Cthulhu v.s. Godzilla

[austenandrews]

Well? Who wins?

[Beast]

there is no contest
kinda like the question"what if you nuked Cthulhu

he comes back 5 minutes later and is radioactive

Godzilla goes insane and destroys tokyo

[AmadanNaBriona]

Much as I like Godzilla, I concur.

Cthulhu is a godlike entity.

in an straight smackdown, Godzilla would probably discorporate Cthulhu right fast, because let's face it.. a move through from a tramp steamer to the head popped him like a zit. The same boat probably wouldn't even get a flinch out of Ol' Lizard Breath.

But at the end of the day...
Godzilla gets a new boss.

[Matt the Bruins]

Likely the Big C, but in the original Japanese film Gojira the titular monster was hinted to be something like an angry elemental water spirit that was disturbed and corrupted by nuclear tests, rather than just some mutant dinosaur. That sort of thing might be able to fight Cthulhu on a metaphysical level, though I'd think the Old One's globe-spanning psychic powers would win the day.

[Lord Liaden]

Is Cthulhu really divine and immortal? In the original story, he was described as the High Priest of the greater old gods, but not their equal.

I have memories from Godzilla 2000 in which Godzilla's foe kept regenerating from the big G's radioactive flame. Godz's answer was to stick his head down the creature's throat and vaporize him from the inside.

I'm inclined to envision Godzilla dining on roast calimari.

[Curufea]

By original story do you mean "The Shadow Over Innsmouth (http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/theshadowoverinnsmouth.htm)"? I think you might be thinking of Father Dagon and Mother Hydra who were ancient Deep Ones of tremendous size (about the size of the creature in Cloverfield) and they were the high priests of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu is described as a water god, much like Hastur is a fire god. While Godzilla is only a water spirit.

The key, perhaps to understanding the power differences is that, Cthulhu does not operate under the same laws of physics in this universe that we do. Godzilla pretty much does. The Lovecraftian Gods are beyond human understanding in both power and motivations or personality - humans are driven insane merely by trying to comprehend the dimensions they appear to live in when first seen.

Destroying a God in the Cthulhu Mythos is merely destroying (or damaging) the present physical manifestation of the God. An Avatar. It's the equivalent of deleting someone's profile on these boards - it has very little effect on the person themselves.

And yes, Cthulhu is immortal and for the purposes of power compared to anything mortal, divine. It is an absolute.

It's only modern re-imaginings and re-interpretations for the sake of humour that causes people to forget what the original is meant to be. Constant lessening and derision has diluted Cthulhu's otherwise well written divine awe. Amongst modern gamers, it's very difficult to use Cthulhu as a foil for horror - familiarity has bred contempt.

[AmadanNaBriona]

By original story do you mean "The Shadow Over Innsmouth (http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/theshadowoverinnsmouth.htm)"? I think you might be thinking of Father Dagon and Mother Hydra who were ancient Deep Ones of tremendous size (about the size of the creature in Cloverfield) and they were the high priests of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu is described as a water god, much like Hastur is a fire god. While Godzilla is only a water spirit.

The key, perhaps to understanding the power differences is that, Cthulhu does not operate under the same laws of physics in this universe that we do. Godzilla pretty much does. The Lovecraftian Gods are beyond human understanding in both power and motivations or personality - humans are driven insane merely by trying to comprehend the dimensions they appear to live in when first seen.

Destroying a God in the Cthulhu Mythos is merely destroying (or damaging) the present physical manifestation of the God. An Avatar. It's the equivalent of deleting someone's profile on these boards - it has very little effect on the person themselves.

And yes, Cthulhu is immortal and for the purposes of power compared to anything mortal, divine. It is an absolute.

It's only modern re-imaginings and re-interpretations for the sake of humour that causes people to forget what the original is meant to be. Constant lessening and derision has diluted Cthulhu's otherwise well written divine awe. Amongst modern gamers, it's very difficult to use Cthulhu as a foil for horror - familiarity has bred contempt.

Thank you for articulating my thoughts

[Vulcan]

Godzilla does not, in any way, shape, or form, operate under the same laws of physics we do. A creature that size should collapse under it's own weight. A creature that size would be unable to eat enough to survive. No creature I'm aware of can create what appears to be a limited nuclear reaction as a breath weapon (for that matter, I don't know any creatures that have breath weapons...).

The only law of phsyics he does not break is gravity, and that only because he still falls down.

For heck's sake, he fell into a volcano (at the end of Godzilla 1985) and dug his way out of it (Godzilla vs. Biolante).

And while I voted for big G in the poll, it's pretty much a tossup. The question becomes 'Who's writing the story, Lovecraft or Toho Studios?'

[Curufea]

And while I voted for big G in the poll, it's pretty much a tossup. The question becomes 'Who's writing the story, Lovecraft or Toho Studios?'
Pretty much the answer to any of these inane questions of "x from y genre versus a from b genre".
It's a pointless discussion.

[austenandrews]

By original story do you mean "The Shadow Over Innsmouth (http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/theshadowoverinnsmouth.htm)"? I think you might be thinking of Father Dagon and Mother Hydra who were ancient Deep Ones of tremendous size (about the size of the creature in Cloverfield) and they were the high priests of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu is described as a water god, much like Hastur is a fire god. While Godzilla is only a water spirit.
"The Call of Cthulhu" would be the original Cthulhu story, of course. Lovecraft mostly described Cthulhu as a member/leader/priest of an ancient, alien race (cf. TCOC, ATMOM, TDH). He was a "water god" only in that he lived underwater (allegedly it blocked his power). It was "Father Dagon and Mother Hydra" who sounded more like gods than priests in TSOI. Hastur of course never appeared in a Lovecraft story.

Godzilla is a giant radioactive lizard.


It's only modern re-imaginings and re-interpretations for the sake of humour that causes people to forget what the original is meant to be. Constant lessening and derision has diluted Cthulhu's otherwise well written divine awe. Amongst modern gamers, it's very difficult to use Cthulhu as a foil for horror - familiarity has bred contempt.
This is the underlying reason I made this poll. It's my last tip of the hat to the Lovecraft aesthetic, which has become a cliche and a punchline.


Personally I think Godzilla would have stood as an equal among Lovecraft's menagerie. HPL's protagonists would have gone mad at the sight of him. And since he's a brawler while Cthulhu is a squishy-bodied priest, I'm giving this one to the Big G.

Godzilla! Godzilla!

[proditor]

Answer the question yourself, play Monsterpocalypse!

http://www.monsterpocalypsegame.com/

:D

It's pretty awesome.

As much as I love Godzilla, I'd have to give the edge to the space squid.

[NestorDRod]

But at the end of the day...
Godzilla gets a new boss.

The immediate mental image I got from reading the thread title was Cthulhu smoking a cigarette and asking Godzilla, "Was it good for you, too?" :ugly:

I need professional help. :help:

:winkgrin:

[austenandrews]

The immediate mental image I got from reading the thread title was Cthulhu smoking a cigarette and asking Godzilla, "Was it good for you, too?" :ugly:

Good God, man! Rule 34! What have you done?!!

[NestorDRod]

Good God, man! Rule 34! What have you done?!!

Chaos, panic and disorder... my work here is done. :D

[bigbywolfe]

Part of the problem with discussing Cthulhu's power's/godhood, is that Lovecraft was not always consistent in his discriptions. In one story he refers to Cthulhu as one of the Old Ones, in another he clearly states that he is not, yet hints that there is a cousin like relationship between Cthulhu and the other gods.

Anyway, I have to vote for Godzilla for one reason: The big G could beat Cthulhu in the physical plain, and even though Godzilla could never really "win" I think he could continue to kick Cthulhu's smooshie, tentacle-covered corporeal form each time he managed to re-manifest himself in our world.

Speaking of Cthulhu:
http://www.herogames.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=114&pictureid=797

[Clonus]

By original story do you mean "The Shadow Over Innsmouth (http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/theshadowoverinnsmouth.htm)"? I think you might be thinking of Father Dagon and Mother Hydra who were ancient Deep Ones of tremendous size (about the size of the creature in Cloverfield) and they were the high priests of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu is described as a water god, much like Hastur is a fire god. While Godzilla is only a water spirit.

The key, perhaps to understanding the power differences is that, Cthulhu does not operate under the same laws of physics in this universe that we do. Godzilla pretty much does. .

No she doesn't. She violates the laws of physics just by standing up. She shrugs off nuclear explosions. Godzilla is exactly like the Great Old Ones. A higher form of life before which humans are like insects. That being said Cthulu has telepathic powers that might give him the edge. But no, Cthulu is not a god. He's the most powerful member of a species of a powerful aliens. Once which incidentally (according to The Mountains of Madness) fought inconclusive wars with the Elder Race, who were not THAT much more powerful than humanity although they had access to more advanced technology.

[austenandrews]

No she doesn't. She violates the laws of physics just by standing up. She shrugs off nuclear explosions. Godzilla is exactly like the Great Old Ones. A higher form of life before which humans are like insects. That being said Cthulu has telepathic powers that might give him the edge. But no, Cthulu is not a god. He's the most powerful member of a species of a powerful aliens. Once which incidentally (according to The Mountains of Madness) fought inconclusive wars with the Elder Race, who were not THAT much more powerful than humanity although they had access to more advanced technology.
IIRC the Elder Race's great weapon was the Shoggoths, which must have had the squiddies running. Tell me Hedorah (the Smog Monster) wasn't a gigantic Shoggoth To End All Shoggoths.

Godzilla by a knockout!