How Is [SPOILER] Alive In Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters? A Kaiju Classic Has The Answer

This article contains spoilers for the "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 2 finale, "Where We Belong."

At long last, "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 2 has reached its endgame. After weeks (and weeks) of build up, Kong finally faced off with Titan X on Skull Island. The beast was dealt with, and the world is safe — for now, anyway. As one might expect, Apple TV and Legendary teed the ball up for a potential third season by introducing another familiar Titan to the show, but the monster's reveal raises some serious questions.

The "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 2 finale teased the return of Rodan. That's right! The big, flying kaiju capable of leveling cities with its wings has arrived on the small screen. It was a big reveal to help give the show's sophomore season a send-off, but those who have been following along with the MonsterVerse outside of the show might have some questions. Mainly, how the hell is Rodan alive within the context of this show at this point in time?

Without getting into a full-on recap of the episode, entitled "Where We Belong," Rodan appears at the very end. Kurt Russell's Lee Shaw has traveled to Thailand by this point to meet with an old contact who has some intel for him. They head to the jungle to where he finds a volcano, and wouldn't you know it, Rodan is perched right on top.

"Monarch" Season 2 fits into the MonsterVerse timeline between the events of 2014's "Godzilla" and 2019's "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," roughly around 2017. So, how is Rodan in Thailand when we very clearly saw it emerge from its volcanic slumber canonically in 2019's "King of the Monsters?" A different kaiju movie classic may hold the answer.

Director Michael Dougherty's "King of the Monsters" introduced Rodan to the MonsterVerse, and we first meet the beast atop a volcano off the coast of Mexico. The fictional island of Isla de Mara is, rather notably, not in Thailand. So, what is Rodan doing there in "Monarch" Season 2 given that it takes place a couple of years before the events of the movie in question?

1956's "Rodan" may hold the answer. The kaiju flick was directed by Ishiro Honda, the man who gave life to some of the best movie creatures of all time, including Gojira in the original "Godzilla." Though not discussed nearly as often as "Godzilla," "Rodan" is a damn fine creature feature and the movie where Rodan made its cinematic debut. More importantly, the movie contained not one, but two Rodans.

Hondo's movie takes place in the aftermath of a mining disaster and ultimately reveals a prehistoric flying creature that wreaks havoc in Japan. Spoilers for a 70-year-old movie, but the big reveal comes later in the runtime when we find out that there are actually two Rodans who ultimately wind up buried during a volcanic eruption at Mount Aso. It's all pretty haunting, actually, as one has its wing injured and falls into the lava, with the other purposefully going to its death, unwilling to live without its mate.

Dougherty compared Rodan in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" to a massive A-bomb. Having two of those on Earth? That's doubly scary. That very well could be what "Monarch" Season 2 has established, though, taking a cue from the original "Rodan."

The other and most simple option is that the theoretical "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 3 would deal with Rodan and secure it on a different volcano near Mexico, only for it to emerge again during the events of "King of the Monsters." The "Kong: Skull Island" credits scene explained that Rodan has been a known Titan for decades, long before it destroyed multiple cities in "King of the Monsters."

This could just establish Monarch's awareness of the creature, though that might feel a touch messy. The fact that none of this would have been touched on in "KOTM" wouldn't totally make sense, but we'll see how it all shakes out. It's also very much worth noting that, as of this writing, the show has not been renewed for Season 3 yet. This is all theoretical and speculative. The speculation, however, is based on Toho monster movie history. There is precedent for multiple Rodans, which would make sense.

Even within the MonsterVerse, we've had multiples of the same breed of Titan. 2014's ever-divisive "Godzilla," the movie that paved the way for the MonsterVerse, had not one but two MUTOs. So, why not two Rodans? In a world dominated by Titans (and filled with them in the depths of the Hollow Earth), there's no reason to firmly believe that Rodan is one of a kind.

"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 2 is streaming now on Apple TV.