The MonsterVerse is back, but this time, on the small screen. With its return, the franchise is bringing to life a surprising new Titan from Mindanao in the Philippines. What is this new Titan and what else should you watch while waiting for episodes three onwards?
I’ll try to answer these questions, but first, there may be a few spoilers ahead, so tread carefully. I promise no major or minor character deaths will be mentioned here, so at least have that in mind if you’re afraid to move forward.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, the MonsterVerse is the American version of the Godzilla franchise. It has, therefore, Titans (previously called Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms or MUTOs) like Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. But also, King Kong.
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” is a new show on Apple TV+ that follows the events after the first film, the 2014 “Godzilla” (dir. Gareth Edwards). So far, the first two of its ten episodes have been released.
| Episode | Date of Release (PH time) |
|---|---|
| Episode 1 “Aftermath” Episode 2 “Departure” | Nov. 18, 2023 |
| Episode 3 “Secret and Lies” | Nov. 24 |
| Episode 4 | Dec. 2 |
| Episode 5 | Dec. 8 |
| Episode 6 | Dec. 15 |
| Episode 7 | Dec. 23 |
| Episode 8 | Dec. 29 |
| Episode 9 | Jan. 6, 2023 |
| Episode 10 | Jan. 13, 2023 |
There are clues that Bigfoot also exists in the MonsterVerse, but that’s just my theory based on one of the photos the main characters found in first episode. What is confirmed though, at the end of episode 2, is the existence of a Filipino titan that could be based on creature from the Bagobo mythology.
The flashback in episode 2 shows Lt. Lee Shaw (Kurt Russel) in the Philippines. He is assigned to escort Dr. Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto) in Mindanao as she studies radiation in the Philippines.
I would break down the events of episodes 1 and 2 for you, but I am actually not in the mood to write a breakdown piece, so let’s focus on the Titan for now, shall we? To make the story short, the two meet the cryptozoologist Bill Randa (Anders Holm) and they see this “dragon” in Mindanao.
The CGI isn’t Game of Thrones-level shit, but come on, that isn’t that bad. This dragon-like creature may be inspired by the creature called minokawa since mythology is important in the MonsterVerse as much as symbolisms of environmental decay as repercussions of humans’ actions.
This isn’t actually the first time the Philippines became home to a Titan in the MonsterVerse. The sighting of the minokawa-like creature in episode 2 happened in 1952, but in the 2014 film, there was also a discovery of Titan skeletons in the Philippines in October 29, 1999. These skeletons were of the Titan Dagon, which the swam to the Philippines from Japan during the 11th Century as revealed in the comics “Godzilla: Aftershock.”
We still don’t know what the name of this new Titan is, but we’ll surely see it again in the next episodes.
The whole show, though, is not about this Titan. It follows step-siblings Cate and Kentaro as they seek answers from the secrets kept by their father from their two families. While they do that, they also learn secrets of the organization called Monarch, which is prominent in the films in the MonsterVerse.
Now, if you’re not yet familiar with the MonsterVerse timeline, you have until the first week of January (before the last episode of this series) to catch up. Let me offer you a list of shows to watch before episode 10 airs.
| Movies/Shows | Notes |
|---|---|
| “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) | Mostly set in the 1970s. |
| SERIES: “Skull Island” (2023) | The events in this show are set in the 1990s. |
| “Godzilla” (2014) | Watch this first if you want to watch in order of release. But most of the events in this film are set in 2014. |
| “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” (2023) | Most of the events in this film are set in 2015, a year after the events in the 2014 “Godzilla.” |
| “Godzilla: King of Monsters” (2019) | Most of the events in this film are set in 2019. |
| “Godzilla vs Kong” (2021) | Most of the events in this film are set in 2024. |
Personally, I haven’t decided whether or not I will watch the “Skull Island” series on Netflix, but since I have a lot of time while waiting for the third episode, maybe I will. But I gotta find someone who has a Netflix account I can borrow.
