In 2014, the MonsterVerse was born with Godzilla, and nine years and four movies later, 2023 has seen this franchise take its first steps into the TV realm. First, the animated Skull Island series was delivered to Netflix subscribers in June, and later this year, the MonsterVerse’s first live-action small screen offering will arrive in the form of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, previously known as Godzilla and the Titans. This show will be viewable with an Apple TV+ subscription, and now the first trailer for Legacy of Monsters has arrived. Not only does it set up the clash between Kurt Russell’s character and Godzilla, it also includes a cameo from John Goodman’s Kong: Skull Island character, William Randa.
Let’s start off with this special appearance first. As those who saw the 2017 MonsterVerse movie will remember, Randa was the Monarch member who spearheaded the expedition to Skull Island in 1973. He was the only person to survive the USS Lawton being destroyed by a water-dwelling Titan in 1943, and ever since then he dedicated his life to proving to the world that these gigantic monsters existed. Unfortunately, shortly after sharing his knowledge of the Titans to Samuel L. Jackson’s Preston Packard, Randa was devoured by a Skullcrawler.
However, as revealed in the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters trailer, the footage he recorded on the island was retrieved by the government organization, and among the people who’ve seen it is Kurt Russell’s Lee Shaw. We learned the identity of Russell’s character last month, and we’ll also see Lee in the 1950s being portrayed by the actor’s son, Wyatt Russell, who’s also shown in the trailer. This preview clarifies that Lee, an Army officer, used to work for Monarch, and I’m betting that he knew William Randa. If that’s the case, perhaps that means we’ll get scenes between them to join the new footage John Goodman already shot.
The majority of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ events will be set between Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, when the public has only just learned about the Titans. At this point in time, evidently Lee is on the outs with Monarch, as it was previously said that the knowledge he possesses threatens the organization. Judging by his dialogue and some quick visual cues in the trailer, it seems as though Lee thinks the Titans need to be exterminated, Godzilla included. That would explain why he’s not on good terms with Monarch anymore, as it’s dedicated to studying these beasts.
Then there’s Anna Sawai’s character, who until recently was only known as Cate. It’s since been confirmed, though, that her full name is Cate Randa, making her related to William Randa in some way. This also explains why Lee Shaw would cross paths with her, as he can shed light on her family’s secrets. Obviously this adds another layer of “legacy” to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but it remains to be seen if Cate will remain allied with Lee or if they’ll end up on opposite sides. Legacy of Monsters’ cast also includes Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will premiere its first two episodes on Friday, November 17 on Apple TV+, and a new episode will follow weekly through to January 12. If you’re interested in rewatching the MonsterVerse movies ahead of time, all four can be streamed with a Max subscription. The next theatrical installment, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, is slated on the 2024 movie realize schedule for April 12.