The conclusion to 2014's Godzilla seemingly ended the threat posed by the MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms), but Godzilla: King of the Monsters confirmed their species’ survival with the introduction of a third member. The male and female MUTOs, ancient enemies of Godzilla, were what caused the Titan to emerge from the ocean after centuries of staying hidden from human eyes. At the end of the movie, the radiation-seeking monsters were hunted down and destroyed by Godzilla.
Instead of keeping the MUTOs dead in the MonsterVerse, King of the Monsters went in a different direction. When King Ghidorah used his roar to awaken his fellow Titans, it was revealed that another MUTO was one of the 17 hibernating Titans being monitored at Monarch’s outposts. After leaving their resting places, they all made moves to serve their new alpha, with only four of them being shown onscreen: Methuselah, Scylla, Behemoth, and the third MUTO. Once Ghidorah was killed by Godzilla’s nuclear pulse attacks, the four Titans followed Rodan’s lead by bowing down to his killer, Godzilla, in a showing of respect to the new King of the Monsters.
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Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Mike Dougherty has explained the reason for the decision to keep the MUTOs around. Dougherty has said that he enjoyed the designs that Gareth Edwards created in the 2014 movie for the MUTOS, and was sad that both of them were killed. Dougherty introduced a third MUTO because he wanted to give their species a chance to survive [via Slashfilm].
The reveal that a third MUTO exists means that Godzilla didn’t make an entire species go extinct, which is an interesting detail. Also, it makes sense, considering that the purpose of the MonsterVerse’s Godzilla is to preserve the balance of nature, and wiping out an entire species wouldn’t have served those interests. Thanks to King of the Monsters, their species lives on, but it would seem that their rivalry with Godzilla has ended – for now. The MUTOs are responsible for the death of one of Godzilla’s ancestors, but it appears that Godzilla won’t kill the third MUTO unless it steps out of line like the previous two. Or, it could be that Godzilla hasn’t killed her because unless a new male MUTO emerges, he isn’t concerned about her reproducing.
It’s worth noting that Godzilla: King of the Monsters didn’t simply bring in a replica of the villains from the 2014 movie. This new female MUTO has a design that differs in a few ways from the last two, such as the fin-like structures on its back. Additionally, she’s been referred to by Dougherty as the queen of her species. This would indicate that she’s more powerful than the two that Godzilla already killed. If that’s the case, she could serve as a capable ally in the battles to come, especially if it’s true that a “monster war” is headed for the MonsterVerse in Godzilla vs. Kong.
