Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2026) — Season 2

Score: 6 / 10
Category: Series
Platform: Apple TV+

One-line verdict

A visually stunning but narratively sluggish continuation that spends too much time on character trauma and not enough on explaining its own mythology.Why I watched this

I completed Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on 23 May 2026. I deliberately watched it after finishing Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire because I wanted to follow the MonsterVerse properly. As it turned out, I didn't actually need to do that because Season 2 continues directly from the events of Season 1 and remains earlier in the MonsterVerse timeline—set in 2017, between Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Story & Structure

Season 2 picks up from the aftermath of the first season, with Lee Shaw trapped in Axis Mundi. Cate Randa is determined to bring him back, but the rescue also allows a new Titan threat—dubbed "Titan X"—into the world. From there, the season follows Monarch's attempts to understand this creature, its movements, and its connection to the Axis Mundi realm.The structure is similar to the first season, balancing the present-day Monarch operations with the legacy of the founders. However, the timeline remains stubbornly fixed in 2017. After two seasons and a three-year wait between them, I expected more progress toward the events of the later films, but we are still filling in gaps that feel increasingly less vital.

What worked

What worked for me was some of the character development. Keiko’s situation was particularly interesting: she is one of Monarch’s founders, but she has returned to a modern world where the organization has grown beyond anything she imagined. Her husband is gone, and her son has actually become older than her. The show handles that displacement well.I also liked the complicated relationship between Keiko and Lee Shaw. There are feelings that were never properly resolved, and Bill Randa remains an important part of both their lives. The series continues to explore how time has damaged these people, which remains one of the most interesting ideas in Monarch.Visually, the series remains excellent. The Titans look convincing, and the scale of the action continues to feel cinematic. Among the cast, Joe Tippett’s Tim stood out much more to me this season; he showed greater leadership and became a more important presence in the story. I was also genuinely surprised by Natalia Verdugo’s early death—I did not expect the series to remove her so quickly.

What didn’t

My biggest problem with the season was the pacing. I found parts of Cate’s recovery story too long and repetitive. While I understand her difficulty adapting after losing time in Axis Mundi, the series spent far too much time on it, making the overall story feel like it was moving much more slowly than the larger MonsterVerse around it.I also struggled with the way the show handled Titan X. The season initially builds the creature as an enormous threat, but later asks us to sympathize with it. I understand the "understand vs. control" theme the writers were going for, but the payoff didn't work for me. By the finale, I found Cate frustrating because she was so determined to protect the Titan while everyone around her was dealing with the immediate danger it represented.Another major issue is the lack of answers. The series still hasn't clearly explained the relationship between Axis Mundi, the Titan portals, and the other underground environments of the MonsterVerse. After two seasons, the mythology is expanding faster than the show is explaining it. Finally, I didn't enjoy the unresolved relationship dynamic between Cate, May, and Kentaro—that emotional mess felt more distracting than meaningful.

What others think

Critics have given Season 2 generally positive reviews, often praising the visual effects and the deeper dive into the "human" side of the MonsterVerse. Many fans are enjoying the return of Keiko and the way she interacts with the modern world. However, a vocal part of the fanbase shares my frustration with the pacing and the lack of timeline progression. The "sympathetic Titan" arc has been a point of debate, with some appreciating the nuance and others wanting more of the "King of the Monsters" style spectacle.

Final thoughts

Overall, I prefer Season 1. Season 2 still has excellent visual effects and interesting ideas about time and loss, but I found it slower and more frustrating. It asks deeper questions about whether humanity should fear or understand the Titans, but for me, the answers weren't as strong as the questions. I’m giving it a 6/10. It’s not a bad season, but the MonsterVerse fan in me wanted more progress, and the TV viewer in me wanted tighter pacing.