In 1954, Gojira changed the course of cinematic history. While it wasn’t the first monster movie, it almost instantly became one of the most famous and popular. Created in response to Japan’s well-justified fear of nuclear weapons, Godzilla (the Americanized version of his name) is an ancient giant sea monster awakened by the atomic blasts of WWII. Originally, Godzilla had a straightforward goal: smashing the nearest city of destructive humans. However, over the decades, he’s become the king of the monsters and has fought with and against countless other famous cinematic beasts, most famously King Kong in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962).

Still, when it comes to movie monsters, Godzilla remains almost impossible to beat. He may have started by stomping human cities, but he’s since become our greatest defense against other threats to humanity. This role begs the question: what cinematic monsters could defeat Godzilla? There aren’t many, but a few classic movie monsters could dethrone the king. Despite Godzilla’s sheer size and power, some surprising beasts and creatures would have a puncher’s chance of taking Godzilla down.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on April 17, 2024: Movies like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Godzilla Minus One have catapulted the iconic titular kaiju to new heights of popularity in recent months. With over seventy years of film history, Godzilla is one of the most dangerous movie monsters of all time--though a select few could dethrone him as the King of the Monsters.

Monsters Who Could Defeat Godzilla In A Fight

"Let them fight!" - Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, Godzilla (2014)

Godzilla may be the King of the Monsters in his universe, but there are many other movie universes with creatures even more powerful than he. From epic sea monsters that serve as a pirate's worst nightmare to ancient creatures that hail from the beginning of time, there are certain movie monsters who would handily defeat Godzilla if they ever came to blows.

The Kraken Has The Features To Win A Showdown With Godzilla

One of the most famous movie monsters ever is the Kraken. Inspired by the mythical beast of the same name, the Kraken is a massive sea monster sporting multiple tentacles and razor-sharp teeth (in most cases). Various versions of the creature have appeared in several films, notably Clash of the Titans (1981) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

While Godzilla is gigantic, the Kraken may have him beat. The most famous way someone defeated the Kraken (in Clash of the Titans) was by forcing it to look at Medusa’s head, thus turning it to stone. Unfortunately, Godzilla’s hands are far too large to hold Medusa’s head, so it would come down to a hand-to-hand fight, in which the Kraken would likely win.

The Old Gods Are Too Gargantuan Even For The King Of The Monsters

In Hellboy, Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin attempts to open a doorway on Earth to deep space. His plan is to free the old gods, also known as Ogddru Jahad, which are enormous entities inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The only thing to stop and imprison them was the Right Hand of Doom, attached to Hellboy.

Again, despite Godzilla’s significant size, he’s nothing compared to these otherworldly entities. These creatures are so immense that their mere sight induces madness in humans. Conversely, plenty of people have gazed upon Godzilla and retained their sanity. It’ll take more than atomic breath to kill these gods.

Pennywise Would Pose A Unique Threat to Godzilla

Residing in the town of Derry, Maine, Pennywise the Clown is an ancient entity that preys on fear. Every 27 years, it awakens and stalks the town's children by embodying their worst fears. It originated from an interdimensional space and may be as old as time itself, although its origins remain somewhat vague.

Unfortunately for Godzilla, Pennywise is hard to kill. It can change shape and seemingly alter reality. Pennywise’s main weakness seems to be the ability to overcome fear, which could be an issue for Godzilla. While the monster is seemingly quite brave, he probably lacks the mental capacity to understand what Pennywise is and truly overcome its powers.

The Deadites Could Possess Godzilla Without Him Knowing

In The Evil Dead (1981), a group of friends discover the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, the book of the dead. After playing a tape of a man reading aloud from the book, they accidentally summon ancient Kandarian demons who slowly possess the group one by one. These victims turn into deadites, bloodthirsty and deformed monsters hellbent on killing whatever they come across.

While an individual deadite likely won’t pose much of a threat to Godzilla, the demons that spawn them definitely would. It’s difficult for anyone, even Godzilla, to fight a disembodied evil force. This fight would probably result in Godzilla getting possessed, which would be terrible news for everyone else.

The Blob Could Simply Envelope and Ingest Godzilla

Despite being a simple concept, the blob is still a freaky and terrifying creature. First appearing in 1958’s The Blob and later the 1988 remake, this monster is precisely what its name implies. It’s a formless pile of slime, doing only one thing: devouring. The more the blob eats, the larger it gets. In the movie, people can only stop the blob by freezing it and then dumping it in the Arctic.

A weakness to freezing is a huge problem for Godzilla, whose primary weapon is fire-like atomic breath – essentially the exact opposite of cold. If the blob grows big enough, it could simply eat Godzilla. It seems there’s little Godzilla could do if the blob reaches a certain size to stop it.

Kaiju Have The Size And Numbers To Match Up Well With Godzilla

In Pacific Rim, giant monsters known as Kaiju routinely attack Earth. They arrive on the planet through an interdimensional Pacific Ocean rift called the Breach. In response, humanity builds giant robots to combat these monsters. Unfortunately, each Kaiju attack becomes increasingly stronger. Eventually, the Kaiju begin leaving the Breach two or even three at a time.

This increasing force is why the Kaiju would seriously threaten Godzilla. He wouldn’t be facing solely one monster; an entire army would be waiting for him. Additionally, the Kaiju share a telepathic link, so when one dies on Earth, the rest back home learn and adapt. So, they’d slowly figure out his weaknesses and eventually overpower him.

The Thing Could Infect And Control The King Of The Monsters

In 1982, John Carpenter unleashed The Thing on a group of researchers stationed in Antarctica. An alien life form, the Thing can infect a host and slowly replace its cells with its own. It can also assume the form of its victims, secretly replacing them one at a time.

One advantage Godzilla has is that the Thing is vulnerable to fire. Unfortunately, this entity also appears to be hyper-intelligent. While audiences never see the Thing absorbing any being larger than a person, there’s no reason to think it couldn’t do the same to Godzilla. All it would take is a few cells to merge with Godzilla, and it’s game over

The Predator Has The Equipment To Take Down Almost Any Being, Including Godzilla

In Predator, an immensely powerful alien warrior hunts a military rescue team. Using a combination of futuristic technology and natural abilities, the Predator carefully picks off the highly trained commandos until it’s finally beaten the group’s sole survivor, Dutch, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead of letting the Dutch kill it, though, the Predator ignites a massive bomb, wiping out all evidence of its existence.

Despite the size difference, it wouldn’t be much of a fair fight for Godzilla. Predators have interstellar spaceships, laser cannons, invisibility, and many other monster-killing gadgets. Also, once they learn of Godzilla’s existence, Predators would surely keep coming, hoping to take home a Godzilla-sized skull for their collection.

Slither's Slugs Are Too Small For Godzilla To Pin Down

Before he launched the Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), James Gunn made Slither. The alien invasion movie depicts the journey of tiny space parasites that slowly infect a small town. These parasites take over almost everyone in the city, leaving only a handful of survivors trying to kill this invading force.

While Godzilla’s size is typically a benefit to him, this is one case where it could hinder him. The slugs in Slither are relatively small, especially in comparison to a giant beast like Godzilla. This size difference means Godzilla likely wouldn’t be able to see them coming before they infect him. Once that happens, there doesn’t seem to be any way for Godzilla to win.

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Is Practically Invincible

It might seem silly to see Godzilla fight a giant marshmallow man, but this is one fight the king of monsters would likely lose. As he appeared in Ghostbusters, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man isn’t just a giant sentient pile of congealed sugar; he’s the Destroyer, the form Gozer takes before killing all life on the planet.

From the events in Ghostbusters, it seems the Stay Puft Man may be invulnerable as he survives immolation. He’s only defeated when the Ghostbusters team crosses their streams and reverses the flow of the portal Gozer entered through. Godzilla likely wouldn't stand a chance since they don’t make proton packs in massive monster sizes.

Medusa Could Defeat Godzilla With A Single Look

The original Clash of the Titans features plenty of epic monsters from Greek mythology, but perhaps none so well known as the Gorgon Medusa. Once a beautiful human woman, Medusa was cursed by the goddess Athena, who transformed her into a hideous lizard-like creature with snakes for hair. However, this curse came with a powerful ability to inexorably turn anyone who looked at her face into stone.

While Medusa is far less physically strong than a being as great and powerful as Godzilla, her prominent strength far outweighs even his vast arsenal of abilities. It would take only a single look for Medusa to turn Godzilla into a massive stone edifice, eliminating any threat the King of the Monsters may have otherwise posed.

The Balrog's Ancient Primordial Power Is Far Greater Than That Of Godzilla

The Balrog is a primordial power long forgotten to Middle-earth by the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. However, the massive fiery creature is reawakened by the greedy Dwarfs in the Mines of Moria, as is discovered by the Fellowship when they cross through the area, which has been laid waste. Gandalf is then dragged into a heinous chasm with the beast, fighting an epic battle in which he only barely comes out on top.

The Balrog is even more powerful than Smaug, asserting itself as one of the most fearsome physical creatures in the entire Lord of the Rings franchise. Even Godzilla would have little he could do against the ancient being, whose full extent of power has yet to ever be shown onscreen. The King of the Monsters himself would fall to the mighty Balrog.

Monsters Who Godzilla Could Beat In A Fight

"Long live the king" -- Emma Russell, Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Godzilla isn't called the "King of the Monsters" for no reason. His incredible stature, myriad abilities, and keen fighting skills have helped him earn this title over and over again. While he may not be able to defeat every movie monster that Hollywood has dreamed up over the years, he still stands as one of the most powerful fictional kaiju ever created. As such, there are plenty of monsters who wouldn't stand a chance against the mighty lizard.

The Xenomorph’s Acid Blood and Facehuggers Aren’t Sufficient To Topple Godzilla

When the crew of the Nostromo first encountered the xenomorphs in Alien, almost all of them paid for it with their lives. Since then, these aliens have become one of the galaxy’s most feared creatures. In the Alien, the seemingly sadistic android, Ash, describes the xenomorph as the perfect organism, admiring the species for their deadliest traits.

That said, a single xenomorph, even a queen, wouldn’t stand a chance against Godzilla. Even one of the xenomorph’s greatest weapons, the facehugger, is far too small to harm Godzilla – it’s not even big enough to cover one of his teeth. Godzilla could simply stomp out an entire xenomorph hive without even registering the threat.

The Graboids Aren’t Powerful Enough To Defeat Godzilla

Despite the silly name, graboids are pretty scary for humans. Graboids first appeared in the campy ‘90s classic Tremors, where they terrorized a small town in Nevada. These underground creatures track their prey by sensing the slightest vibrations in the ground. They’re fast, strong, and can swallow a person whole.

Consequently, graboids wouldn’t have trouble locating Godzilla, whose city-shaking path would be easy to track. Still, once they caught up to him, they wouldn’t have a lot of ways to deal him significant damage. If humans can kill graboids with a stick of dynamite, Godzilla’s atomic breath would surely evaporate them.

Pumpkinhead Would Meet His Match Against The King Of The Monsters

Once unleashed, the demon Pumpkinhead won’t stop until it catches its target. When a group of teens cause a fatal accident in Pumpkinhead, a grieving father wakes the monster to get his revenge. According to the demon’s lore, only hurting the person who summoned it can stop it. Even then, a person can only temporarily halt Pumpkinhead, never entirely destroying it.

These features would undoubtedly make a fight between Pumpkinhead and Godzilla interesting. The demon isn’t just a mindless beast, so it could figure out how to hurt Godzilla. However, once again, the sheer size of the king of the monster would be too much for the demon to overcome. Plus, the person who summoned Pumpkinhead will likely get stepped on at some point.

The Leprechaun’s Magic Likely Wouldn’t Be Enough To Oppose Godzilla’s Strength

Sometimes, it’s better to not find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In Leprechaun, a murderous version of the mythical creature stalks a young Jennifer Aniston. The leprechaun wants his gold back and uses his sadistic and magical powers to get it. Ultimately, no amount of gold is worth having to face this merciless beast.

While it’s unlikely Godzilla would ever steal the leprechaun’s gold, if they ever fought, the leprechaun’s magic probably wouldn’t be powerful enough to harm Godzilla. If the king of monsters did take a piece of the leprechaun’s loot, he should probably just let the lizard have it.

The Aliens From “A Quiet Place” Could Launch An Entire Army At Godzilla And Still Lose

A Quiet Place was one of the most unique and inventive horror films in recent years. The movie depicts Earth in 2020 when hostile aliens arrive and quickly cause society’s collapse. These creatures have no eyes and hunt solely by sound. As a result, human survivors must live as silently as possible, as even the slightest noise can attract these mighty hunters.

Because the creatures can hear something as small as a pin falling, they’d have no issue finding Godzilla. Additionally, while they are much smaller than him if enough of them group together, they could potentially do some damage. Unfortunately, they’re also susceptible to extremely loud noises, so Godzilla’s patented scream would give him a significant edge.

The Wolfman Lacks The Size And Abilities To Harm Godzilla Seriously

During a visit to his family home in Wales in The Wolf Man, Larry Talbot sees a wolf-like creature attack a woman. He fends off the beast, but it bites him during the scuffle. Talbot later discovers he’s now cursed and transforms into a werewolf whenever the moon comes out. Since this movie, werewolves have populated countless horror films.

While their strengths and abilities vary, no version of a werewolf has come close to being strong enough to take on Godzilla. Werewolves have a unique problem regarding a potential showdown versus the king of monsters. Even if a werewolf were to bite Godzilla, it wouldn’t kill him, it would create a gigantic werezilla.

Frankenstein’s Monster Would Pose An Underwhelming Threat To Godzilla

Based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel, Frankenstein is one of the most popular movies ever. The film tells the tragic story of Dr. Frankenstein, who creates a frightening monster by stitching together and reanimating corpses. The beast is larger and stronger than the average man, but the film version lacks a soul. It terrorizes a nearby village, causing mass panic.

Frankenstein’s monster is undoubtedly a freaky concept, but he lacks any special powers. Yes, he’s stronger than a typical human, but that means little compared to Godzilla’s immense might. Also, considering his documented fear of fire, Frankenstein’s monster would likely wither under Godzilla’s atomic breath.

The Creature From The Black Lagoon Can't Match Godzilla's Might

During a trip to the Amazon, scientists discover the creepy monster in Creature from the Black Lagoon. These humans believe the Gill-man is one of the last surviving members of an ancient race. They consider this species a link between aquatic and non-aquatic life on the planet. Later, they discover it’s super strong, and it goes on to murder a bunch of people, as monsters are known to do.

Unfortunately, the Gill-man doesn’t have any special powers that would assist him in a showdown against Godzilla. He’s simply extra strong and can live underwater, but Godzilla is more powerful and can also maneuver well in water. So, the Gill-man should probably hope the king of monsters keeps attacking human cities and never turns his sights on lagoons.

Jaws Would Need An Army Of Sharks To Defeat The King Of The Monsters

In 1975, Jaws made movie audiences everywhere afraid to go in the water. The movie tells the story of a small island community in New England that a giant great white shark terrorizes. Jaws stalks the waters surrounding the island during the town’s Fourth of July celebration. Essentially, the city makes too much money from its beaches to close them, even with a giant man-eater patrolling their shores, consuming men, women, and children.

Despite its success against humans, Jaws would pose a tangible threat to Godzilla. In the end, Jaws is simply an abnormally large shark. It’s frightening to humans, but can’t really hurt Godzilla. The shark may be able to nibble at Godzilla’s feet and ankles, but this nibbling wouldn’t amount to much.

Sully And Mike Couldn't Get A Scare From Godzilla

Why do monsters scare children at night? According to Monsters, Inc., it’s to power their city, Monstropolis. In this animated monster movie, children’s terrified screams are a renewable energy source. The film focuses on Mike and Sully, one of the best child-scaring teams in the entire city. They travel to Earth through closet door portals and scare children as they’re trying to sleep.

Yes, Sully and Mike are great at scaring human children, but Godzilla is no child. In a real skirmish, this monstrous duo, even with all their teeth and claws bared, could do little to frighten the king of monsters. It’s a shame, too, as a single Godzilla scream could surely power Monstropolis for years.

The Rabbit Of Caerbannog Is Mighty--But Not Mighty Enough To Defeat Godzilla

Monty Python and the Holy Grail features the epic quest of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as they attempt to find the fabled Holy Grail. Along the way, Arthur and his merry band of do-gooders encounter numerous obstacles, but none more fearsome or as deadly as the vicious Rabbit of Caernabog.

Though it may at first appear to be a cute and cuddly bunny, the bloodthirsty Rabbit of Caernabog is capable of tearing any of its attackers to pieces. Even the mighty mystical wizard Tim would be afraid for his life if faced with this monstrous mammal. However, as big a threat as the Rabbit of Caernabog may be, it is no match for Godzilla, who could easily crush it with one step of his enormous foot.

The Sarlacc Wouldn't Stand Much Change Against The King Of The Monsters

Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi's epic first act culminates in a confrontation between the heroes and Jabba the Hutt's minions. They battle just above the gaping maw of the Sarlacc, a tentacled creature looking for its next meal. During the battle, the Sarlacc Pit notably swallowed Boba Fett, though the bounty hunter was eventually able to escape thanks to his durable Mandalorian armor.

The Sarlacc is terrifying to any regular-sized creature, but wouldn't stand much of a chance against Godzilla. A single blast of his atomic breath would be enough to incinerate the Sarlacc which, as audiences learned in The Book of Boba Fett, isn't much of a threat when forced to actually fight for its food.