godzilla Appeared in the Marvel Universe
This may come as a huge surprise to many readers. Back in the late 1970s, Godzilla had a massive 24-issue run in the Marvel comic universe. For two years, Godzilla fought the Avengers and many other Marvel characters.
Godzilla was eventually chased back out to sea after an epic battle with Thor in which the two were practically at a stalemate. This is how his time at Marvel ended.
It will be very interesting to see if Marvel decides to include Godzilla in the MCU.
What Does "Godzilla" Mean?
Even if you aren't a fan of the movies or the monster himself, pretty much everyone in the entire modern world knows what you mean when you utter the word Godzilla. But do you really know what the name means? Godzilla is the name that has become synonymous with the monster. But his original name, and the name the people of Japan call him, is Gojira.
Gojira is a combination of two words that, when together, form an entirely new thing. Gojira actually means gorilla-whale. This description is quite fitting for him, especially during his earlier days.
Inspiration from These Dinosaurs
It's a little obvious that Godzilla's look was inspired by dinosaurs, but do you know which ones exactly? According to science at that time, the T-Rex is the main influence due to the beast's walking on two legs and having an upright stance. This was perfect for the suit mission, as a human needed to be in the suit and be able to perform.
The second influence is Stegosaurus, for the monster’s iconic dorsal plates. Lastly, and most hard to recognize, is Iguanodon, which was used to inspire the design for Godzilla's arms.
The Most Popular Godzilla Movie
Many viewers may not appreciate Godzilla 1998, but the movie, as far as Godzilla films go, brought in the most money at the box office when you take inflation into account. This doesn't mean the movie made the largest profit, but in its theatrical run, more people went to watch it in theaters than any other Godzilla movie; even more than Godzilla in 2014.
Back in 1998, Godzilla pulled in $376 million worldwide. If we adjust that amount to the inflation for the current year, it roughly translates to around $600 million.
Hate it or love it, the movie was seen by many eyes and created a ton of new fans for the character.
The Director LOVES His Critics!
Today, in the digital age, we have everything at our fingertips, whether it is no deposit bonus codes or movie reviews. But in the past, there were dedicated TV shows for such reviews, and the show Siskel & Elbert, hosted by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, was very popular. However, they have been hard critics of Roland Emmerich, the director of Godzilla (1998).
So, for Godzilla (1998), he added in two characters that were mockeries of the movie reviewer, i.e., Mayor Ebert and his ass-kicking assistant, Gene. They even look damn near identical to their real-life inspirations. This whole thing is a little petty, but pretty hilarious.
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