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Mothra (Monsterverse)
Articles About Mothra
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Versions | First Generation - Second Generation - Heisei - Rebirth of Mothra - Leo - Fairy - Primitive - GMK - Kiryu Saga - Godzilla Final Wars - Anime Trilogy - Monsterverse - Singular Point |
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“ | Mothra, Queen of the Monsters. | „ |
~ Dr. Ilene Chen (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) |
Background
Mothra is a Titan who first appeared in a cave painting in the 2017 Legendary Pictures Monsterverse film Kong: Skull Island, was later featured in the 2019 film Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and reappeared in the 2024 film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. She is the first incarnation of the character to appear in an American-made film.
A lineage of benevolent lepidopteran Titans, Mothra defended the natural world in the ancient past and was revered as a goddess by ancient human civilizations. Mothra possessed a symbiotic relationship with Godzilla, and aided him in battle against the extraterrestrial King Ghidorah long ago. In 2009, the scientific organization known as Monarch discovered Mothra's egg within an ancient temple in China's Yunnan Rainforest. She hatched in 2019, and subsequently escaped Monarch's Outpost 61 after a group of armed eco-terrorists raided it. Mothra cocooned herself under a nearby waterfall and emerged in her imago stage to help Monarch locate Godzilla so together they could stop Ghidorah from destroying the world. Mothra led Monarch to Godzilla's underwater lair in the Hollow Earth, where Dr. Ishiro Serizawa sacrificed his life to revitalize Godzilla using a nuclear warhead. Mothra joined Godzilla in Boston to confront Ghidorah, but the three-headed Titan summoned the winged Rodan to intercept Mothra. Despite being badly injured in the battle, Mothra incapacitated Rodan by stabbing him with her stinger. She then crawled onto the wounded Godzilla before Ghidorah could finish him off and defiantly flew at her enemy, who disintegrated her with his gravity beams. Mothra's energy flowed into Godzilla, triggering the final stage of their symbiosis in which Godzilla gained the ability to emit intense heat and generate pulses of nuclear energy which took the form of Mothra. In this empowered state, Godzilla easily destroyed Ghidorah once and for all, and took his rightful place as the King of the Monsters.
In the time after her sacrifice, Mothra posthumously gifted Godzilla newly heightened senses that allowed him to become aware of any disturbances or imbalances and react accordingly, which he then used to find a new home after his old lair was destroyed.
This dropdown contains the synopsis of ’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise! |
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General Information
Origin: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
First Appearance: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Latest Appearance: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Company: Legendary Pictures, Toho
Creator: Toho Co., Ltd
Sex: Female
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Pronouns: She/Her
Age: Over Millions of Years Old (In Godzilla vs. Kong it's shown in an ancient painting that Mothra teamed up with Godzilla to overthrown the Kong species, where Godzilla has lived for over millions of years[2])
Homeworld: Earth
Residence: Yunnan Rainforest, China
Story Role: Monsters, Protectors, Heroes
Classification: Titan, Titanus Mosura[3], Queen of the Monsters[4], Master of the Skies[5]
Species: Giant moth Titan
State of Being: Regular
Physiology: Mutant Physiology
Occupation: None
Affiliations: Godzilla (Godzilla and Mothra share a symbiotic relationship, allowing them to telepathically speak with one another and locate each other over sonar waves[6]), Kong, Humanity, Jia, Iwi, Suko
Enemies: King Ghidorah, Rodan, Skar King, Shimo (Formerly), Great Apes
Height: 52 feet[7][8]/15.8 meters[9]
Wingspan: 803 feet[10][11]/224.8 meters[12]
Status: Initially Deceased at the end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Was killed by King Ghidorah after sacrificing herself to save Godzilla[13]), Alive in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Mothra was revived due to a ritual carried out[14], allowing her to help out Godzilla and Kong)
Date of Death: End of Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Alignment: Neutral Good (Even when irritated, Mothra does not kill but merely restrain the humans attacking her, along with calming down once hearing the correct sound frequency, showing something was making her act irrationally, when revived in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Mothra goes out of her way to protect the humans from Shimo and Skar King's attacks. Noted that Mothra was the key to having Godzilla protect the world from Hollow Earth[15])
Threat Level: Metropolitan Threat (When irritated and awakening she caused an earthquake that could be felt across the Yunnan Rainforest, China[16])
Codex Statistics
Key: Larva | Imago Form | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Grade: B (Mothra as a larva caused earthquakes across the Yunnan Rainforest, and was still considered a high level titan despite being in her larva form) | A (Mothra is considered the Queen of the Monsters[17], sharing a similar placement to Godzilla) | S (In her resurrected state, she could easily push back Evolved Godzilla and aided in his battle against Shimo, one of the strongest titans in the world)
Tier: At least 8-B | 7-C | 7-B
Cardinality: Finite
Dimensionality: 3-D
Power Source: Radiation-Based (The titans consumed radiation from the Earth during the time its radioactivity was ten times it was now as a food source[18])
Attack Potency: At least City Block level (Potency) (Her awakening caused an earthquake that could be felt across the Yunnan Rainforest, China[19], with the effects resulting in around a magnitude 4 earthquake, putting her at around these levels of energy) | Town level (Potency) (Her silk could harm and restrain King Ghidorah, fought against and killed Rodan[20]. Considered the Queen of the Monsters[21], and should be comparable to Godzilla, where Godzilla has tanked repeated nukes[22], with it being noted they only used nukes on him that were in the kilotons[23]) | City level (Potency) (Mothra was revived due to a ritual carried out, where she should be stronger than before[24]. Easily defeated random Kong species members and aided Evolved Godzilla and B.E.A.S.T. Arm Kong against Skar King and Shimo[25]. Her pulse could push back Evolved Godzilla where Godzilla evolved to a state where his energy capacity increased by 20 times[26][27], where prior his atomic breath was noted to have an energy yield of 3.15 x 10^14 joules or 315 terajoules (75.3 kilotons of TNT)[28])
Durability: At least City Block level | Town level | City level
Striking Strength: At least City Block Class (Potency) | Town Class (Potency) | City Class (Potency)
Lifting Strength: Unknown. At least Class M with Webbing (Her silk could harm and restrain King Ghidorah, who can support its own weight, where it weighs 141,056 tons[29][30]) | Class M (Can wrestle against and kill Rodan[31], who weighs 39,043 tons[32][33]). At least Class M with Webbing | Class M. At least Class M with Webbing
Travel Speed: Superhuman (Through her sheer size she should be able to move at these speeds) | Unknown on foot, Supersonic flight speed (Kept up with Rodan in flight[34], who is noted to have supersonic flight, where at top speed, Rodan's wings can generate cyclonic drift streams capable of leveling cities[35], kept up with and outflew various fighter jets[36], and can create a sonic thunderclap as it flies[37]) | Unknown on foot, Supersonic flight speed
Attack Speed: Superhuman | Supersonic, Speed of Light with Godrays (Mothra's god rays are a giant flash of light that are so bright it causes one to cover their eyes[38]) | Supersonic, Speed of Light with Godrays (Her pulses are a flash of light that can blind one[39])
Reaction Speed: Superhuman | Supersonic | Supersonic
Stamina: Unknown
Range: Tens of Meters through sheer size (Noted to be around 52 feet[40][41] or 15.8 meters[42]), Hundreds of Meters through sheer wingspan (Noted to be around 803 feet[43][44] or 224.8 meters[45])
Intelligence: High Animalistic Intelligence (Mothra is able to conquer death through her asexual reproduction[46], being noted by the director of Godzlla that Mothra represents the eternal cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth, with her being aware of this[47], with her memories being passed on genetically[48])
Knowledge: High Animalistic level
Powers and Techniques
Equipment
Nothing notable.
Notable Techniques
Flight
![](/images/thumb/9/9c/GKoTMMothraFlight.gif/400px-GKoTMMothraFlight.gif)
In her imago stage, Mothra has massive wings which make her capable of flight. Her flight was notably hindered after her wings were burned by the lava dripping from Rodan's wings.
Thermal Vision
![](/images/thumb/6/6d/GKOTMMothraThermalVision.gif/400px-GKOTMMothraThermalVision.gif)
Mothra's larval form can sense thermal radiation.
Bioluminescence
![](/images/thumb/0/01/GxKMothrasGodlyLight.gif/400px-GxKMothrasGodlyLight.gif)
Both Mothra's larva and imago forms can change color depending on her mood. When Mothra is angry or aggravated she turns red, and whenever she’s calm she turns blue with traces of aqua green. In her imago stage, she becomes able to emit powerful bioluminescent rays known as God Rays.
God Rays
![](/images/thumb/4/42/GKoTMMothraGodRays.gif/400px-GKoTMMothraGodRays.gif)
Mothra can emit concentrated beams of beta-wave bioluminescence from the patterns on her wings[82]. Mothra's God Rays are yellowish-white in color and are powerful enough to completely dispel storm clouds. While they produce blinding light, Mothra does not use her God Rays offensively and seems to use them like a beacon to communicate with Godzilla and lead Monarch to him.
Pulses
![](/images/thumb/9/90/GxKMothraPulsesBackHerHusband.gif/400px-GxKMothraPulsesBackHerHusband.gif)
In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Mothra utilized pulses to break up Godzilla and Kong's fight in Egypt, at which are shown to be powerful enough to knock Godzilla down before he could kill the latter. During the battle in the Iwi civilization, the pulse was also able to phase Shimo, and caused her to cease her Frost Bite Blast on Godzilla.
Silk Attack
![](/images/thumb/e/eb/GKOTMMothraSilk.gif/400px-GKOTMMothraSilk.gif)
Mothra's natural defensive ability is to spit silk at enemies. Unlike past incarnations of the character, she can use her silk attack even in her imago stage. This silk is shown to restrain humans with ease when she first hatches and is strong enough to restrain two of King Ghidorah's heads long enough for Godzilla to recover and attack him again[83]. In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire she uses them to restrain the Skar King's army of apes. Following the Skar King's defeat in Rio de Janeiro, Mothra used her silk to repair the wall surrounding the Iwi's Hollow Earth village.
Symbiosis
![](/images/0/01/Burning_Godzilla_incinerates_Ghidorah.gif)
Mothra possesses a deep symbiotic relationship with Godzilla, which manifests in several ways. For instance, the pattern on her wings is meant to mimic Godzilla's eyes. Mothra is able to communicate with Godzilla over long distances through sonar and uses this ability to guide Monarch to Godzilla so they can revive him. Most dramatically, upon her body's destruction, Mothra's energy can enter Godzilla's body and provide him with a substantial increase in power. This manifests as Godzilla's skin becoming covered in glowing orange cracks and emitting intense heat, a state known as Burning Godzilla. In this state, Godzilla can perform his most powerful attack which takes the form of a nuclear pulse shaped like Mothra's wings that produces the sound of her roar. These nuclear pulses were what allowed Godzilla to finally destroy King Ghidorah.
Psychic Connection
Mothra has a psychic connection with the twin sisters born into each generation of the Chen family[84].
Other
Standard Tactics:
As a larva Mothra has showcase mainly spitting silk at her enemies along with grabbing smaller enemies by her mouth and flinging them.
Weaknesses: Mothra's wings can be greatly weakened by immense heat being shot on them[85].
Note: The opening to Godzilla vs. Kong is admitted by Adam Wingard, director of Godzilla vs. Kong to have some overlooked things in the statistics, though he mainly notes that heights and weight statistics were overlooked, thus using the opening for the atomic breaths energy value is perfectly fine[86].
Trivia
- Mothra is referenced in an Easter egg in the first film of the Monsterverse, Godzilla. At Ford Brody's old house in Janjira, a terrarium with a cocoon in it can be seen with two labels attached to it that together say "Ford's Mothra."
- Earlier in the film, during the sequence where the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant is seen collapsing from Ford's elementary school, a chart showing the lepidopteran life cycle along with numerous large paper butterflies and moths can be seen displayed in the classroom.
- Mothra's photograph in the first issue of Skull Island: The Birth of Kong taped on a map in Houston Brooks' office appears to plagiarize a fan poster by DeviantArt user edwardjmoran[87][88].
- The Monarch outpost where Mothra is being studied is Outpost 61, a reference to the release year of her debut film, 1961.
![](/images/thumb/2/2b/Concept_Art_-_Mothra_-_Mothra_3.jpeg/150px-Concept_Art_-_Mothra_-_Mothra_3.jpeg)
- This incarnation of Mothra possesses uncharacteristically long limbs and a more upright posture compared to past designs. However, these traits were present in Toho's early pre-production concept art design for Mothra from her debut film.
- The MonsterVerse Mothra's bioluminescent "God Ray" abilities, perhaps coincidentally, resemble an unused ability of the winged MUTO in the June 2012 screenplay for Godzilla. In this version of the film's story, the male MUTO, originally dubbed "Hokmuto," had the ability to produce a lightning like "shockwave" that generated aurora-light lights similar to the ones Mothra gives off.
- While Mothra is usually accompanied by her twin priestesses, the Shobijin, this incarnation lacks them. However, they are referenced through Dr. Ilene Chen and her twin sister Dr. Ling, the third generation of Monarch members and identical twin sisters in their family. Dr. Ling is shown looking up at Mothra as her imago stage emerges from her cocoon, and her hair is arranged in the same style of the Shobijin.
- Likewise, while Mothra does not hail from Infant Island in this incarnation, she still possesses a link to this location. In the film, a photograph of Dr. Chen's mother and aunt, also twins, on Infant island in 1961 is briefly shown, while in Godzilla: King of the Monsters - The Official Movie Novelization, Dr. Chen states that Mothra's name comes from Mosura, the name of a goddess worshiped on a small Indonesian island.
- In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Jia fills in the role of Mothra's priestess similar to the Shobijin and is able to ride inside her like the Cosmos did in Godzilla vs. Mothra.
- Two characters in Godzilla: King of the Monsters define Godzilla and Mothra's ancient alliance in romantic terms, with Dr. Ilene Chen calling Mothra "Queen of the Monsters" and Chief Warrant Officer Jackson Barnes questioning if "they got a thing going on," though subsequently Dr. Sam Coleman explains it as a "symbiotic relationship." In addition, chapter 15 of Godzilla: King of the Monsters - The Official Movie Novelization begins with a quotation from Hazrat Inayat Khan, foreshadowing Mothra's sacrifice:
- Moth: I gave you my life.
- Flame: I allowed you to kiss me.
- Fans have produced a great deal of artwork showing the Titans as a couple following the release of the film, some of which was retweeted by director Michael Dougherty. This pairing between the two is commonly called "GodziMoth" ゴジモス (Gojimosu ) by Japanese fans and alternatively "MothZilla" by English-speaking fans.
- According to a tweet answered by Michael Dougherty, Mothra is represented by the Tarot card The High Priestess, which symbolizes intuition and arcane knowledge.[89]
- A carving of Mothra can be seen inside the temple on Outpost 61 with two larvae.[90]
- The S.H. MonsterArts figure of this Mothra appears to deviate slightly from the the character's design from Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), lacking white fur and instead possesses smooth skin which ranges in color from light brown to orange. In the film itself she is clearly seen possessing white fur, with some orange fur on her forehead.
- In Godzilla vs. Kong, an episode of Bernie Hayes' Titan Truth Podcast is titled "Mothra Pregnancy Theory."
- As of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Mothra is the only Toho monster besides Godzilla to appear in two Monsterverse films (not counting carcasses or stock footage).
- She is the first Godzilla series monster to ally with King Kong aside from Godzilla himself. She is also the second Godzilla series monster to appear alongside Kong (except for Godzilla himself), the first being Mechagodzilla.
- She was previously planned to appear alongside Kong in Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah.
Battle Records
2-1-0
- Rodan - Fight[91]
- Conditions: Mothra was fighting alongside Godzilla while Ghidorah fought alongside Rodan.
- Location: Boston
- Note: None.
- Shimo & Skar King - Fight[92]
- Conditions: Godzilla has help from Kong and Mothra, Shimo had help from Skar King.
- Location: Hollow Earth to Rio
- Note: Mothra several times during the battle helped Godzilla, such as when Shimo shot him with an ice blast before Mothra got in the way so Godzilla could break out. Godzilla also removed the mind control Shimo was under, making her join with Godzilla and Kong to defeat Skar.
References
- ↑ 01:15:55 to 01:18:07 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 00:43:04 to 00:47:16 in Godzilla (2014)
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ 01:15:55 to 01:18:07 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Mosura". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019.
- ↑
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Mosura". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019.
- ↑
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Mothra's Revival Scene
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Mothra's Revival Scene
- ↑ 00:04:31 to 00:05:30 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑
- ↑ 00:43:04 to 00:47:16 in Godzilla (2014)
- ↑ 00:04:31 to 00:05:30 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 01:15:55 to 01:18:07 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 00:43:04 to 00:47:16 in Godzilla (2014)
- ↑ 01:12:52 to 01:13:08 in Godzilla (2014)
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Mothra's Revival Scene
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Final Battle
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Evolved Godzilla Awakens
- ↑ 1.5 Megatons of TNT
- ↑ 00:05:17 in Godzilla vs. Kong
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: MONSTER ZERO" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Ghidorah". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019. (Archive link)
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ "Monarch Outpost 56 - Isla de Mara, Mexico". Monarch Sciences. Retrieved 2 May 2019.[dead link]
- ↑ Toho Kingdom (17 May 2019). "Specimen: Titanus Rodan". X.
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Toho Kingdom (17 May 2019). "Specimen: Titanus Rodan". X.
- ↑ 00:59:23 to 01:01:20 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Titan classifications - Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan
- ↑ 01:15:55 to 01:18:07 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Mosura". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019.
- ↑
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Mosura". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019.
- ↑
- ↑ (Web Archive link incase link dies)
- ↑ (Web Archive link in case link dies)
- ↑ (Web Archive link incase link dies)
- ↑ 00:43:04 to 00:47:16 in Godzilla (2014)
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Mosura". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019.
- ↑
- ↑ 00:06:37 to 00:06:43 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Keyes, Greg. Godzilla: King of the Monsters - The Official Movie Novelization. Titan Books. p. 184. ISBN: 9781789090925.
- ↑ (Web Archive link incase link dies)
- ↑ (Web Archive link in case link dies)
- ↑ (Web Archive link incase link dies)
- ↑ Godzilla Dominion Pages 32-34
- ↑ Mike Dougherty on Twitter: "They have a... connection. ✨👧🏻👧🏻✨". (Web Archive link if it dies)
- ↑ 01:15:55 to 01:18:07 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Titan classifications - Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan
- ↑ Titan classifications - Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan
- ↑ 00:07:19 to 00:07:26 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: MONSTER ZERO" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Ghidorah". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019. (Archive link)
- ↑ 00:09:14 to 00:09:21 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 00:05:16 to 00:05:30 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 00:04:31 to 00:05:30 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 00:43:04 to 00:47:16 in Godzilla (2014)
- ↑ Godzilla Dominion Pages 32-34
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ 00:43:04 to 00:47:16 in Godzilla (2014)
- ↑ Titan classifications - Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Mosura". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019.
- ↑
- ↑ Titan classifications - Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan
- ↑ 01:15:55 to 01:18:07 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The Last Empire Final Battle
- ↑ Moncarh Sciences. (Web Archive link)
- ↑ "Specimen: Titanus Mosura". Toho Kingdom on Twitter. 17 May 2019.
- ↑ Mike Dougherty on Twitter: "They have a... connection. ✨👧🏻👧🏻✨". (Web Archive link if it dies)
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Wingard, Adam (22 April 2021). "The honest answer is we were finishing that title sequence while doing 200 other things during the pandemic and some things got a little overlooked. I regret that Kong's height is Skull Island size and not GVK accurate". Reddit. (Web Archive link incase link dies)
- ↑ P (28 December 2021). "I noticed that since 2017 but I haven't seen anybody talking about this, on Skull Island: The Birth of Kong Issue 1, a map in Houston Brooks' office has photographs of Godzilla, MUTO and Mothra, but Mothra's photograph is a fanart made by DeviantArt user edwardjmoran". Twitter.
- ↑ edwardjmoran (19 May 2014). "From the Cocoon - Godzilla II Fan Made Poster". DeviantArt.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Final Battle
- ↑ 01:43:41 to 01:59:23 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters