A monster as great as Godzilla deserves a great villain, and King Ghidorah has fit that role perfectly for 50 years. First appearing in Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, the multi-headed golden dragon calls to mind the hydras of ancient mythology. He is an extraterrestrial destroyer of planets, at least until he was revealed to be a pawn of alien invaders, a role he would never quite shake off. The design of King Ghidorah is a major reason why he has endured as such a fan favourite. Those three cackling heads spewing lightning and destroying everything in sight is one of the most iconic images of the series. He's the ultimate bad guy; a being so powerful it took the combined might of Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra to beat him. And that is one of the unique things about King Ghidorah. Despite being a destroyer of worlds and Godzilla's arch nemesis, he's never won a fight. Perhaps it's not his fault; he's always going up against multiple opponents. You almost feel sorry watching him get demolished in Destroy All Monsters. Almost. His origin got rebooted in the Heisei series, instead being the result of the mutation and merging of three cute little Dorats. His defeat by a reborn Godzilla in that film led to him coming back as Mecha-King Ghidorah. He's even been the good guy, going up against a possessed Godzilla along with Mothra in GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. And he was the final opponent for Godzilla in Godzilla: Final Wars, a fitting final foe if there ever was one. He may not always quite live up to his name, but the fact that King Ghidorah continues to get labeled as Godzilla's arch nemesis to this day proves the enormous impact he had on establishing Godzilla's status in popular culture. The image of Godzilla facing a three-headed dragon is one even casuals have probably comes across at least once. Three heads truly are better than one. Have a favorite monster from the Godzilla series? Let us know in the comments.
