Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 is officially abandoning the Godzilla Kaiju battle we’ve been expecting, in favor of a very different conclusion. Apple TV’s Monsterverse show has introduced a thrilling potential Godzilla rival, a monstrous creature called Titan X (also known as Co’cai). The story initially focused on Titan X as a horrific threat, but the Kaiju has gradually become a lot more sympathetic. Monarch Season 2, episode 8 revealed she is simply wanting to protect her eggs – and the humans promptly used this against her.
That’s the curious thing about Monarch Season 2; the Kaiju have become increasingly sympathetic, while the humans are morphing into the villains. Lee Shaw deliberately tried to engineer a battle to the death between Godzilla and Titan X, while Isabel wants to use the Titans to support her own agenda. It’s a fascinating approach, simply making the Titans part of the world, while human beings attempt to exploit them. This adds philosophical depth to Season 2, but it’s also led to a surprising course-correction in episode 9 ahead of the finale.
Monarch Season 2, episode 8 ended with Titan X pursuing her egg across the ocean, with Godzilla in hot pursuit. Like Lee Shaw, viewers assumed we were in for a full-on Kaiju battle in episode 9, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Godzilla was fulfilling his role as king of the monsters by shepherding Titan X back to Skull Island. Godzilla knew the Titan had left Axis Mundi too soon, and had somehow lost track of her migration route. His goal was to get Co’cai back to the rift she typically uses to return to her slumber. That done, Godzilla headed off.
It’s a pretty shocking twist. Monarch has seemed to be setting up a versus match between Godzilla and Co’cai since Titan X first left the island. Instead, we’re headed for a Season 2 finale in which Co’cai battles Kong, guardian of Skull Island. Over the course of the season, we’ve seen Apex develop technology to manipulate Titans; Isabel has reverse-engineered this, working out how to increase Titan X’s aggression. She believes an enraged Co’cai will be able to kill Kong.
Monarch Season 1 was largely oriented around Godzilla, with other creatures emerging from time to time. It’s now clear Monarch Season 2 is oriented around Kong, with Titan X established as a challenger to his authority on Skull Island. In narrative terms, that makes sense; but it’s still rather surprising, given Godzilla has played a prominent part in Monarch‘s marketing as well as Kong.
Monarch is a Monsterverse TV show first and foremost, but there’s one crucial fact viewers often overlook; this isn’t about the monsters. Monarch‘s focus is on how human beings coexist with the Titans. Kaiju like Godzilla, Kong, and Co’cai have complicated the human world, and people are reacting to them. Some see the world in terms of power, fearing humanity is no longer the apex life form on the planet (and never truly was in the first place). Some want to weaponize Titans or use them for their own agendas. Still others believe coexistence is possible. A fascinating philosophical debate is taking place in Monarch‘s world.
We’re now building towards the most radical version yet. The Axis Mundi has an unusual relationship with time, as Lee Shaw learned when he interacted with his own past self stranded there. Isabel clearly believes it can be used to actually travel through time, mentioning the idea of “visiting” the future. But she’s much more interested in rewriting the past by using her own technology to avert G-Day and save countless lives. If she pulls it off, the entire Monsterverse timeline will essentially be erased.
This is certainly an unexpected direction for Monarch Season 2. But it’s been well-seeded, with a lot of foreshadowing as the franchise’s pseudoscience has evolved. It’s also wonderfully, refreshingly human; it means this is an emotional conflict between grounded individuals struggling to live in a world where they’re overshadowed, rather than simply giving audiences another Kaiju slugfest. Monarch has pivoted in a very smart direction, and it will be exciting to see where things go in next week’s finale.
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