Spoilers for the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 premiere are below!
The Monsterverse hasn’t been shy about introducing Titans into the franchise. Godzilla and Kong are front and center, acting as the established kaiju cornerstones for the universe to build from. Godzilla kicked off the series in 2014, bringing MUTOs into the Monsterverse. Kong: Skull Island followed in 2017, with the prequel’s island populated by numerous monsters. In 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the shared universe ripped things wide open, introducing several Titans, like Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.
Despite the eclectic number of kaiju present in King of the Monsters, Kong didn’t make an appearance. Kong wasn’t seen again until 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, which featured the two famous creatures coming to blows before teaming up against Mechagodzilla. That means Kong’s time between Skull Island (set in 1973) and Godzilla vs. Kong (set in 2024) was completely skipped over. Audiences are given some minor details about Kong’s history during that time, but Monarch: Legacy of Monsters looks to help fill in the gap, fleshing out the Titan’s story in the second season.
‘Monarch’ Weaves a Titan’s Backstory Into the Monsterverse
Monarch’s narrative weaves itself through the Monsterverse. The show presents the origins of the Titan monitoring organization, with the first season going back to 1952. Godzilla has gotten more screen time in the franchise, with a timeline of the monster’s life being easily traceable through the films and with what Monarch has added. Kong has undergone significant character development over the last two movies, with Godzilla vs. Kong seeing him take up his throne in the Hollow Earth. Still, there’s a gap of over 50 years that the Monsterverse largely ignored.
The first season of Monarch opened with John Goodman running from a monster threat, tying directly back to Kong: Skull Island. Kong is a known Titan in the Monsterverse, but he goes from living freely on Skull Island to being trapped inside an artificial dome in Godzilla vs. Kong, with little more than a few words to explain how and why. Fans know that King Ghidorah’s presence in Godzilla: King of the Monsters caused issues for Skull Island. Ghidorah’s massive storms damaged the ecosystem, creating a perpetual weather system that rendered the island uninhabitable. Over the years, the dome was constructed around Kong, and the island’s state even factors into the plot of Godzilla vs. Kong. Still, that’s a jarring place to find the Titan, with little more than expository dialogue to drive it home.
Godzilla vs. Kong features a Monarch facility on Skull Island, where Monarch shows fans an Apex facility. The two organizations have a tenuous relationship as they work together in Monarch, with Kong attacking the Apex facility at the end of Season 1. Season 2 picks up with the same attack, and the premiere episode features plenty of Kong. Where the first season gave Godzilla more time to shine, it looks as though Monarch’s second season is ready to put more focus on Kong. The famous monster even has an encounter with Titan X by the end of the episode. Speculation points to the island being a prominent location for the season, which remains to be seen as episodes roll out, but it looks like Monarch is set to flesh out some of Kong’s backstory.
Monarch likely won’t take things all the way to the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, at least in Season 2. Still, the season is weaving points in Kong’s history into earlier moments in the Monsterverse, deepening the franchise’s continuity and connections. Kong and Godzilla appear to play an important role in the fight against Titan X, with the show teasing that both will be needed to stop it. What that tease ultimately entails remains to be seen, but it underscores the importance of Kong to the season, with Monarch beginning to fill in the gaps in the Monsterverse the movies skipped over.
- Release Date
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November 16, 2023
- Network
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Apple TV
- Showrunner
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Chris Black, Matt Fraction