Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2: release date, trailer, cast, plot, and everything else we know about the Apple TV show's return

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 is almost here. The sci-fi series, which is set within Legendary's Monsterverse, will make its Apple TV return on February 27, so you'll want the lowdown on what to expect from it.

In this guide, I've rounded up the latest and biggest news about Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' second season. Indeed, you'll learn more about its trailers, confirmed cast, story specifics, and expansion of this franchise from this point on.

Major spoilers follow for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 1, so make sure you're caught up before you proceed.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 release date

As I mentioned, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 will be released worldwide on Friday, February 27.

The Apple TV Original's next chapter will drop with a one-episode premiere on launch day, with new entries releasing weekly after that until its finale airs on May 1.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 trailer

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters — Season 2 Date Announcement | Apple TV - YouTube

Watch On

Apple took its time to release the first teaser for this 10-episode installment, but it finally did so in November 2025.

At the time, Monarch season 2's official teaser seemed to imply that there'd be a big absence from its cast. The individual in question? Godzilla, who appeared to have been replaced by Kong as this season's Titan of choice.

However, in mid-January, season 2's official trailer, which you can watch below, confirmed Godzilla would be part of proceedings.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters — Season 2 Official Teaser | Apple TV - YouTube

Watch On

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 confirmed cast

Full spoilers folow for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 1.

Here's the official cast list for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2, which, given how last season ended, includes the surprise return of a specific character:

• Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell as Lee Shaw
• Anna Sawai as Cate Randa
• Kiersey Clemons as May Olowe-Hewitt
• Ren Watabe as Kentaro Randa
• Mari Yamamoto as Keiko Randa
• Takehiro Hira as Hiroshi Randa
• Anders Holm as Bill Randa
• Joe Tippett as Tim
• Elisa Lasowski as Michelle Duvall
• Takehiro Hira as Hiroshi Randa
• Dominique Tipper as Brenda Holland
• Amber Midthunder as Isabel
• Curtiss Cook as TBC
• Cliff Curtis as TBC
• Camilo Jiménez Varón as TBC

Of the first 11 characters, who all featured in season 1, the inclusion of Lee Shaw wasn't expected.

Indeed, prtrayed by father-son duo Kurt and Wyatt Russell last season – the pair played Shaw in the present day and the past respectively – the US Army colonel appeared to die in last season's finale. However, both trailers confirm he not only survived, but will continue to have an integral role to play in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters when season 2 debuts on one of the world's best streaming services.

As for this season's newcomers, Midthunder (Prey, Novocaine) is the only actor whose character identity has been reported ahead of release. Per Variety, she'll play a businesswoman called Isabel.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 story synopsis

Per an Apple press release, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 "will pick up with the fate of Monarch – and the world – hanging in the balance.

"The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe – all with the threat of a titan event on the horizon."

Need a reminder of what happened in season 1 episode 10? Read on – but, if you're not caught up yet, be advised that full spoilers follow for Monarch season 1. There are also a couple of potential spoilers for season 2 as well, so skip to the next section if you don't want to know anything pre-release.

Season 1 ended with Lee, Keiko, May, and Cate on a mission to escape the Hollow Earth, with Lee seemingly sacrificing himself in order to let the others do so.

Arriving back in 2017, the trio breathe a sigh of relief. Well, until they realize that the nefarious tech corporation Apex Cybernetics, which is led by Brenda Holland – May’s evil boss – is responsible for helping them get back home. Even worse, Cate and Kentaro's father Hiroshi, plus Kentaro and Tim, are working for them.

Interestingly, the place they're brought back to is none other than Skull Island, aka the home of the towering ape known as Kong. And, while he and Godzilla haven't met at this point on the Monsterverse timeline – they aren't set to cross paths until 2021's Godzilla vs Kong – the duo will have to deal with a brand-new kaiju in the form of the aforementioned 'Titan X'.

First glimpsed in Monarch season 2's official trailer, fans believe this creature is Biollante, another adversary of Godzilla's in the latter's decades-spinning franchise. Whatever it is, Apple describes Titan X as "not just another monster; it’s a living cataclysm. When its massive bioluminescent form breaks the surface of the ocean, the world seems to hold its breath... Titan X stands at the centre of the mystery – an ancient force emerging from the deep, its purpose uncertain, its power unmatched, its awe and terror in equal measure." Good luck, Godzilla and Kong!

As for the show's human cast, it'll be interesting to see how Cate, May, and Keiko deal with the fallout from their Hollow Earth trip, Apex rescuing them, and Kentaro, Hiroshi, and Tim working in tandem with Apex to rescue the others.

There's also the small matter of Keiko herself. She's Hiroshi's mom, and Cate and Kentaro's grandmother, but she doesn't look much older than any of them.

That's because she was trapped in the Hollow Earth for decades, meaning she didn't age in the same way that humans do on the surface. How will she cope with living in a world that's far more technologically advanced than the one she left in the 1960s? And how much time will Monarch: Legacy of Monsters devote to exploring the strained relationship she'll have with Hiroshi, the bonds she'll need/want to build with Cate and Kentaro, and Lee's unexpected survival?

There are bound to be other narrative opportunities to flesh out the Monsterverse, including Monarch: Legacy of Monster season 2 serving as more connective tissue between 2017's King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs Kong. Depending on what plays out as part of this season's story, it's also due to lay the groundwork for other stories in this franchise. Speaking of which...

How will Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 impact the Monsterverse?

Like the movies that spawned the idea for a Monsteverse TV show, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 will serve as the jumping off point for other tales in this franchise.

As the above X/Twitter post revealed when the series was renewed in April 2024, Apple struck a new multi-series deal with Legendary Entertainment, which included multiple spin-offs.

In December 2025, Apple confirmed what the first of those offshoots will be. In a press blast, the tech giant revealed an untitled prequel starring Wyatt Russell's younger Lee Shaw, which Joby Harold (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Novocaine) will serve as the showrunner of. Set in the mid-1980s, it'll follow Shaw as he goes undercover in the USSR to stop the Soviets unleashing a new Titan on the world – and one with the capacity to turn the tide of the Cold War.

As for a third season of Monarch, there are no murmurings that Apple and/or Legendary have internally greenlit it. As seems to be the case these days, much will depend on how much the show costs to make and its viewership figures. Until either or both companies publicly confirm if season 3 is in development, we're none the wiser about Monarch's return post-season 2.

For more Apple TV coverage, read our guides on Foundation season 4, Severance season 3, Presumed Innocent season 2, and Slow Horses season 6.