Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 came full circle in the end, taking us back to Skull Island. The Monsterverse’s Titans became public knowledge after the events of G-Day, when Godzilla rampaged through San Francisco. That served as the trigger for Monarch Season 1, in which Hiroshi Randa’s two children discovered their true family history. By the beginning of Season 2, Cate was one of a handful trapped in the Axis Mundi, a mysterious realm accessed by the Titans. The attempt to get her out went badly wrong, unleashing a whole new Titan – Titan X or Co’cai – on the world.
The Season 2 finale takes Titan X back to the beginning. Co’cai had emerged on Skull Island, fleeing before a brawl with Kong, but she’s now been forced back after her egg was stolen by Isabel Simmons’ agents and Kentaro Randa. That means, after brief setup for a full-scale Godzilla vs. Titan X death battle, we’re actually back to the brawl the premiere skipped – Kong versus Co’cai. But it doesn’t quite go the way anyone expected.
Why Kong and Co’cai Go Head to Head
The Monsterverse’s rules are gradually becoming clear. Skull Island is essentially the central node in the entire portal system, “Grand Central Station” so to speak. Kong is Skull Island’s protector, responsible for maintaining the ecosystem by keeping any rogue Titans in check. Godzilla operates more widely, performing the same function on a global scale. When Co’cai left Skull Island prematurely, she became Godzilla’s responsibility. Now she’s back, it’s down to Kong to corral her.
Isabel Simmons has dreams of turning the Axis Mundi into a tidy profit, but Kong is in her way. To that end, she’s figured out a way to weaponize May’s inventions against the Titans; May had discovered how to tap into a Titan’s neural network, and Isabel uses that same technology to drive Co’cai wild. Isabel is betting that a furious mother protecting her egg will be more than a match for Kong, setting up the fight of the season. It takes place in horrific circumstances, with Cate Randa at ground zero and Keiko rushing to her rescue.
Humans Are the True Villains of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Isabel’s plan makes her a twisted mirror image of Lee Shaw, who briefly tried to set up the same kind of death battle between Titan X and Godzilla. Lee’s motives were arguably noble, though, because he simply believed the rogue Titan was too dangerous, whereas Isabel just feels Kong is in the way. She doesn’t care that her actions will destabilize the entire Titan ecosystem, because there’s a reason Skull Island needs Kong. Still, both came to the same conclusion in the end; only a Titan could kill a Titan.
Monarch Season 2 insists Titans aren’t evil. Nor are they just a force of nature, because this season sees the Monarch team begin to figure out how they communicate. The true villains of Monarch Season 2 are not Titans, but rather they are humans; people who don’t care about the consequences of their actions. Isabel is driven by greed, Kentaro by grief and a mistaken belief history can be rewritten using the Axis Mundi. Neither really care if the world burns so long as they get what they want. When it comes to human-Titan coexistence, humans are the real problem.
Kong Versus Co’cai Ends in a Stalemate
The Kaiju fight comes to an abrupt end when Co’cai sees her egg. A mother’s instincts overwhelm the neural hijack, destroying the stolen Apex technology, and she becomes focused only on retrieving the egg. That done, she bows in submission before Kong, who evidently understands what she’s doing and allows her to leave. Isabel’s plan is thwarted, most of her allies are rounded up, but she and Kentaro escape to pursue their agenda elsewhere.
The Monarch team use recordings of Titan X’s own cries to lead her back to the Skull Island rift, allowing her to return to the Apex Mundi. She shares a beautiful moment of communion with Cate, a reminder that harmony between humans and Titans is still possible if people can just set aside their greed and self-interest. The scene deliberately riffs on Michelangelo’s famous painting The Creation of Adam, once again portraying Titans as gods compared to humans. It’s an appropriate resolution, given Co’cai had been worshiped as a god in some cultures.
Monarch Season 2 Sets Up a Third Season
Monarch Season 2 ends with a six-week time jump, evidently to the aftermath of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Apparently Isabel and Kentaro have hatched a new plan, one inspired by the emergence of Rodan, but Lee Shaw is on their trail. Every season of the Monsterverse show tends to focus on a single Titan, with others in the background; Godzilla was at the heart of Season 1, while Co’cai was the driver for Season 2. It’s reasonable to assume Monarch Season 3 will be all about Rodan.
Meanwhile, a new Monarch team has been established under Tim’s leadership: Keiko, Cate, and May are “Monarch 2.0.” They have inherited Monarch’s goal (“Discover and Defend”), but are also considered the perfect agents to get Kentaro back. We’re clearly setting up Monarch Season 3 as an intensely personal drama, with Isabel and Kentaro unafraid to let the world burn.
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