Monarch Season 2 Boasts A New Titan, More Flashbacks, And A Godzilla x Kong Team-Up

Can the Monsterverse be subtle? Two years ago, with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction proved the answer to that question was a surprising yes. Through 10 episodes from late 2023 to 2024, Monarch Season 1 told an intergenerational tale that spanned the 1950s to 2015, interestingly insulated from much of the canon of the other Monsterverse movies. As Black told Inverse in 2023: “There are big gaps in that cinematic timeline...there's a lot that happens in that time span that is not stated in the movies, so it gives us a pretty wide field to play in.”

And play they have! Monarch Season 1 not only reintroduced Godzilla, but also recontextualized the nature and history of the monster-hunting agency, the titular Monarch. And, along the way, it revealed that the “Hollow Earth” from the films has some timey-wimey qualities.

So, what’s next for Monarch Season 2? The short answer is: More flashbacks, more revelations about the timeline, and at least one giant new monster. Here’s the full trailer for Monarch Season 2, what we know of the plot, the cast, and the fast-approaching release date.

Monarch Season 2 Release Date

Monarch Season 2 will hit Apple TV on February 27 with the first new episode. There will be 10 episodes in Season 2 overall, and each new episode will release on Fridays. The final episode will hit on May 1, 2026.

Monarch Season 2 Plot and Timeline

Because Season 1 took place after the first 2014 reboot Godzilla film, much of the present-day action happened in 2015. But, by the end of Season 2, after being trapped in Axis Mundi — the Hollow Earth in which time flows differently — Cate, her grandmother, Keiko, and May (Kiersey Clemons) are brought in 2017, thanks to the efforts of Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira) and Kentaro (Ren Watabe). So this means the present-day events of Season 2 will take place in 2017, which is roughly two years before the events of the 2019 movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Monarch Season 2 will also flashback to the early days of the titular organization, just as it did in Season 1. So, this will include events from the 1950s, as well as everything before 1962. After 1962, Shaw gets trapped in Axis Mundi and emerges in 1982. The post-1982 adventures of Shaw will likely not be explored in Monarch Season 2 flashbacks, as that time period will likely be saved for the Lee Shaw spinoff series.

Monarch Season 2 Cast

Nearly all of the cast from Monarch Season 1 is expected to return for Season 2. This includes:

• Anna Sawai as Cate Randa, who was on a quest to locate her real father in Season 1.
• Ren Watabe as Kentaro Randa, Cate’s half-brother, who becomes a part of Monarch at the end of Season 1.
• Kiersey Clemons as May, a coder who worked for Apex, a tech company. May joins Cate Kenatro and Lee Shaw in their quest to find the truth in Season 1.
• Mari Yamamoto as Keiko Randa, grandmother of Cate and Kentaro, part of the small group who founded Monarch in the 1950s. She travels to the present day in the Season 1 finale.
• Anders Holm as Bill Randa, another founder of Monarch, and Cate’s partner. He was played by John Goodman in Kong: Skull Island.
• Wyatt and Kurt Russell in the dual role of Lee Shaw, a military man who, along with Keiko and Bill, creates Monarch. In the present, Lee was exiled by Monarch, and in the finale, was trapped in Axis Mundi.
• Joe Tippett as Tim, a well-meaning Monarch employee.
• Takehiro Hira as Hiroshi Randa, a major player at Monarch in the present day. He’s Keiko’s son, and Cate and Kentaro’s father, though they had different mothers.
• Mirelly Taylor as Natalia, the director of Monarch in the present.
• Dominique Tipper as Brenda Holland, an executive from APEX, who had dealings with May in the past.
• Amber Midthunder as Isabel, a new character for Season 2 who has been described as a “businesswoman.”

Is There A Trailer For Monarch Season 2?

After a quick teaser, which confirmed that Season 2 would focus on a new monster called “Titan X,” Apple dropped a full trailer on February 3, 2026. This trailer teases the idea that Titan X was let out into the world perhap because of something Cate (Anna Sawai) did. The trailer also makes it clear that in the present, Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) wants to use both King Kong and Godzilla to fight the menacing sea monster-ish Titan X.

We’re also getting a lot more flashbacks in Monarch Season 2, showing more of the younger Lee (Wyatt Russell), Keiko (Mari Yamamoto), and Bill Randa (Anders Holm) in the 1960s. This format is similar to Season 1, and could lead directly into the upcoming Lee Shaw spinoff series.

Monarch streams on Apple TV.