We’re only one episode in with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season two, and we have plenty of monsters already, both old and new. The first episode this season, “Cause and Effect,” introduces several new creatures into the saga. But it begins with one of the main stars of the Monsterverse, and his welcome return. Yes, we’re talking about Kong.
Kong
At the end of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season one, the characters Cate, May, and Keiko emerge from Axis Mundi into our world, in the year 2017. And they didn’t just emerge anywhere, they came out the other side on Skull Island, the infamous home of Kong. And we got a brief cameo of a very angry Titan at the end of that cliffhanger episode. So does Kong appear in season two? He most certainly does, as Monarch season two’s first episode opens with Kong’s rampage on a Monarch facility on his island. And this Kong is not happy about these intruders.
Before the opening credits even roll on this episode, we see dozens of Monarch employees fleeing from an Angry Kong on Skull Island. As scientists and staff try to escape, Kong starts smashing his way through everything. He throws a Monarch truck like it’s a beach ball, letting it explode. Kong then smashes his fists into the ground, killing several people. He then steps on several more as they try to run away. Our main characters manage to escape in a helicopter, as Kong roars at them as they flee. After the credits, we learn Kong killed sixteen people. As one character says about Kong, “It’s his island. The only reason he lets us stay there as long as we don’t stir the pot.”
The Electrical Dragon/Bat
Later in the episode, May, Cate, and Kentaro go back to Skull Island in an effort to rescue Lee Shaw from Axis Mundi against company orders. While trekking through the jungle, they hide from a creature that looks like a smaller dragon from Game of Thrones. It has electrical charges that come out of its mouth, not unlike Godzilla. The rescue party manages to hide from it, after it kills a giant worm for food and then flies away.
The Weasel Beast
In a scene that riffs on the famous “raptors in the kitchen” scene from Jurassic Park (which Stranger Things also paid homage to recently), we see the rescue party head into an abandoned Monarch control room on the island. The catch the attention of a creature that looks like a deformed weasel, whose face is literally molting. And it has a huge rat-like tail. It walks on all fours, and is killed when Kentaro pins it against a wall with a forklift.
The Boar with Antlers
In Axis Mundi, older Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) encounters a giant boar-like creature in the woods. Only this boar isn’t just huge, about the size of a stegosaurus, but it has deer-like antlers coming out of its body. It starts to rev up to charge, but Shaw is saved by the bell, when his friends attempt to rescue him by sending a pod. This startles the beast, and it runs away. Unfortunately, something gets into the pod with Shaw. And it ain’t pretty.
The Crab Bug
While running to the Monarch rescue pod, dozens of crab-like creatures about the size of a dog start chasing Shaw. He manages to fight off most of them, but one of them gets inside the pod. And it nearly kills him. This ugly critter has a huge mouth with dozens of sharp teeth, but Shaw manages to stab it and get away.
The Giant Flea
Before he escapes from Axis Mundi, Shaw sees a massive Titan emerge from what looks like a mountain. We don’t get a good look at its face, but it has several spiked tentacles, that look about a football field wide. This nasty kajiu, which looks almost like a giant flea, escapes from the Axis Mundi into our world when it follows Shaw through the portal. It tangles with Kong, but escapes into the ocean.
This is just the beginning. The new kaiju, Titan X, is waiting in the wings. And of course, Godzilla will pop up before too long as well. We can’t wait to see what rears its ugly head in season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
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