Rodan

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rodan is depicted as a colossal, prehistoric, irradiated species of Pteranodon. The Japanese name Radon is a contraction of Pteranodon. It was changed to Rodan for English-speaking markets in order to avoid confusion with the element radon. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Rodan is identified 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. This version of Rodan is 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. In the film, 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 presumably killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, Rodan sides with Ghidorah before being defeated by Mothra in Boston 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 the end credits, Rodan returned to hibernation in Mt. Fuji.

In Their Own Story

In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Rodan is awakened from Monarch's Mexican outpost 56 by the ORCA device, used by Colonel Alan Jonah and Dr. Emma Russell. Monarch's jets lead him into fighting King Ghidorah, where he is defeated. After Godzilla is presumably killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, Rodan sides with Ghidorah. He is then defeated by Mothra in Boston. After Ghidorah is destroyed, Rodan switches loyalties to Godzilla, leading the other Titans into bowing to him. A news clipping shown in the end credits states that Rodan returned to hibernation in Mt. Fuji. In the second season finale of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which takes place before the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Lee Shaw travels to Southeast Asia to settle his debts with an old friend and asks him for help in finding a Titan. The Titan is later revealed to be Rodan, who is awake and perched atop an active volcano.

Reader's Guide

Rodan appears in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). The film's promotional website, Monarch Sciences, identifies the fictional island of Isla de Mara off the eastern coast of Mexico as Rodan's location. Rodan is described as being 154 ft (46.94 m) tall with a weight of 39,043 tons and a wingspan of 871 ft (265.48 m). This version of Rodan is a quadruped like a real pterosaur as opposed to an upright biped like the Toho versions. He is powerful enough to level cities with thunderclaps generated by his wings. In the film, Rodan is awakened by the ORCA device, fights King Ghidorah and is defeated, sides with Ghidorah after Godzilla is presumably killed, is defeated by Mothra, and then switches loyalties to Godzilla after Ghidorah is destroyed. He returns to hibernation in Mt. Fuji. Rodan also appears in the post-credits scene of Kong: Skull Island, depicted in cave paintings alongside Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Godzilla.

Did You Know?

• Rodan's Japanese name Radon is a contraction of Pteranodon.
• The spelling of Radon in Japanese also corresponds to the name of Ladon, the dragon guarding the Hesperides in Greek mythology.
• In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Rodan is 154 ft tall with a wingspan of 871 ft, making it the shortest version of the character but the one with the greatest wingspan.
• Rodan's shriek was created by sound technician Ichiro Minawa, who layered a sped up human voice.
• A version of Rodan appears in the 1986 novel It by Stephen King, in which the eponymous creature takes the form of the bird-like kaiju.