Ranking Every Godzilla Incarnation

When the Legendary-produced Godzilla hit theaters in 2014, American studios didn't have the best track record adapting the King of the Monsters. What we have now is not only the best interpretation of Godzilla a western nation has ever produced, but one of the best in the kaiju's 65-year history.

Legendary's Godzilla is the anchor to their Monsterverse. In this shared universe, monsters are prehistoric animals that retreated to hollowed points in the Earth as the world became less radiated. Due to human actions these monsters, labeled Titans, are resurfacing with Godzilla serving as the World's protector of the natural order.

2014's Godzilla was generally well-received, although most agree the film could have used more of the titular character. Legendary's take is about as grounded a Godzilla as we will probably ever get, using the behavior patterns and physical characteristics from real animals to create their beast.

Somewhat grounding the ancient lizard and other Kaiju have allowed the creators to give commentary on real-world issues in previous Monsterverse movies. Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island have dealt with topics such as environmental calamity, weapons of mass destruction and war. These very issues are the reason Godzilla was created.

With the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters we will see how this universe is further shaped and how the stage for Godzilla vs Kong is set. In any case, we are witnessing one of the best and faithful incarnations of Godzilla ever.