Godzilla: King of the Monsters Concept Art Reveals a Terrifying Ghidorah Design

Godzilla may be the King of the Monsters, but that does not mean the kaiju is without rivals. If the Toho franchise taught fans anything, it is that Godzilla has no shortage of foes, and his recent big screen outing proved as much with Ghidorah. And as it turns out, the three-headed beast originally looked way more terrifying.

Recently, Godzilla Movies uncovered concept art from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and it paints a very different picture of the hydra monster.

As you can see below, artist Ken Barthelmey was tasked to do some concept artwork of Ghidorah, and the designer gave Ghidorah a straight-up terrifying look. The film ended up using a traditional look for Ghidorah based more so on dragons, but Barthelmey began his original design with a more aquatic look in mind.

Ghiodrah’s heads are way more streamlined in this artwork. The design makes the monster’s eyes real beady, and their red hue is nightmare fodder. This look is only compounded by the spikes coming from Ghidorah’s head, and its head has an elongated mouth which looks downright horrifying.

Clearly, this design was a little too radical for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but Barthelmey tried to give Ghidorah a bit of a makeover. After all, the hydra is one of Godzilla’s most famous rivals, and he deserves as much attention as he can get. Now, it is up to fans to decide if how they feel about this terrifying design… and whether it would’ve given the film a R-rating!

So, which Ghidorah design do you prefer…? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Directed by Michael Dougherty, Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford, and more. The synopsis for Godzilla: King of the Monsters reads as such, “The new story follows the heroic efforts of the cryptozoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient superspecies, thought to be mere myths, rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.”