| Rodan | |
|---|---|
| Godzilla film series character | |
 Rodan as seen inGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) | |
| First appearance | Rodan (1956) |
| Last appearance | Chibi Godzilla Raids Again (2023) |
| Created by | Ken Kuronuma |
| Portrayed by | Shōwa series Haruo Nakajima Kōji Uruki Masaki Shinohara Teruo Aragaki Millennium series Naoko Kamio Legendary Pictures Jason Liles[1] |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Radon Monster Zero-Two The Fire Demon Titanus Rodan The One Born Of Fire Pterodactyl |
| Species | IrradiatedPteranodon |
Rodan (Japanese:ラドン,Hepburn:Radon) is a fictional monster, orkaiju, which first appeared as the title character inIshirō Honda's 1956 filmRodan, produced and distributed byToho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous entries in theGodzilla franchise, includingGhidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964),Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965),Destroy All Monsters (1968),Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), andGodzilla: Final Wars (2004), as well as in theLegendary Pictures-produced filmGodzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
Rodan is depicted as a colossal, prehistoric, irradiated species ofPteranodon.[2] In 2014,IGN ranked Rodan as #6 on its "Top 10 Japanese Movie Monsters" list,[3] whileComplex listed the character as #15 on its "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time" list.[4]
The Japanese nameRadon is a contraction ofPteranodon. The spelling of Radon in Japanese also corresponds to the name ofLadon, the dragon guarding the Hesperides inGreek mythology - since there isno distinction between "l" and "r" in Japanese.
It was changed toRodan for English-speaking markets in order to avoid confusion with the elementradon.[5] However, inGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the English version of the film used the original nameRadon.
As withGodzilla, writerKen Kuronuma turned to prehistoric animals for inspiration in developing the character, though unlike the former, whose species is largely left ambiguous, Rodan is explicitly stated to be a kind ofPteranodon.[5] Just as Godzilla was conceived as a symbol of an American nuclear threat, Rodan was seen as an embodiment of the same danger originating from theSoviet Union.[6]
Rodan's debut appearance was the first and only time the character was given achestnut color. It originally had a menacing face with a jagged, toothed beak, which would disappear in later incarnations as the character became more heroic. Rodan was portrayed via a combination ofsuitmation and wire-operated puppets for flight sequences. During suitmation sequences, Rodan was portrayed byHaruo Nakajima, who almost drowned when the wires holding the 150 lb. suits above a water tank snapped.[5] InGhidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, the Rodan suit was of visibly lesser quality than the previous one, having a more comical face, a thick neck which barely concealed the shape of the performer's head within, and triangular wings.[7] The modification of the character's face was deliberate, as Rodan was meant to be a slapstick character rather than the tragic villain seen in its film debut.[8] A new suit was constructed forInvasion of Astro-Monster which more closely resembled the first, having more rounded wings and a sleeker face. The sleek face was retained inDestroy All Monsters, though the wings and chest area were crudely designed.[7]
Rodan was revived in 1993'sGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, this time portrayed entirely via a wire-manipulated marionette[9] and hand puppets. Having received criticism for his emphasis on battle sequences relying heavily on beam weapons, special effects artistKoichi Kawakita sought to make the confrontation between Godzilla and Rodan as physical as possible.[10]
In 2014,Legendary Pictures announced that they had acquired the rights to Rodan,Mothra andKing Ghidorah fromToho to use in theirMonsterVerse.[11]
Rodan appears in apost-credits scene ofKong: Skull Island. It is in the depicting cave paintings showing him, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Godzilla in the footage that is shown to James Conrad and Mason Weaver.[12]
A casting call confirmed that Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah would be featured inGodzilla: King of the Monsters.[13] Viral marketing describes him as a titanic kaiju with the skeletal structure of aPteranodon and magma-like skin serving as plate armor. The film's promotional website, Monarch Sciences, identifies the fictional island of Isla de Mara off the eastern coast ofMexico as Rodan's location and describes him as being 154 ft (46.94 m) tall with a weight of 39,043 tons and a wingspan of 871 ft (265.48 m), making it the shortest version of the character, yet also the heaviest and the one with the greatest wingspan, though part of the short height is this version of Rodan being a quadruped like a real pterosaur as opposed to an upright biped like the Toho versions. He is also stated to be powerful enough to level cities with thunderclaps generated by his wings.[14][15][16]
In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Colonel Alan Jonah uses Dr. Emma Russell to have the ORCA device awaken Rodan from Monarch's Mexican outpost 56. With Rodan awoken, Monarch's jets lead him into fighting King Ghidorah where he is defeated. After Godzilla is (seemingly) killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, Rodan sides with Ghidorah before being defeated by Mothra inBoston and then switching loyalties to Godzilla after Ghidorah is destroyed, leading the other Titans into bowing to him. According to a news clipping shown in theend credits, Rodan returned to hibernation in a mountain north ofFiji.
The skeletal remains of an individual Rodan appears in the prologue ofGodzilla: Planet of the Monsters, having been killed inChina. This is expanded upon in the prequel novelGodzilla: Monster Apocalypse, in which it is revealed the Rodan emerged fromPaektu Mountain in November 2005, attacked China, and battledAnguirus before they were both killed by a bio-weapon created by the Chinese military calledHedorah. In 2036, a flock of Rodans took over Siberia, competing against a swarm ofMegaguiruses to prey on European refugees on theTrans-Siberian Railway. InGodzilla: City on the Edge of Battle's prequel novelGodzilla: Project Mechagodzilla, a second Rodan was said to have attackedKyushu in 2029 while another flock of Rodans attackedRome to prey on humans and eventually took over theItalian Peninsula in the mid-2030s. While enacting "Operation: Long March" and "Operation: Great Wall" in 2044 and 2045 respectively, United Earth forces faced attacks from an individual Rodan, among other monsters, inNorth Africa as well as a third flock of Rodans feeding on Meganulon in China.
InGodzilla Singular Point, the show features various Rodans which are based on theQuetzalcoatlus. Most times, Rodan is smaller than its older counterparts, however, a larger, dark Rodan appears in the show, which is shortly killed byGodzilla.
The character's shriek was created by sound technician Ichiro Minawa, who sought to replicate the "contrabass technique" composerAkira Ifukube used for Godzilla. He layered it with a sped up human voice.[17] The sound would be remixed and reused for several other Toho monsters, including the Heisei incarnation ofKing Ghidorah[18] and Battra.[19]
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