Through Apple TV+’s Godzilla show, the MonsterVerse can finally explain Godzilla vs. Kong’s strange link to Dr. Serizawa. In the fourth MonsterVerse movie, Shun Oguri played Ren Serizawa, the son of Ken Watanabe’s MonsterVerse character. In contrast to his father, a longtime Monarch scientist, Ren was allied with the movie’s main villains.
Ren, who was never mentioned in either of Dr. Serizawa’s MonsterVerse appearances, was introduced as a key ally to Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir) in his efforts to bring Mechagodzilla online. Ren lost his life when the power of the Hollow Earth energy source allowed Mechagodzilla to gain sentience and fry Ren’s brain. Curiously, his story in Godzilla vs. Kong never provided an explanation for his surname. But, those involved in the movie have confirmed that Ren was in fact Dr. Serizawa’s son. The film’s novelization further expanded on what their relationship was and his motivations for working with an organization like APEX.
The movie choosing not to touch on Ren’s connection to Serizawa made it a confusing element of the story. However, this mystery can get an answer in Apple TV+’s MonsterVerse show. The show’s synopsis suggests that it takes place between Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which means that both Serizawas will be alive within the timeframe of the series. And with it focusing on one family’s link to Monarch, it’s clear that the organization will play a heavy hand in the story. For that reason, the show could easily work in a role for Watanabe’s character that sheds light on his past and his relationship with his son.
Godzilla vs. Kong ignoring Ren’s past made the Serizawa connection seem like such an odd creative choice. After all, he could have had a completely different last name and it wouldn’t have made an impact on the story at all. Some initially assumed that the explanation for Ren working with APEX was in one of the movie’s cut scenes, but comments from Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard indicate otherwise. He claimed he preferred Ren’s motives to be “mysterious”. Even so, the twist was still an issue for the movie. Since his blood relation to Serizawa wasn’t important, Godzilla vs. Kong’s Ren story was an unnecessary slap in the face to his father’s legacy and everything he did for Godzilla.
By diving deeper into Ren, Apple TV+’s Godzilla show can fix this by making their relationship relevant to the MonsterVerse. The Godzilla vs. Kong novelization provided an interesting explanation for it that could work well if adapted to the small screen. In the book, it was said that Ren sided with Simmons and APEX because of the resentment he held for his father and Godzilla. Jealous over all the time Serizawa devoted to studying the Titan, Ren developed a deep-seated hatred for Godzilla. By exploring a period that came long before Godzilla vs. Kong, the series can highlight the personal consequences of Dr. Serizawa’s lifelong investigation into Godzilla and the Titans.