King Ghidorah (キングギドラ Kingu Gidora) is a three-headed Titan who first appeared in a cave painting in the post-credits scene for the 2017 Legendary Pictures film Kong: Skull Island, then went on to serve as the main antagonist of Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019. He is the first incarnation of King Ghidorah to appear in an American-made film.
An evil alien dragon who invaded Earth in the ancient past, King Ghidorah clashed with Godzilla and Mothra, who succeeded in sealing him away beneath the Antarctic ice. The organization Monarch discovered Ghidorah's resting place in the present day, and established Outpost 32 to study him, dubbing him "Monster Zero." In 2019, the eco-terrorist Alan Jonah, working alongside Monarch defector Dr. Emma Russell, unleashed Ghidorah from his frozen tomb in an attempt to release all of the Titans to restore the natural order. Being an invasive species, Ghidorah had no interest in restoring balance and resumed annihilating the global ecosystem, awakening all of the other Titans himself and bending them to his will. Assisted by Monarch, Godzilla and Mothra joined forces and engaged Ghidorah in Boston for a final confrontation. Ghidorah summoned Rodan to his aid to deal with Mothra, while Ghidorah overwhelmed Godzilla in one-on-one combat. After defeating Rodan, Mothra sacrificed her life to save Godzilla from Ghidorah, reinvigorating him with her energy and allowing him to finally destroy Ghidorah once and for all. With the three-headed terror vanquished for good, Godzilla took his place as the King of the Monsters, ending the rampages of the Titans previously under Ghidorah's control.
Following the three-headed monster's death, Jonah purchased the Ghidorah head Godzilla severed in Isla de Mara from a group of fishermen. The skull was eventually sold to Apex Cybernetics, who used it as part of the control system for Mechagodzilla.
