10 Things To Look Out For In Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters
Will Monarch's history be revealed? Who are the new monsters? And will Kong make an appearance?
Fans of the titans don't have long to wait before the next chapter of Legendary's MonsterVerse hits the small screen. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on November 17.
Following Netflix's Skull Island, this is the second original television series set in the MonsterVerse, which had its last cinema outing with Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021. It also comes ahead of the release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire next spring.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is described as spanning three generations , as one family uncovers their connection to the mysterious organisation known as Monarch in the wake of Godzilla's first appearance in San Francisco. Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt Russell lead the cast, along with Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, and Anna Sawai. It promises to shine a light on Monarch's earliest days, of which - besides the contents of the graphic novel Godzilla: Awakening (2014) - audiences know relatively little about.
Not much in the way of plot detail has been shared about the series. September's teaser trailer confirms that Godzilla among other creatures will be making some kind of appearance. But other than that exactly what to expect from the series remains unclear.
Which characters and monsters will make a return? Will there be new titans to contend with? And what can the series add to the MonsterVerse's mythology and universe? With that in mind, here are ten things to look out for in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
10. Lee Shaw
Monarch: Legacy of Monster's lead character is Lee Shaw, played by both Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt Russell in two different time periods. The name Shaw is likely unfamiliar to many, but it holds real significance in the history of Monarch.
In Godzilla: Awakening (2014), Shaw (referred to solely by his surname) is the sole survivor of a titan attack on an American vessel in 1946, and is rescued by Eiji Serizawa - Ishiro Serizawa's father.
Shaw subsequently enlists Eiji for a joint American-Japanese military unit, and with that Monarch is officially founded. Eiji and Shaw then spend time responding to reports of titan attacks all around the Pacific, before Monarch then officially confirm Godzilla's existence in 1954 after an unmistakable sighting.
Early efforts to identify, track, and subsequently kill the king of the monsters are alluded to in Godzilla (2014), particularly in the opening credits sequence, but Monarch: Legacy of Monsters could afford even more detail. Just how much did Shaw know, and when? And what happened in the years following the BikinI Atoll nuclear test designed to destroy Godzilla? Shaw's starring role in the new series promises to plug a lot of the gaps that currently exist in MonsterVerse lore.