The Godzilla. In the late 1970s, Godzilla stomped his way through the Marvel Universe, meeting some of its biggest icons. Now, the King of the Monsters is back, and is on a collision course with Marvel’s best heroes in a series of one-shots–including the Fantastic Four.

AIPT reported on the forthcoming Godzilla versus the Fantastic Four #1. The book, which will be written by current Fantastic Four scribe Ryan North and drawn by John Romita Jr, is the opening salvo in the monster’s return to the Marvel Universe. Marvel provided AIPT with the issue’s solicitation, which reads as follows:

In GODZILLA VS. FANTASTIC FOUR #1, witness a threat never before seen as King Ghidorah descends upon the Earth with the Power Cosmic as Galactus’ newest herald! Can the Fantastic Four stop him from destroying New York along with the rest of the planet? It’s a city smashing spectacular as Godzilla with the help of the Silver Surfer forces to stop the world from certain annihilation! A must-have for Marvel and Godzilla fans alike.

Marvel also unveiled Iban Coello’s cover, showing the Fantastic Four reflected in Godzilla’s eyes. Although most of the monster’s face is off-page, he is clearly angry and ready to fight.

Godzilla's Brief Time in the Marvel Universe, Explained

Godzilla Returned to the Marvel Universe Last Year

For over 70 years, Godzilla has been a pop culture icon to both Japanese and Western audiences, and for a very brief period, he was a member of the Marvel Universe. In 1977, Marvel obtained the license to produce comics based on Godzilla, and for two years, the King of Monsters starred in his own ongoing series. Written by Doug Moench and drawn by legendary Hulk artist Herb Trimpe, Godzilla: King of the Monsters ran for 24 issues. During the course of the book, Godzilla encounters a number of Marvel heroes.

Red Ronin made his first appearance in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

After Godzilla: King of the Monsters wrapped up in 1979, he made no additional appearances in the Marvel Universe–until now. Marvel entered into a new license with Toho Studios last year, and reprinted the entire run of Godzilla: King of the Monsters in an omnibus, bringing these stories back into print after decades. Fans can also expect a series of variant covers starring Marvel’s biggest heroes fighting Godzilla. When Marvel entered into the new license, questions swirled over whether Marvel would publish new Godzilla stories. Now, fans have the answer–and it promises to be epic.

Does Marvel's Best Stand a Chance Against Godzilla?

Godzilla is All-Powerful and Could Embarass the Fantastic Four

Yet even then, Marvel’s First Family may be ineffective in stopping the all-powerful Godzilla.

The Fantastic Four is the perfect team to kick off Marvel’s new series of Godzilla one-shots. The Thing is one of Marvel’s strongest characters, and while he could not come close to killing Godzilla, he may be able to put a hurt on the monster. The Invisible Woman’s vast powers could also put a dent in Godzilla. Mister Fantastic, one of Marvel’s preeminent intellects, would put his brain to use trying to find a way to permanently kill Godzilla. Yet even then, Marvel’s First Family may be ineffective in stopping the all-powerful Godzilla.

If the Fantastic Four have no chance of stopping Godzilla, then it casts serious doubts on the ability of Marvel’s other heroes to topple the monster. The Fantastic Four is the bedrock of the Marvel Universe, and also one of its most powerful teams. While the Avengers or the X-Men may outnumber the Fantastic Four, they are still strong and not to be written off. Yet in the face of Godzilla, the Marvel Universe and the Fantastic Four might be useless, dealing the team a rare loss on the eve of their MCU debut.

Source: AIPT

Godzilla versus the Fantastic Four #1 is on sale March 19 from Marvel Comics!