You know what? I lied. Not too long ago, I wrote about how I’m done with going to see the MCU movies in theaters, but that I would still watch the Disney+ TV shows. But, I haven’t kept to my promise, because I started Secret Invasion, stopped watching after only one episode, and I don’t think I’m going back.
The same goes for DC. I said that I would see upcoming DC movies in theaters, but not upcoming MCU movies. I did see The Flash, but I think I’m going to have to go back on that promise, too, since I didn’t like it, and now I’m not as pumped for the future of DC movies. You know what I am still pumped for? Godzilla and the MonsterVerse. In fact, I currently think it’s the best shared universe we still have, and I have five reasons why.
The MonsterVesrse Has Been Taking It Much Slower Than The Other Shared Universes
Remember the Snyderverse? I definitely wasn’t the biggest fan of it, and struggled to come up with five good things about the Snyderverse when it turned out it was over. Hell, I even wrote about how I was glad that Man of Steel 2 got canceled, because I didn’t like the first movie. That’s the problem with these shared universes. Studios heads get dollar signs in their eyes, and greenlight all these future projects without even knowing how people will react to the first few.
We saw this with the now scrapped Dark Universe, but at least Universal had common sense to not move forward with several new projects after 2017’s The Mummy underperformed. And, going back to Marvel, I think it’s a cautionary tale that maybe there can be too much of a good thing. Almost to the point where viewers feel inundated with content, especially when they feel that it isn’t as good anymore, as with Phase 4.
I think the MonsterVerse has been keeping perfect pacing. I didn’t love 2014’s Godzilla, but we thankfully didn’t get the next installment in the saga until 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In-between that, we got 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, which I REALLY loved (I even put it at the very top when I ranked the MonsterVerse movies).
With this spacing, I didn’t really hold anything against the Legendary first outing, because the next movie came out years later. Look at something like Batman v. Superman, which I despised, followed up only a year later with Joss Whedon’s Justice League, which I also despised. The stink was still in the air after BvS, and it shows in ticket sales, since Justice League was not well-received at the box office.
The same goes for the MCU. Sure, they were firing on all cylinders for YEARS, but after Avengers: Endgame, I think a lot of viewers (myself included) found that the next few movies were scattershot when it came to quality. I loved Eternals, but I often feel like I’m the only one, as a lot of people call that the WORST MCU movie. In a lot of ways, Eternals kind of presented a downhill slide for many people, but the projects just kept on coming.
That said, let’s look at the MonsterVerse again. Godzilla: King of the Monsters underperformed at the box office, but the next movie in the franchise, Godzilla vs. Kong put up big numbers. I remember hearing that GVK could have been the last MonsterVerse movie if it also didn’t do well. But, since it was a success, Legendary is now moving forward with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and I’m really excited to see that, which is more than I can say for DC or the MCU in the future.
The MonsterVerse Has Focused On A Select Few Monsters, And Mostly Handled Them Well
We’ve mostly only gotten the heavy-hitters out of the MonsterVerse, with Godzilla, King Kong, Rodan, Mothra, MechaGodzilla, and King Ghidorah being the main monsters featured thus far. And, I really like this.
Godzilla has a lot of cool enemies, but instead of making a slew of movies with the likes of Gigan, Biollante, and Destoroyah, we’ve only gotten the mainstays. King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra are enemies that even the most casual Godzilla fans know, and I think that’s really smart.
Now, the MCU played an interesting balancing act for a number of years introducing characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy, and to a lesser extent, Thor and Iron Man, who were popular, but not necessarily the big dogs like Spider-Man or the X-Men. As the MCU became more popular, they started putting together shows and movies with even more obscure characters, like Eternals, Shang-Chi, and my main man, Moon Knight. The thing is, if you asked most people who they were before their respective movies/shows, they likely would have just shrugged.
Inversely, the Snyderverse arguably mishandled a well-known character like Superman so much that DC now needs a hard reboot with James Gunn. The MonsterVerse didn’t go that route, though. They knew their bread and butter, and they were sticking with it. Whatever works, right?
The MonsterVerse Gradually Made Its Way Into Extending Their Properties To Television
I recently watched the new Netflix show Skull Island, and well…it was okay. I both loved and disliked many aspects of the cartoon. And, that’s just fine.
You see, I don’t have to love everything out of the MonsterVerse, but at least I’m finally getting content outside of the movies, so the it's still on my mind between each film. We’re also getting the upcoming Apple+ series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which should expand the MonsterVerse, and I think this is a good idea. Skull Island was a cartoon, and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is set to be live-action, and I appreciate that the TV side isn’t one specific thing.
With DC, the TV shows kind of merged with the movies when it came to The Flash, but that’s about it. In the MCU, the shows became almost overbearing, because you kind of had to watch WandaVision on Disney+ if you wanted to fully understand a movie like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I prefer the slow rollout that the MonsterVerse is getting into with television. It allows me to keep up, but not feel pressured into watching, which I appreciate.
The MonsterVerse Has Given The People What They Want
The MonsterVerse hasn’t always had the best box office track record, but enough people saw Godzilla vs. Kong that Legendary (and, by extension Warner Bros.) decided to give us Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and, like I’ve said several times, this is smart.
Obviously, people enjoyed GVK, so we’re getting a sequel to that. Personally, I would have preferred another solo King Kong movie over another with Godzilla, but I’m sure I’m in the minority. I mean, I’m the guy who’s seen all of the live-action King Kong movies, so I’m just a huge Kong fan in general.
I’m sure that most people would like a little Godzilla in their King Kong movie, so the MonsterVerse is, essentially, giving the people what they want. I don’t think I can say the same for the MCU or DC, as most people would probably just want the next movie out of the companies to be another Spider-Man or Batman movie, respectively.
The Future Actually Looks Brighter For The MonsterVerse Rather Than Dimmer, Unlike Some Other Shared Universes
Lastly, and this may not be fair, but the futures for both the MCU, and even the newly christened James Gunn DC, don’t look so bright. Sure, there can always be a turnaround, but it looks like “superhero fatigue” is finally setting in, as most of these new movies aren’t garnering the buzz that they once did. The Flash famously flopped, and, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did well financially, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania revealed a seemingly bad trend at the box office for the MCU.
With Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and The New Empire, the future looks brighter than ever for the MonsterVerse. We went from, "Oh, no, the MonsterVerse could be ending!" To, "Oh, yay! We’re getting a new TV show AND a new movie now, and I couldn’t be happier." The MonsterVerse seems to be going the distance.
Do you agree that the MonsterVerse is the best shared universe we currently have? For more news on all things Godzilla and King Kong, make sure to swing by here often!
