#He kills all mortals from the Future Timeline not only humanoid

[stoopidassjamesfranco]

Goten black arc au but is named xXGotenBlackXx, it's full of emo music and has early 2010 glitter emo deviantart stamps aesthetic

[aion-rsa]

Mortal Kombat: Biggest Changes the Movie Makes to the Games

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This article contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat.

The Mortal Kombat movie may be one of the first true blockbusters of 2021, but for millions of fans of the games, it’s also another chance to “get it right.” Sure, 1995’s is a somewhat underrated live-action adaptation of a video game, but its irredeemable sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, left many fans doubting that we’d ever see another big-budget live-action Mortal Kombat movie much less one that comes close to capturing what makes the games special.

You can read our review of the film itself for a better look at how close the new movie comes to accomplishing that lofty goal, but suffice to say, the movie makes a lot of changes to the games it’s based on. Some of those changes were almost inevitable given the transition between storytelling mediums, while others are more…debatable.

While there are a lot of little differences longtime Mortal Kombat fans will spot in the movie, these are the biggest ways the movie changes the universe of the games.

Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s Origins and Rivalry

We’ve covered this more extensively elsewhere, but the most popular version of the Sub-Zero/Scorpion rivalry as it’s portrayed in the games involves the sorcerer Quan Chi whose task pits Sub-Zero and Scorpion (who are members of rival clans) directly against each other. Sub-Zero kills Scorpion while trying to complete that assignment, but Quan Chi resurrects Scorpion after making him believe that Sub-Zero killed his family and clan. 

The Mortal Kombat movie cuts through some of that by suggesting that Sub-Zero and Scorpion are simply members of rival clans and that Sub-Zero did actually kill Scorpion’s family. It also cuts Quan Chi out of Scorpion’s resurrection. The idea that Sub-Zero is directly responsible for those deaths could close the door on a future storyline where Sub-Zero’s brother and Scorpion unite to get revenge on Quan Chi, but streamlining this particular plot point makes a bit of sense when you consider that adding Quan Chi to the movie would have only added another piece to an already busy film. 

The Reason For Jax’s Mechanical Arms

Again, we’ve covered this story before (in a great article you really should read), but Jax has lost his arms in a variety of ways over the years across Mortal Kombat’s various games, timelines, and adaptations. 

However, none of those stories involved Sub-Zero ripping off Jax’s arms, which is pretty much what happens in the movie. Given that the story of how Jax lost his arms has changed so much over the years, it’s hard to blame the movie’s writers for not sticking to an existing story. Besides, making Sub-Zero responsible for the incident is a nice way to tie two of the bigger characters in the movie together. 

How Mortal Kombat’s Fighters Are Chosen

In the Mortal Kombat games, people participate in the tournament for various reasons. For instance, Johnny Cage joins the tournament to prove he’s more than an actor who relies on stunts and effects, while Liu Kang joins as a fighter trained to protect Earth. There’s really no universal explanation for how people get there. 

The movie tries to offer such a universal explanation by not only suggesting that fighters are chosen by fate but that you can become one of the fighters by killing an already chosen participant. That idea is already becoming one of the film’s most contentious changes as some ask whether the whole concept is just one plot point too many. 

The “Arcana” Explanation

Why do characters in the Mortal Kombat games have special powers? The storyline explanations vary. Some were born with those powers, while others acquired them through mechanical enhancements or gifts from the gods. Mostly, though, giving characters powers was just a way to spice up the original arcade game’s special moves. 

In one of the biggest departures from the games, the MK movie suggests that Earthrealm’s warriors have to unlock the “Arcana” ability within them. We’re going to cover a couple of the more specific instances of this explanation deviating from the games in a big way, but it’s worth highlighting the fact that this idea of Earthrealm warriors needing to unlock the Arcana within them was never really mentioned in the games. It’s a very “Midi-chlorian” way to approach the whole idea.

Sonya Blade’s Powers

Again, we could spend quite a bit of time talking about the many ways the Arcana concept changes the video game versions of Mortal Kombat‘s biggest characters, but Sonya Blade is one of the most interesting and notable examples of such a deviation. As those who saw the MK movie know, Sonya gets her powers when she kills Kano, becomes one of the tournament’s chosen fighters, and unlocks her Acana ability.

How did she get those abilities in the game? It’s a little muddy in the beginning, but later entries in the series suggest that her abilities are based on mechanical creations rather than an inherent power. The idea of Sonya having a device attached to her arms that allows her to shoot projectiles really seemed to be part of an effort to help explain her otherwise unexplainable abilities in the original games, but it was a pretty effective way to do just that. 

Kano’s Eye

The origin of Kano’s “laser eye” in the Mortal Kombat games is really pretty simple. Kano suffered massive damage to his eye in a battle against Jax and had a mechanical plate and enhanced eye grafted on to cover the affected area. That eye so happened to grant Kano the ability to fire a laser beam as well as access several enhanced modes of vision. 

The Mortal Kombat movie not only suggests that Kano’s physical trauma was caused by Reptile (more on that in a bit) but that Kano’s ability to shoot a laser from his eye is part of his Arcana ability. It’s an…interesting deviation that is arguably the most unnecessary of all the Arcana plot points as Kano’s eye was one of those pieces of lore that was explained in the games fairly early on and has since become one of the character’s defining physical qualities.

Read more

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Sonya Blade: Exposition Machine

In one of the movie’s stranger moments, Sonya Blade lays out a sizable bit of lore as she explains the concept of the Mortal Kombat tournament to Cole Young and helps him understand what it means to be chosen. She doesn’t have all the details, but what she does know is described as the result of a lengthy investigation. 

This is another one of those instances of plot convenience, as there’s no early version of Sonya Blade in the games who is so well-informed about the tournament. In fact, in both the original game and the 2011 “reboot,” Sonya stumbles upon the tournament in progress while hunting Kano. 

Reptile’s Design

I told you we’d get to Reptile. In the games, Reptile is a humanoid/reptilian ninja who is loyal to Outworld’s rulers and Shang Tsung. He is typically described as a gifted assassin and warrior.

The Mortal Kombat movie keeps some of those traits but strangely portrays Reptile as little more than a giant lizard. While it’s true that Reptile’s in-game humanoid attributes largely hide his “lizard” form, most of the games portray him as a creature with a somewhat human physical structure. Actually, one of the only MK games to show Reptile as a pure “creature” was Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, and that design was not exactly well-received by many fans. 

The Mortal Kombat Tournament’s Rules

While it probably seems like the Mortal Kombat tournament is basically a free-for-all, many versions of the tournament seen throughout the games do adhere to some basic rules. One of the most important MK rules says that you can’t attack another realm’s fighters prior to the tournament and that a violation of that rule could mean having to deal with the wrath of the Elder Gods. 

The movie throws a lot of that out of the window. It does mention that rules exist, and it rightfully suggests that not everyone plays by them, but at some point, everyone seems to ignore the whole tournament concept altogether in favor of just killing each other. Meanwhile, the Raiden stands by and lends little help despite seemingly being able to step in and start smacking the cheaters around as soon as the rules were broken. 

Liu Kang’s Origin Story

From the very first game, Liu Kang has been portrayed as an incredibly skilled warrior who stands as one of Earthrealm’s most capable defenders. The details of his origin have been played with over the years, but there’s long been the idea that he was one of the Earthrealm participants who has trained for this moment for quite some time. 

The movie doesn’t stray from that story too wildly compared to other reworked origins, but it adds a couple of wrinkles by suggesting that Liu Kang was once a down-and-out orphan and that he “earned” his place in the tournament by killing a child smuggler who had the mark on him. The change seemed to be a way to explain how Liu Kang got his powers in the film’s universe and joined this version of the tournament, but it’s another one of those aspects of the movie which was perhaps overthought and creates a few character complications that aren’t quite resolved.

Cole Young: Scorpion’s Descendant

By now, you probably know that Cole Young was a character created specifically for the Mortal Kombat movie and doesn’t exist in the games. If you want to know a little more about the meta reasons for the character’s creation, I highly recommend checking out this article. 

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What’s fascinating, though, is that the movie goes on to reveal that Cole Young is one of Scorpion’s descendants. Scorpion’s children have been featured in previous MK works, but they typically don’t appear in anything more substantial than a flashback or vision. The whole idea of Scorpion’s descendants living on through the years creates questions the movie doesn’t necessarily answer. If anything, that idea feels like a play on a moment in MK 11 when Scorpion confronts his younger self and convinces him to defend Earthrealm. 

Did you spot any other major changes in the Mortal Kombat movie? Let us know about them in the comments below.

The post Mortal Kombat: Biggest Changes the Movie Makes to the Games appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[alittlepieceofwarcraft]

Infinite Dragonflight: A Lore Guide

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History

Origins (before Year -150, 000): The beginning of the Infinite Dragonflight begins with Nozdormu, guardian of time itself, well before the first recorded date of Year -150,000. After Azeroth’s Ordering, Keeper Tyr battled with a monster, Galakrond, along with the aid of five intelligent proto-dragons: Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, Neltharion and Nozdormu. Impressed by their courage and might, he and other Keepers turned to the Pantheon to gift the proto-dragons with powers to protect Azeroth with. Eonar bestowed Alexstraza with the titles Life-Binder and Dragon Queen, charging her with protecting all life, and gave her younger sister Ysera the name the Dreamer and bound her to the Emerald Dream. Alexstraza is the originator of the red dragonflight, and Ysera the green. Malygos was chosen by Norgannon to guard all forms of magic and the arcane, titled the Spell-Weaver. His dragonflight is the blue. Neltherion was charged with dominion over the earth by Khaz'goroth, becoming known as the Earth Warder and beginning with black dragonflight. Nozdormu was dubbed the Timeless One by Aman'Thul to protect time itself. He is the originator of the bronze dragonflight. This changed them all into the Dragon Aspects. Nozdormu was granted a vision of his own demise to remind him that he is not exempt from fate itself. However, this tormented him in an alternate timeline, causing him to seek ways to subvert his mortality and become corrupted by the Old Gods, becoming known as Murozond. Some of his bronze flight became also corrupted, becoming known as the infinite dragonflight.

Changing Times (Year 26): The infinite dragonflight made two attempts to change history to bring an end to Azeroth. First, they tried to prevent Thrall from escaping Durnholde so he would not be able to rally the Horde and later defeat the Burning Legion in the Third War. Secondly, they tried to stop Medivh opening the Dark Portal, thus making sure the Alliance was never formed and leaving the world vulnerable to the Legion once again.

Bronze vs... Bronze? (Year 27): In Northrend, the Infinite dragonflight can be seen battling the bronze dragons for control over the Bronze Dragonshrine. Adventurers are sent by bronze dragon Chronormu (also known as Chromie) to use the Hourglass of Eternity and identify the leader of the infinite dragons. When Nozdormu is revealed, Chromie says it makes no sense and brushes off the issue. They also appear in the Culling of Stratholme, attempting to stop Arthas Menethil from purging the city.

The Hour of Twilight (Year 29): This is a period prophesied to be the moment the Old Gods would be released from their prison. Occulus, a bronze dragon guarding the Caverns of Time became corrupted and turned into an infinite dragon. Nozdorumu herein reveals that he is in fact the leader of the flight, explaining that in another branch of time he became corrupted and his absence was due to his investigations into this, but became lost in timelines. To retrieve the Dragon Soul, to use to stop Deathwing, he and a group of adventurers journey to End Time, a version of Azeroth wherein Deathwing wasn’t stopped. The entity preventing Nozdormu was in fact Murozond - his corrupted future self. He is defeated in End Time. 

Partners in Crime (Year 31): During Garrosh Hellscream’s trial, the infinite dragonflight gave aid to Warlord Zaela by Kairozdormu. They attacked Temple of the White Tiger with the Dragonmaw clan to free Garrosh. Kairozdormu takes Garrosh back to Draenor in Year -4, before the orcs’ corruption, telling him he wants him to create one of many Hordes. Not wanting to be a pawn, Garrosh kills him. 

Qualities

Membership: All members of the infinite dragonflight are corrupted bronze dragons who seek to bring the Hour of Twilight, when the Old Gods will be released from their prison. This can include many types of dragon, from dragons themselves to drakonid (humanoid dragons), dragonspawn and drake. The main classes seen in their ranks appear to be warrior, warlock and mage. 

Leadership: The master of all infinite dragons is of course Murozond, however Aeonus is known as their secondary leader.

Ranks: There don’t appear to be any ranks within the infinite dragonflight, only leaders and foot soldiers.

Abilities: While it’s not clear whether or not all infinite dragons can travel through time or if only the more powerful ones can, some at least seem to rely on shadow or arcane damage (Murozond uses Temporal Blast. Aeonus and Epoch Hunter use Sand Breath) or time distortion. 

[lythro-classpects]

Denizens by Aspect (Part One)

The Denizen is the ultimate adversary of your land. The driving force behind your quest and character development, if you play the game correctly your denizen will be your greatest adversary and your most powerful benefactor. 

Contrary to popular belief, your goal isn’t to kill your denizen. It is certainly a possibility, don’t get me wrong, but killing your denizen is only one possible answer to the Ultimate Riddle. Your goal as a player is to undo the corruption that your denizen has brought to the land, and in the process learn to understand them. Only when you stop hating your denizen can you truly complete your quest.

So what does that mean for individual players? The way you deal with your denizen is heavily based on your individual classpect, but like most things, there are patterns based on the aspect you belong to.

This guide will cover the aspects of Space, Time, Light, and Void (Or, the Cardinal Aspects).

Space:

Space players tend to have one of the nicest relationships with their Denizens. Seeing as Space players have the largest functional role in the session, their quests tend to be lighter-duty compared to most other players. The most adverse role a Space Denizen might play in a session is trying to prevent the lighting of the Forge Construct. 

Echidna: Echidna is the mother of monsters. Represented in SBURB as a massive, two-tailed naga with spines down her back, Echidna is about as motherly of a denizen as you can get. She is very reasonable, willing to exchange information for the assured survival of her and the rest of the session’s denizens in the event of a scratch or a failed session. Echidna is also one of the most common Space denizens, primarily because the presence of her quills is necessary to physically scratch the Scratch Construct. Witches, Sylphs, Maids, and Seers tend to be blessed with Echidna’s presence, although she can appear for anyone.

Aether: Aether is the primordial god of the upper atmosphere, space, and heaven. He is represented in the form of the upper body of a rather buff human man with lime-green skin and a lower body made of a nebula. Aether is the kind of denizen who won’t interfere too much with a quest, but is a pain in the ass to talk to. Incredibly haughty to a fault and not afraid to show how much better than he is than you. Aether will go out of his way to fuck you over if you get too powerful too quickly. Princes, Bards, Knights, and Pages tend to get stuck with Aether. Just tell him he’s pretty and he’ll chill.

Artemis: Artemis is the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The most humanoid of the Space denizens, Artemis is a silver-colored humanoid woman with long grey antlers and a graceful robe that flows behind her. Artemis is perhaps the most dangerous of the Space denizens as well. Subverting the common expectation that Space denizens do not interfere much, Artemis will often not stop trying to hunt you down once she is awakened. Consorts will often support her quest to knock you down a peg as well, having temples to her. Unlucky Thieves, Rogues, Mages, and Heirs typically have Artemis. My condolences.

Time:

Time players often have rather paradoxical denizens. These denizens may be short-tempered but patient, forgetful but a skilled chronicler, or they could be blind but perfectly aware of their surroundings. Time denizens meddle a little more than Space denizens, but are often perfectly content turning their focus to the ignition of the Forge Construct for reasons of fate or otherwise. They also tend to be single-mindedly focused on offering the Choice, and may not actually fight back when attacked. 

Hephaestus: Hephaestus is the god of blacksmithing and fire. In SBURB, he takes the appearance of a large construct made of lava, with thick plates of obsidian forming his ‘skin’. Hephaestus is a restless denizen, often creating “ultimate” weapons designed to ensure the victory of his land’s noble. He views his challenges not as a way to extinguish his player, but to strengthen them. Training from hell, basically. The weapons he makes are always of the strife specibus of the player, fortunately. Knights, Witches, Princes, and Pages tend to have Hephaestus as their denizen.

Clio: Clio is the muse of history. She is represented as a long, tan serpent with a head made of a massive tome, a single large eye in the center of her front cover. Clio is probably one of the more fun Denizens to talk to, seeing as she is horribly forgetful about small details. In addition to her forgetful nature, Clio also provides useful backstory information about the universe of the game. This typically is what her choice consists of- trading her knowledge for something of value you can provide. The benefit of dealing with her is that you can access her library. Sylphs, Maids, Rogues, and Heirs are her players of choice.

Tiresias: Known most for his role as a blind oracle in the story The Odyssey, Tiresias is likely the most patient and foreboding of the Time Denizens. Tiresias manifests himself as a single eye with a glassy white pupil and a bright red iris. He is surrounded by a misty fog, and constantly levitates. Tiresias is more of an omen of doom for a session than anything, often offering the sight of every timeline and the ways to fix it in exchange for something drastic, like the lives of all of your session’s sprites or even the sacrifice of another player. Tiresias has a liking for Mages, Seers, Bards, and Thieves, knowing they are the easiest to manipulate with his offers.

Light:

The light aspect often has denizens that offer a very, very risky choice. This typically appeals to the gambling nature of most light players, if they are aware of it or not. These denizens also tend to be very greedy, collecting as much of a certain resource as they can and either hoarding it or consuming it for themselves. 

Cetus: Cetus is a beast from legend, described as either a whale, sea monster, or serpent. In this game, Cetus is represented in the form of a large, somewhat rotund, purple fish body with a human head. Cetus primarily hoards resources necessarily for life from her consorts-- anything from food to water to the air of the land. It is necessarily to arrange a deal with her as soon as possible, even if it is at the cost of something great in the future. Or you could leave your consorts to die while you press on in the game. It’s up to you. Cetus is typically the denizen for Seers, Thieves, Sylphs, and Mages.

Hyperion: Hyperion is the god of light, wisdom, and watchfulness. SBURB represents Hyperion as a simple human being wearing white ropes, his head surrounded by a gold and white halo. Hyperion typically acts as a tutor for their players, trying to encourages them through challenges that with test the mettle of their wit. Quests on a land of Hyperion will often have highly intellectual quests that involve the solving of riddles as well as a certain amount of luck. It’s hardly a cakewalk. Hyperion can likely be found on the lands of a Maid, Heir, Knight, or Page, as he tends to like people who embody his aspect well.

Lucifer: Lucifer, in their original form, was the bringer of light, and one of the Christian God’s brightest angels. Of course, they are in a different form now. Represented in SBURB as a single star, with points in each of the cardinal directions and a single mouth in the center. They sometimes have a body of multi-colored ribbons. As a Denizen, Lucifer will offer the most corrupting choices of all, enticing with the offer of power and wealth in exchange for increasingly large favors. Lucifer’s plan of action seems to be along the line of stringing their players along with a little taste of power at a time, trying to get them hooked on it. Lucifer has a tendency to latch onto Bards, Rogues, Witches, and Princes.

Void:

To be completely frank, Void Denizens are completely useless back-seat drivers who like to be as vague as possible to help their players comprehend nothingness better. Void Denizens are also easy to forget about, and the low spawn-rate of enemies on Void player lands doesn’t help with the remembering thing. They sometimes don’t even offer a choice, out of a glitch or out of a desperation to remain relevant.

Nyx: Nyx, Nix, or Nox is the goddess of night. She is represented by a humanoid wrapped in a long, purple draping that trails well behind her in something resembling a tail. The most straight-forward of the Void denizens, Nyx will provide the most practical advice, even if she doesn’t provide the reason for it. Blind trust is the best option here. Nyx seems to have many names thanks to a glitch in the code, or perhaps an unused asset of some sort, but it doesn’t seem to interfere with her role of being a royal pain in the ass. Nyx tends to like Rogues, Pages, Mages, and Seers, mostly because she understands how they struggle with their aspect.

Cthulhu: Cthulhu is a god of madness and the representation of the things that lurk beyond mortal comprehension. His appearance isn’t any less murky, taking the shape closest to his actual mythological form. An octopus head with wings and a few extraneous pairs of eyes is how he is represented. Above all else, Cthulhu seeks to be worshiped, offering little in exchange but a tentative grasp over his aspect. Players with Cthulhu as their denizen are the most likely to go grimdark, and have the highest level of horrorterror corruption on their land. Bards, Heirs, Witches, and Thieves are the most likely to have Cthulhu haunting their land. If you see them starting to build temples, run.

Hypnos: The son of Nyx, Hypnos is the god of sleep and dreams. Hypnos is represented as a floating human head with golden wings sprouting from his temples and curly brown locks. Players with Hypnos as their denizen have the highest sleep ratio of all players, sometimes starting the game awake or even waking up before the session. Hypnos often inhabits rainy, foggy lands, attempting to lull players into and endless, inescapable sleep. It’s best to find somewhere else to sleep until he is taken care of. Hypnos often dwells in the lands of Knights, Princes, Sylphs, and Maids.

[signetofworlds]

All Preordained, A Prisoner in Chains (Aroden)

(image taken from Pathfinderwiki, originally from the 100th Adventure Path)

All preordained A prisoner in chains A victim of venomous fate Kicked in the face You can't pray for a place In heaven's unearthly estate

-Neil Peart, “Freewill”

One thing that I pride myself on is having relatively few adversaries despite my incredibly advanced lifespan. I do my best to be friendly with whatever beings I encounter, atone for whatever affronts I make, and when necessary eliminate my rather insistent enemies from existence with minimal hassle. I like to depart whatever worlds I tread upon with no baggage left behind whenever possible, confining any conflicts to the depths of my memory banks for which I have no immediate use.

However, there is one specific individual whom I have neither forgotten nor forgiven in my time, a man who endangered his world and people in incomprehensible ways while being being remembered as a savior. A man who I was unfortunately unable to kill because found a roundabout method of becoming a god, a man who I will boldly say I am glad is seemingly gone from the mutliverse forever. This man is the last Azlanti, the protector of Golarion’s humanity, the emblem of human triumph for much of the planet’s history: Aroden.

Now, before some of you make fallacious claims about me not knowing the legendary man well enough to properly judge his character, let me relay our history together. I was there in Azlant when he worked as a smith, and the bracelets upon my arms were in fact fashioned in his workshop. I was in court the day he claimed that he was the only one worthy of the Diamond Sword (clearly, he failed to acknowledge my presence, although I have little use for such weaponry). I watched him reassemble the huddled masses of humanity into the Knights of the Ioun Star. I was there on the day he raised Absalom from the depths and ascended to godhood, dooming Golarion in ways he might have been able to but unfortunately refused to comprehend.

I should explain how prophecies work, given the impressive amount of misinformation bouncing around on the subject. Imagine the future as bookshelf, one which contains a wide variety of potential tales that one can explore by taking the time to peruse through them. Prophecies take all but a few of those books and toss them into a bonfire, culling away chains of events until only a few near-identical ones remain. Of course, these few remaining futures all tie in some way to the prophet’s own fear or desire, pushing the future onto a specific rail with potentially tremendous ramifications. Destruction of futures is something rather difficult to comprehend for anyone who has never experienced any significant time travel, but trust me when I say that the breakdown of consequences can be disastrous and that sundering fractal timelines is one of the few things that will actually get Yog-Sothoth to display something akin to anger.

The Azlanti people abused prophetic magic in a wide variety of ways over the course of their time on Golarion, and Aroden happened to be a benefactor of this rampant obliteration of timestreams. Born with innately impressive abilities, Aroden benefitted from numerous localized temporal cullings (call them prophecies if you wish) and eventually secured himself a position of effective untouchability. By the time Aroden returned to bring humanity out of the Age of Darkness, so many timelines had been obliterated that probabilities would bend unpredictably in this fellow’s favor simply because any other outcomes had been magically eliminated.

It was at this point that I stepped in and tried to stop Aroden and his prophecy-obsessed disciples from wrecking any more havoc with cosmic forces. I take little joy in conflict, but neither an atom in my body nor a mote in my magic regretted my actions as I slaughtered Azlanti mages en masse over the course of those months. Eventually, Aroden confronted me himself, and no matter what reasons I laid before my old friend he insisted on saving what few scraps of prophetic spell knowledge I sought to destroy. The ensuing battle was amongst the most grueling I’ve ever endured, and only through some obscure spell knowledge and what little luck could still challenge this reality-collapsing fanatic was I able to escape the conflict intact.

But all of Aroden’s crimes against the multiverse pale in comparison to his ascension and what it did to Golarion. When Aroden became the God of Prophecy, his capacity for timeline destruction became far more potent than even the most catastrophic mortal prophets. Upon his ascension, Golarion’s timeline literally collapsed into a single chain of events, with all probabilities and potential destinies becoming set on a single course which Aroden had decided in his supreme arrogance. This total annihilation of free will and probabilistic uncertainty made it incredibly hazardous to even be near Golarion during the Age of Enthronement, which led me and many other mages learned enough to realize this to flee the planet for what we thought would be forever.

The death of Aroden was an event that I was most grateful for, as I felt that I still had much to learn about Golarion. Some blasphemous theologians speculate that Aroden ended his own existence in order to shatter the paradigm of predestination he had created. It is quite possible that he dreaded the future he had foreseen and unwittingly mandated, choosing to die rather than see it come to pass. Perhaps it did actually come to pass despite his best efforts, as I could envision few fates more catastrophic than what eventually became of Golarion. Maybe if he had never trapped the planet on a specific timeline the ensuing multiversal could have been averted.

I don’t know what happened to him, but I most certainly remember Aroden’s unique abilities and fighting style from our numerous encounters. If ever he returns to the world of mortals, I would most certainly like to settle my score.

ARODEN  CR 30

Advanced Azlanti Human Wizard (Sword Binder) 20/Champion 10

LN Medium Humanoid (human, mythic) Init +39M  Senses Arcane Sight, Aura Sight, Read Magic, See Invisibility, Speechreader’s Sight, Perception +37 DEFENSE AC 60 touch 37, flat-footed 49 (+9 armor, +7 shield, +10 dex, +7 natural, +5 deflection, +11 luck, +1 insight) hp 522 (20d6+450) Fort +31, Ref +32, Will +38; Defensive Abilities: Defensive Feedback, Force of Will, Hard to Kill, Immortal, Mythic Saving Throws, Pure Destiny, Recuperation, Unstoppable, Immune ability damage, ability drain, aging, bleed, charm, compulsion effects, curses, death effects, disease, energy drain, insanity, petrification, poison SR 35 (arcane spells only)

OFFENSE

Space 5 feet Reach 5 ft Speed 30 Melee Aroden’s Diamond Sword +39/+34 (1d8+18/19-20/x2), Shield of Aroden +39/+34 (1d4+11), helmet +35/+31 (1d4+7) Ranged +1 Greater Designating Second Chance Seeking Longbow +32/+27 (1d8+14/x3) Special Attacks Always a Chance, Channel Power, Fleet Charge, Glorious Blade, Human Paragon 13/day, Legendary Champion, Mythic Power (23/day, surge +1d12), Shielding Weapon, Sword of the Mage 28/day, Wild Arcana

Spell Like Abilities (CL 24th, concentration +35, 1/day for each level, DC 21+spell level)

9th-Foresight, Gate, Mage’s Disjunction, Miracle, Prismatic Sphere, Summon Monster IX

8th-Discern Location, Holy Aura, Mass Cure Critical Wounds, Mind Blank, Protection from Spells, Shield of Law,

7th-Dictum, Holy Sword, Legend Lore, Refuge, Repulsion, Spell Turning

6th-Antimagic Field, Find the Path, Heroes’ Feast, Hold Monster, Undeath to Death

5th-Dispel Chaos, Righteous Might, Spell Resistance, Telepathic Bond, True Seeing

4th-Divination, Order’s Wrath, Holy Smite, Imbue with Spell Ability, Spell Immunity

3rd-Dispel Magic, Magic Circle Against Chaos, Prayer, Protection from Energy, Searing Light, Speak with Dead

2nd-Align Weapon, Bless Weapon, Comprehend Languages, Magic Mouth, Shield Other

1st-Bless, Comprehend Languages, Identify, Protection from Chaos, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith Spells Known (CL 24th, concentration +39) (DC 25+spell level) 9th—Aroden’s SpellbaneM, AscensionM, Foresight, Mage’s Disjunction, Mass Last Azlanti’s Defending Sword, WishM

8th—Dimensional LockM, Frightful Aspect, Iron Body, Mind Blank, Moment of Prescience, Trap the Soul 7th—Aroden’s Magic Army, Delayed Blast Fireball, Greater Teleport, Instant Summons, Limited Wish, Quickened Displacement, Quickened Protection from Energy 6th—Borrowed TimeM, ContingencyM, Greater Dispel Magic, Mage’s Decree, Mass Human Potential, TransformationM, True Seeing 5th—Banishing Blade, Fabricate, Grand Destiny, Greater Guardian Monument, Lend Path, Overland Flight, Wall of Force

4th—Dimensional Anchor, Dimension DoorM, Create Armaments, Fear, Mythic Severance, Resilient Sphere, Telekinetic Charge

3rd—Aroden’s Spellsword, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Greater Magic Weapon, HasteM, HeroismM, Vampiric Touch 2nd—Continual Flame, False Life, Force Sword, Intensified Shocking Grasp, Splinter Spell Resistance, Stricken Heart, Whispering Wind, Winged Sword

1st—Alarm, Expeditious Construction, Floating Disk, Heightened Awareness, Linked Legacy, Long Arm, Magic Missile, Unseen Servant 0 (at will)—Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Mending, Prestidigitation STATISTICS Str 36, Dex 30, Con 26, Int 40, Wis 30, Cha 32 Base Atk +10; CMB +38; CMD 58 Feats: Alertness, Arcane StrikeM, Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Critical Focus, Dual PathM (Archmage), Endurance, Extra Path AbilityM, Inscribe Magical Tattoos, Mythic Spell LoreM, Heighten Spell, Improved InitiativeM, Improved Shield Bash, Intensify Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Shield Master, Shield Slam, Two-Weapon Fighting Skills Acrobatics +33, Appraise +38, Bluff +34, Climb +36, Craft (all) +38, Diplomacy +34, Disable Device +33, Disguise +34, Escape Artist +33, Fly +33, Handle Animal +34, Heal +33, Intimidate +34, Knowledge (All) +38, Linguistics +38, Perception +37, Perform +34, Profession (all) +33, Ride +33, Sense Motive +37, Spellcraft +38 Stealth +33, Survival +33, Swim +36, Use Magic Device +34 Languages Aboleth, Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Azlanti, Celestial, Common, Elven, Ignan, Infernal, Terran, Thassilonian, probably a bunch more I never heard him speak, Tongues SQ Amazing Initiative, Arcane Bond (Aroden’s Diamond Longsword), Crusader (score 35), Divine Source (Community, Glory, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Protection), Efficient Creator, Exceptional Stats, Fortified by Prophecy, Knowledge is Power, Legendary Hero, Legendary Item (Aroden’s Diamond Sword, Dedicated Bond, Eternal Bond, Foe-Biting, Perfect Surge, Powerful, Rejuvenating, Returning x2, Undetectable, Unstoppable Strike), Mythic Craft Combat Gear +1 Adamantine Spiked Gauntlet, +1 Cold Iron Spiked Gauntlet, +1 Elysian Bronze Blade Boot, +1 Dueling Inubrex Dwarven Boulder Helmet, +1 Greater Designating Second Chance Seeking Longbow +1, Silver Blade Boot, Amethyst Pyramid Ioun Stone, Amulet of Natural Armor +5, Aroden’s Diamond Sword, Belt of Physical Perfection +6, Bouncing Metamagic Rod, Cracked Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone, Dark Blue Rhomboid Ioun Stone, Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone, Dazing Metamagic Rod, Disruptive Metamagic Rod, Empower Metmagic Rod, Extend Metamagic Rod x3, Greater Authoritative Metamagic Rod, Greater Enlarge Metamagic Rod, Greater Extend Metamagic Rod x2, Greater Merciful Metamagic Rod, Greater Maximize Metamagic Rod, Greater Quicken Metamagic Rod, Greater Reach Metamagic Rod, Greater Silent Metamagic Rod, Headband of Mental Superiority +6, Iridescent Spindle Ioun Stone, Lesser Extend Metamagic Rod x5, Lesser Intensified Metmagic Rod, Lingering Metamagic Rod, Nectar of the Gods x10, Pauldrons of Unflinching Fortitude, Persistent Metamagic Rod, Quicken Metamagic Rod, Ring of Continuation, Ring of Protection +5, Robes of Azlant, Rod of Absorption, Spellbooks containing every spell he has ever created, Scarlet and Green Cabochen Ioun Stone, Threnodic Metamagic Rod, Wand of Aroden’s Spellsword (50 charges), Western Star Ioun Stone

Efficient Creator (Su): Aroden can craft mundane items as if they were magic items for the purpose of determining the speed of creation.

Exceptional Stats (Ex): Aroden was born a perfect specimen of humanity. As a result, his ability scores were generated using 25 points, rather than using the standard 15 point buy used to create most NPCs. Aroden also has increased all of his ability scores by 5 through use of the Wish spell. Additionally, Aroden has much more gear than an NPC of her level would normally have. These modifications increase his total CR by 2.

Fortified by Prophecy (Ex): Aroden adds his Charisma modifier as a luck bonus to his Armor Class, his attack rolls, and on all of his saving throws, and adds his Charisma modifier to his Constitution modifier for the purpose of determining his hit points. This ability increases his total CR by 1.

Glorious Blade (Su): When Aroden attacks with a sword (including swordlike effects created by spells such as spiritual weapon, as long as they require attack rolls), he can expend a prepared spell as a free action to gain an insight bonus on the attack roll equal to the level of the prepared spell expended.

Human Paragon (Ex): Embodying humanity’s innate versatility, Aroden possesses a much wider variety of abilities than even most humans. He is able to use the Martial Flexibility ability of a 20th-level Brawler, save that he can select non-combat feats in addition to combat feats. Aroden is considered to have 20 levels in every class and a base attack bonus equal to his class level for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites for feats, and is proficient with all forms of weapons and armor. In addition, he is considered to have 20 ranks in all skills and considers all skills to be class skills. This ability increases his CR by 1.

Immortal (Ex): Aroden’s immense magical abilities have sustained his lifespan for an extended period. He gains the +3 bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores for having lived beyond venerable age, but he doesn’t gain the penalties to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution resulting from this advanced age. Aroden’s supernaturally empowered life grants him complete immunity to ability damage and drain, aging, charm and compulsion effects, death effects, disease, energy drain, petrification, poison, and all forms of madness (including confusion effects and feeblemind). This ability increases his total CR by 1.

Mythic Contingencies (Sp): Aroden has established numerous mythic contingencies, activating the following spells with maximum mythic augmentation under the following conditions.

When Aroden bangs his sword on his shield, he activates a Globe of Invulnerability centered on himself.

Aroden possesses a crystal filling in his mouth that, when pressed with his tongue, transports him to a hidden demiplane using Plane Shift

When Aroden draws his sword, he activates a Transformation effect

When Aroden clicks his heels together, he is affected by both Invisibility and Silence

Finally, when Aroden shouts his iconic Azlanti battle cry (something like “Steel your form and mind.” Honestly I’ve heard better), he activates a Wreath of Blades spell on himself.

Permanent Spells (Sp): Aroden has the following spells affecting him permanently: Arcane Sight, Aura Sight, Read Magic, See Invisibility, Speechreader’s Sight, Soul Vault, and Tongues

Shielding Weapon (Su): As an immediate action, when he casts an abjuration spell, Aroden can gain a bonus equal to 1½ times the level of the spell cast.

ARODEN’S DIAMOND SWORD

Aura: overwhelming all; CL: 20th

Slot: none; Weight 6 lbs.

DESCRIPTION

+5 Axiomatic Phase Locking Spell-Storing Throneglass Longsword was forged by Aroden’s own hand during the height of Azlant, and through his magics he has insured that no other creature may wield it so long as he exists (that...didn’t exactly work out for him). In addition to being phenomenally potent as a weapon, Aroden’s Diamond Longsword can also be used as a substitute for any focus components needed for spellcasting. Spells with expensive spell components cast using the Diamond Sword as an Arcane Bond focus require no material components and do not provoke attacks of opportunity.

DESTRUCTION

Aroden’s Diamond Sword shatters if it is used by a deceitful or traitorous human leader to strike down another more worthy of their position.

ROBES OF AZLANT

Aura: overwhelming all; CL: 20th

Slot: body; Weight 12 lbs.

DESCRIPTION Although they are typically depicted as robes, Aroden’s signature garment is actually a +5 determination glamered heavy fortification vigilant spiked mithral chain shirt with several other unique properties. The Robes of Azlant increase the caster level of the wearer by 4 and possess 4 pockets that function as handy haversacks. When worn by a lawful creature, the Robes of Azlant possess no maximum dexterity bonus and actually reduces any arcane spell failure chance the wielder possesses by 15% (this allows to cast with no chance of failure while carrying a heavy wooden shield). When worn by a chaotic creature, they immediately gain 10 negative levels. These negative levels cannot be removed so long as such an individual wears these robes, but all but two are removed when they take the robes off. These negative levels never kill the wearer, always leaving them with the maximum number of negative levels they can suffer while remaining alive. However, for each negative level negated in this way, the armor cannot be removed for one year.

DESTRUCTION

The Robes of Azlant can be destroyed if it is donned by a chaotic evil Alghollthu. The robes transform and crush the creature to death, ripping themselves apart in the process

Tactics

Most would think that Aroden would fight fair, using fairly conventional tactics in a battle. Here’s an index of some of the more dirty tricks this bastard pulled against me.

-Aroden’s Spellsword. The champion of humanity built this spell himself and exploits it to an incredible degree. His sword carries a rod, obviously, but also his shield, both his gauntlets, his two blade boots, his helmet, his armor spikes, and all four of the daggers he uses for his Wreath of Blades spell. I’ve seen the maniac polymorph himself into some downright ridiculous forms for the sake of grabbing even more weapons (or natural weapons) so he can subsume rods into them and throw copious amounts of metamagic on any spell he casts. On a few occasions I have seen him stuff multiple instances of the same rod into a weapon through numerous castings of the spell so that he doesn’t have to reload.

-The Human Paragon ability has innumerable aggravating uses, extending far beyond the addition of extra combat feats in the heat of the moment (although Aroden has been known to use it for that purpose). Most notably, this ability can be used to grab Spell Perfection for any spell he knows and any metamagic feats that he wishes to boost it with, resulting in an obscene degree of versatility

-Aroden’s Spellbane. I helped him a bit on the research for this one and I most certainly regret it. He usually casts this spell at the start of the day, always making sure to block out Antimagic Field, Greater Dispel Magic, and Mage’s Disjunction so that nobody can get the drop on him without his various boons. I’ve seen him negate healing spells on a few occasions, and at one point opted to negate numerous wall and sphere spells so that nobody would be able to trap him. That said, his most devious tactic has been using a combination of Long Arm, Frightful Aspect, and a Widened Antimagic field to swipe at disempowered opponents without losing his own numerous boons (the bastard usually grabs step up, disruptive, and spellbreaker as well, so escape becomes rather difficult).

- Aroden is almost never alone, and will usually fight alongside his entourage of champions known as the Paragons of Humanity. These Paragons are Einherjar of various alignments (most often lawful, as Aroden loved his supplicants) who have enough templates and class levels in various combinations to each be CR 20. At least 6 Paragons accompany Aroden at any given time in addition to his cohort (whatever poor, idealistic warrior he was able to goad into service at the time).

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[thecultofculture-blog]

They come in all shapes and sizes, some with deadly skills and others with questionable intellect, but every villain needs a horde of henchmen to help them carry out their nefarious plots. Plus, players need something to kill as they hone their skills for future boss battles.

From the horrifying right hand men to mindless cannon fodder, here is The Cult of Culture’s top 10 video game henchmen!

10. Kremlings – Donkey Kong

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The Donkey Kong series features plenty of bad guys, but none compare to the prowess of these reptilian henchmen. The Kremlings come in a variety of forms from standing alligators to the annoying Klaptrap, but all of them serve King K. Rool in his quest to steal DK’s famous banana horde.

While the average Kremling might be an idiot walking straight to their deaths, other members such as the Rockkroc can make any level a difficult challenge. Who knows what these crocodiles want with bananas, and who cares?! Pummeling these henchmen is way too much fun.

9. Bob-ombs – Mario

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There are all sorts of henchmen lurking within the Mario universe, but none gets the job done like a Bob-omb. Why? These walking, and sometimes talking, bombs sacrifice their lives for Bowser’s cause. First appearing in Super Mario 2, it’s hard to imagine a game without them now.

These single minded kamikaze minions can give anyone a run for their money, especially in large numbers. However, like all mindless henchmen these bombs are easily thwarted. In some cases, they can even become a weapon to throw at other enemies. While they’re certainly not the largest threat in the game, they sure do make it more fun.

8. Grunts – Halo

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Ah, the comical grunt! Sometimes, you have to feel bad for the Unggoy. These poor aliens are the workhorses and cannon fodder of the Covenant Empire. Cowardly, usually unintelligent, and pathetic on the battlefield, the only advantage these aliens have is in their numbers.

Grunts can be found in abundance throughout the Halo series ranging from mindless idiots firing laser pistols to the more dangerous Unggoy Heavy, but it’s hard to take an enemy that falls asleep on the battlefield seriously. The never ending chance for a fun kill, mass numbers, and comical relief make these goofy aliens awesome video game henchmen.

7. Badniks – Sonic

Common sense dictates that any evil genius should have an army of evil robots at his disposal, like the Badniks. These dastardly animal-like mechanisms are constantly getting in Sonic’s way as he attempts to stop Dr. Robotnik’s wicked plans.

In the original games, these automated death machines were powered by real life animal friends of the game’s protagonist that would be released upon destroying their metal captors. They come in a variety of styles, each with their own weaponry, and some are even modeled after Sonic and his allies. While some are easier to take down than others, they all can lead to a fateful game over screen.

The Badnik’s undying loyalty, determination, and massive numbers earn them a spot on any top henchman list.

6. The Star Wolf Team – Star Fox

Lead by Wolf O’Donnel, this team of galactic felons seeks to destroy the Star Fox team. While they run their own operations these days, they were originally henchmen for the evil Andross as he attempted to take over the Lylat planetary system.

These humanoid animals are expert fighter pilots, especially Wolf, putting any player’s skills to the test when facing them in a dog fight. Their highly advanced Wolfen starfighters, determination to kill Fox McCloud, and evil cunning made them incredibly dangerous henchmen.

While their original appearance was in Star Fox 64, fans of the series can face off with them once again in Star Fox 2 on the SNES Classic Mini.

5. Darknut – Legend of Zelda

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Since the very first title in the Zelda series, these knights have been one of the top choices in henchmen for Ganon. Heavily armored and highly skilled combatants, they are often considered the toughest non-boss enemy in the game.

Their heavy armor makes them impervious to head on attacks, forcing the player to wait for a chance to strike from behind. They carry a large shield that they use to deflect any arrows, as well as a gigantic sword that they often use to charge at Link. While a one on one fight with a Darknut is going to require your best moves, many games feature insanely difficult rooms filled with these evil knights.

Terrifyingly fierce, these opponents test any players mettle. Therefore, they certainly earn a spot on this top videogame henchmen list.

4. The Tarkata – Mortal Kombat

A mix of humans from Outworld and a demonic race from the Netherrealm, this vicious warrior army serves Emperor Shao Kahn (or whoever is ruling Outworld at the time). Their large mouths harbor razor sharp teeth while spikes protrude from their bodies. These nomadic creatures are tribal, brutal by nature, and downright evil.

The most famous of Tarkata is named Baraka, a prominent character in the MK universe, who’s brutal fighting style and arm spikes make him a great character choice and a deadly opponent. He leads the Tarkatan hordes into Earthrealm in both timelines as they slaughter countless warriors and imprison helpless civilians.

These video game henchmen are not to be taken lightly and prove to be worthy adversaries for even the most skilled fighters.

3. Space Pirates – Metroid

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This alien species is one of the most brutal in the entire Metroid universe, destroying and enslaving civilizations out of sheer pleasure. They are an intelligent race of arthropods who use advanced technology to create devastating weapons. One on one they aren’t much of a threat, but their numbers are vast and can easily overwhelm a player.

These cronies serve Ridley, a giant pterodactyl-like villain, who has led them to unleash some of the most dangerous things found within the galaxy. They are constantly experimenting on themselves and other species with mutagenic substances such as phazon or biochemical weaponry, which has led to some horribly monstrous results as well as widely altered appearances. Their brazen attitude and superiority complex has led them to attempt harvesting deadly aliens such as the Metroids.

They know no fear and will fight Samus to the death in Ridley’s quest to conquer the galaxy. With minds like worker bees serving the hive, these aggressive Space Pirates make formidable henchmen.

2. Red Arremer – Ghouls ‘N Goblins

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If you have ever played one of the titles in the Ghouls ‘N Goblins series, you know exactly who these pesky devils are. Although small in stature compared to other enemies in the game, the Red Arremer are lethal opponents.

Serving the ruler of the Demon Realm, these demonic foes swoop down at high speeds to attack Arthur with their sharp claws and teeth. Incredibly fast, they can be hard to dodge and even harder to attack. In fact, they’re so good at dodging your weapons that they will even taunt you by dancing.

It takes several hits to bring down a Red Arremer, but the satisfaction after killing one is priceless. Why did they make number two on the list? They are one of the most annoying yet successful henchmen in video game history being one of the few who actually succeed in killing the protagonist. While you might succumb to henchmen now and again, you will most certainly land on that dreaded Game Over screen more times than you like to admit because of these demons.

1. Verdugo – Resident Evil 4

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Henchmen to Ramon Salazar, who happens to be a henchmen of Lord Saddler, these are easily one of the most terrifying creatures you can encounter in any video game. Considered Bio Organic Weapons, they are the combination of human and insect DNA implanted with the Plagas virus. What makes them the top henchmen on The Cult’s list?

For starters, their appearance is horrifying. They initially hide behind demonic looking cloaks with their nothing visible but their clearly inhuman faces. Never speaking and never moving without a word from Salazar, they give off a a dark, ominous presence. Once the cloak comes off these insectoids are the stuff of nightmares. Their mouths are comprised of two salivating mandibles that open to create a horrid sound, while their entire body is cased in a jet black exoskeleton.

The Verdugo attack with large tri-clawed hands and an long tail that features a deadly blade-like point at the end. The move at superhuman speeds as they stalk their prey, snarling and gurgling. In Resident Evil 4 Leon Kennedy faces off against just one of these abominations, which proves to be one of the toughest fights in the game. They are capable of withstanding gunfire and explosions to the point where a player can fire off all of their ammo to seemingly no effect.

The only way to destroy it (without having gone through the game a few times to acquire the Chicago Typewriter or Hand Canon) was to freeze it with liquid nitrogen and use the action kick button. However, the beast can still muster up the strength to claw Leon while frozen. What made this fight the most terrifying was being stuck in such close quarters with a lightning fast opponent who could tear you in two with the flick of its tail.

Subservient, deadly, nearly invincible, and downright horrifying monsters, the Verdugo are the perfect henchmen for any villain’s evil plot. Thus, making them the ultimate video game henchmen. Thankfully, they haven’t appeared in any further RE games.

Thanks, Henchmen

Without henchmen in a videogame, things would be awfully boring. They give us something to wail on, practice trick shots with, add a challenge, and sometimes even give us comic relief.

Which henchmen would you have added to the list? Let me know in the comments section below! There were so many to choose from that I actually had a hard time slimming this down to just 10.

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  The Top 10 Video Game Henchmen They come in all shapes and sizes, some with deadly skills and others with questionable intellect, but every villain needs a horde of henchmen to help them carry out their nefarious plots.

[aion-rsa]

Godzilla vs. Kong: Where The MonsterVerse Should Go Next

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The following article contains Godzilla vs. Kong spoilers.

The future of the MonsterVerse is uncertain. If you had any doubt, just look at the lack of a post-credits scene in the latest installment, Godzilla vs. Kong. While Kong: Skull Island teased the coming storm of King Ghidorah and other kaiju, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters ended its actual credits sequence with the big ape waiting in the wings, there is a sense of closing out a chapter (if not the book) in the MonsterVerse’s Godzilla vs. Kong.

This is in large part because it is up in the air how Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures will proceed with Toho Co. Ltd., the creators and owners of Godzilla and his assorted monster friends. Under the previous contract, which concluded with this year’s monster mash-up, Toho was unable to produce any live-action Japanese Godzilla movies until after 2020, leaving room for Hollywood to ramp up to this week’s big fight. And while Toho got more creative control over the new movie, as well as 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the company is keeping its cards close to the chest about what they’d like to see next.

“There might be something coming out from Japan, there might be something from the United States, there might be a collaboration,” said Akito Takahashi, head of Project Development at Toho, in a 2019 interview. “We’re unsure.”

They might be unsure, but we’re positively certain that we want to see more of the MonsterVerse come out of the West, including with more Toho input. Even if we’ve already seen most of Toho’s A-list stable—Godzilla, Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan, and Mechagodzilla—few other than the Big G have had enough time to fully shine. There’s a whole weird world of gods and monsters worth exploring out there. So if the MonsterVerse does continue, here’s where it absolutely should go next.

Mothra Gets Her Own Movie

One of the absolute best elements in Godzilla: King of the Monsters was Mothra, the celestial goddess from Infant Island. Technically, the Mothra we saw in 2019 got roasted by Ghidorah, the evil space lizard who turned her into a lightning bug. However, any good kaiju fan will tell you there is always another Mothra egg.

Indeed, the 2019 film teased the discovery of one (hopefully on a South Pacific island) during its end credits. There is also the entirely wild mythology only hinted at in King of the Monsters. One of that film’s best new human characters was (by far) Ziyi Zhang as Dr. Ilene Chen. In addition to being a walking resource for Titan lore, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star gracefully took over the role of providing an Eastern perspective on the grandeur of these creatures from Ken Watanabe… while hinting at stranger elements of the universe.

Revealed to be the twin sister of fellow Monarch scientist Dr. Ling, Chen and her lineage of Mothra-obsessed siblings hints at a mystical side to these monsters that’s barely been touched upon. It’d be fascinating to see the MonsterVerse version of the Shobijin priestesses—twin fairies who protect and communicate with Mothra—fully explored, and for a Mothra film to dig deeper into kaiju mysticism. If the MonsterVerse is intent on presenting the Titans as “forces of nature,” then the metaphysical side of Mother Earth could not be better portrayed than by the glowing silk moth taking man to task.

Godzilla vs. Biollante

When we spoke with director Michael Dougherty in Japan a few years ago, he revealed that if he did another Godzilla movie, he would love to see the less famous Biollante do battle with the lizard.

“She’s one of the very few other female kaiju,” Dougherty said. “She’s interesting because she’s almost like this Frankenstein creature. She’s a combination of DNA from a scientist’s dead daughter, Godzilla, and a rose. It’s like Audrey on steroids.”

While Dougherty might not be Legendary and WB’s top pick for another Godzilla movie given King of the Monster’s poor box office performance—which is a shame in our opinion—he makes an excellent point: Biollante has one of the most unusual origins in Godzilla lore, and after a brief stint with Mechagodzilla, she could represent a more fully realized attempt by humanity to control or destroy the Titan threat. And on top of her imagery inviting a Gothic horror aesthetic, as realized by Toho in Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), she also is obscure enough to provide American filmmakers with greater latitude when they reimagine her appearance and powers.

Finally, Godzilla facing a plant monster would allow themes of ecological preservation to be better explored. What does Zilla do when the beast challenging him for supremacy over the Earth is itself woven from the elements of nature? Bring it on.

Kong and the Journey to the Center of the Earth

The existence of an ancient lost civilization beneath the Earth’s surface is one of the most intriguing elements developed exclusively by the MonsterVerse. While more than one WB blockbuster has taken advantage of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth entering the public domain, King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong elaborated on the idea in a creative way. More than just a lost world of prehistoric dinosaurs, there’s a whole civilization down there which predates our own! In the depths of the planet, Titans were once worshipped as gods with an entire city built in Godzilla’s honor, and a cavernous throne room devoted to King Kong. Rightfully so.

Let’s dig deep into those elements. While there were human characters trying to discover the Hollow Earth’s core in Godzilla vs. Kong, it was honestly window-dressing added to get us closer to everyone’s favorite lizard and primate trading blows. But an actual adventure movie set in the Earth’s core starring Kong? It’s basically combining the iconic King Kong movie from 1933 with Verne, and hopefully a solid dash of Indiana Jones. Explore why this civilization died and the old gods fell, and use it as an excuse to go wild with the type of dinosaur-like creatures Kong battles.

Read more

Movies

From Skull Island to Godzilla vs. Kong: A Complete MonsterVerse Timeline

By David Crow

Culture

Why King Kong Can Never Escape His Past

By David Crow

Admittedly, this idea shares some overlap with Kong: Skull Island, but by putting a mystery at its center—and hopefully creating some much more interesting human characters and kaiju foes than the 2017 movie’s red shirts and boring Skullcrawlers—it could go a long way in differentiating the flick. Think of how earlier King Kong movies can still tower over Skull Island.

Destoroyah vs. All Monsters

How do you top audience excitement for Godzilla vs. Kong? That’s a good question we don’t have an easy answer to. But we think if WB plays its cards right, the studio could build anticipation up over several films to a Destoroyah movie, and then give the H.R. Giger-inspired kaiju his due. He is, after all, the only giant monster to truly kill off Godzilla in one of the Toho films.

Appearing in the final film in the seven-movie Heisei saga, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), this winged nightmare murdered Godzilla’s son and entered in a mortal combat with the Big G. When the smoke cleared, both monsters were dead. Legendary is unlikely to repeat the exact story beats, since we more or less got the Death and Resurrection of Godzilla in King of the Monsters (plus the sight of a supercharged, red Godzilla from that ’95 film). But the idea of a mutated monstrosity that combines ancient Titan DNA with mankind’s pollution and devastation?

It’d act nicely as the culmination of a few films dealing with Mothra and Biollante. It also could be built up with the smaller, humanoid-sized monsters that combine to make the giant Destoroyah appearing over several films. Seeing horror movie sequences which wouldn’t be out of place in an Alien movie as mini-Destoroyahs attack and feed on human characters could in turn whet the appetite for the real Destoroyah’s big entrance. And Destoroyah is such a freak show that, like Destroy All Monsters and King of the Monsters, he could trigger the need for new team-ups. Go on, admit it: a full movie of Godzilla, Mothra, and King Kong working together like the Superfriends brings a smile to your face.

More Rick Stanton

The other new human character who was an absolute delight in Godzilla: King of the Monsters was Bradley Whitford’s Dr. Rick Stanton. Only there for comic relief? Sure. But Whitford and Dougherty played it so well that it’s the closest we’ll probably ever get to a live-action Rick Sanchez. As far as we’re concerned, he can be in one or all of the above movies.

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