It's a monster's world! At least that's what the second season of Apple TV's Monarch: Legacy of Monsters would have us believing. The series, based on the MonsterVerse movies, has already shown us just how larger-than-life it can be with appearances from Kong, Godzilla, and other Titans of this shared universe, but the season 2 premiere went even bigger with the introduction of a new Titan that has upended things for Monarch, Kong - and basically the entire planet.
Titan X broke free from Axis Mundi when Cate, Kentaro, and Hiroshi attempted to free Lee Shaw from the supernatural prison outside of space and time. It made its way for the sea, killing Monarch's Deputy Director Natalia Verdugo in the process. Kong attempted to stop it but he was unsuccessful in doing so, sending an angry glare Cate's way as she and the survivors escaped in a helicopter.
The second episode, titled "Resonance", was all about fallout, as Monarch struggled with the loss of its Deputy Director and who was going to take over the mantle when a new Titan was heading for civilization. As a result, audiences got a lot of answers about the MonsterVerse's new villain.
Titan X's true origins revealed
The closing moments of the episode did what Monarch: Legacy of Monsters does best: Tell a story in both the past and the present. As Cate, Kentaro, Hiroshi, Lee, Keiko, Tim, May and the rest on-board Monarch's Outpost 18 ship attempted to deal with both Titan X's imminent rampage (and the scarab that got loose on-board) in the present, Lee and Keiko studied the creature in 1957.
Yes, the flashbacks to 1957 in Santa Soledad revealed that Bill had left to search for the sea creature before what he believed to be its next attack. Keiko, on the other hand, believed that there was still more to the village, so she and Lee stayed behind. When the locals found this out, they invited them to their celebration of their sea god that night. However, they had other intentions for the pair.
Lee and Keiko drank the wine and, eventually, felt woozy - but also euphoric - having memories of their intimate moments from season 1. Eventually, one of the locals split open the carcass of a dead shark and anointed Lucia (the friendly bartender who tried to warn them to leave in the season premiere) with the blood.
For a moment, it seemed as if she had a connection to the sea god. Then, she turned to Lee and Keiko, telling them that they should have left when they had the chance. And with that, the residents all returned to their homes as an army of Sea Scarabs broke free from the cave and chased Lee and Keiko to the shore. When they were surrounded, Titan X emerged from the waters, glowing as she communicated with the Sea Scarabs. Lee and Keiko tried to escape into a nearby house when the creature destroyed it with its tentacles.
Back in the present, one of the Sea Scarabs - fresh off killing a medical professional of the Monarch team - attempted to kill Cate. Kentaro and May made the save, shooting it with two flares. It then made a high-pitched Black Canary-esque scream that alerted Titan X - which turned around and began to race towards the Monarch ship. Lee then took it upon himself to wrap the injured Scarab up and race out to see in a speedboat to draw Titan X away from Outpost 18.
Lee successfully pulled it off, avoiding a near-death experience in the process. Titan X reunited with the injured Sea Scarab and the two drifted away from the Monarch ship - and the other ships that the creature almost attacked!
Based on both the happenings in the past and present, Titan X is a mother to the Sea Scarabs. From the fact that there is a host of them clinging onto her to the way that she immediately abandoned her mission to rescue the injured Scarab, there is a bond there. And the fact that they can communicate via the lighting on their respective tentacles is pretty fascinating.
The mother of all (Sea) Monsters
Monarch season 2 has been going all in on the idea that Titan X is the deadliest of all the Titans and it needed to prove that early on. From "Resonance" alone it has done that, because we're not just talking about one Sea Monster here - we're talking about thousands of them. And there is no kind of bond stronger than a motherly one. So if you come for one of the Sea Scarabs, you're going to get Titan X staring you in the face.
With that in mind, the crew at Monarch are trying to avoid another G-Day. But if those creatures make it to land, it's going to be so much worse than that. Furthermore, it seems that the Scarabs do most of the land work, allowing Titan X to pick off any victims awaiting her at the shore.
There are only two Titans capable of matching strength with Titan X. One of them tried to stop her on Skull Island and didn't quite catch up to her. Something tells us that we haven't seen the last of Kong just yet this season, but it might be time for Godzilla himself to rise from the waters and put Titan X - and her Sea Scarabs - in her place.
Something else worth noting is the fact that Titan X can seemingly communicate with people, too - women, specifically. Keiko heard those vibrations when she was listening below the cave (while the younger Lee could not). Similarly, Lucia seemed to connect with the creature when she drank the blood. And, back in the present, Cate felt a rush - or an intense feeling - whenever the water that Titan X swam through brushed against her feet.
One thing is for sure: This is a very, very powerful Titan.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 is now available to stream on Apple TV, with new episodes arriving each Thursday night / Friday morning.