‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Season 2: One Of The Biggest Shows On Television
Apple TV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters returns with a monster-sized season 2, immediately picking up after the fantastic climax to the series’ first season. Series regulars Kurt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Wyatt Russell, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Takehiro Hira all return for the new season.
Notable newcomers to the series are Prey star Amber Midthunder and Avatar star Cliff Curtis. Perhaps the biggest addition to the season is the mysterious Titan X, but how does this new edition affect the series? I had the opportunity to preview Monarch season 2, read on for my thoughts on it below!
Does going bigger make Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 better?
The first season was a testament to well written human characters in a universe widely overshadowed by massive monsters. The riveting twists don’t lie in its monsters, but in the discovery our human characters make while traveling the globe.
Monarch season 2 certainly ups the scale and scope of the series. While the number of new monsters is going to blow the audience away, those who loved the sincere depth each character received in season one may be left wanting more, especially in the first half of the season. Don’t get it twisted, the second season is epic event television at its finest, but to achieve this feat, a certain level of groundedness has to be lifted at certain points.
While much of the previous season’s mysteries center around the disappearance of Hiroshi Randa and the backstory to Lee Shaw, the second season’s mystery comes in the form of a new monster. Monarch season 2 certainly feels like monsters galore at times, as many new species and creatures are introduced to the series in multiple locations.
The latest kaiju, known as Titan X, serves as the center of this new season’s mystery. Like Godzilla and Kong, Titan X is thankfully written with care and given a deep lore throughout season two. Not to mention there are some seriously cool kaiju fights this season.
Apple TV deserves a massive shoutout for pouring an incredible amount of money and effort into the scope and scale of the monster action in this series. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 is easily one of the grandest seasons of a series in television history in terms of scope. Most of the VFX this season with Titan X, Godzilla, and Kong is some of the finest work ever released on television, rivaling shows such as Game of Thrones and the massive dragon action we get in that series.
As seen in trailers, there are also flashbacks this season involving Keiko, Lee Shaw, and Bill Randa. These flashbacks also help to flesh out the backstory and mythology to this new creature known as Titan X. Much like season one, as the season goes on the many mysteries are slowly stripped back one by one. While, as mentioned, a few of the human characters are simplified this season, fans should get a good kick out of Titan X and the overall story involving this titan.
Mari Yamamoto steals the show yet again
The character who truly steals the show this season, once again, is Keiko Randa. What an enigma Mari Yamamoto is. The character of Keiko Randa is one of the best characters on this show, if not the best.
Thankfully, after the revelation that Keiko survived her fall into Axis Mundi and is rescued by Cate, May, and Lee, we, the audience, get a double dose of Mari Yamamoto in season two, as Keiko appears heavily in both the flashbacks and present-day plot. The finest achievement this season is Keiko and Hiroshi Randa’s storyline together. For fans of the love triangle in the flashbacks, we do get some new Keiko and Lee Shaw content together in the 1950s as well.
Keiko continues to have one of the most unique storylines on the show this season as well. So much of the foundations of this series are built purely on how devastating the original loss of Keiko is for Bill and Lee and how the trickle-down effect essentially ruins the entire Randa family. The first season does a terrific job at showing multi-generational trauma and how family issues play a central role in developing humans into who they become.
The catharsis of Keiko and Hiroshi getting each other back isn’t the only focus of the human plotline this season. The series doesn’t make it too easy for all of these characters to rekindle with Keiko. Not everything is kosher right away. As any good series does, each character comes with different moral complexities, and not everyone’s ideologies align throughout the season.
Cate and Kentraro Randa are still deeply immature characters
One of Monarch’s largest issues is still the immaturity of Cate and Kentaro Randa. The writing in the show unfortunately still treats them as if they’re children and not full-grown adults. While their storyline is deeply moving in season one, it feels as though all the progress and catharsis that Cate and Kentaro are given in season one is sort of wiped away at times. While these two characters get their father and their grandmother back, they still act just as reckless as early on in season one.
While Cate has some writing issues this season, Anna Sawai is such a phenomenal actress who will undoubtedly be in this industry for a long time. She consistently gives her all as Cate Randa, even in moments where the dialogue could quite obviously be stronger.
The most intriguing part of her story this season is her connection to Titan X. While her scenes with Kurt Russell this season are not as frequent, their scenes together still prove that they are the most enjoyable duo in the show. Here’s to hoping Monarch season 3 pairs them together again.
Kentaro Randa arguably has the worst storyline this season unfortunately. Ren Watabe isn’t given a ton to do, but when his story finally starts to blossom it significantly regresses the character. Kentaro is continuously bumping heads with characters this season as well. As mentioned, after all the catharsis in season one he still remains a jaded character.
The main theme of Monarch season 2 is consequence
As “I Just Destroyed the World” by Willie Nelson plays over the trailer for the second season, Anna Sawai’s Cate Randa says “I pressed the button, I let the genie out of the bottle”. This line sums up a good portion of what season two is about, the consequences of our actions. Our characters face the grim results of opening the portal, going into Axis Mundi, rescuing Keiko Randa, and returning two years later. This also plays into some of the immaturity issues that Cate still faces, as she continues to make reckless decisions without considering the cost of her actions.
Titan X isn’t the only consequence for our characters as well this season, as some may forget that Cate, May, and Lee return two years after they fell into Axis Mundi. The world they return to may be quite a bit different since then.
One worth mentioning is that Monarch faces a massive rival this season, the new Apex Cybernetics. The antagonistic Brenda Holland (Dominique Tipper) returns for season two, and as we left off, she has Apex Cybernetics working closely with Hiroshi, Kentaro, and Monarch to find Cate, Lee, and May. The price Monarch has to pay for letting Apex Cybernetics into the fold is high as well.
One person worth mentioning who joins the cast this season Prey’s Amber Midthunder. Obviously not much can be said about who she is or what her role is, but she does factor into the season in a crucial way regarding consequence.
While her character at first felt fresh and new, by the end of the season the writing for her character unfortunately becomes watered down and cliché. If she ends up sticking around for Monarch season 3 we can only hope the writers can flesh out her story and ambition in a more compelling way.
Final thoughts on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2
Overall, season 2 is an incredible achievement in television. Undoubtedly one of the largest seasons of television in terms of scale ever to be released. Apple TV continues to have a massive winner on their hands, and hopefully they can continue to improve the marketing for this show to win over mainstream appeal. A show of this magnitude should really be as popular as a series like House of the Dragon and other massive sci-fi and fantasy series on television.
Along with being a massive show, the series has a terrific cast stacked with a legend like Kurt Russell, one of the finest up and coming actresses Anna Sawai, a rising star in Amber Midthunder, and more brilliant actors like Wyatt Russell, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira and more.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 premieres on Apple TV on February 27, 2026.
Also check out: Kurt Russell On Sharing Role of Lee Shaw With his Son
