Godzillamonsters come in all shapes and sizes, at least above a certain minimum. In the early days, they mostly consisted of massive versions of real animals and unique twists on iconic fantasy beasts. One of the favorite moves among monster designers was to select a dinosaur and reimagine it with threatening new features. Rodan is one of the most iconic monsters inGodzilla’s sizable entourage, with several appearances as an ally and an enemy.
The modern American incarnation of theGodzillafranchise is called the Monsterverse. The franchise relaunched Godzilla and King Kong for a worldwide audience. The most recent entry,Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, is the most profitableGodzilla movie ever made. The franchise has been surprisingly willing to invent new monsters to pit its headliners against. While they could theoretically pull from the past again and again, the modern Monsterverse will keep introducing new threats with very few exceptions.
Rodan, Radon
Subtitles
Giant Monster of the Sky, Crimson Monster Bird, Atomic Monster Bird, The One Born of Fire, etc.
August 03, 2025
Played By
Haruo Nakajima, Koji Uruki, Masaki Shinohara, Teruo Aragaki, Koichi Kawakita, Naoko Kamio, and Jason Liles
Rodan first appeared in his self-titled 1956 film. The great Ishirō Hondafollowed the originalGodzillawith several other kaiju films. His 1956 offering was entitledRodan. The project brought Honda back into contact with special effects legend Eiji Tsuburaya.Rodandepicts a mining operation stumbling upon a massive egg. Simultaneously, an unidentified flying object blitzes Japan at supersonic speeds, outmaneuvers fighter jets, and deals massive damage to major cities. In time, scientists discover a pair of large, fast-moving Pteranodon creatures that wreak havoc on the region. A paleontologist declares that nuclear bomb tests awakened the sleeping beast. The Japanese military acts quickly by artificially causing a volcanic eruption that buries one of the two Rodans. The other joins its partner, unwilling to live on without its better half. Eight years later, a new Rodan emerges from the mountain to begin his new life as a frequentfriend and foe of Godzilla.
What happened to Rodan?
Rodan appeared in multiple eras ofGodzillafilms. The early Showa era never explains whether their Rodan is the child of the first two or a surviving member of the duo. Rodan returns inGhidorah, The Three-Headed Monster. He emerges suddenly from a volcano to attack Godzilla. A meteor coincidentally strikes the Earth, simultaneously freeing King Ghidorah. Rodan initially fights alongside Ghidorah to defeat Godzilla, but he switches sides after witnessing Mothra’s bravery and self-sacrifice. Rodan would fight Ghidorah alongside Godzilla twice in subsequent films. Rodan took a 20-year break fromGodzillafilms before returning for the Heisei era. Rodan appeared inGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, where he received a slightly different backstory. He was a Pteranodon mutated after exposure to nuclear waste. Rodan appeared, circling theegg that contained BabyGodzilla. Godzilla quickly dispatched the flying terror, but Rodan would later return as Fire Rodan. Fire Rodan worked to help BabyGodzilla, eventually giving his life to heal Godzilla and turn the tide in the fight against Mechagodzilla. Rodan endured a trend of switching sides and finding heroism in the end.
Who is Rodan in the Monsterverse?
Rodan is one of the few classic kaiju who made it into the modern Monsterverse. 2019’sGodzilla: King of the Monstersreintroduced Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Rodan. The film maintains most of Rodan’s backstory from the Showa era. Rodan rests in a volcano on an island off the coast of Mexico.King of the Monstersdepicts him waking up and rising from his slumber in one of the film’s most powerful scenes. Rodan loyally serves under King Ghidorah, sniveling at the mightier Titan’s feet like the monstrous equivalent of Starscream. Rodan destroys cities by flying through them fast enough to summon gale-force winds as he passes. He also seems to emit lava from his wings. Rodan fights Mothra, while Godzilla faces King Ghidorah. He has an advantage over the young insect, but after Mothra briefly gains the upper hand, she sacrifices herself to heal and enhance Godzilla. Rodan doesn’t get to switch allegiances and serve the good guys this time. Instead, Godzillawields his Burning formto eradicate Ghidorah, leaving Rodan to bow before him under threat of death. He hasn’t appeared in the franchise since.
Rodan is a fascinating figure intheGodzillafranchise. While most of the beasts have simple motivations and downplayed personalities, Rodan seems to be a different beast in every new appearance. While he used to love flip-flopping to suit his unique moral philosophy, the Monsterverse turned him into a minor henchman. Rodan is one of the most iconic monsters in Godzilla’s massive entourage, but consistency was never his strong suit.
