Monarch Season 2 Is Finally Setting Up One Of The Most Divisive Godzilla Movies

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the season 2 premiere of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters."

The Monster-Verse franchise has run the full gamut of human responses to these larger-than-life Titans invading our world. Director Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla" depicted its title character and the villainous MUTOs as gods among us, utterly unconcerned with our insignificance as they went about their animal business. The following movies, however, took a different approach and positioned big boys like Godzilla and King Kong as protectors — of humanity, of the natural order of things, and of the particular regions they inhabit and call home. That's where "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" comes in.

The Apple TV series spent much of season 1 taking its cues from the 2014 movie and its awe (and terror) of these monsters living among us, but season 2 is shaking things up a bit. Early in the premiere, titled "Cause and Effect," we realize that Monarch is no longer the only game in time ... or even the top of the food chain anymore. The portrayal of rival tech company Apex Cybernetics in this series has helped fill in tons of gaps from the movies, setting the stage for their eventual heel turn in "Godzilla vs Kong." But look below the surface and viewers will find the seeds of a very different sort of villainous plan.

Did you catch that tense exchange between main protagonist May (Kiersey Clemons) and Apex CEO Brenda Holland (Dominique Tipper)? While checking up on her once-prized pupil following her harrowing escape from Skull Island, Brenda lets slip a key detail about her plans for the rampaging Titan X and the rest of the kaiju, as well. It has to do with coexistence, which the divisive "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" explored more deeply.

If you can't beat 'em, live with 'em. At this point in the "Monarch" timeline, set after the events of the 2014 "Godzilla" and currently taking place in the year 2017, this radical notion hasn't quite taken root yet among, well, almost anyone. But we know from the subsequent movies in this franchise that this is where things are inevitably headed. Characters like Brenda, obviously misguided as she may be, are simply ahead of the curve in this regard.

But as much as this appears to be leading towards the creation of Mechagodzilla years down the line (famously one of Apex's most spectacular disasters, as seen in "Godzilla vs Kong"), "Monarch" is actually laying the seeds for a much more underappreciated film in the series. Yes, it's time for all the "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" defenders to rise up, because this is our time. The monster-happy sequel may not have earned the most positive reviews, but it certainly deserves credit for its influence on the rest of the universe. Not only is it frequently stunning to look at, but it also was the first film to propose that humanity try to live with these Titans peacefully. Sure, the villainous eco-terrorist Alan Jonah (Charles Dance) and mad scientist Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) may not have gone about this in the most ideal way, especially when they sort of just unleash Titans like Rodan and Ghidorah on an unsuspecting world ... but who among us has never made a mistake before?

In any case, the fact that Brenda already has this twinkle in her eye about coexistence is a neat bit of retconning that helps make "King of the Monsters" more relevant.

Of course, don't expect everyone to be on board with this coexistence plan at such an early juncture in "Monarch." Following the dramatic final moments of the premiere, the most pressing concern involves tracking down Titan X at all costs. But the show is laying this breadcrumb early on for a reason, so it makes sense that this could become a greater focus as the season progresses. Rather than a simple difference in philosophy between individuals, however, it's likely to take the form of a major rivalry between entire institutions.

Wouldn't you know it, but we already have two of those butting heads between Monarch and Apex Cybernetics. Their temporary alliance to help save our characters from Axis Mundi might be just that — temporary. As Brenda flies back to Apex Cybernetics, having offered May the chance to return to Apex to help bring her plan across the "finish line," the show might as well be telling us that we haven't seen the last of her yet ... or of Apex. With a threat as existential as Titan X now loose, the two monster-hunting organizations clearly have very different views on how to accomplish the task. While Brenda's scheme to actually achieve coexistence remains unknown for now, it's at least somewhat ironic to know that this is all leading to one destination.

Remember, "King of the Monsters" ends with a credits montage of humanity learning to live alongside the Titans — not just surviving, but thriving. Such big-picture ideas are but a distant gleam on the horizon in "Monarch," but season 2 could be one more link on the chain towards that outcome. New episodes of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" stream on Apple TV every Friday.