Godzilla Minus Zero Is Doing Something The MonsterVerse Hasn't Dared To Do (Yet)

Toho International

Godzilla is making his way back to the big screen later this year. We recently got our first glimpse at the teaser trailer for "Godzilla Minus Zero," which brings the kaiju to New York City. While the folks at Toho and director Takashi Yamazaki are being pretty tight-lipped on the broader details, the fact that a Japanese-language "Godzilla" movie is using NYC as a location is a pretty big deal. The King of the Monsters has rarely traveled to the Big Apple.

The other iteration of this franchise that has been going strong for over a decade at this point hasn't yet dared venture to the city that never sleeps. I'm talking about the MonsterVerse, which kicked off with the divisive hit called simply "Godzilla" in 2014. Directed by Gareth Edwards, it introduced us to the first American incarnation of the monster in 16 years to that point. That movie's climatic battle took place in San Francisco, clear on the other side of the country.

In the years since, the other movies and TV shows in the franchise have taken the action global. "Kong: Skull Island," as the name implies, took place on the remote Skull Island. 2019's "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" had major set pieces in Boston, Mexico, and even Antarctica. "Godzilla vs. Kong" had a memorable final battle in Hong Kong. 2024's "The New Empire" went as far as Egypt, Italy, and Rome.

Thus far, throughout Godzilla and Kong's complete MonsterVerse timeline, which spans decades, we haven't seen any action take place in New York City. It's been mentioned in passing, and I've even read a fair amount of the comics, but NYC is nowhere to be found in any meaningful way.

Warner Bros.

In this way, "Godzilla Minus Zero" feels like a big deal already. The MonsterVerse, for all of its globe-trotting and universe building, hasn't ventured to the biggest city in the United States. The thing with many of Toho's Japanese-language "Godzilla" movies is that they're often very Japan-centric, which makes sense. 2023's "Godzilla Minus One" became the highest-grossing Japanese "Godzilla" movie ever, eventually going on to win an Oscar. It was set in Japan post-WWII.

On the flip side, the MonsterVerse has offered a more global perspective on the franchise with a Hollywood spin. Frankly, it's a little surprising that we've yet to see Godzilla venture to NYC within that particular universe.

Meanwhile, Takashi Yamazaki is looking to do something slightly different with his forthcoming sequel. It had previously been confirmed that "Godzilla Minus Zero" is shooting outside of Japan, becoming the first Toho-produced, Japanese-language entry in the franchise to do so in 20 years. Evidently, that wasn't because of tax reasons or production incentives, but because the filmmaker is going to take his terrifying version of the monster elsewhere.

Even looking beyond the MonsterVerse, which has only grown in popularity in recent years, it's an exceedingly rare thing for Godzilla to find himself in NYC. In the character's entire history, which now spans more than 70 years, it's only ever happened a few times. So, no matter which movie it's happening within, in whatever corner of the franchise, this trip is noteworthy.

Sony Pictures

The first time Godzilla made a trip to New York City happened in 1968's "Destroy All Monsters," arguably one of the best kaiju films ever made. In it, Godzilla is unleashed in a harbor in the city and winds up destroying a sizable portion of it. (It's worth noting that NYC was also featured in "Godzilla: Final Wars," but those set pieces involved Rodan and not the King himself.)

Perhaps most notably, though, there's 1998's "Godzilla." Directed by Roland Emmerich, it was the first time an American version of the franchise came to pass. The movie was a critical and commercial disappointment, but took place pretty much entirely in New York City. However, Toho later dubbed this iteration of the character "Zilla," and this American Godzilla met a humiliating death in 2004's "Final Wars." So, if we accept Toho's continuity, this isn't even technically the "real" Godzilla, so to speak.

As for whether or not the MonsterVerse will ever take us to New York City? It seems like it's on the table. "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" season 2 is wrapping up its run on Apple TV as we speak, with a spin-off series on the way. We also have next year's "Godzilla x Kong: Supernova" (which may have already spoiled its big villain) on deck. It's entirely possible that it features an NYC action sequence.

The MonsterVerse seemingly still has a lot of gas, so a trip to the Big Apple does feel like a matter of "when," rather than "if." Even so, "Godzilla Minus Zero" is going to beat the MonsterVerse to the punch.

"Godzilla Minus Zero" hits theaters on November 6, 2026. "Godzilla x Kong: Supernova" is currently set to arrive on March 26, 2027.