The MonsterVerse is expanding with a Godzilla TV show, and here's how its Monarch storyline can connect to the franchise. Legendary kicked off a shared universe based on reimaginings of classic Toho monsters in 2014 when Gareth Edwards' Godzilla hit theaters. The MonsterVerse started off strong and continued to deliver creature-focused blockbusters in the years to come. However, the immediate future of the franchise now rests with Apple TV+'s Godzilla show.
Apple's upcoming MonsterVerse TV show is a natural progression of the franchise's evolution. 2014's Godzilla was a huge hit, as it earned favorable reviews and made over $500 million worldwide, and gave Legendary and Warner Bros. confidence to build this shared universe. The result was Kong: Skull Island, released in 2017; Godzilla: King of the Monsters, released in 2019; and Godzilla vs. Kong, released in 2021. The three films combined to make nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, but the last two films were met with a more divisive reception. That hasn't completely killed the movie side of the MonsterVerse, though, as Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is reportedly attached to an upcoming movie that could be Son of Kong.
The MonsterVerse's future also includes more than just possible movies. Following in the footsteps of other massively successful franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe, and Star Wars, Legendary has plans to bring this universe to the small screen. This includes a Netflix animated show Skull Island, which is based around the creature-filled island Kong called home, and the more recently announced Godzilla series for Apple TV+. Details on the show are still bare, but here's how the Godzilla show connects to the MonsterVerse.
Everything We Know About Apple TV+'s Godzilla TV Show
Apple TV+'s Godzilla show was officially announced in January 2022 as a partnership between Apple and Legendary. Although it might have been assumed that any MonsterVerse spinoff shows would go to HBO Max due to Warner Bros.' involvement in the franchise's movies, Legendary sold the rights to Apple as a way to expand the series. The show comes from showrunner Chris Black (Star Trek Enterprises) and was co-created by Hawkeye comic writer Matt Fraction. There is no known title or release date for Apple's MonsterVerse show. It is also not known what characters will be at the center of this story, but it is confirmed that Godzilla and other Titans will appear.
Even with the limited details available for Apple's Godzilla show, there is an early plot synopsis for the series. It describes a story set after a thunderous battle between Godzilla and unspecified Titans that destroyed San Francisco. This event coincides with the world discovering without a doubt that monsters are real. The Godzilla TV show will be focused on a family that goes on a shocking journey in the aftermath of these events. The family uncovers a secret past and legacy that links them to Monarch, the top-secret organization of the MonsterVerse that monitors the activity of Titans.
Monarch Explained: MonsterVerse History & Potential Show Story
Monarch has been a key figure throughout the MonsterVerse movies. It was founded in 1946 to study massive unidentified terrestrial organisms (MUTOs), which led to an encounter with the franchise's two biggest creatures, Godzilla and Kong, over the years. Monarch attempted to kill Godzilla and another Titan in 1954 with a nuclear bomb, while its first meeting with Kong came during a trip to Skull Island in 1973. The organization grew over the next few decades to establish various outposts to monitor the rising number of Titans confirmed to exist. Monarch became a publicly known entity in the years that followed, which meant an increased military presence and more outposts by the time Godzilla: King of the Monsters began. This included discovering Ghidorah's resting place in Antarctica and monitoring Rodan and Mothra. By the time Godzilla vs. Kong began, Monarch's forces had even expanded to include a caged environment for Kong on Skull Island, although most of the other Titans remained inactive due to Godzilla's influence over them.
The MonsterVerse has focused on many different human characters and families connected to Monarch, such as the Russell family, which gives audiences potential insight into what the Godzilla TV show will be like. The exact impact on the family could be dependent on what type of family dynamic is at the center. Using Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Russell family as an example, the show could revolve around one or two parents who are working for Monarch, only to discover that their ties to the organization run much deeper than they realized. There is also the possibility that the series will feature a family who only just discovers its ties to the organization. Due to Monarch's secrecy, the main family might not know they are tied to the organization in any way. For example, perhaps the San Francisco battle results in one of the parents, a grandparent, or someone else tied to the family dying who was secretly associated with Monarch.
The Godzilla TV show's story could also be heavily tied to the Monarch Outposts that are established and other secret operations of Monarch. The series could use 2014's Godzilla as an inspiration for this, potentially. The movie followed Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as he learned the truth about what happened the day his mom died. Monarch played a major role in hiding the truth about what happened in Janjira, but the Brody family had strong ties to the organization regardless. A similar setup could mean Apple TV+'s Godzilla TV show following a family searching for the truth about their past and finding Monarch connections, such as that one of their family members died or is missing because of something the organization did.
When Godzilla's TV Show Could Be Set In MonsterVerse's Timeline
The Godzilla TV show appears to be set directly after the events of the 2014 film in the MonsterVerse timeline. The mention that it takes place following Godzilla fighting Titans in San Francisco is a direct match for the movie's finale, which saw Godzilla defeat the two MUTOs before swimming back into the ocean. This means that Apple TV+'s Godzilla show should also be set in 2014 at the very beginning. The series might even start before or during the movie's events, which could be a way for Godzilla and the MUTOs to appear in the story without dramatically changing the timeline. Instead, it would give audiences a new perspective of the film's events to remember moving forward.
Assuming the show starts in 2014, it has the potential to fill in a lot of gaps in the MonsterVerse timeline. The first season of the Godzilla TV show can take place around the events of the 2014 movie, but future seasons can explore the fallout of this event. The MonsterVerse timeline between Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters is quite bare, but there are five years between the films to explore. That is a lot of time for the TV series to carve out its own story, show more Godzilla sightings, and build up Monarch's history as the main family's story unfolds. Ultimately, it seems like a great setting for Apple TV+'s Godzilla show.