Fans realize Oppenheimer is the “father” of Godzilla

The Godzilla fanbase just discovered an unlikely connection between the King of the Monsters and the titular protagonist of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

As depicted in various installments in the Godzilla franchise (including Godzilla Minus One), Godzilla is a prehistoric reptile mutated by nuclear radiation.

Meanwhile, J. Robert Oppenheimer was the real-life theoretical physicist in charge of developing the first nuclear weapons during WWII. These experiments ultimately succeeded, as dramatized in Nolan’s biopic.

So, in theory, Oppenheimer wasn’t just the “father of the atomic bomb” – he was also the father of Godzilla, too.

Fans realize Oppenheimer is the “father” of Godzilla

This fact isn’t lost on at least some Godzilla fans, who recently connected the dots between Oppenheimer’s life and the franchise’s mythos on X.

“Oppenheimer technically is part of every Godzilla movie universe,” quipped one X user. “I don’t make the rules.” “In my upcoming film Godzilla vs Oppenheimer, Godzilla finally confronts Oppenheimer and says “Forgive me, father,” joked a second. “Before kissing him on the lips and gouging his eyes out with his thumbs.” “Oppenheimer is a prequel to Godzilla Minus One if you think about it,” chimed in a third.

Other Godzilla devotees focused on the thematic symmetry between Minus One and Oppenheimer, declaring the films a “perfect double feature.” As one post summed it up: “Godzilla Minus One is the sequel to Oppenheimer you didn’t know you needed. It’s a brilliant, fresh take on the creature as well as post-WWII Japan that gives us an unapologetic depiction of what nuclear weapons can do to a country.”

Godzilla Minus One takes a big bite out of the US box office

Godzilla Minus One and Oppenheimer have more in common than just narrative and thematic elements, though. The two blockbusters both did big business at the US box office, as well. Oppenheimer raked in $325.4 million in US ticket sales during its theatrical run, while Godzilla Minus One recently enjoyed a record-setting opening weekend.

Both movies also garnered widespread critical acclaim, with their respective Rotten Tomatoes scores currently higher than 90%. Godzilla Minus One even maintained a 100% rating on the review aggregator platform for more than two weeks, before a handful of negative reviews ended its streak.

Godzilla Minus One is in cinemas now. For all the latest Godzilla content, check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.