Newly released details about Monarch: Legacy of Monsters indicates a new Titan is joining Godzilla and Kong’s shared cinematic universe. The synopsis for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 reveals that in addition to its upcoming Kong storyline on APEX’s Skull Island base, the story will visit a “mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea.“
Godzilla’s existence has already been discovered at this point in the Monsterverse timeline, so this description clearly refers to a different Titan. As for who it could be, there’s of course the very real possibility that the Titan is a completely original creation of the series, especially since its other monsters – outside of Godzilla and Kong – were also new additions.
That said, another Toho kaiju crossing over into Legendary’s Monsterverse feels like overdue, considering that one hasn’t joined since Mechagodzilla’s appearance in Godzilla vs. Kong. Such a scenario occurring in an Apple TV+ show – as opposed to a movie – shouldn’t be ruled out, not when the showrunners have made clear that it is indeed on the table.
Monarch co-creator Chris Black previously stated, “I think any of [Toho’s] creations would be available to us if we wanted to bring them into our world.” Since there does appear to be an openness from both sides when it comes to Toho kaiju showing up, it’s worth taking a look at which ones could be season 2’s mystery Titan – and one Monsterverse creature that’s not in Toho’s library.
Giant Octopus
In what would amount to a massive homage to King Kong’s first crossover with Godzilla, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters could introduce an octopus Titan. At the beginning of 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, King Kong engaged in a short fight with a giant octopus that attacked a coastal village on Farou Island.
The prospect of the Monsterverse doing its own version of Toho’s giant octopus makes sense, especially when looking at the King Kong vs. Godzilla connection. Over the years, the Monsterverse has found many ways to honor King Kong vs. Godzilla, and a octopus would only add to that.
By taking this route, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters would be in position to adapt this key sequence from the 1962 film. After all, it’s no secret that Kong will play a major role in the story. With the “mythical Titan” possibly being the antagonist of the season, the story could culminate in Kong following in the footsteps of his Toho counterpart by protecting the village from the octopus Titan.
One thing that may prevent this particular monster from appearing is the fact that Kong has already battled such creatures in the Monsterverse, having fought an octopus in Kong: Skull Island and an octopus-like Titan in Netflix’s Skull Island TV show.
Leviathan
In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the Monsterverse revealed the existence of a Titan named Leviathan which was being monitored at Outpost 49 in Loch Ness, Scotland. As if the location itself isn’t a giveaway, the novelization of the film confirmed that the alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster were linked to the Titan that lived in the area. In other words, the Loch Ness Monster is a Titan.
For now, the exact whereabouts of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2’s “coastal village” is unclear, but it’s at least possible that it’s connected to the water-dwelling Leviathan. Due to King of the Monsters’ placement in the Monsterverse timeline, Monarch became aware of Leviathan at some point before 2019. Season 2 is set to take place in 2017, so that sequence of events would line up well.
Ebirah
Having last appeared in Godzilla: Final Wars, Ebirah is a lobster kaiju that served as the titular villain of Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, a 1964 Godzilla film. In the movie, Ebirah was under the control of an evil organization terrorizing a small island, but was ultimately driven away by Godzilla.
With Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 shaping up to have a Kong focus, including Ebirah would have some significance, even though they have no onscreen history. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep was originally written as a King Kong vs. Ebirah story, but was rewritten to replace King Kong with Godzilla.
If Ebirah really is the “mythical Titan” in question, the Apple TV+ series might have an opportunity to bring to life a fight that almost happened 61 years ago.
Titanosaurus
Having been mentioned in the synopsis, it may seem fair to assume that the “mythical Titan” will take on a villainous role, not unlike how the Monsterverse’s Ion Dragon was utilized in season 1. But that may not be the case; APEX, another group of human characters, or a different Titan could be the real threat, with the sea creature possibly serving as a target.
Rather than a menace, the Titan might be the guardian of the coastal village mentioned in the synopsis. Benevolent Titans do exist in the Monsterverse, and if Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is about to introduce one of their own, Titanosaurus from Terror of Mechagodzilla would be a great candidate.
Although he was used as an antagonist in the film, it was understood early on that the two-legged, amphibious creature was actually a peaceful sea monster who dwelled at the bottom of the ocean where he fed on sea life. A Monsterverse version of Titanosaurus could fill a similar role, keeping to himself in the depths of the ocean.
With Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on the cusp of a story arc centered on a mysterious sea monster, the Monsterverse has an opportunity to reimagine this underused Toho kaiju and potentially use him as a hero, which Godzilla’s movies never did.
Manda
Debuting in Atragon, Manda is a sea serpent kaiju and the guardian of the evil, subterranean empire known as Mu. In Destroy All Monsters, he was reintroduced as an ally to Godzilla and a resident of his island home.
With his backstory in Toho’s films, there’s arguably no creature in Toho’s Godzilla universe that’s a better fit for the role of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ mystery Titan than Manda. That’s because few changes – if any – would need to be made in order for him to work.
The lore that was established for the Monsterverse in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire proves that a creature with his history could exist in its world. After all, we’ve already seen underground civilizations with monsters as their guardians (i.e. Mothra in Godzilla x Kong).
Not only that, but there are plenty of dragons in the Monsterverse, so it’s not hard to imagine Manda being one of them. It could be that Manda is the ancient guardian of a civilization linked to the village that’s about to appear in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2.
