Who Is American Kaiju in Marvel & How Strong Is He Compared to Other Marvel Characters?

We’ve seen countless versions of characters taking some experimental serum to become powerful. Some were tried and controlled, like Captain America with the Super-Soldier Serum. Others, however, were completely out of control, like the American Kaiju. So, who is American Kaiju, and how strong is he compared to other Marvel characters?

Todd Ziller, aka American Kaiju, was a US Army Corporal who became a test subject in an experiment that tried to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum. The parts of the formula they didn’t know were filled with other transformative substances, causing Ziller to become the colossal, Godzilla-like beast.

Todd Ziller, also known as the American Kaiju, is a playful homage to Godzilla with a distinctly American twist. Instead of the iconic roar, the American Kaiju exclaims ‘YUUU-ESSS-AYYY,’ while sporting an American flag on its forehead. Now if you want to know more about him, stay with us and keep reading!

Who is American Kaiju?

American Kaiju is the name of a huge reptile-like creature resembling Godzilla that first appeared in ‘Avengers Vol. 6’ #0 in October 2015. The character’s real name is Todd Ziller, and he got the alias American Kaiju in ‘New Avengers’ Vol. 4 #9. So, who is American Kaiju, exactly?

Todd Ziller was a US Army Corporal with a highly patriotic personality. Ziller was also known as a man of few words but ready to do anything for his country. When Project: Troubleshooter commenced, Todd Ziller was willingly a test subject in the matter.

The project was the latest US division for human weapon development, trying to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum once created by Abraham Erskine. However, if it were easy to recreate the formula, everyone would do it.

So, the scientists in the project decided to fill in the unknown gaps in their formula with other transformative substances. Due to the strange mixture of Gamma radiation, the Connors Formula, Pym Particles, and the Mutant Growth Hormone, nobody knew exactly what the Serum would do to a human being. That is, until they tested it on Todd Ziller.

How did Todd Ziller become American Kaiju?

Todd Ziller, after taking the Serum, transformed into a colossal reptile-like creature known as the American Kaiju, with incredible strength, stamina, and durability, and an American flag on his forehead.

The American Kaiju was first unleashed in ‘New Avengers’ Vol. 4 #8 when Avengers Idea Mechanics attempted to rescue Rick Jones from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s custody. The American Kaiju attacked the Avengers Island with full force, and the Avenger Five fought the beast not to defeat it but to buy enough time to evacuate the Island.

Upon realizing that some of his powers were Gamma-oriented, the Avengers Five managed to use one of their Gamma reactors to drain Todd Ziller of his powers, reverting him back to human form.

He then turned to the evil, mad scientist Victor Vandoom to perfect the Serum he ingested by using traces of it from his body. Vandoom succeeded in it but requested a favor in return – fight Deadpool and Red Hulk. 

The fight commenced at the Castle Kruger and was a close match before Red Hulk somehow managed to slam the beast into the Castle Kruger, which ultimately knocked the American Kaiju down and reverted him to his human form. After that, in U.S. Avengers #4, Todd Ziller was arrested and taken into custody.

The symbiote invasion of Knull

In ‘King in Black: Planet of the Symbiotes’ #2, the American Kaiju showcased just how powerful he is. Ziller was unleashed to fight Knull’s Symbiote Dragons, which he was able to do comfortably, purging them one by one – although, as Godzilla would, he caused an insane amount of property damage to the town.

After the flying beasts were defeated, an antidote was injected into the American Kaiju, reverting him back into Todd Ziller and apprehending him again.

How powerful is American Kaiju?

Hearing all that, it’s easy to figure out that the American Kaiju is an incredibly powerful character from Marvel comics. His body turns into a giant, building-sized reptile resembling Godzilla, along with huge teeth and claws. Also, American Kaiju is insanely strong and durable enough to take the hardest hits.

He possesses a combination of powers from various characters, such as the Lizard, giant-sized Hank Pym, and the Hulk or the Abomination. While the extent of these powers is unclear, his strength and durability are extraordinary, making him a tough opponent to fight against, even for the toughest enemies. Although the full extent of his abilities is yet to be seen, there are indications that the American Kaiju is not merely a mid-level threat but a force to be reckoned with.

How strong is American Kaiju compared to other Marvel characters?

Do you remember I mentioned Knull’s symbiote invasion in this article before? Well, it’s the best, most accurate indicator that’ll allow us to determine how powerful the American Kaiju actually is. So, the reason why Todd Ziller was unleashed at that moment was that somebody had to take care of the symbiote dragons that Knull released.

For those of you who are unaware, symbiote dragons are actually a superior version of the species, much more powerful than common symbiotes, with the ability to fly and the immunity to common symbiote weaknesses, such as ultrasonic sounds or fire.

That means the American Kaiju was powerful enough not only to defeat a symbiote but to defeat several advanced, flying symbiotes single-handedly. It’s hard to even determine which characters could do so, but it’s clear that not many heroes out there could do the same.

The reason why American Kaiju is so strong is the mixture of ingredients he received through the serum. You have Gamma Radiation (the Hulk), Pym Particles (Ant-Man), Mutant Growth Hormone (X-Men), and more.

Now, he was defeated by the Red Hulk, so I wouldn’t put American Kaiju in the same ballpark as the Hulk, especially because there’s an antidote that reverts him back to human form almost instantly, and he’s quite useless as a human against more serious threats. American Kaiju is more in that ‘Abomination’ power level.

He’s much, much more powerful than Hawkeye or Black Widow (who isn’t right?), and even Captain America – the guy most famous for the Super-Soldier Serum.

I don’t think American Kaiju could defeat Iron Man, though, simply because Tony Stark is way too intelligent, nor would he stand a chance against Thor, one of the most powerful superheroes in Marvel comics.

That being said, defeating several advanced flying Symbiote Dragons at the same time has to account for something – not many characters could accomplish that. Hence, American Kaiju is probably somewhere between Captain America and the Hulk in terms of power or strength.

What do you think how strong American Kaiju is? Let us know in the comments!