Warning: Spoilers follow for all 10 episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1.
It's all come to this. After 10 episodes, almost 90 years, multiple excursions into the Hollow Earth, and that heartbreaking finale, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 has come to an end. The surprisingly moving adventure has expanded what we know of the Legendary MonsterVerse while still delivering movie-quality monsters for our enjoyment as well. And the finale took that to the next level with epic battles, wrenching reunions, and a massive ending twist that changed everything going forward for the series – and quite possibly the franchise too. So if you've watched the Monarch finale, then settle in as we break down that wild ending and our biggest questions about the future of the MonsterVerse, including how it all connects to this year’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire movie.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Ending Explained
After that shocking Episode 9 reveal that Keiko (Mari Yamamoto) was actually alive and had been in the Hollow Earth location known as Axis Mundi for decades, the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters finale delivers enough twists and turns to keep viewers talking until Godzilla x Kong hits screens in March. Following Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell), Keiko, May (Kiersey Clemons), and Cate's (Anna Sawai) attempts to escape the Hollow Earth while Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira) and Kentaro (Ren Watabe) try to save them topside, the finale comes to an end with a tragic twist followed by a huge shocker.
After being saved by Godzilla in one of two big monster-cameos this episode, Lee and Keiko team up to use the old Monarch tech the former left behind in order to make it back to our Earth. To do so they have to use the portal created in the wake left by two Titans. It quickly becomes clear that there's a malfunction and one of the pair will have to stay behind to fix it. While Keiko had earlier tried to stay in the Hollow Earth driven by her fear that the outside world had left her behind, Cate had refused to leave her. So in the end it was Lee who chose to risk it all to help the crew escape. Sadly, he didn't make it back after falling off the Monarch ship and being sucked into the Hollow Earth as the crew returned. This left Keiko deeply distressed, but for Lee it was an act that was representative of what he was always supposed to do: protect Keiko. That was the mission he was sent on all those decades ago and now he gets to finally fulfill it. But is he really dead and gone? More on that later.
In what seems like an otherwise bittersweet ending, May, Keiko, and Cate end up making it back, but things aren't what they seem. At first, Hiroshi and Keiko reunite in an emotional moment. It's soon upended, however, when Kentaro and Tim (Joe Tippet) set the returning adventurers straight. A lot has changed in the two years they've been in the Hollow Earth, and they're now working with Apex Cybernetics — who created Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong — and not only that but May's evil boss, Brenda (Dominique Tipper), is in charge of the corp.
That's a good hint that Apex is indeed the bad guy despite the fact that our heroes have ended up allying with them. We can assume this is because Monarch has turned its back on the Hollow Earth and Hollow Earth Theory at this point, so Tim, Kentaro, and Hiroshi had to go elsewhere to find their friends. That's not all, though, as we hear an epic roar and pull out to reveal that we're on Skull Island at the Apex Cybernetics base and, from what we can see, a furious Kong is not happy about it.
How Does Monarch Connect to Godzilla x Kong?
As the first season's ending suggests, we're now on the other side of the corporate battle that has defined the MonsterVerse since the introduction of Apex Cybernetics in Godzilla vs. Kong. But we're getting insight here into their existence before the events of Godzilla vs. Kong and their interest in not only creating anti-Titan mechs like Mechagodzilla but the fact that they have early knowledge of Titans like Kong. Of course, seeing Kong gives us a direct connection to Godzilla x Kong right there. Timeline-wise it also tells us some interesting stuff, seeing as we know Monarch Season 1 ends in 2017, around two years before Godzilla: King of the Monsters and seven years before Godzilla vs. Kong.
Now, thanks to the finale, we know that in 2017 Apex has a Skull Island research base just like Monarch had in Godzilla vs. Kong. That also potentially ties into what we saw in Godzilla vs. Kong, where Apex was aiming to find a way into the Hollow Earth to find a power source to
that could fuel Mechagodzilla indefinitely. They eventually discovered a dangerous and chaotic powersource, but it led to Mechagodzilla breaking free of their control. So you can expect to see that explored in the new film, especially as they have confirmation that there is a new potentially game changing powersource in the location. We can also expect to see a lot of Hollow Earth conflict, especially as Monarch has a Hollow Earth base but as far as we know Apex hasn't yet established one. And seeing as Kong rules the Hollow Earth he likely won't take kindly to strangers.
During a chat with Total Film, Kong x Godzilla: The New Empire director Adam Wingard described the film's villain, Skar King, as "the greatest threat that we've seen in these movies." But he also revealed that "the Skar King almost represents an upscaled version of the worst parts of humanity, just as Kong represents some of the best parts of humanity." Could it be that Brenda took her animal testing to the Hollow Earth? Could the Skar King be a victim of animal testing or strange Hollow Earth experiments that have made him one of the most terrifying threats yet? It's more of a theory than anything, but with Apex Cybernetics playing such a big role in the final moments of Season 1, it’s worth considering, especially since we saw Brenda testing on monkeys like the Skar King during May's origin episode.
Apex Cybernetics appearing in Monarch also offers another potential big connection to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which is the reappearance of Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), the Apex Cybernetics employee that we met in Godzilla vs. Kong. While we don't see him here, we know he was working for the corp around this time, so it'll be interesting to see him come back in New Empire, especially as he's one of the few returning characters from Godzilla vs. Kong. Could he have an unexpected connection to any of our Monarch cast members?
Which Monarch Characters Could Turn Up in Godzilla x Kong?
This is one of the most exciting prospects after the epic Monarch finale. It feels like we could really see anyone show up thanks to that big Kong moment and the confirmation that May's old boss Brenda has taken her evil animal testing — which eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed was clearly key to the creation of Mechagodzilla — to the world of Titans and is now in charge of Apex Cybernetics. That makes Brenda the most likely person to appear in the next MonsterVerse movie. May’s direct connection to Brenda also makes her a top candidate for a Godzilla x Kong cameo. Kentaro, Hiroshi, or Tim also seem like possibilities considering they've apparently been working alongside Apex Cybernetics for the past two years on Monarch.
While she's less of a major player, another interesting person to consider is Duvall (Elisa Lasowski), who was revealed to have a familial connection to an early MonsterVerse character. The former Monarch agent is the aunt of Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor Johnson) from the first film. So it would be interesting to see her pop up in Godzilla x Kong, bringing a tie to the original 2014 film as well as to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Is Kurt Russell’s Lee Shaw Actually Dead?
This is arguably the biggest question coming out of the finale that isn't directly connected to the future of the MonsterVerse. Kurt and Wyatt Russell did a fantastic job crafting a complex and interesting portrayal of the Monarch co-founder that led to his tragic sacrifice in the finale. But seeing as we never saw Lee's body and he'd already been believed to be dead in the Hollow Earth before, we have to ask if he's really dead. Our bets are on... maybe. The show has already done a great job of resurrecting a previously dead character for maximum emotional effect with the return of Keiko, so it feels unlikely that they'd play the same trick twice in a potential second season. But with that said, seeing as Russell is such a huge Hollywood draw and that Monarch has become a fan-fave part of the MonsterVerse, we wouldn't be wholly surprised to see Lee Shaw revived if the movies ever make it to Axis Mundi.
What did you think of the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters finale? Who do you want to show up in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire? Let us know in the comments!
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.
