Updated 04/23/2020: Made a small change to the bio for the Queen MUTO.
It is the 11th century B.C.E. and the Phoenicians were struck with tragedy with tidal waves and earthquakes. They were cursed with misfortune. They prayed to their great goddess, Asherah, to protect them. Suddenly, their prayers would be answered when Dagon rose from the abyss. The Phoenicians praised Asherah for sending her divine son to protect them for they needed it with what happens next. A great abomination rises from the ground and Dagon challenges the demon to battle.
Their battle was fierce and was described like two great storms clashing one another. Yet, something unforseen happens. Dagon had fallen and was knocked out by the demon. The demon unleashes its scorpion like stingers, stings Dagon, and leaves. The Phoenicians mourned and questioned why their great goddess would abandon her son. Many Phoenicians would travel to the location where Dagon rested until they started hearing what sounded like a heart beat. His heart was like listening to drums banging and were coming from the wounds that the demon left behind. Suddenly, Dagon awakens. Astonished, the Phoenicians praised Asherah that her son was still alive and gave praise to Dagon for his divine protection. However, the demon was still out there and its spawn would go on to eradicate the Phoenicians.
In ancient Japan, a similar battle about the god of thunder, Raijin, would have a fierce battle with a demon called Jinshin-Mushi, the Dragon Beetle (aka the Earthquake Beetle). Legend tells that Raijin would pound his drums to keep Jinshin-Mushi away and if Raijin tires then Jinshin-Mushi would rise.
In 1999, Dr. Serizawa and Dr. Vivienne Graham from MONARCH were called to the Philippines to investigate a cavern that opened up at a mining operation. The two go into the cavern with radiation suits to discover a giant fossil of a creature similar to Godzilla. Two large spores were also found attached to the carcass. One was still dormant, but the other had already hatched and made its way towards the Japan's Janjira nuclear power plant, began to feed on the nuclear reactor, and made a cocoon.
Fast forward to 2014, former Janjira operator, Joe Brody, and his son, Ford, cross to the quarantine zone to reach to their old home to look for Joe's disks of the data he collected before the Janjira plant fell. After finding out that the air was clean all along and not contaminated they observe something odd happening at the location of where the plant once stood. Both were caught by MONARCH operatives and were brought to the containment facility for questioning. When Joe mentions that the brown outs were being caused by an electromagnetic pulse getting stronger and stronger, this gives a clear indication to Dr. Serizawa that the cocoon they have contained is done feeding and about to hatch. He gives the order to throw the kill switch, but it did nothing to what was about to hatch from the cocoon.
Designated as MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), it breaks out of containment killing any MONARCH personnel in the process and flies off to Honolulu, Hawaii. On the way to Honolulu, Joe Brody passes away from the serious injuries he sustained. Ford was brought in for questioning by Dr. Serizawa and reveals to Ford that monsters like Godzilla and the MUTO exist. This leads to them asking Ford if his father told him anything and he didn't remember a whole lot about what his father was studying because he thought Joe was disturbed. However, Ford reveals that he remembered one thing that Joe heard something talking like a call and was studying echo location.
Along the way, the MUTO attacks a nuclear submarine and was feeding on the radiation from the sub. Unbeknownst to the MUTO, a much larger predator is making a B-line to Honolulu causing a tidal wave and revealing itself to the world. After the MUTO attacked the Honolulu airport he finds himself face to face with Godzilla. The MUTO makes an attempt to attack Godzilla, but Godzilla was stronger and was slammed into the ground. It was lucky to make a quick get away and retreat and Godzilla followed after giving chase.
After the attack in Honolulu, its next stop was San Fransisco. Dr. Serizawa figures out that the calls were mating calls to the now active second spore that hatched and grew to a much larger size. It attacks Las Vegas, Nevada and makes a B-line to San Fransisco. Now, there are two MUTOs on the loose, one that flies and the other much bigger and has no wings. This made the identification of gender easier and identified the flying MUTO as the male and the larger wingless MUTO the female.
General Stenz makes a plan to use nukes to lure the creatures away from the populated areas and have them set to go off when they're away enough from inland. The plan fails miserably after Godzilla and the male and female MUTOs arrive at San Fransisco. The male gives the female one of the nukes and the female begins making a nest in San Fransisco's China Town. In the mean time, the male MUTO would fight Godzilla long enough for the female to finish building her nest and lay her eggs.
Once that was done, the male MUTO disappeared and Godzilla switched his sights on the female. The two clash, but the female was quickly overpowered. She cries for help and before Godzilla could make the finishing blow the male swoops in for the attack. Both MUTOs gang up on Godzilla pummeling him to ware him down. Suddenly, the unfortunate happens. The nest was destroyed by an explosion roasting the eggs. The female learns that it was caused by Ford and before she could make a move Godzilla fires his atomic breath at the female MUTO making her weak. The male MUTO swoops in again to distract Godzilla giving the female to regain her balance. She sees the thieves that stole the nuke she had at the nest and makes haste to retrieve it. Godzilla worn out, he makes quick work with the male MUTO with a tail whip into a building and kills the female MUTO by severing the head off with his atomic breath.
Godzilla comes out victorious, but his victory was short lived as Jinshin-Mushi has risen once again. Jinshin-Mushi's tactic was to make Godzilla tire down, so it makes quick heavy blows to Godzilla and would retreat forcing Godzilla to follow. However, Dr. Emma Russell learns from her research on the Jinshin-Mushi that the creature is the prime progenitor to the MUTO subspecies and the drumming is really coming from the MUTO spores indicating to Jinshin-Mushi that its work was done and would go back to hibernation until the MUTOs have died out again. So Emma comes up with a plan to use bio-accustics to send Jinshin-Mushi back into hibernation. Jinshin-Mushi uses a high pitched frequency pulse stunning Godzilla to the point his dorsal fins shatter releasing a plume of radioactive smoke. Emma quickly builds a prototype ORCA device and before Jinshin-Mushi could make the final move it stops. Godzilla takes the moment and kills Jinshin-Mushi once and for all.
Fast forward to present day 2019. Sam Coleman give Mark Russell a tour around MONARCH's main base of operations, Castle Bravo. They reach the second floor and Sam introduces Mark to the corpses of Titanus Margygr, the MUTOs that attacked San Fransisco, and MUTO Prime (aka Jinshin-Mushi). Later, Ghidorah and Rodan have been unleashed by Emma and the eco-terrorists. After Ghidorah has claimed the title of Alpha, he begins giving his first order to all of the titans to rise up and join him on a hunt. All of the titans joined in on the hunt to kill the humans including the Queen MUTO (aka Barb). Barb is a female MUTO that is much bulkier and much older than the female MUTO from 2014 and covered in ridges like Jinshin-Mushi. These ridges represent her "crown" just like Godzilla's large dorsal fins represents his crown. Barb was one of the titans that was undiscovered. She hibernated beneath a strip mall in Hoboken, New Jersey undisturbed until she heard King Ghidorah's call. She was spotted one last time at the end of Godzilla: King Of The Monsters to help aid Ghidorah fight Godzilla and Mothra, but she did not arrive in time. Instead, she arrives to witness Ghidorah be killed by Godzilla. Godzilla having proved worthy as the new alpha, the Queen MUTO would bow to her new king.
In my review for Godzilla (2014), I am not a big fan of the MUTOs. I thought they looked too similar to the Cloverfield monster. Then, when Jinshin-Mushi was revealed for Godzilla: Aftershock, the design was some what better. Still not as great. I like that it looked like a mix between Orga from Godzilla 2000 and the Xenomorph Queen from Aliens. Now with the Queen MUTO, it's just a more ridged version of the female MUTO. From what I remember in Godzilla Aftershock, Emma theorized that if a Jinshin-Mushi was killed then the female MUTOs would kill their mates and fight among each other until one came out on top and become the new Jinshin-Mushi. I believe that is what is going on with the Queen MUTO.
What are your thoughts on Jinshin-Mushi and the MUTOs? Do you like their design or do you have a different opinion? Would you have liked to see Jinshin-Mushi in Godzilla: King Of The Monsters? Leave a comment in the comment section your thoughts on the MUTOs. If you would like to support my blog go ahead and click the donate button at the top of the page. If you have not done so already, make sure to follow me on my Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions.