Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters Season 2 Hints at New Kaiju (And We Think We Know Who It Is)

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters quickly became the biggest Apple TV+ original, and for good reason. The series that explored both the past and present of Legendary’s MonsterVerse saw Godzilla taking part in some wild adventures and will be making a comeback next February. While the King of the Monsters isn’t the only behemoth set to take part in this series, as Kong will be playing a pivotal role in season two, the latest trailer hints at another terrifying threat to the world at large. While said threat remains a mystery, we here at ComicBook.com think we have the new kaiju rising from the depths nailed.

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Warning. If you have yet to watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season one, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into spoiler territory. With Monarch making its way to the Hollow Earth, a locale that both spawns kaiju while manipulating time itself, the protagonists return only to find themselves arriving on Skull Island. The homeland of Kong is set to play a big role in the second season, with the larger-than-life primate shown in the first season’s final moments. In the latest trailer for Monarch’s second season, a tentacled kaiju rises from the depths of the ocean as it attacks a ship. While it’s possible that this could be an entirely original creature, since the first season introduced new kaiju to the MonsterVerse, there is one aspect of this introduction that has us thinking this might be a classic Toho beast.

A curious aspect at the start of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ latest trailer is the tinier creatures assaulting surfers on a beach. Seemingly making their way to the ocean, these scurrying monstroisites might be hitting the surf to become the kaiju we see later on. There is one major kaiju in Godzilla lore that had the ability to split into tinier versions of itself, and we have reason to believe that Apple TV+ is preparing to bring the legendary Hedorah into the MonsterVerse for the first time.

Monarch Has Been Itching For Hedorah

Before we dive into the history of Hedorah, we have a pretty big tell as to why we believe this disgusting kaiju is on its way to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Early in 2024, we here at ComicBook.com had the opportunity to chat with Monarch co-creators Matt Fraction and Chris Black, prior to the announcement that the show would return for a second season. During our talk, Black responded to our question of which kaiju he’d love to bring to the series, giving them the MonsterVerse makeover following their original Toho debut.

In the interview, Black stated that he would love to Hedorah make his debut, having an affinity for the living pollution, “Listen, Toho has a strong bench. I personally love Hoedorah the Smog Monster. Toho have been incredible collaborators and I think any of their creations would be available to us if we wanted to bring them into our world.” While Fraction didn’t state his love for Hedorah, instead saying that he would love to see Jet Jaguar debut, he affirmed that he also wanted to bring a Toho classic into the MonsterVerse, “I would love to be able to introduce a MonsterVerse iteration of a Toho creature that hasn’t been in the films to the show. It’s a very deep bench, and I think everyone has their own favorites.”

What’s a Hedorah Anyway?

Hedorah first appeared in the 1971 film, Godzilla Vs Hedorah, pitting the King of the Monsters against a threat that it had never encountered before. Rather than being a giant ape like Kong or a three-headed dragon like King Ghidorah, Hedorah was described as something close to a “smog monster.” Throughout this original film, the creepy kaiju could take on multiple forms, one of which even saw it hovering above the ground, as its mere shadow could kill any creature unfortunate enough to be underneath it. Despite the numerous times that Godzilla has been presented with North American makeovers, the smog monster hasn’t done the same.

It took decades for Hedorah to return in Japan, but even when it returned, it wasn’t given its own film to tangle with the lizard king as it had in 1971. The killer kaiju would be briefly featured in 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars, subsequently making an appearance in the official 2021 short film presented at G-Fest. Ironically, the skin-crawling behemoth would also appear in Chibi Godzilla Raids Again, the anime series presented for a much younger audience than the Godzilla universe is normally accustomed to. Since it has been so long since the last time we saw Hedorah, the MonsterVerse bringing it back, front and center, in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ second season might be the arrival monster fans have been waiting for.

What do you think are Hedorah’s chances of officially becoming a part of the MonsterVerse? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!