Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season Premiere Recap With Spoilers

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the latest project that will explore the universe that was introduced as part of Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse on Apple TV+. Marking the first television series focusing on Godzilla and his fellow titans in North America, the series promises to take viewers both into the past and present to solve a Monarch-sized mystery. Keep reading to discover what happens in this new chapter focusing on Godzilla in the first episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

Warning. This article will dive into major spoilers for Monach: Legacy of Monsters’ first episode, so be forewarned and read on only if you want to know the details.

What Happens in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 1  

The episode begins by taking us back to Skull Island in 1973, showing various moments from the second movie of the MonsterVerse, Kong: Skull Island. We are shown a recording from John Goodman’s character, Bill Randa, as he finds himself running from a giant spider on the monster-filled island. Faced with the sea before him and seemingly no escape, Randa ditches a pack he was carrying into the sea but is seemingly saved by a giant crustacean who begins fighting the arachnid. Dodging the giant legs of both Titans, both beasts fall into the ocean as Bill sees his pack float away to the sea.

Viewers are then transported to 2013 in the sea of Japan, as a fishing boat pulls up its latest catch, discovering the very same package that Bill had tossed into the ocean. We are then introduced to one of the main characters of the series, Cate, as she arrived in Japan via plane. Thanks to attacks from creatures such as Godzilla, Kong, and the various other kaiju that populate the MonsterVerse, deplaning is a very different affair as the passengers are seemingly “sterilized” from kaiju parasites, which one passenger notes to Keiko is an “illusion of safety”. As Cate deplanes, she begins recalling an event in her past that saw her come face-to-face with Godzilla himself.

As Cate catches a taxi to take her into Japan, she comes to notice how the country has changed in the face of kaiju attacks, with missile launchers strewn around in civilian life in case the city is assaulted once again. Cate arrives at her destination, which she believes was her father’s old apartment in Japan, but discovers that there are some new residents holding up within it. Despite having the lease, Cate comes to learn that the residents have a shrine dedicated to her deceased father, deepening the mystery.

Monarch then shows us back to 1959 in Kazakhstan, introducing three new characters who are traversing the rural environment as their radioactive geiger counter goes off. The trio, which includes Wyatt Russel’s Lee Shaw, is attempting to discover an ancient “network” that is most likely tied to the Titans. The three members of Monarch come across a young boy with a rifle in the woods, who they are luckily able to talk down as they discover a derelict factory that is seemingly free of the radiation they had previously discovered. 

Back to the present, Cate talks with the new residents of her father’s apartment, showing past picture of herself with her father to prove she isn’t lying about her relation. The residents, Kentaro and his mother, are quite taken aback by the secret family that their patriarch had created. Unfortunately, Cate is unable to deliver the bad news to the mother and son regarding her father, leaving the apartment and returning the keys. Chatting with her mother, Cate is grilled about what she discovered before her phone is cut off as alarms warning of kaiju begin to go off. An “early warning system” has been created for Godzilla’s approach, as countless civilians run to a “Godzilla Evacuation Area”. 

Viewers are then taken back to 1959, with the Monarch trio planting charges in the abandoned factory, and setting them off accordingly. While Lee and company are happy to discover that their readings were on the money when it came to confirming that they were in the right place, they are startled by further cracks in the factory caused by the explosion. 

Revisiting Godzilla 2014

Back in the Godzilla shelter, Cate recalls her initial meeting with the king of the monsters which seemingly took place in the original 2014 film. Witnessing the devastation while on a school bus, Cate is able to escape the bus and help a number of children escape, but not every kid was able to make it out alive. The recollection causes Cate to freak out, demanding to be let out of the shelter, but is luckily talked down by Kentaro’s mother. 

Luckily, the three are eventually let out when the “all clear” is given. Turning down an invitation for tea, Kentaro shows Cate their father’s office as the former comes across a secret safe, which she is able to open using a combination of their respective birthdays. She stumbles upon the very package that Goodman’s Randa had thrown into the sea during the events of Kong: Skull Island. Inside the package are a number of strange tapes that the two can’t decipher, as Kentaro introduces Cate to his ex-girlfriend May, who isn’t exactly thrilled to see Kentaro. May ultimately agrees to help them with their current problem. Discovering that the tapes are encrypted, May is able to unlock the tapes and discovers quite a few files from Monarch, setting off an alarm at Monarch HQ. 

Scrolling through the Monarch files, Cate, Kentaro, and May discover several images of the Titans, including what may or may not be a real photo of Bigfoot. Attempting to figure out their net move, Monarch once again takes us back to 2014 as Cate tries to contact her father following Godzilla’s assault. Reuniting with her father, Cate is told to get on a bus to take care of her mother as the two argue about whether she should remain. Cate then says in the present that her father’s plane disappeared in a storm a week later. They come across a picture of Cate’s grandmother, standing in a giant footprint presumably left by Godzilla. 

Who Dies in Monarch? 

Back in 1959, the Monarch three come upon a gaggle of embryonic “MUTO” larvae, which looked like a “nursery”. Lee Shaw notes that the mother can’t be far as he is shocked to hear that Ander Holms’ character, Billy, wants to collect samples, warning that it might get them killed. Keiko wastes little time in wanting to repel down to capture the samples, as they come across the egg-like shapes that are holding baby kaiju within them. As the ground shakes, the tiny MUTOs break forth and made a beeline to Lee and Keiko.

Attempting to pull themselves out of the hole, Keiko finds herself swarmed on the rope, as Lee attempts to shoot the MUTO and Billy tries to pull her up to safety. Unfortunately, Keiko is seemingly dragged to her death, falling from the rope as the episode ends. 

Monarch: Legacy of The Monsters is now streaming on Apple TV+.