Summary
The Monsterverse’s TV seriesMonarch: Legacy of Monstershas already revealed the perfect setup for a forgotten Kong villain to make their debut in season 2. The Apple TV+ series follows two different timelines, one set in the 1950s and one in the present day, revealing more history surrounding the Monsterverse’s Titan-studying organization. The show became a major success for the streaming platform, withMonarch: Legacy of Monstersseason 2 confirmedback in April 2024. The show is expected to continue fleshing out the Monsterverse with new adventures for its characters.
The setup for the next batch of episodes was revealed duringMonarch: Legacy of Monstersseason 1’s ending. After being trapped for some time in a pocket of the Hollow Earth, Cate, May, and Keiko manage to escape following a sacrifice from Lee. When they return,they end up on Skull Island two years later, where Kentaro is working with Apex Cyberneticsdoing unknown studies there. While thecast ofMonarchwill be dealing with their new environment, the presence of Apex on Skull Island offers the potential for a forgotten Kong villain to show up in season 2.
Monarch’s Season 2 Setup Means It Can Easily Continue The Other Monsterverse Spinoff’s Story
Monarch season 2’s setup means the Apple TV+ series can easily continue the other Monsterverse spinoff’s story, adding to the overall universe.
Apex Cybernetics Should Create Mechani-Kong In Monarch Season 2
The Forgotten Villain Would Explain Why They’re On Skull Island
Within theMonsterverse’s extensive timeline, the end ofMonarchseason 1 takes place in 2017, around seven years before Apex’s movie debut inGodzilla vs. Kong. During the film,the technology company is revealed to have created Mechagodzilla, a mech version of Godzilla controlled using Ghidorah’s neural network, in an attempt to bring Titans under humanity’s control. This ultimately fails when the mechanical creature goes rogue, possessed by Ghidorah’s consciousness, finally being destroyed by Godzilla and Kong. Since Apex is doing research on Skull Island, they might be collecting Kong’s data to make a potential parallel for him as well.
If Kong is being researched by Apex, this meansthey could build Mechani-Kong inMonarchseason 2.Featured prominently in Toho’s 1967 movieKing Kong Escapes, the mechanized version of Kong was created by a mad scientist named Dr. Who in order to take over the world. However, Apex’s Titan research means Mechani-Kong can be repurposed for the Monsterverse as a precursor to Mechagodzilla. It would also explain something about Skull Island the Monsterverse hasn’t elaborated on sinceGodzilla: King of the Monsters.
Mechani-Kong Could Be Skull Island’s Mystery Mecha-Titan
He Might Have Already Been Teased During A Previous Monsterverse Movie
DuringGodzilla: King of the Monsters' credits, a series of newspaper clippings flash onscreen, most of which set the stage forGodzilla vs. Kong. However,one curious article reveals that a “mechanized giant” was being built by Monarch on Skull Islandprior to 2019. The identity of this particular character remains unclear, but it doesn’t seem to be Mechagodzilla based on the description of the project. Because it’s described as a “giant,” the project could be humanoid, which would be the same body type as Mechani-Kong if he were under construction.
If the project mentioned inGodzilla: King of the Monstersreally is Mechani-Kong, thenit’s possibleMonarchseason 2 will retcon it to be something Apex was working on instead of Monarch.Doing this wouldn’t be too big a change for the franchise, instead filling in some gaps regarding Skull Island’s history between Bill Randa’s investigation andGodzilla vs. Kong. It also wouldn’t be as difficult to balance asmultiple Hollow Earth realmsand entry points for Titans, two ideas the series is already successfully working in tandem with.
How Mechani-Kong Would Impact Monarch Season 2
He Can Tie The Movies & Show Closer Together
Although it’s unclear what Mechani-Kong’s purpose would be if he showed up inMonarchseason 2,the most optimal reason to include him would be as a practice run for Mechagodzilla.By the timeGodzilla vs. Kongrolls around, Apex has been improving their technology for almost a decade. This would no doubt mean they experimented with other mechanized versions of Titans in the meantime, likely to see if their renditions were strong enough to take on the real thing. Starting with Kong makes sense, given he’s seemingly not in Monarch’s captivity by 2017.
While there are plenty ofkaijuthe Monsterverse can introduce,Mechani-Kong would be the perfect way to tieMonarch’s story closer to the movies.The metallic ape can act as the perfect baseline for how the technology company perfected Mechagodzilla, setting the stage for their decision to use Ghidorah’s head as a tool. It would also make for an exciting battle between Kong and Mechani-Kong, explaining how he was able to dispatch of Mechagodzilla so quickly at theend ofGodzilla vs. Kong.
While it’s unclear what Apex is really developing on Skull Island inMonarch: Legacy of Monstersseason 2, the possibility of Mechani-Kong would bring the forgotten villain back into the spotlight. It would be the perfect way to tie the TV series together with the movies, offering a more detailed history of the technology company while delivering a no-doubt memorable fight scene. With the niche villain a major potential for season 2, the Monsterverse’s presence on streaming could be on its way to getting a lot bigger.
Other potentialKing Kongvillains who could show up in future Monsterverse entries include Gorosaurus, the giant boa, and the Vastatosaurus Rex.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Cast
The Legendary MonsterVerse continues with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a sci-fi action series created for Apple TV+. Set after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, the series follows two siblings retracing their father’s footsteps to uncover the truth behind their family legacy. What they find sets up a story over three decades and explores the foundations of the mysterious company.
