Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2: everything we know so far about the return of Apple's Godzilla TV show

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 is gearing up to stomp its way onto Apple TV. With principal photography wrapping on the show's next entry in March, we're hoping it won't be too long until the sci-fi drama is back on our screens.

Before the Monster-Verse's first and only TV series returns, you'll want the lowdown on what to expect from its second season. Below, we've rounded up the most important information on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' sophomore chapter, including its confirmed cast, plot details, and more.

Full spoilers follow for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 1. Potential season 2 spoilers are also incoming.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 release date prediction

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 doesn't have a confirmed launch date yet. However, with principal photography wrapping in March following a five-month shoot, the series' next installment is well into its post-production phase at this stage.

So, when do we think the Godzilla-featuring Apple TV Original will return? We think a mid-2026 launch window is the most likely scenario. Hopefully, we'll get a definitive release date in the near future and, with Brazil Comic-Con (CCXP) 2025 around the corner, an announcement could be made there.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 trailer: is there one?

Nope. Again, though, CCXP 2025 seems like a good place to release the first teaser for season 2. If and when a trailer is unveiled, we'll update this section.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 cast: confirmed and rumored

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

Given how Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2's predecessor ended, as well as actors who've appeared in production photographs while the cameras were rolling on this season, here's who we expect to see:

• Anna Sawai as Cate Randa
• Kiersey Clemons as May
• Ren Watabe as Kentaro
• Joe Tippett as Tim
• Mari Yamamoto as Keiko Randa
• Takehiro Hira as Hiroshi Randa
• Dominique Tipper as Brenda Holland
• Elisa Lasowski as Michelle Duvall

One major character who might not be back in season 2 is Lee Shaw. Portrayed 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 was an integral part of season's cast.

However, in the season 1 finale, Shaw appeared to die after sacrificing himself to ensure Cate and company could escape. Sure, Shaw might have survived, but we won't know if Kurt Russell is part of proceedings until season 2 debuts on one of the world's best streaming services.

Unless Monarch season 2's story plays out across multiple periods in time, Wyatt Rusell won't be back, either. The same is true of Anders Holm, with the actor only set to reprise his role as the younger Bill Randa in flashbacks feature heavily throughout this season.

On the newcomers front, only one new cast addition has been announced – admittedly, not officially – by the trades. Per Variety, Amber Midthunder (Prey, Novocaine) is reportedly on board as Isabel, a character who'll have a big recurring role to play in season 2.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 story speculation

Full spoilers follow for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 1. Potential spoilers for season 2 are also discussed.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2's story brief is yet to be revealed. However, based on what happened in last season's final episode, we can try and work out where things might go next.

This is your final warning: major spoilers immediately follow for season 1 episode 10, titled 'Beyond Logic', so turn back now if you haven't seen it.

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.

With this titan making a brief cameo in season 1's final scene, it's possible Monarch season 2 could focus on him more than Godzilla, especially as these two monsters haven't met at this point on the Monster-Verse timeline. Indeed, they don't cross paths until 2021's Godzilla vs Kong.

Furthermore, at this point on the timeline, Godzilla is about to do battle with King Ghidorah in 2017's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Season 2, then, will be an interquel of sorts, with its story likely taking place between the aforementioned films.

If that's the case, Kong and his future titan bestie will continue to be kept separate for the time being. Hopefully, though, we'll still get some kind of kaiju-on-kaiju action in Monarch season 2.

As for the human cast of one of the best Apple TV shows, 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.

Then there's 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, as well as the bonds she'll need/want to build with Cate and Kentaro?

There are bound to be other narrative opportunities to flesh out the Monster-Verse, including Monarch season 2 serving as more connective tissue between King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs Kong. Depending on what plays out as part of this season's story, Legacy of Monsters is 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 Monster-Verse?

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

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

At the time, Morgan Wandell, head of international development for Apple TV, said: "We couldn’t be more excited for viewers to not only have the chance to experience even more thrills in season two, but to embark on epic, new journeys in the franchise as we expand Legendary’s Monster-Verse."

As for a third season of Monarch itself, there have been 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 after its forthcoming entry.

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