Monarch Season 2 Trailer Confirms the Return of Another Famous Kaiju

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the most underrated branch (tentacle?) of Legendary’s onscreen Monsterverse, is finally returning to us next year — and it’s bringing King Kong along with it. 

A more grounded, human-focused series than some of its big-screen siblings, the Apple TV series digs into the shadowy origins of Monarch, even as it explores the impact of living in a world where kaiju roam freely on the larger human population. Told in a dual timeline format, the series’s first season followed a pair of siblings as they worked to uncover their family’s unique connection to the mysterious organization, a search that led them into a world of monsters and tied their fates to that of the mysterious Army officer Lee Shaw (portrayed by Kurt Russell in the present day, and his son Wyatt in a series of 1950s flashbacks.) 

Season 1 concluded with the elder Shaw appearing to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the main characters and escape the Hollow Earth through a dimensional portal. (Just go with it, it makes sense in context.) This portal, however, doesn’t return our heroes to their present day; rather, it deposits them on Skull Island in 2017, two years before Ghidorah’s emergence in the film Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and where, as all good movie watchers know, King Kong is busy ruling the roost. 

The addition of Kong to Monarch’s season 2 kaiju roster isn’t shocking — season 1 closed with a dramatic shot of the giant simian—but the new teaser hints he’ll certainly be playing a major role in the events to come, likely much in the same way that Godzilla served as an overarching presence throughout season 1 in both present-day and flashback form. The show’s dual timeline storytelling also provides plenty of opportunities for the show to explore the events surrounding Bill Randa’s (Anders Holm) initial decision to visit Skull Island in the 1970s. 

Per Apple’s press release, season 2 will “reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea.” (Presumably that’s the tentacled creature we get a glimpse of in the trailer.) The streamer has also confirmed that, despite his character’s apparent onscreen death, Kurt Russell will indeed be back as the elder Lee Shaw, proving once again that no one is ever really gone for good in a world where things like giant kaiju exist. (Or at least when we don’t see an actual body.) 

Other returning cast members include Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, and Joe Tippet, alongside series newcomer — and Prey star — Amber Midthunder. Godzilla himself isn’t listed on the cast sheet, but I think it’s a given that this series can’t exist without our favorite giant lizard. As for other kaiju on the horizon? Here’s hoping. (I’m still waiting for my Mothra origin story, guys.) 

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 will premiere on February 27, 2026.