Tiamat, also dubbed Titanus Tiamat, was a giant serpentine Titan in the MonsterVerse created by Legendary Pictures who was introduced in the 2019 MonsterVerse film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as a name briefly seen on a monitor. She made her first full appearance in the graphic novel Godzilla Dominion. She later makes her on-screen debut in the 2024 film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. She reappears in the 2024 video game Kong: Survivor Instinct and will appear in the 2025 graphic novel MonsterVerse Declassified, both taking place prior to her death.
A massive, primordial sea monster, Tiamat dwells in the ocean depths where she is highly protective of her territory. She is also the mother of a young Titan named Lahamu. After settling in a new lair in the Arctic Ocean, Tiamat was challenged and killed by Godzilla for the lair's high radiation.
Name
"Tiamat" was a primordial water goddess with a sea serpent or dragon-like appearance in Mesopotamian mythologies, the symbol of the chaos of primordial creation. The name "Tiamat" is also applied to many modern monsters; for example, an evil, five-headed dragon goddess in Dungeons & Dragons.
In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a Monarch map tracking Titan locations simply calls her "Titan 019".
Design
Appearance
In Godzilla Dominion, Tiamat is portrayed as a titanic serpentine creature, and is light blue in coloration while also having vibrant purple scales. These scales are serrated and knife-like. Her skull is draconic with yellow eyes and four barbels extending from it. Extending from near her head are two wing-like fins.
In Kong: Survivor Instinct and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Tiamat possesses a drastically different appearance in comparison to her design throughout the graphic novels. In the film, Tiamat is dark green in coloration with numerous purple serrated fins that run through the length of her entire body. Additionally, she possesses four clawed, crocodilian limbs. She retains her draconic skull, which is surrounded by yellow frills that open and fold depending on her mood. A bright bioluminescent magenta color now lights the tips of her fins. In this form, Tiamat's phosphorous ink is now magenta in coloration as opposed to bright yellow as with her form seen in the comics.
Roar
In the comics, the roars of Tiamat are written as "xhhhhhsssss". In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Kong: Survivor Instinct, Tiamat produces warbling cries and shrill high-pitched shrieks.
Personality
Tiamat is very territorial and will fight other Titans for dominance. However, she recognizes when the odds are against her, and when beaten by Godzilla after an intense battle, Tiamat is visibly frightened and submits to the Alpha Titan to save herself from being killed. Her aggressive and destructive nature has led to Monarch classifying Tiamat as a "Destroyer".
Several years later, Tiamat is still shown to be very aggressive and unyielding to authority even after being beaten by Godzilla, with their second battle resulting in him killing her after she refused to back down.
Despite her aggression, Tiamat showed a gentler, more maternal side when she was around her daughter Lahamu. When separated from her offspring, Tiamat embarked on a brief rampage, attacking any humans she came across and even briefly battling Kong upon encountering him. She eventually calmed down after reuniting with Lahamu and swam back into the open ocean without further conflict.
Origins
History
Ancient Times
Eons ago, Tiamat fought and killed a Titanus Kong member when she ventured into his lair, claiming it to herself.[3]
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Tiamat was found in Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA, by Monarch, who built Outpost 53 around her. When Ghidorah calls all the Titans, Tiamat breaks free and begins to hunt with her new pack. When the ORCA calls all Titans to Boston, Tiamat does not arrive in time for the battle and does not see Godzilla become the alpha of all Titans again.
Godzilla Dominion
Battered and exhausted from his battle with Ghidorah as well as with rogue humans and several other rebellious Titans, Godzilla returns to one of his old lairs to rest but immediately senses that something is different. The Alpha Titan is suddenly ambushed by Tiamat, who sucks him into a whirlpool. Tiamat then belches phosphorous ink into Godzilla's face, which disorients him. With Godzilla blinded and stunned, Tiamat drags him deeper underwater, constricting and slicing into him with her scales. Eventually, the two bring the battle into the lair itself, where Godzilla is able to overpower Tiamat and force her to submit. Defeated, Tiamat retreats into the ocean, forfeiting the lair back into Godzilla's control.
Kong: Survivor Instinct
Tiamat is drawn to the eastern United States upon sensing that her daughter, Lahamu, had been captured and imprisoned in a research facility beneath an unidentified city. In her search for her Lahamu, Tiamat ravages the waters surrounding the city, in which she siphons the electrical energy from a power plant and attacks David Martin. She subsequently battles Kong upon spotting him, only for the battle to end in a stalemate. Tiamat eventually swims back out into the open ocean with Lahamu after reuniting with her.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Looking to gain the power to face the Skar King and Shimo, Godzilla travels to Tiamat's new lair in the Arctic Ocean which sits upon the planet's largest deposit of natural radiation. Upon Godzilla's arrival and the firing of his atomic breath, Tiamat awakens to defend her new lair, and wraps herself around Godzilla, constricting him. After Godzilla retaliates by biting off a chunk of her flesh, the titanic sea serpent bites onto Godzilla's face and also begins to smother him with her frills. Charging up, Godzilla blasts through Tiamat with his atomic breath, cutting her to pieces. As Tiamat's mangled body parts begin to rise to the surface, Godzilla briefly rises up to toss away one of Tiamat's limbs from his jaws before diving back down to claim the radiation in her now-former lair.
MonsterVerse Declassified
Other appearances
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
Tiamat first appears in the fourth issue, attacking Atlantis after being summoned to the DC Universe. She effortlessly overpowers the Atlantean forces that are led by Aquaman and Mera when Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern arrive to their aid. Tiamat's rage prevents her from submitting to Aquaman's authority and attacks the Justice League by unleashing phosphorous ink from her mouth and lightning from her eyes. She is about to kill Green Lantern when Godzilla arrives and blasts her with his atomic breath. Tiamat and Godzilla start to battle each other when Aquaman decides to unleash the Kraken as Atlantis's last line of defense. In the fifth issue, Tiamat attempts to battle the Kraken before Godzilla knocks her away, which allows Green Lantern to construct a gigantic net to capture her. However, she is freed when the battle between Godzilla and the Kraken pushes her out from the net, which also results in the protective dome around Atlantis slowly break. Flash then forces Tiamat into pursuing him so that she will not escape from the Justice League's sight. In the sixth issue, Tiamat converges with Scylla and Behemoth in Metropolis, with Lex Luthor using Mechagodzilla to summon and command the three Titans. When the Justice League arrives, Tiamat battles Aquaman and Hawkgirl before confronting Robin and Red Hood. However, the battle is interrupted when the League of Assassins arrive with a pack of Skullcrawlers. In the seventh issue, Tiamat battles the Skullcrawlers before she is sent back to the MonsterVerse.
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2
Abilities
Amphibious lifestyle
Tiamat can survive on land and in water indefinitely, though she gains a more significant mobility advantage in water.
Bio-ultraviolet nature
Monarch classifies Tiamat as being "bio-ultraviolet" in nature, as she often travels onto land to feed on electricity. Harnessing this power in electrogenic cells, Tiamat can discharge electrical currents at such extreme temperatures that it boils the ocean, often causing massive steam trails that can be seen from space. She is also able to concentrate this electricity as a form of beam attack that she can fire from her eyes.
Durability
Tiamat is capable of surviving after Godzilla used his jaws to rip out a chunk of flesh from her body. Her body is strong enough to withstand powerful impacts from Godzilla's stomp and normal atomic breath. She is also capable of withstanding being pummeled and smashed into buildings several times during her battle with Kong. However, she is not capable of surviving Godzilla's supercharged atomic breath.
Expandable frills
Tiamat can expand the frills surrounding her head as an intimidation display and as a means to smother her foes.
Hydrokinesis
Tiamat can manipulate water, specifically maelstroms and waterspouts, which allow her to drag terrestrial and airborne foes underwater.[4]
Phosphorous ink
Tiamat is able spew a magenta cloud of corrosive and flammable phosphorous ink from chemoreceptors in her venom hood that is capable of harming humans, as well as blinding and disorienting Titans like Godzilla and Kong momentarily.
Razor-sharp scales
Tiamat's body is covered in razor-sharp scales that can cut deep gashes into the skin of other Titans, including Godzilla.
Speed and agility
Tiamat is able to move incredibly fast underwater, which allows her to outmaneuver and swiftly coil around Titans like Godzilla and Kong.
Strength and combat
Tiamat can use her jaws and tail as dangerous weapons in combat. She also uses her serpentine body to strangle her foes like constrictor snakes. Her physical strength allows her to effortlessly burst through thick glacial ice, and is almost on par with Godzilla's before the latter uses his atomic breath to blast her into pieces.
Vocalization mimicry
Tiamat can mimic the vocalizations of humans and other species using vocal folds located in her tendrils. Though not able to outright replicate human speech, Tiamat can eerily match the sound of human voices in a "Titansong".
Weaknesses
Dry land
Although Tiamat can survive out of water, she is primarily an aquatic creature with a severe disadvantage on land. When yanked out of the water by Godzilla, Tiamat was swiftly overpowered and forced to submit.
Supercharged atomic breath
Although Tiamat is able to survive several blasts of Godzilla's atomic breath in their previous battle, she is obliterated and torn into several pieces when he is supercharged by the vast amounts of radiation he had been feeding on as he prepared to battle the Skar King and Shimo.
Trivia
- The outpost Tiamat was contained in, Monarch Outpost 53, is a possible reference to the 1953 Warner Bros. film The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.
- Tiamat's design shares several similarities with Titanosaurus (seahorse-like head) and Manda (serpentine Asian dragon-like body).
List of appearances
Films
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Name on monitor screen)
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Comics
- Godzilla Dominion (First appearance)
- Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
- MonsterVerse Declassified
- Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2
Novels
Video games
References
- ↑ Keyes, Greg. Godzilla Dominion. 2021. Legendary Comics. ISBN: 9781681160788.
- ↑ Legends of the MonsterVerse: The Omnibus. Legendary Comics. pp. 447-452. ISBN: 978-1681161174.
- ↑ Godzilla Dominion
- ↑ Johnson, Drew Edward (May 6, 2021). "#Godzilla gets the upper hand on Tiamat!!! From my & @angryf ‘s work on Legendary Comics’ GODZILLA:DOMINION! It’s available now @ your local comic shop, bookstore or on Amazon! See the fights before the big fight in #godzillavskong !". Instagram. Retrieved on May 9, 2021.
