Fandom Roars: Mothra vs. Bagan

Until the recent Godzilla vs Mothra, it had been twenty four years since Mothra's last screen appearance in Destroy All Monsters. However, in 1990, a movie was in the planning stages that would have handed Mothra the leading role. The working title was Mothra vs Bagan. The success of Godzilla 1985 and Godzilla vs Biollante had ensured the revival of the Godzilla series. Toho turned their attention to expanding their "alternate universe" by creating a new monster myth.

Bagan's existence is documented in an ancient Chinese poetry anthology. Described as a terrible dragon, long ago it was a much feared living god who protected the smaller creatures of the forest. Prophesy foretold that Bagan would return in modern times to confront evil rulers who desecrated the environment. Currently locked inside a glacier in the Himalayas, Bagan is revived when global warming contributes to the melting of its icy prison. Immediately the devil beast sets out to destroy the source of the environmental damage: mankind. Simultaneously, a giant egg is discovered in Borneo. Its hatching reveals it to be the egg of Mothra, the monster of peace. Mothra and Bagan are destined to engage in a climactic battle with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance.

Kazuki Omori's script for Mothra vs Bagan chronicles a world-scale epic stretching from Borneo to Bangladesh to Singapore to Bangkok, and many of its elements were ultimately incorporated into Godzilla vs Mothra with Battra replacing Bagan. Omori went further however, weaving in a story line about a ruined civilization left by aliens and leaving enough dangling threads to form the basis of the next film featuring Godzilla. While Mothra vs Bagan will never be made, perhaps Bagan will turn up to confront Godzilla in a future epic.