Two famous members of Godzilla’s rogues’ gallery almost came to blows in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. Released in 1994, the penultimate installment in Godzilla’s Heisei series marked the first and only big-screen appearance of SpaceGodzilla. The film introduced the villain as a creature born from the combination of Godzilla’s DNA and the energy of a black hole.
SpaceGodzilla quickly emerged as the strongest villain Godzilla had battled to date. The creature was so powerful that a team-up was needed to bring SpaceGodzilla’s reign of terror to a halt. Godzilla wound up joining forces with Mogeura, a robot piloted by the film’s human protagonists, to stop SpaceGodzilla and save Godzilla Junior. Moguera was destroyed in the climactic ending, but Godzilla was successful in beating SpaceGodzilla. Interestingly, though, there was a point when this chapter in Godzilla history would have played out a bit differently.
Mechagodzilla Nearly Took Moguera’s Place In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
Toho Nearly Reconsidered Its Decision To Bring Back Mogeura
According to The Big Book of Giant Japanese Monster Movies: The Lost Films by Johny LeMay, an early draft of the movie called for a much bigger matchup. тιтled Godzilla vs. Astrogodzilla, the draft included Mothra as an additional ally to Godzilla and Mogeura. The following draft made some major changes, including the removal of Mothra and the replacement of Moguera with a new version of Mechagodzilla. Mechagodzilla would have filled the same role that Moguera ultimately did, with the creature battling SpaceGodzilla independently before ultimately teaming up with Godzilla at the end.
In the story, his remains would have been restored by the government’s Godzilla task force, allowing Mechagodzilla to fight beside his enemy against a greater threat in SpaceGodzilla.
Narratively speaking, the swap would have made perfect sense. After all, the previous entry in the series was Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, which had ended in Mechagodzilla’s destruction. Rather than reveal a new robot created by the Japanese government, Godzilla: Super Wars would have simply reused the one Godzilla already beat (Mechagodzilla). In the story, his remains would have been restored by the government’s Godzilla task force, allowing Mechagodzilla to fight beside his enemy against a greater threat in SpaceGodzilla.
Why Toho Chose Mechagodzilla Over Moguera For Godzilla’s Ally
Despite His Popularity, Mechagodzilla Was Left Out Of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
The fact that Mechagodzilla would have been a perfect fit for the story and a more bankable kaiju than Moguera, the decision to go back to its original idea is particularly striking. Apparently, the studio’s reasoning stems from the lobbying of the film’s special effects designer, Koichi Kawakita. It was initially Kawakita who pitched Mogeura’s involvement in the first place, as he had been a fan of the 1960s film where the kaiju had originated, The Mysterians.
Godzilla: Super Wars would have been a unique entry in the franchise, given that it would be the only movie to put Godzilla and Mechagodzilla on the same side. Despite both being used as heroes in certain occasions, they were enemies in all six of their shared appearances.
There was also a practical element to the choice. As Kawakita has pointed out, The Mysterians established that Moguera was capable of burrowing underground. This ability essentially laid the groundwork for Moguera’s role in the conflict with SpaceGodzilla, as the villain stored the source of his power – energy crystals – underground [via Kaiju Conversations.] It was for this reason that Mogeura specifically was needed for the plan to stop SpaceGodzilla. Evidently, Kawakita successfully convinced Toho that Moguera was the better option of the two.
Who Would Win Between SpaceGodzilla & MechaGodzilla If They Ever Fought
SpaceGodzilla Would Beat Mechagodzilla
Looking at who’s place he would have taken in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, there’s little question as to who would have emerged victorious had SpaceGodzilla and Mechagodzilla actually fought each other in the film. Moguera was hardly a match for SpaceGodzilla, so while it’s possible that Mechagodzilla would have held his own a bit better, the plot would have demanded Mechagodzilla’s defeat at the hands of the villain.
Such an outcome wouldn’t have been inconsistent with their respective power levels in the Godzilla franchise. It’s true that Godzilla needed to be saved by Rodan in order to beat Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, but it’s important to note that this wouldn’t have been necessary had it not been for Mechagodzilla’s secret weapon, which was designed to exploit Godzilla’s weakness. Without it, he was inferior to Godzilla in combat. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla’s villain, on the other hand, is on par with Destoroyah when it comes to the discussion of the strongest villains in the Godzilla universe.
